River of the Gods: Genius, Courage and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2022

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 3

Part 1, Chapters 4-5

Part 2, Chapters 6-8

Part 2, Chapters 9-11

Part 2, Chapters 12-13

Part 3, Chapters 14-15

Part 3, Chapters 16-17

Part 4, Chapters 18-19

Part 4, Chapter 20-Epilogue

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 2, Chapters 12-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “What Might Have Been, What Would Have Been”

Part 2, Chapter 12 Summary: “Tanganyika”

After 134 days, the expedition reached Kazeh, an important trading town in the region. The team was now three quarters of the way to Lake Tanganyika. Despite being close to the lake, they desperately needed provisions. Burton hired Shaykh Snay bin Amir to help acquire goods and hire porters. Burton and Speke also asked Snay about Rebmann and Erhardt’s map. According to Snay, the map was wrong. The missionaries drew one lake when they should have drawn three. The names of these lakes were Nyasa, Tanganyika, and Nyanza (also called Ukerewe). Snay also told Burton and Speke to go to Nyanza, rather than the town of Ujiji, located on Tanganyika. Burton was uninterested in changing plans, despite Speke’s pleas.

Despite setbacks due to illness, the expedition finally reached Lake Tanganyika, which represents “the longest and second deepest freshwater lake in the world, slicing through more than four hundred miles of the Western Rift Valley” (144). Burton was in awe of the lake and wrote several gushing descriptions. Speke could not see the lake because of issues with his eyesight, which he resented.

The men needed a boat to survey the lake. After recovering from an illness, Speke set off to meet with an Arab leader, called a Shaykh, who lived on the western shores of Tanganyika and had such a boat. The journey proved disastrous: Speke was attacked by beetles that had migrated inside his tent after a strong storm.

Speke was unable to talk with the Shaykh about his boat, forcing him to return to Burton empty-handed. Once again, Speke felt humiliated. While Burton was sympathetic to the mishaps Speke faced, he was also frustrated: “I was sorely disappointed; [Speke] had done literally nothing” (152). Speke was able to tell Burton that the Shaykh claimed a river ran out of the Tanganyika. After speaking with another man, Burton and Speke learned this claim was false. The river, called Rusizi, flowed into Tanganyika. Burton learned from Bombay that Speke had misunderstood the Shaykh, who had actually noted that the river flowed into the lake. Bombay also did not think the Shaykh had been near the river, but was instead trying to impress Speke.

Despite these setbacks, Burton still desired to explore the lake. Burton and Speke returned to Ujiji to restock and head back out to conduct a full survey. Unfortunately, upon their return, they realized that their men had sold most of their supplies to pay for the trip back to Zanzibar. Luckily, a caravan arrived at the town with some of the supplies they had left behind. However, Speke and Burton realized these were not supplies they needed. Fearing that they would starve on the way back to Zanzibar, Burton decided to leave Ujiji without exploring Tanganyika. To him, the expedition represented a failure since they were not able to prove the source of the Nile River.

Part 2, Chapter 13 Summary: “To the End of the World”

In Chapter 13, Millard discusses Speke’s travels to Lake Nyanza. Speke argued with Burton about heading back to Zanzibar. Instead, Speke suggested they should travel to Nyanza. Burton initially disagreed and the expedition returned to Kazeh on June 20th, 1858. Burton remained ill.

While in Kazeh, Burton noticed that Speke was once again “‘a little sour’” (159). Speke was still determined to lead his own expedition to Nyanza. His interest was driven by conversations with Snay bin Amir who confirmed that a river flowed out of this lake. Burton finally agreed to let Speke travel without him to Nyanza. Speke put together a small team, including Bombay.

Mishaps plagued the journey to Nyanza, which Speke expected after his experiences traveling in East Africa. The team finally reached the lake one month after leaving Kazeh. Immediately, Speke realized they had discovered something incredible. Speke found the lake marvelous and awe-inspiring. Locals did not believe there was an end to the lake. Despite having no proof, Speke resolutely believed he had found the source of the White Nile. For the rest of his life, he referred to the lake as “my lake” (164).

Burton’s health continued to improve while Speke traveled to Nyanza. Upon his return, Speke told Burton he had found the source of the Nile. Rather than expressing support for Speke’s hypothesis, Burton remained skeptical due to the lack of proof. Speke was deeply hurt that Burton did not believe him.

Part 2, Chapters 12-13 Analysis

In Chapters 12 and 13, Millard documents The Rapaciousness of Western Colonialism. Here, she focuses on how the European explorers falsely took credit for being the first to find a place. While Burton and Speke were the first Europeans to reach Tanganyika, they were not the first people to do so. In fact, there had been local Africans living in this region for centuries. Moreover, Arab traders used the town of Ujiji “as a depot from where they bought ivory and enslaved people from the surrounding region” (145). European arrogance caused them to be blind to the accomplishments and travels of non-Europeans—a point that Millard tries to rectify in her book.

Burton and Speke both showed The Importance of Courage in the face of extreme danger and difficulty. For example, Speke faced a harrowing experience with a beetle, which bore into his ear canal. He tried numerous remedies to remove the beetle, none of which worked. Finally, he tried to stab the beetle with a penknife. While he killed the beetle, Speke severely damaged his ear (although strangely he regained his sight). He remained deaf in this ear for the rest of his life. Despite the ramifications from his action, including extreme pain, Speke tried to talk to the Shaykh to determine the source of the Nile and accomplish the expedition’s goal. Speke would also not allow deafness to deter him from attempting to lead his own expedition (Part 3).

Both men also faced great personal difficulties on this expedition. They learned from the caravan about a mutiny in India. Burton became worried about his brother Edward, who was stationed in India. While Edward survived, he was never the same man. Speke would later learn that his brother (named Edward too) had been killed in the mutiny. Both men also learned that Hamerton had in fact died. While all of these dangers and difficulties took a toll on Speke and Burton’s physical, psychological, and emotional wellbeing, these men still tried to fulfil the expedition’s goal of finding the Nile’s source. Their obsession enabled them to put aside their own personal difficulties in the hopes that they would be part of something larger in the history of exploration.

Millard also describes the further deterioration of Burton and Speke’s relationship. Burton recounts how he felt relief when Speke traveled without him to Nyanza. Burton was growing increasingly concerned that Speke’s ignorance of local cultures was jeopardizing their relationship with the other men in their expedition. Speke was also deeply hurt that Burton did not believe he had found the source of the Nile River. Burton’s skepticism added to Speke’s feelings of resentment toward Burton.