IV ISLANDS OF THE VICTORIA NYANZA 43 



Stanley's appeal were shortly afterwards murdered on 

 tliis island. 



Sesse was believed to be a single island until it 

 was captured from the Eoman Catholics by Major 

 Williams (1892). After subduing Sesse Island this 

 enterprising officer circumnavigated it, and found, 

 instead of a large triangular island, as represented in 

 maps, one large and many small islands, some lieing 

 merely rocky islets. Their true configuration and dis- 

 tribution was ascertained by Macdonald (1893). 



The natives of the Sesse Islands are known as 

 Basesse. Although these islands lie in the north-west 

 angle of the Victoria Nyanza and belong to Uganda, 

 the people iuhal)iting them are more allied to the 

 Basoga than to the Baganda. 



The Basesse are not only excellent boat builders, 

 but they are skilful paddlers and experts in man- 

 oeuvring their boats on the lakes, either singly or 

 in fleets. During the contest between Christians and 

 Mahomedans, the Basesse declared for Mwanga against 

 the usurper Karcma, and l)y placing their fleet of 

 boats at his service gave him the mastery of the 

 lake. 



Mwanga had his headquarters at these islands after 

 his deposition in 1888. From Bulinguge (an island 

 about one mile square in Murchison Bay) he harassed, 

 with the helj] of the Christians, the Mahomedans during 

 1889 and could feed his force by means of the Sesse 

 fleet. There was a time when the " Admiral of the 

 Fleet " commanded a fleet of four hundred boats. 



j\Iwanga and the Roman Catholics retreated to 

 Bulinguge after the battle of Mengo (1892). This 

 island, which the Roman Catholics regarded as impreg- 

 nable, was assaulted by the Protestants under Williams, 

 but the King escaped by means of boats to Sesse. 

 When the Protestant atta-ck l)ecame successful the 

 fugitives attempted to escaj^e from the southern shores 

 by means of their boats. The panic-stricken crowd 



