158 AFRICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS
test should be one of war. The brothers must fight among themselves until one of them alone remained alive in Ankole to claim the drum and the Mugabeship.
In the king's kraal the sons prepared to fight for the iViugateship arid to find Bagyendanwa. In the meantime Ankole could not be left without a king. After the mourning ceremonies, a mock battle took place in the royal kraal between common herdsmen, and the winner was chosen as mock king. He maintained a semblance of order in the royal kraal until the accession war ended. This mock king was called ekyibumbe. The word ekyibumbe has a variety of meaningb. In common usage, it describes a stupid, foolish person. Sometimes it is used to indicate a person who is the butt of jokes and tricks. A small, toothless baby, who must be taken away from the kraal upon the death of its father, is also called an ekyibumbe. The royal brothers watched this mock battle, but after the person had been chosen they chose their own followers and went out to look for Bagyendamoa. If they met on the way they fought and each tried to kill the other. If one brother had fewer followers than the other, he generally got killed or fled to another country. On the other hand, strategy often made up for lack of followers. The brothers spied upon one another in order to creep up during the night and get the other unawares. They put poison in each other's food or stabbed one in his sleep. Magic and the help of foreign allies were both resorted to. Each son was aided by his mother and sister, who practised magic against his enemies and protected him from the spirits of his slain enemies.
During the accession war which might last for several months, the country was in a state of chaos. Every man resorted to his kinsmen for protection. It is said that there was much cattle stealing and people who had a grievance took advantage of the chaotic condition of the country to take revenge upon their enemies. But the great chiefs who guarded the borders of Ankole did not take part in the accession war. They endeavoured to keep as much internal order as possible and to guard the country from foreign invaders.
One by one, the princes were either killed or driven into exile until only one remained. The hidden son then came out of his hiding place and fought with the one remaining son for the possession of Bagyendanwa. The late Mugabe's favourite son did not always win, but he usually had the most powerful magicians