000 BANTU NEGEOES 



■who came out and greeted him heartily. The chair <iii A\liich he sat in the house 

 ^vas afterwards called Kaiezire. Waniala died, and Lukedi became king. Lukedi 

 made a great feast and sacrifice to the "Bachwezi " as a projiitiatory offering. He first 

 sent for nine fowls and killed them, one cow Avithout blemisli, and one sheep. 

 These also were killed, and the intestines of these animals Avere taken and placed 

 on the side of the main road. Several men were then ])laced to watch to see 

 that no insect touched them. After some time Lukedi sent a messenger Avith two 

 large bark-cloths to Avraj) them up in. After this he selected nine cows, nine 

 elderly Avomen, nine young Avomen, nine loads of beads. These things Avere then 

 taken to the top of a large hill called Abulu. The Avomen and coaa-s A\-ere then 

 killed, and their bones burnt Avith fire ; the beads were made into a head-dress, and 

 Lukedi Avore it, and the ashes from the bones of the Avomen were scattered upon his 

 head. And the sacrifice Avas finished, and the '"Bachwezi'' i)ro]iitiited. 



The veal reading of L'nyoro's past history seems to run on these 

 lines: Long ago, perhaps 2,()0() or 3,000 years back, began a series of 

 invasions of Vnyoro by a cattle-keeping Gala jteople from the north-east, 

 the ancestors of the modern Eahima. These folk appear t(j liave come 

 from the north-east, or countries to the south of x\byssinia and the west 

 of 8omaliland. Apparently they came round the north end of Lake 

 Kudolf and then directed their course south-Avestwards into the countries 

 Avhich are noAv known A-aguely to the Baganda as Bukedi (or the Land of 

 Nakedness). But the land of Bukedi Avas then, as noAA* (though not perhaps 

 to the same extent), })eopled by a Avarlike race of Nilotic Negroes, the 

 modern Acholi, Lango. L'miro. etc.. and (according to tradition) the 

 Bahima did not find the means of settling down comfortably in these 

 lands to the east and north of the Victoria Nile. >^o they crossed ov^er 

 into Unyoro, but for \arioiis reasons — possibly the hostility of the Bantu 

 Negroes aa'Iio had preceded them — did not at first remain there, but 

 pushed steadily south till they reached the healthier plateaux of Toro, 

 Ankole, and Karagwe.* It is possible that in all these lands to the Avest 

 and .south-Avest of the Victoria Nyanza they did not meet Avith such a 

 determined resistance from the former occujiants of the soil. avIio may have 

 been the pioneers of the Bantu Negroes, and J-'ygmies, like those of the 

 Congo Forest. In those healthy uplands which lie between the Avest coast 

 of the Victoria Nyanza and the vicinity of Tanganyika the Gala in\aders 

 of Equatorial Africa dwelt in security Avith their herds of long-horned 

 cattle, increased and multiplied, and began to stretcli out their hands 

 toAA'ards the north as Avell as the south and «nist (to a great extent the 

 Congo Forest barred their progress Avestwardsj. Tlieir jiioneers. much 



* They may also— possibly did do so — haA'e ]iursued the line of least resistance 

 by crossing the Nile at the outlet of Lake Albert, journeying along the Avestern 

 coast of that lake, and so on uj) the 8emliki Valley to Ankole, keeping to the east 

 of the Congo Forest. 



