A fantastic and easily readable look into the search for the headwaters of the Nile River. In the 19th century England there was a huge interest in everything Egyptian and especially discovering where the Nile River originated. Two men, Richard Burton (not that Richard Burton) and John Speke were sent by the Royal Geographical Society to map Egypt, and to more importantly claim this right for good old England. These two men endured hardships beyond the pale including illnesses, heat exhaustion, bugs in ears and dehydration. At one point both men were blinded by illness for the better part of a year and so weakened by malaria that they could hardly walk. Modern day readers will read about and be educated to the effects that colonialism, slavery and Victorian England.
Yes, these men were attacked by the locals in East Africa but it must be remembered that they were seen as the intruders as they were *exploring* a land where people have lived for centuries.

There is also a third man who was part of this exploration and who is sometimes forgotten. Sidi Mubarak Bombay, was a slave who had been shipped from East Africa to India. When he became free he traveled back to Africa to work as a guide and without him Burton and Speke would probably not have survived.

A must read for lovers of history, biographies, and Egypt.