Editor’s Preface

EDITOR'S PREFACE A SINGULAR . misfortune, which happily is not of everyday occurrence, befel the original manuscripts of this history, in consequence of which the author never lived to see in print his more than 20 years of labour. The manuscripts were forwarded to a well-known English publisher through one of the great Missionary Societies in 1899 and —mirabile dictu—nothing more was heard of them ! The editor who was all along in collaboration with the author had occasion to visit England in 1900, and called on the publisher, but could get nothing more from him than that the manuscripts had been misplaced, that they could not be found, and that he was prepared to pay for them ! This seemed to the editor and all his friends who heard of it so strange that one could not help thinking that there was more in it than appeared on the surface, especially because of other circumstances connected with the so-called loss of the manuscripts. However, we let the subject rest there. The author himself died in the following year (1901), and it hcis now fallen to the lot of the editor to rewrite the whole history anew, from the copious notes and rough copies left behind by the author. But for many years after his death, partly from discouragements by the events, and partly from being appalled by the magnitude of the task, the editor shrank from the undertaking, but circum- stances now and again cropped up showing the need of the work, and the necessity for undertaking it ; besides the almost criminal disgrace of allowing the outcome of his brother's many years of labour to be altogether lost. No one, who has never made the attempt, can have the faintest idea of the great difficulties that attend the efforts to elicit facts and accuracy of statements from an illiterate people : they are bewildering with repetitions, prolix in matters irrelevant, while facts germane to the subject in hand are more often than not passed over : they have to be drawn out by degrees patiently, and the chaff has to be constantly sifted from the wheat. In no sphere of labour is patience and perseverance more required than in this. It shows strongly the magnitude of the labours of the original author, labours undertaken along with the unremitting performance of his substantive duties. When all this had to be done with the daily exactions of a busy profession, and other demands on his time, friends will judge the editor leniently for having taken such a long time to repair the loss sustained many years ago. Some chapters had to be rewritten, some curtailed, others amplified, and new ones added where necessary. But this history has a history of its own, for apart from the mishap that befel the original manuscripts as above detailed, its vicissitudes were not yet over. When at last the task of re-writing it was completed, jt was forwarded to England by the " Appam," which left Lagos on the 2nd of January, 1916. The Appam was at first supposed to be lost, but was afterwards found in America, having been captured by the raider Moewe. Nothing was heard of the manuscripts again for nearly two years, when they were at last delivered to the printers ! By that time, paper haci become so dear in England that it was deemed advisable to wait till after the War before printing. The manuscripts were next sent back by request to the editor, wl^o in order to obviate a future loss, under- took to have it typewritten, but in the meantime even j;ypewriting paper became difficult to obtain. All these drawbacks were success- fully overcome in the end, as well as the difficulties in passing the work through the press. He now lets the book go forth to the public, in the hope that it will fulfil the earnest desire of the original author. O. JOHNSON. Ajagbe Ogun.