History 29 b4

DURING the early years of 1887 the persecution in Uganda began to take on a different character. The Arabs, who assured Mwanga repeatedly that he had only to embrace Mohamedanism to become the most powerful monarch in Africa, and completely to defeat the enterprises of the Europeans, soon had him entirely in their power. He announced that he had become a Moslem, in so far, at least, as was consistent with his royal dignity, and had the Koran read in public daily at his court. He was very anxious to convert Honorat Nyonyi Entono, and, when his persuasions were unsuccessful, determined to send him a copy of the Koran. If he refused to accept it he was to be immediately arrested. That very day, however, during the reading of the Koran, a sudden fire broke out, which destroyed the greater number of the royal huts. Mwanga took refuge at the house of the first minister, a little distance from the capital, but had scarcely reached it when a spark, carried by the wind, set fire to it also, entirely consuming the house with all that was in it.

The coincidence frightened Mwanga, who thought that the God of the Christians was punishing him for his treatment of his servants but the Arabs hastened to assure him that the fire was not the work of the God of the Christians, but of the Christians themselves, who to avenge their martyrs, had scattered their ashes over the city.

A large assembly of executioners seemed the prelude to another outbreak of persecution, but, in spite of the efforts of the Moslems, nothing happened. The previous executions had aroused a certain amount of ill feeling in the country, and the Katikiro, now that his chief enemies, Joseph Mkasa and Andrew Kagwa had been disposed of, was not inclined to share the responsibility of an action that was likely to be unpopular. "If you put to death all your young men," he said “your enemies will soon begin to think that it is safe to attack you."

Mwanga, however, did not give up his idea of converting Honorat to Mohamedanism. “If you were the king," he said one day, "and I the chief of the pages, I should do what you asked me—or at least I should say I would, to give you pleasure"

"If I did," said Honorat, laughing, "you would be the first to tell me that I did not mean it, and you would be very angry." Thus cornered, Mwanga had to laugh, in spite of himself. Honorat and his men, as a matter of fact, were necessary to the king, for they were the bravest troops he had, as well as the most faithful, and several of his chiefs were advising a continuance of the war with Unyoro, which had ended in such disaster. Kyambalango, the Pokino, who had led the last expedition, a great enemy of the Christians, boastfully declared that he had killed all the fighting men in the country, and on his instances, war was declared. This caused so much commotion in the capital that the Christians who were with the army were able to come to Mass and Holy Communion at the mission before they started, without attracting too much notice.

In June, nearly a year after the martyrdom of their companions, the two pages, Denis Kamyuka and Simeon Sebuta, were set at liberty. They hastened at once to the Fathers, to give them the full account of the holocaust at Namugongo, which account served later for the process of canonization. "We were expecting that the king would try to force us into Mohamedanism, they said, "but he merely asked us if we would rather be free than in prison, and, without a word about religion, let us go."

This seemed strange—strange too, the sudden amiability of Mwanga, who began to show great favour to the Fathers, even visiting their house when he passed it, and turning over everything they possessed. It was an expensive compliment too, which had to be heavily paid for in presents. They guessed that something was behind this extraordinary friendliness and did not put too much trust in it.

On the 1st of December 1887, thirty-five catechumens were baptised, and in January thirty more. Cardinal Lavigerie had insisted that they should go slowly, and only baptise after four years of instruction and probation, and the measure proved its wisdom, for apostasy was extremely rare. But the numbers of catechumens was continually increasing. "Five of us would not suffice for the work," wrote Father Lourdel "and we are only two." The natives, both men and women, helped greatly in the work; a little band of them were even then living under rule, as a kind of Third Order, and were of the greatest service, particularly with the children.

Germany, France, and England were all working to obtain influence in Uganda, and both the English and French missionaries, who wanted to be left in peace to their own particular work were given credit for trying to further the interests of their respective countries. The Arabs were continually urging on the king that they were envoys of the European powers who were determined to “eat" his country, and several times Mwanga had threatened a general massacre all the white men in Uganda.

In the August of 1888, Clara Nalumansi, one of the royal princesses and a Christian, was shot in her own house. The natives of Uganda showed great respect to all the members of the royal family, which they considered as almost sacred and the news of the murder was received with horror. Rumour said that she had been put to death for fear that the Christians, if they grew powerful, might make her queen. It was also noticed that the king was in continual consultation with those of his chiefs who were most hostile to the Christians. A small lake near the capital was being enlarged and a quantity of enormous crocodiles caught in Lake Nyanza, were being brought there. Troops were being massed in the neighbourhood, under pagan leaders, and the missionaries were now treated with marked coldness. It was said that all who were not pagans—Moslems included—were to be subject to the attack. The Christian neophytes, who were on the watch to find out what was afoot, succeeded at last in discovering that on a certain day the troops were to surround the lake, where a muster was to be held of all who were not pagans. They were to be thrown to the crocodiles, and those who resisted killed.

Honorat Nyonyi Entono, the most influential of the Christian chiefs, came to the Fathers to ask what would be best to do. He was told that, under the circumstances, there could be no obligation to obey the summons, though most of the neophytes were ready to do so, since it meant certain death.

The Moslems had no intention of allowing themselves to be killed, especially as they were well provided with arms and ammunition, and the Katikiro, aware of their attitude hastened to warn Mwanga and to advise him to give up the project. The king would not be persuaded, but the next day, when he went to the lake and saw for himself the threatening aspect of the Arabs, he lost courage and dared not go any further. If he had given the order, they had intended to fire on him, and they now tried to enlist the co-operation of the Christians in an attempt to de-throne him. Honorat again sought counsel from the Fathers and was advised to have nothing to do with the project. "It is the cause of God we are defending," said the Arabs, "for Mwanga is God's enemy. To deliver Uganda from such a monster is a holy deed." Honorat replied that his religion forbade him to take up arms against his king, but he refrained from warning Mwanga lest he should revenge himself upon the Christians.

Mwanga was busy with another plan. The men whom he intended to destroy were to be taken on an expedition on Lake Nyanza, and left on a desert island to die of hunger, while the missionaries and the Christian chiefs were massacred. On Sunday, the 7th of September, he ordered the army, composed almost entirely of Christians, to be embarked, while he himself, uncertain of the dispositions of the soldiers, put out from the shore in a large boat, taking with him the principal Christian chiefs. The soldiers however, refused to move, unless at the express order of the king, who had to be fetched back and who, though obviously disconcerted, affected to treat their behaviour as a joke.

No one responded and when an attempt was made to divide them up into boat-loads, they once more refused to move unless their chiefs were with them. Their threatening aspect and their mutterings to each other made it clear to Mwanga that his plot had been discovered. "I have a bad cold," he said "I am going back to the capital with Honorat." "You, Xavier," he continued, turning to another Christian chief, "will take the army back by land." The words were greeted by a mocking shout of approbation. The king of Uganda had lost the reverence of his people.

The excitement was great. Honorat told the Fathers that though he himself was determined not to take up arms against the king, he could no longer hold his men in check and a revolution was inevitable. The very next day it broke out. Terrified to see the bands of armed men hastening to the capital, Mwanga fled, hoping to take refuge with Mapera, but a band of revolutionaries cut him off from the mission, and he had to turn back. In the end, he escaped from Rubaga, with a few of his pages, who remained faithful. His brother Kiwewa was placed on the throne, on the condition that he allowed liberty of religion. Otherwise, said the people, they would treat him as they had treated Mwanga.

The new king began by declaring that he intended to respect every religion, but everyone knew that he had always been the friend of the Arabs, who had been chiefly instrumental in placing him on the throne, and it was generally expected that he had promised them to embrace Islam when it was safe to do. For the present, however, he named Honorat as his chief minister, and seemed disposed to take his advice in everything. The honours of the kingdom were divided equally between the Moslems, Protestants, and Catholics.

For a short time all went well; a large church was begun and the Fathers were besieged from morning till night, but the Arabs were very much displeased at the turn things were taking. It was they who had stirred up the revolution and the Christians were profiting by the results. Honorat they hated, but he had at his disposition both men and money; their only chance would be to take him by surprise. On the 12th October, as the catechumens were on their way to the mission, the rumour flew through the capital that the Arabs and those of the natives who had embraced their creed were advancing on Rubaga. A moment or two later the firing began.

The attack took the Christians by surprise but though they soon rallied and drove back the assailants, after several hours of hard fighting they were forced to retreat. Honorat, with a band of his men, ran to defend the mission, which seemed likely to be attacked, but the Fathers begged them to go, as the place was incapable of defence. They refused at first, unless the missionaries would go with them, but yielded at last to their entreaties, and reluctantly left them.

“After making the sacrifice of our lives," wrote Father Denoit, "we consumed the Sacred Species, and assembling our sixty orphans in the chapel gave them general absolution. Presently there came a message from Kiwewa; he wanted Father Lourdel, who set out at once with the messenger. Then came a message to me to join him. I found him surrounded by a band of Arabs, who were determined that he should not reach the palace. They pulled off both our hats, exposing us to the scorching sun. Seeing one of the native chiefs, we asked him what we had done. He agreed that we were not concerned in their quarrels and took us to the king's house, leaving us outside in the court. While we were waiting, the Arab traders, who, as we knew, had been the cause of all the trouble, came out, and one of them, to whom we had once been able to do a kindness, stopped and spoke to us. He said he would go in and get permission from the king for us to go home, and presently came back with the Kimbugwe, or keeper of the royal enclosure.

“Here is a friend,” he said, “who will see that you do not come to harm.” The Kimbugwe insisted that we should spend the night in his house, and only allowed me to go back to the mission on condition that I left Father Lourdel as hostage, and brought back with me Mgr. Livinhac, who was paying us a visit, and Brother Amans. On our return we were all shut up in a filthy hut and closely guarded till the morning, when the Kimbugwe announced that we were free, but owed him a thousand francs worth of goods for our night's lodging. If we did not pay, he hastened to add, he would help himself from our stores. Father Lourdel went back to our home to fetch what was demanded, for it was useless to resist. When he returned, the Kimbugwe announced that after having tried to kill the king, the Christians had stolen all his rifles. They were our converts, therefore we were responsible, and everything we had was to be confiscated, after which boats would be provided in which we would be allowed to leave the country.

"No,” said Father Lourdel, “that is not true. The Christians neither wished to rebel nor to kill the king. As for us, we only came to Uganda on the invitation of Mtesa, and we will not remain against the will of Kiwewa, but it is not just to take our possessions.”

"Your lives are spared to you, be content with that" was the answer.

“Father Lourdel was obliged to look on while the house which had been built with so much labour and love was pillaged from one end to the other. Provisions laid in for the orphans, furniture, books, papers, vestments, altar-vessels, all was carried off. As a great concession he was allowed to keep thirty of the orphans, and with a breaking heart chose out those who had been baptised, while the others, sobbing, pressed round him begging “Take me, Mapera, take me!” Even some of the Moslems were touched at last, and begged the Kimbugwe to let him have more, but he only granted five or six, going off with the remainder and all that the Fathers possessed in the world.

Father Lourdel complained to the Katikiro, who blamed the Kimbugwe and his associates and promised redress. The Protestant missionaries, whose mission had likewise been pillaged, were in the same condition, and equally destitute. Two days later Father Lourdel heard that he was to give up all his orphans, but was finally allowed to keep twenty-seven. The rest —among them several who had been baptised—were to remain in the hands of the Arabs.
During that night several of the catechumens came secretly to tell Father Lourdel that they were leaving the capital for the south. Honorat, with another band, was starting for Buddu, and Nantinda, with those who had fled to him for protection, was trying to cross the lake to Bukumbi, where they would tell the Fathers how things were at Rubaga.

"We were hurried to the port of Mtongo and put on board the boat of the Protestant missionaries."'Go and come back no more,' they yelled after us. 'Tell the white men that we will have no more of their religion in Uganda. We will have Islam and nothing else.’”

On the 3rd November the exiles, both Protestant and Catholic, arrived at Our Lady of Kamoga in Bukumbi. “Our mission at Rubaga,” wrote Father Lourdel to his brother, “has been pillaged, the greater number of our orphans captured, our Christians dispersed. This is the work of the Arabs, arch-enemies of Christian civilisation in Africa. Through all our trials and tribulations, we have not lost courage, but our bodily strength has suffered. We have all been down with fever and dysentery. Though I am only thirty-five, I am already an old man. My hair and my beard are nearly white.”