74 



THE CENTRAL PROYIXCE 



island. These extraordinary heaps of water-worn boulders of granite, 

 which may be seen in so many parts of the northern half of the Victoria 

 Nyanza, will probably tell a tale of interest to the geological student 

 who is capable of reading their riddle. 



Other islands of the northern ^'ictoria Nyanza are little worlds of them- 

 selves, are the size of an English county, possibh'. Of such is Buvuma, 

 which lies at the entrance of Napoleon Gulf not far from the birth of 

 the Nile. Buvuma is shaped very much like the Island of Celebes in the 

 Malay Archipelago, and. like this island, has long, attenuated peninsulas 

 studded with high mountains. In Buvuma these mountains in places I'each 



63. FOREST ox THE SHORES OF AX ISLAXD 



to heights of more than 2, <)()() feet above the level of the lake, heights 

 which will prove valuable and accessible as sanatoria for white settlers on 

 the Victoria Nyanza. The Island of Buvuma is of great interest. Its 

 inhabitants belong to the same stock as the Basoga, and do not differ 

 markedly in appearance or language from that people or from the kindred 

 Baganda. But for 100 years or more there has been a deep-seated feud 

 between the Bavuma and the Baganda. :Many a king of Uganda has 

 endeavoured to conquer Buvuma, and has failed, and sought an alliance 

 instead. In this island the people have hitherto resolutely refused 

 Christianity, and adhered to the old fetishistic religion, about which more 

 will be said in Chapter XVI. The worship of these spirits is chiefly 



