Boyd Alexander (1873-1910) explored Africa from Lokoja on the Niger to Berber on the Nile, via Lake Chad; the team included his brother Claude, Captain Gosling, and his assistant José Lopez. En route they had numerous chances for sport - lion, elephant - and met local people, descriptions of whom feature throughout the narrative. The 3-year undertaking proved hazardous, and both Claude Alexander and Gosling lost their lives to disease. On his return, Boyd Alexander received the Gold Medal from London’s Royal Geographical Society. He undertook a second expedition in 1909 with Lopez, but was murdered in the African town of Nyeri, east of Lake Chad.