86 



NOETH-EAST AFEICA. 



Arabic language, in which the sound so rarely corresponds to the symbol. The 

 Ganda alphabet is composed of Latin letters, x and q, however, being replaced by 

 other characters. 



Religion — Trade — Administration. 



Hitherto foreign religions have scarcely had access to this coimtry. Islam, 

 which is making so much progress north and south of the plateau, seemed destined 

 to prevail in U-Granda ; but the practice of circumcision, which nearly all Mussul- 

 mans have to undergo, except perhaps in Senaai* and the Blue Nile, infringes the 

 laws of the country, which, though permitting murder, forbids all mutilations. A 

 hundred young men who had been circumcised were burnt by order of the king. 

 Still, foreign Mohammedans have been allowed to build a mosque. The Catholic 



Fig. 29.— South U-Ganda. 

 Scale 1 : 2,400,000. 



Ripon y s OSA 



L . of breenwi ch 



55°40' 



. 30 Miles. 



and Protestant missionaries have made but few converts, although they both hoped 

 to be able to strike a great blow by converting the king, baptised in anticipation as 

 " Constantine the Black." For the rest, the Wa-Ganda have neither idols nor fetish 

 gods, properly so-called ; they believe in a universal creator, Katonda, whom, how- 

 ever, they do not worship, believing him too far above them to condescend to listen 

 to their prayers. Hence they confine themselves to invoking the lubari, either well- 

 disposed genii or dreaded demons, dwelling in the lakes, rivers, trees, and the rocks 

 of the mountains. Mukusa, the god of the Nyanza, becomes occasionally incarnate 

 in a wizard or a witch, announcing through this medium rain or drought, peace or 

 war, triumphs or disasters. Another dreaded god, he who lets loose the scourge of 

 small- pox, seems to be the spirit of an ancient king, dwelling on the west of Mount 

 Gambaragara above the region of the clouds. All the kings have their apotheosis, 

 and after becoming demi-gods continue to govern the people, massacring or par- 



