Travel and Adventure in South-East Africa

There is no lack of marvels in Mr. Selous's book: We gape at the magnificent stone ruins of a perished and forgotten civilisation and at hair-breadth escapes from lion or elephant. We are transported to a new atmosphere, with so much of the story-teller's art that we feel as if we ourselves are… in the South African Veld, wondering if there is any water left in the vleys by the last rains, losing everything we possess by a vicious hippopotamus tossing our canoe, having our best ox carried off by a lion under our very noses on a black night, or flying for our own lives from a treacherous attack by the Mashukulumbwi on another such night.