An exploration narrative and travelogue written in the late 19th century. It relates Stanley’s push across Central Africa to locate Dr. David Livingstone and then explore with him around Lake Tanganyika. Expect brisk route diaries, negotiations and tolls, close calls with wildlife, and keen observations of landscapes and peoples. The opening of the volume follows Stanley’s march from Mrera toward Ujiji via Ukonongo, Ukawendi, Uvinza, and Uhha, battling swamps, fetid crossings, and hunger while skirting war zones. He records vivid encounters—a leopard mauls a donkey, lions roar around camp, a giant warthog and buffalo are hunted—alongside hard choices about routes and discipline. In Uvinza he buys provisions and guides, reaches the Malagarazi after grueling swamp work, endures extortionate ferry fees, and loses the donkey Simba to a crocodile; then vital news arrives that an elderly white man from Manyuema is at Ujiji, spurring a forced push west. Entering Uhha, escalating tolls culminate in a tense standoff with the Mutware Mionvu (settled at heavy cost) and new demands ahead, so Stanley discreetly hires a clandestine guide, stocks food, and leads a silent moonlit march through the bush to bypass further exactions—still pressing on as dawn breaks.
