Tayler set out to re-create Henry M. Stanley's journey down the Congo. This is his richly descriptive account of the arduous and enlightening experence. Travelling in a dugout canoe, Tayler and his guide encounter intense heat and torrential rains, corrupt officials and soldiers demanding bribes, rats, mosquitoes, and breathtaking natural beauty. Going far beyond the boundaries of conventional adventure-travel writing, this is an honest and politically sophisticated depiction of today's Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), a country brought by the despotic leader Mobuto to economic and social ruin.