STORIES TOLD BY THE BAGANDA
At one time cats were servants of fowls, to whom they had to pay
tribute in the form of flying ants, done up in small packets. This duty
became very irksome, and on several occasions the cats were very much
inclined to rebel, but were afraid to do so when the fowls threatened
to burn them with their red combs. At one time, when the cats’ fire had
gone out a mother cat sent her young one to make fire by placing some
dry grass near to the red comb of an old rooster who was very drunk and
fast asleep.
Presently the kitten returned with the report that he could not get
a light from the red comb of the sleeping cock. This aroused the
curiosity of the mother cat, and at once she went and convinced herself
that the cock’s comb, though red, was quite cold. She then wakened the
rooster, and along with other cats declared that never again would
she serve the fowls. The fowls saw that their deception was no longer
of any use, so they came to the nearest village and asked man for his
protection against the cats.
A lion and a crocodile had a quarrel during which each claimed to
be the stronger animal. The former said: “I can kill the fiercest
buffalo,” to which the latter replied: “And I can kill the hippopotamus
in the water.” The crocodile was basking on the mud near to the
river’s bank where the lion was devouring a buffalo. Very quickly the
crocodile seized the leg of the buffalo and pulled both that creature
and the lion into the river, where they were drowned. This incident
filled the crocodile with confidence, so that he soon began to boast of
his strength, especially to the young son of the lion he had killed.
Naturally the young lion was very angry, and ever in search of revenge,
which he took one day when the crocodile attempted to play his old
trick of pulling the young lion and his prey into the river. On this
occasion the lion proved stronger, for not only did he haul out the
crocodile on to the mud flats, but quickly settled him with blows from
his powerful paws. Now the Baganda people declare that the lion and the
crocodile are of equal strength, the former being king of beasts on
land, and the latter sovereign of the river.
Now we come to the closing scenes in the life of this interesting
Baganda tribe. Sickness is never put down to natural causes, such as
chills, overeating, or heavy drinking. It is always supposed that an
enemy has worked magic against the sick man, and the medicine man
of the tribe will usually bleed the patient in order to let out the
evil magic. The body of the king is embalmed and buried with great
reverence, and even for the most humble people there is respectful
interment; methods which are very different from those adopted by the
Masai and Akikuyu, who leave their dead to be devoured by hyenas.
BOOKS FOR SCHOOL REFERENCE LIBRARY
_Britain across the Seas_, by Sir H. JOHNSTON.
_British Central Africa_, by A. WERNER.
_The Baganda_, by the Rev. J. ROSCOE.
_With a Pre-Historic People_, by W. SCORESBY ROUTLEDGE.
_The Masai_, by A. C. HOLLIS.
_The Nandi_, by A. C. HOLLIS.
_Tribes of Northern and Central Kordofan_, by H. A. MACMICHAEL.
_Northern Bantu_, by the Rev. J. ROSCOE.
_Cook’s Handbook for Egypt and the Sudan._
_Last of the Masai_, by SIDNEY LANGFORD HINDE.
_British Museum Guide Book to the Ethnographical Collections._
_Shilluk People_, by WESTERMANN.
Transcriber’s Notes
In a few cases, obvious omissions or errors in punctuation have been
corrected.