UGANDA JOURNAL.


 A Legendary Hero of Buganda.
 By SAM K.B. MUKASA

 The Greeks have Heracles, the Hebrews Samson, the Romans Horatius, the
English St. George; in fact every nation has got a legendary hero, who is sup-
posed to have performed supernatural feats of bravery.
 In this country of Buganda we have such a Patriarch known to fame as
Wakiwugulu, who probably lived in the reign of Kabaka Mawanda. His memor-
able feat is supposed to have been performed during one of the innumerable
conflicts which we had with our neighbours the Basoga.
 The battle was long and fierce but as the sun neared the distant hills the
Baganda with their king could be seen in a headlong flight, and lost no time
in crossing the lake at Bugungu.
 Wakiwugulu was wrath at this defeat, and telling the King that he would
rather die fighting the enemy than share, with His Majesty, such a disgrace,
paddled across the lake and faced the foes alone with his spear and shield.
 The story goes that the first spear he threw passed through four people who
fell down dead! The enemies were petrified at such a show of muscular strength
and following the fashion of the Philistines when their Goliath was slain, they
turned and fled.
 Wakiwugulu, with the war cry of his grandsires on his lips, chased the fliers
and killed the stragglers until he could kill no more. Then he collected all the
spears of the dead, tied them in a bundle and summoned boats by blowing his
horn. The old chronicles tell us that it required several boats to carry the spears
of the victims across!
 Wakiwugulu is still remembered by that act of bravery, and even to day
the members of his Clan-Fumbe-still swear by his name.