426 AFRICA SPEAKS 



world, a "groundnut stew," which consists of a con- 

 glomeration of everything in the kitchen, boiled in a 

 thick soup of peanuts. This concoction is seasoned 

 with a triple concentrated extract of tobasco sauce and 

 served piping hot. If the unsuspecting victim sur- 

 vives the first spoonful, he is considered properly 

 initiated into the Order of True Nigerians, but the 

 final diploma of merit cannot be issued imtil he has 

 eaten also a "palm-oil chop." This latter mixture can 

 be approached only in an asbestos suit, and the ap- 

 proved method is to eat this blood purifier on Sunday 

 afternoon and then, after washing it down with several 

 glasses of pink gin, go to bed. If all members of the 

 party are still alive on Monday morning, the "chop" 

 is considered a huge success. 



During the evening Joe told this man of his former 

 close association with Lord Kitchener and about the 

 message-in-the-eardrum adventure. The story varied 

 a great deal from the way he had told it to me, for the 

 locale was now Persia rather than India, and instead 

 of an entire army's fate depending on his success, it 

 was only a regiment or so, and the prize won for Eng- 

 land was not India but the Suez Canal! After Joe 

 had spoken his piece, our host told about some of his 

 experiences with the Nigerian black men. 



It seems the West African native uses his head, 

 literally if not figuratively, and this officer told of his 

 frustrated efforts to introduce modern methods among 

 his black laborers. He had imported some wheel- 

 barrows, and after showing the workmen how they 

 should be used, felt that he had speeded things up 

 considerably. Returning later where the men were 

 excavating, he found them filling the wheelbarrows 



