ABSTRACT
Brass men were gin smugglers, and as such they had occasional differences of opinion with the officials sent to put down this traffic. It is also said that the arguments of both sides were sometimes enforced by the matchet-blade or repeatingrifle. However that may be, the result was that at last the headmen of Nimbi sent the Company warning that, unless some settlement was arrived at, they would come down and burn Akassa. The Chartered officials, with a contempt of the savage tribesmen which has more than once cost the Briton dear, disregarded the message, and did not even consider it worth while to retain a detachment of troops at Akassa. They had heard such threats before, and probably considered it a poor attempt to force their hand, but they suffered for their mistake.
