46 
EASTERN ETHIOPIA 
IV 
Uganda fleet was hopelessly beaten by the Wavuma, 
and Mutesa’s warriors had no opportunity of landing 
on the island. 
For nearly twenty years after this great fight the 
Wavuma not only raided the adjacent coast of Usoga 
and carried off the Baganda women into captivity, but 
they carried on an intermittent slave trade with the 
Arabs in German territory, and blocked the short lake 
route between Kavirondo and Uganda. This brought 
them into conflict with the agents of the Imperial 
British East Africa Company. 
Captain AVilliams, the company’s agent in Uganda, 
tried by peaceful negotiations to open the lake route, 
but without success. This led to the expedition of 
1893. Assisted by Majors Macdonald and Smith, 
Williams raised a force consisting of 100 Soudanese, 
2,000 Baganda guns, and 3,000 spearmen, supported 
by two Maxims for the purpose of capturing Buvuma. 
The fighting men were conveyed in two boats and 
250 beats. The paddlers increased his number by 
5,000 men and brought the total under his command 
to 10,000 men. 
The Baganda fleet set out from Murchison Bay, 
effected a landing and encamped on the island ofBusiri, 
and a few days later it practically annihilated the fleet of 
the Wavuma. The great island of Buvuma was occcupied 
after a stubborn resistance on the part of the people. 
Some miles south of Buvuma is the island of Bugaya : 
its inhabitants were reo^arded as the bravest and most 
fearless of the Wavuma : after the conquest of Buvuma 
the Bagaya surrendered. 
It has been mentioned already that the Wavuma 
refused to accept Christianity or to have it thrust upon 
them, but preferred their old fetish (or Lubare) worship, 
which consisted in attempts to appease imaginary 
evil spirits by offerings of food and drink placed in 
little grass huts built outside the village or in the 
depths of the forest. 
