With Life in the Great Sahara and Sketches of the Chase of the Ostrich, Hyena, etc.The fourth classic study of African wildlife, culture, and native tribes as they existed in the mid-1800s, written by the first European explorer to confirm the existence of gorillas and African pygmies.
Following on from his "Stories of the Gorilla Country", "Wild Life Under the Equator", and "Lost in the Jungle", adventurer Paul du Chaillu describes in vivid detail African life before the advent of European colonization, and the astonishing practices, culture, and environment which existed at that time.
This work is particularly valuable as it shows, without prejudice or favor, Africa as it was, as seen by one of the first European explorers to set foot inside the interior of the Dark Continent.
Made king of a tribe after awing them with simple, everyday European items such as shoes, clothes, socks, hats, and guns, Du Chaillu relates how he tried to bring some sort of order into the chaotic and unpredictable tribal life of his subjects, to no avail. He then moves on to describe the lifestyle, culture, and physical appearance of neighboring tribes, including the more mixed Islam-adhering racial types to the north. During this process, he discusses African slavery, both by their own people and by the Arab slave traders.
This volume also includes many fascinating observations about African wildlife and is another eye-opening account of Africa in its natural state, containing many sobering lessons applicable to the present-day-if the reader has the vision to see and understand their meaning.
This is a hand-restored and re-set edition, complete with original illustrations.