The Blind Lion of the Congo

Burton St. John is a diligent student with an adventurer's heart, spending his evenings dreaming of the wild places his famous uncle George William Wallace has mapped. When the legendary explorer arrives at the St. John home with tales of ivory expeditions and jungle dangers, Burt knows his moment has arrived. His parents resist, but permission is secured, and soon Burt and his friend Howard Critchfield find themselves aboard a steamer bound for the heart of Africa. What begins as a boy's dream becomes a test of courage. The Congo offers wonders: parrots and orchids, hippos and crocodiles. But the jungle is indifferent to the ambitions of white men, and Burt must learn that survival depends not on the rifles and supplies packed for the journey, but on something deeper within himself. His uncle's reputation precedes them, but the wilderness operates by its own rules. A vivid snapshot of early 20th-century adventure literature, this novel captures the thrill and peril of exploration while charting one young man's transformation from student to survivor.