226 HISTORY OF THE PROTECTORATE TERRITORIES 



this iuformation, gatliered up and intelligeutly commented on by the 

 geographer, E. G. Kavenstein, brought about the despateii of the Koyal 

 Geographical ^>ociety's celebrated expedition under Jose[)h Thomson, to 

 which I shall allude later on. 



Meantime, this steady increase of 3Iuliammadanism had brought to 

 Mwanga's court an ally to Christian influence. In the presence, not only 

 of mere heathenry, but of a soul-and-body-destroying debauchery whicli 

 was ra[)idly spreading under Mwanga's influence, the ''Peoples of the 

 Book" or '-of the Eeligion (Din)" (as they styled themselves) — namely, 

 the adherents of the Christian missions and the Muhammadan projjagandists 

 (who liad this common ground of belief, in that they derived their foith from 

 two difierent versions of the Hebrew Scriptures) — united their protests 

 against Mwanga's senseless cruelties and fllthy practices. Myvano^a^^thouglit 

 to abolish the prmcipal of his cri t ics. bot tj—O iristian and ^lu ha nimadan . 

 bv inviting those chiefs and officials who had dared to reason with him to 

 ])roceed on a warlike expedition against the Bavuma. His idea was to 

 land them on an inaccessible island, take away all the canoes, and leave 

 them to starve to death there. Scenting his })lot, the leaders of the religious 

 party resolved to strike for life and freedom, and possibly depose the king. 

 The_cowar dly Mwang a beca me ])anic-stric k en and e scaped, every facility 

 being given him to get away. He fled in canoes to the south end of the 

 lake, where eventually he took j -efuge at a mission station of the Whit e 

 Fathers. He shortly afterwards declared himself a Koman Catholic. 



After this bloodless revolution, however, the temporary alliance between 

 the Christians and ^luhammadans was dissolved, and the Muhammadans 

 got the up[)pr hand. The Christians and the 31uhammadans had managed 

 before ]\Iwanga fled to secure the person of the eldest amongst his 

 brothers, Kiwewa, a man much older than Mwanga, who had been debarred 

 from succeeding to tlir throne on ]\Iutesa"s death by the Uganda super- 

 stition that a dead king should l^e succeeded by one of his younger, not 

 one of his elder sons. After the revolution the 3Iuhammadans attempted 

 to force on Kiwewa the rite of circumcision. Kiwewa, however, steadily 

 refused, and when it was attempted to impose this rite on him against his 

 will he turned on the high functionaries of his kingdom who were ]\luham- 

 madans and had come to his enclo.>-ure for this purpose, and killed several 

 of them. His palace was then attacked by the INIuhammadans, and Kiwewa 

 fled. His younger brother. Kalema, was circumcised by the Muhammadans 

 and placed on the throne as an avowedly .Muhammadan king. Kiwewa 

 was eventually captured and put to death. Many princes and princesses 

 of royal blood were burnt. The Christian missionaries were expelled from 

 the country, and large numbers of their converts left in dismay for Ankole 

 and the soutli end of the Victoria Nvanza. 



