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Exploration and Hunting in Central Africa 1895-96
“An interesting story…one of the most important records of African travel in recent years." -World Review, 1904
"A plain, straightforward account of hardships undergone, difficulties overcome, of indomitable pluck and indefatigable perseverance, and the inevitable ultimate success of sheer doggedness." - Academy Review, 1904
“ A permanent and valuable addition to the literature of African travel." -Morning Post
In Captain Gibbons’ 1898 book “Exploration and Hunting in Central Africa†we have the story of a man of action, led partly by the desire for big game hunting and adventure, and partly by a laudable desire to make a map, to visit a country which was included in the British Empire, but which had not yet been occupied save by missionaries and occasional big game hunters and explorers such as Livingstone and Selous.
In 1896, Alfred St. Hill Gibbons (1858–1916), best known as the explorer of the Upper Zamboni who completed the work which Livingstone had begun, went exploring and hunting among the head waters of the Zambesi and the northern tributaries of that mighty river.
His narrative is full of hunting stories, some of thrilling interest. The writer does not claim to be a very good shot, but in two instances he establishes a reputation for steadiness of nerve under the most trying circumstances—namely, when charged on two separate occasions by a wounded lioness and by a wounded buffalo.
In describing a run-in with a wounded buffalo, Gibbons writes:
"After a short, sharp run both the beast and myself had halted about twenty-five yards apart, I vainly endeavouring to extract a jammed cartridge case from my rifle. It was only just removed as the wounded cow, sighting me, raised her muzzle and, with extended neck and horns thrown back, charged. I stooped down and waited till she was a couple of paces away . . . ."
In describing a man-eating lion and his hunting it, Gibbons writes:
"In one case he actually removed a reed constructed door from a native's hut, walked in, seized a woman, and carried her off to his lair in some dense thorn-bush a short way from the mission station. On a previous occasion another woman was taken by him when only a few yards from the stockade. … A huge lion bounded down the tunnel and took up his position immediately behind the carcase. Mr. Baldwin stood his ground but did not fire, and although the animal was not six feet …."
Captain Gibbons had excellent sport with all sorts, from elephants downward, on the upper reaches of the Zambesi, within a few days' boating of the potentate's chief kraal. The buffaloes swarmed; they ran in herds of from three hundred to four hundred, and they found safe refuges in the reedy swamps which were also sanctuaries of the sea-cows. There and elsewhere there were lions in superabundance.
The book contains an excellent essay on the country— its character, climate, and prospects, as well as a description of various tribes in the Barotse Empire.
Gibbons also authored another book on his explorations in Africa:
•Africa from south to north through Marotseland
Gibbons' “Exploration and Hunting in Central Africa†is a well-regarded historical source, being cited in the following modern works:
•Fire-Eaters: Blacksmiths and the Products of the Forge in Pre-Colonial Zambia, Mwelwa C. Musambachime - 2017
•'The Jew' in Late-Victorian and Edwardian Culture: Between the East End and East Africa, E. Bar-Yosef, ‎N. Valman - 2009
•The quiet wise spirit: Edwin W. Smith 1876-1957 and Africa, W. John Young - 2002
•The Bantu Bibliography, Jouni Maho - 2008
•The Tonga-speaking Peoples of Zambia and Zimbabwe, Chet S. Lancaster, ‎Kenneth Powers Vickery - 2007
•The Anglo-African Who's who and Biographical Sketch-book, 2006
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