Matabeleland and the Victoria Falls

Book excerpt: On New Year's Eve 1874, the British explorer and naturalist Frank Oates became one of the first Europeans since David Livingstone to see the magnificent Victoria Falls. A month later, he was dead from malaria, aged 34. This book draws on the original diaries, letters and sketches of Frank Oates to paint a vivid picture of the Victorian exploration of Central Africa. It documents his encounters with legendary rulers such as King Lobengula of the Ndebele and larger-than-life characters like the ivory hunter Frederick Selous, and records Oates' final, fatal trek through the Zambezi Valley towards Victoria Falls. Offering the modern reader an unparalleled view of nineteenth-century Africa at a period of transition, "Matabeleland and The Victoria Falls" is detailed, personal, and compelling.