CHAPTER 60
BUSOGA CHEIFS’ TROOPS IN OLDEN DAYS
In Busoga there were no particular places or institutions where warriors could be stationed or trained. Instead, every senior chief or Ruler had his own group of warriors from The people in his area. Every warrior lived in his place or home which he had acquired on his own until he had proved to be a brave warrior, when he would be presented with aparticular place for his bravery.
All the warriors in a village were prepared at all times to defend their country, whenever it was attacked. A warrior was not expected to be afraid to go anywhere and fight at any time, in case there should be a war. When he heard a drum warning him that war was taking place at a certain place, he straightaway went, equipped with all the necessary arms. When he arrived at the battle ground he would be under supervision of a senior brave warrior.
In every part of the country there used to be exceptionally brave warriors who were made captains of the other fighters. Each fighter had to obey them. It was also their duty to organise the fighters during the battle. These brave warriors were much honoured; they were offered arms signifying their bravery, such as very well made shields, spears, a feather crown and a leopard skin. They would also be rewarded with cattle, clothing, women and a very big feast was also prepared in their houses on their return from war. It was from this group of people that most of the senior officials were made up, as well as the village chiefs. A person who was afraid to fight was much hated and was never promoted to a higher rank or position. Moreover, people never liked to be governed by a cowardly person who feared to fight his opponents. Therefore a brave person was much liked and respected by all.
There were also secret groups of warriors or detectives, who carried out their duty or fought during the night. Among them there were also brave men who were treated in the same way as already mentioned.
The night warriors were ordered to murder the enemies while they slept at night, therefore their duty was to go quietly by night and investigate what their enemies were doing and how they were formed up, etc. Another thing they did at night was to destroy or burn down the enemy’ s camp or steal their arms.
Sometimes they had only to kill the enemy’s brave soldiers or the captains leading the fighters. Therefore a brave night-warrior’s abode or sleeping place was never known for he mixed with the public all the time. If it was known where he slept, probably he would be killed. The same applied to senior chiefs — no one knew where they slept and during the day they would be guarded by their guards.
The ‘Abalaguzi’ used to find out for the chiefs in which direction the enemy would come and inform them accordingly. Then the chiefs would send their doctors and charmers to such places to go and charm the battlefields, or else send them to where the enemies had camped and poison their food and drinking water. If possible, they had also to charm or poison any cattle or goats which were around the enemy’s camp, so that when the enemies took and killed the cattle or goats and ate the meat, they would die.
Every side acted the same way in order to conquer their rivals; that was how battles were fought and troops obtained.