''SITTING WHERE THE FOLKS SIT.'' 43 
gracious, but as a rule **the God-palaver" men 
were given a very hearty welcome. One favourite 
method of giving such a welcome was to prepare 
food for so acceptable a visitor. The dish of food 
was always the best according to their judgment 
of things, namely, palm-oil chop. Now I'm sure 
that if the missionary had seen the colour of the 
water in which the yams were washed, etc., and 
the condition of the hands of some who helped to 
prepare the food, and the kind of meat that was 
put in as a tit-bit, he would often have lost both 
his relish and appetite. Some of your missionaries 
have actually eaten dog and monkey. When mak- 
ing just a passing call at one of the Oron villages, 
fresh palm-wine^ would be offered as a thirst- 
quencher. It was never wise to look at the colour 
of the glass, or to think about the bits floating 
about in the wine, or to dwell upon the fact that 
the man who offered you the drink, first of all drank 
some himself — though likely he needed washing 
very badly — just to show that it contained no 
poison, and was perfectly safe to drink. To accept 
the proffered drink was always worth while. 
Friendships and goodwill resulted, and mountains 
of distrust, and valleys of suspicion were levelled 
up and a way made fo^r the Gospel and the King 
of the nations — Jesus Christ. 
Non-intoxicating. 
D 
