763 
of Edinburgh , Session 1885-86. 
chiefs dream of them, it is customary to offer human sacrifices to 
them. On such occasions the executioners will he commanded to 
catch a hundred or so individuals ; they rush madly through the 
streets, seize any one they may happen to find, and when a sufficient 
number are collected together they lead them to the supposed 
residence of the spirit, and decapitate them over a large hole dug by 
the side of the river to receive their blood. 
The Waganda have two gods of war, Chiwuka and Uenda, who 
are said to reside in certain trees in different parts of Uganda. These 
trees are tended by men who are supposed to possess priestly functions, 
and to them offerings of black cattle (sheep and goats) are made by 
the warriors, who pray under the trees before going to war. The 
animals are not killed when the prayers are offered, but are given 
into the charge of the priests, who consume them at their leisure. 
One may say that all the offerings to the deities in Uganda are of a 
propitiatory character. 
Mythology . — When sitting at a camp fire in Uganda the traveller 
often gains much information concerning the legends of the people. 
Could he always note down at the time the information thus 
derived, an immense number of legends might be preserved, but 
during my travels in the country both note-book and pencil had to 
be kept as much as possible out of sight. . The prying eyes of the 
king’s pages noted every action, and rendered caution in this 
respect of vital importance. 
The Waganda legends and traditions deal with the origin of the 
tribe, with the colonisation of the country, with the prowess of 
former monarchs, and the brave deeds of chiefs. They depict the 
wars in which the country has been engaged, and many indicate 
changes which have taken place in the manners and customs of the 
people. 
Apart from what I may call these national traditions, legends 
are told of gods and demons, giants and dwarfs. Fanciful tales of 
plants and animals are strangely mixed up with allegories exempli- 
fying some virtue or vice. 
Some of the legends undoubtedly point to foreign origin, although 
when they were brought into the country it is impossible to say. 
The Waganda are very fond of reciting, and in this way legends 
have been handed down from generation to generation, and one 
