THE DEADLY FIRE-WATER. 
17 
and gave them tots of fire-water as a present ! 
The trouble is, that through a series of years, Great 
Britain and Germany has poured into Southern 
Nigeria thousands of cases and casks annually, so 
that the drinking of this horrible stuff has become 
part and parcel of the social habits and customs of 
the people. At weddings, funerals, palavers, play, 
Egbo, house-building times, and I know not when 
else, gin and rum is bought and consumed. It is 
one of the strongest enemies the missionary has to 
deal with. When about eleven days out on my 
first trip to the Coast, the officers and crew began , 
to get the hatches opened with a view to discharg- ^ 
ing some cargo as soon as the first port was reached. 
My attention was invited to the kind of cargo, 
packed up in a certain form and size of case. I was [ 
then informed that they were cases of gin and rum I ) 
Said my instructor: We have four missionaries | 
on board to win the heathen for Christ, but we ^ 
and certain work for the devil. What chance have 
you?'' I felt the force of what he said then, but 
1 lived to feel it more and more the longer I 
sojourned in their midst. The natives themselves 
feel it to be a bane and curse. One afternoon I 
thought Mrs. Ward and I might have a walk for 
about an hour or so whilst tea was being 
got ready. Something led us to change our 
ordinary route for once, and we went through the 
neighbouring village of Esuk Oron, and eventually 
reached the beach. And this is one of the sights 
we saw. In a little stockade arrangement — in 
shape like a triangle — there was a native altar and 
Ju-ju placed at the arrow endj and before it stood 
have hundreds of bottles of the stuff that does sure 
