The World's Greatest Books — Volume 19 — Travel and Adventure

Sir Samuel Baker, a lifelong adventurer, sets out in 1861 to solve the mystery of the Nile’s source. Accompanied by his determined wife, they sail from Cairo up the Nile, cross the Nubian desert on camels, and spend a year mastering Arabic while charting the Atbara and Blue Nile tributaries. Their observations reveal how the floodwaters carry fertile silt that sustains Egypt’s agriculture.

Reaching Khartoum in June 1862, Baker confronts the harsh rule of Governor‑General Moosa Pasha and the entrenched slave trade that fuels the region’s economy. He assembles a diverse convoy—two sailing barges, camels, horses, and a hundred men—to press deeper into Central Africa. By early 1863 they arrive at the remote outpost of Gondokoro, a grim hub of slave‑hunters and ivory traders, setting the stage for the next phase of their daring exploration.