BLOOD RIVER

WHEN "DAILY TELEGRAPH" CORRESPONDENT TIM BUTCHER WAS SENT TO COVER AFRICA IN 2000 HE QUICKLY BECAME OBSESSED WITH THE IDEA OF RECREATING H. M. STANLEY'S FAMOUS EXPEDITION - BUT TRAVELLING ALONE. DESPITE WARNINGS THAT HIS PLAN WAS 'SUICIDAL', BUTCHER SET OUT FOR THE CONGO'S EASTERN BORDER WITH JUST A RUCKSACK AND A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS HIDDEN IN HIS BOOTS. MAKING HIS WAY IN AN ASSORTMENT OF VESSELS INCLUDING A MOTORBIKE AND A DUGOUT CANOE, HELPED ALONG BY A CAST OF CHARACTERS FROM UN AID WORKERS TO A CAMPAIGNING PYGMY, HE FOLLOWED IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE GREAT VICTORIAN ADVENTURERS. BUTCHER'S JOURNEY WAS A REMARKABLE FEAT, BUT THE STORY OF THE CONGO, TOLD EXPERTLY AND VIVIDLY IN THIS BOOK, IS MORE REMARKABLE STILL.