666 BANTU NEGROES 



well-polished sticks are fastened securely against each long side, with their 

 points converging and crossing inside the sounding-board. Outside the 

 skin cover they diverge to a considerable distance, and a cross piece of 

 wood connects the two diverging ends. From this cross piece eight 

 strings usually are fastened to a bridge on the sounding-board. In the 

 Sese Islands there is a slightly different form of lyre, in which the strings, 

 after being gathered together and fastened on the sounding-board, radiate 

 again to a frame of sticks which is fastened along the lower and short 

 side of the sounding-board. 



Then there is the " amadinda." which is well illustrated in the 

 accompanying photograph. This xylophone is made of long, flattish 

 segments of very hard wood, which are placed on the cylindrical trunks 

 of bananas, with or without little cup-like sounding-boards. These flat 

 slabs of wood are adzed to slenderness in the middle. They are usually 

 kept in position when placed across the banana stalks by pegs being 

 driven into the soft banana trunk to prevent one slip of wood from 

 touching another. They are beaten with little hard sticks, and give out 

 a very melodious sound. 



The weapons of the Baganda (apart from guns, which are now in the 

 country by thousands and much used) are spears and shields. The 

 Baganda have no throwing-spears, nor do they — unless it be among 

 the children — use bows and arrows ; neither do they carry the swords or 

 daggers used by the people in the eastern half of the Protectorate and 

 in parts of the Congo Forest. Clubs were formerly in use in warfare in 

 shape like the knobkerry. These were used until quite recently as one 

 of the weapons of execution, men and women being frequently clubbed to 

 death. The spear-head is not usually very large, and is often of the 

 Hima type, with two blood-courses. Sometimes spears were used which 

 were practically pikes fixed on long, stout wooden stems. 



The shield of Uganda is quite characteristic. Its shape is a pointed 

 oval which has a bend right down the middle — that is to say, the two 

 sides are bent back, leaving a central ridge. In the very middle of the 

 shield a large pointed boss (answering to the handle at the back) is fixed, 

 generally made of wood, but occasionally of iron. The foundation of the 

 shield is sometimes wood with an interior cover of wickerwork, but orna- 

 mental shields are occasionally made which are of wickerwork throughout. 

 The handle of the shield is in the middle of the under- surface, just 

 under the frontal boss. In Busoga and in Buddu the shield is bordered 

 with the long hair of the colobus monkey. The shield is a very favourite 

 ornament. Miniature shields are sometimes kept by the women as charms 

 about their bed-places. In the Sese Islands the front of the shield is 

 often rudely painted with white, red, and black clay. Although the 



