Description
By Paul du Chaillu. Venture into the wild and mysterious landscapes of equatorial Africa in this classic tale of exploration, adventure, and natural discovery.
In Wild Life under the Equator, famed explorer and naturalist Paul du Chaillu recounts his remarkable journeys through the forests and rivers of Central Africa during the nineteenth century. Best known as one of the first Europeans to describe the gorilla to the wider world, du Chaillu combines thrilling travel narrative with vivid observations of wildlife, landscapes, and indigenous cultures in regions then largely unknown to Western readers.
From dense tropical jungles and remote villages to encounters with elephants, gorillas, leopards, and other exotic animals, the book immerses readers in the excitement and dangers of exploration in equatorial Africa. Du Chaillu describes hunting expeditions, difficult river journeys, and dramatic moments deep within the rainforest, while also recording the customs and daily life of the peoples he encountered along the way.
Written in an engaging and highly readable style, Wild Life under the Equator captures the spirit of nineteenth-century exploration at a time when large parts of Africa remained unmapped by Europeans. More than an adventure story, the book is also an important historical record of early scientific observation and travel writing from the era of discovery.
This carefully restored reprint revives a classic work of exploration literature for modern audiences. Ideal for lovers of natural history, African exploration, wildlife adventure, and nineteenth-century travel narratives, Wild Life under the Equator continues to fascinate with its vivid descriptions of a world that seemed untamed, mysterious, and filled with wonder. It remains an enduring testament to curiosity, endurance, and the thrill of venturing beyond the boundaries of the known world.
* This new edition includes a new introduction, an author biography, and digitally restored illustrations reproduced from the earliest available editions.
About the author: Paul Du Chaillu (1831?-1903) was a French-American explorer, zoologist, anthropologist, and travel writer best known for his pioneering expeditions into Equatorial Africa during the mid-nineteenth century. He became internationally famous after publishing vivid accounts of his travels among the forests and peoples of West and Central Africa, particularly for helping to confirm the existence of the gorilla to European and American audiences. Between 1855 and 1859, he traveled extensively through parts of present-day Gabon and neighboring territories, collecting animal specimens and documenting local societies. During these journeys he encountered gorillas, at that time still regarded by many in Europe as semi-legendary creatures known mainly from fragmentary reports and skeletal remains. His successful transport of gorilla specimens back to Europe and America brought him immediate fame. Du Chaillu spent much of his later life traveling between Europe, Russia, and the United States. He died in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 29, 1903, reportedly following a stroke while engaged in research. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City. Though controversial during his lifetime, Paul Du Chaillu is today recognized as one of the important explorer-naturalists of the nineteenth century, whose writings helped shape Western understanding of Equatorial Africa and its wildlife.
Contents:
Preliminary Chapter
Chapter II Parrot Island.—How the Parrots Build their Nests.—Parrot Soup.
Chapter III An African Creek.—A Leopard among the Chickens.—A Night Watch for Leopards.
Chapter IV Hunting Elephants and Buffaloes.—A Venomous Serpent.—A Snake Charmer.—He is Bitten.—He Commits Suicide.
Chapter V At Court in Africa.—Costumes of the Court.—An African Household.—A False Alarm.
Chapter VI Hunt For Gorillas.—A Large One Shot.—The Negroes Make Charms Of His Brain.—Mourning in a Bakalai Town.
Chapter VII An African Fireside.—A Camp by the Seashore.—The First Gorilla Hunter.—Negro Blarney.
Chapter VIII Hippopotamus Hunting.—We Kill One.—The Men Eat It.—Poor Beef.—What The Tusks Are For.
Chapter IX A Great Gorilla.—We See a Ship.
Chapter X Death in an African Village.—Lamentations.—The Funeral Ceremonies.—An African Cemetery.
Chapter XI A Tornado.—Before the Storm.—Thunder and Lightning.—After the Storm.
Chapter XII A Creek Infested by Snakes.—Snake in the Boat.—An Ugly Visitor.
Chapter XIII Drinking the Mboundou.—How Olanga-Condo Could Do It.—How the Mboundou is Made.—The Effect of the Poison.
Chapter XIV A Royal Feast.—On the Banks of the Ovenga.—Preparations.—The Bill of Fare.—A Taste of Elephant And a Mouthful of Monkey.
Chapter XV The Terrible Bashikouay.—March of an Ant Army.—They Build Bridges.—They Enter Houses.—Their Habits.
Chapter XVI The Sorrows of the Birds.—Curious African Birds.—The Barbatula du Chaillu.—The Barbatula Fuliginosa.—The Sycorbius Nigerrimus.
Chapter XVII On the Ofoubou River.—Elephants Bathing.—Pursuit through the Swamp.—Escape of the Elephants.
Chapter XVIII Njali-Coudié.—An African Town.—The Chief.—Courtship and Marriage in Africa.—Buying a Wife.—Quarrel Over the Spoils.
Chapter XIX The Feast of Njambai.—The Talking Idol.—Secret Proceedings.—The Women and Their Mysteries.
Chapter XX Sick in a Strange Land.—Adventure with a Snare.—How a Squirrel Was Charmed.
Chapter XXI Witchcraft.—Accusation of Pendé.—Result of His Trial.
Chapter XXII Gorilla Hunting.—Preparations.—We Kill a Male Gorilla.—Bringing Him to Camp.
Chapter XXIII In the Buffalo Country.—The Paradise of Flies.—The Various Species.
Chapter XXIV Elephant Pits.—A Captive.—Dividing the Meat.—The Alethe Castanea.
Chapter XXV A Deserted Village.—Fear of Death.—Wars between Villages.—African Wild Boars.—The Hunt.
Chapter XXVI In The Wild Forest.—Hostile Tribes.—An Intrenched Camp.—Forays For Provisions.
Chapter XXVII We Discover Human Footprints.—We Spy Out The Enemy.—A Female Gorilla.—Maternal Fondness.
Chapter XXVIII How We Were Received at Camp.—Threatened With Starvation.—A Night in Camp.—Malaouen’s Story.
