Travel And Adventure In South-East Africa – Frederick Courteney Selous

Description

Travel and Adventure in South-East Africa by Frederick Courteney Selous is a classic firsthand account of African exploration, big-game hunting, and colonial-era adventure. Covering his eleven years roaming through the wild landscapes of South-East Africa in the 1880s and 1890s, Selous recounts his perilous encounters with lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, and elephants. He vividly describes the challenges of crossing rivers like the Zambezi and Manyami, surviving attacks from hostile tribes, and enduring the harsh conditions of Africa’s untamed wilderness.

Selous’s writing balances the thrill of the hunt with the realities of frontier life. His accounts of elephant and lion hunts, narrow escapes, and treacherous journeys offer not only excitement but also insight into the colonial mindset and natural history of the era. The book closes with Selous’s thoughts on rifles and hunting equipment, alongside reflections on his earlier expeditions.

A legendary explorer, hunter, and later a conservationist, Selous greatly influenced literature of the time — notably inspiring H. Rider Haggard’s famous fictional adventurer Allan Quatermain.