Samuel Baker (1821 - 1893) was born in England. After the death of his wife he traveled to Ceylon in 1846. Baker established an agriculture settlement in Nuwara Eliva. He helped bring cattle and emigrants from England and made a success of the settlement. During his stay in Ceylon he spent a great deal of time hunting with his hounds, which became the genesis of this novel and a later work. Baker spent 12 months exploring the Nile and the area surrounding it. In the Heart of Africa is condensed from "The Nile Tributaries Of Abyssinia" and "The Albert N'yanza Great Basin Of The Nile." The Table of Contents includes. 1. The Nubian desert--The bitter well--Change of plans--An irascible dragoman--Pools of the Atbara--One secret of the Nile--At Cassala, 2. Egypt's rule of the Soudan--Corn-grinding in the Soudan--Mahomet meets relatives--The parent of Egypt--El Baggar rides the camel, 3. The Arabs' exodus--Reception by Abou Sinn--Arabs dressing the hair--Toilet of an Arab woman--The plague of lice- Wives among the Arabs--The Old Testament confirmed, 4. On the Abyssinian border--A new school of medicine--Sacred shrines and epidemics, 50 A primitive craft--Stalking the giraffes--My first giraffes-Rare sport with the finny tribe- Thieving elephants, 6. Preparations for advance--Mek Nimmur makes a foray The Hamran elephant-hunters--In the haunts of the elephant--A desperate charge, 7. The start from Geera--Feats of horsemanship--A curious chase-Abou Do wins a race--Capturing a young buffalo--Our island camp--Tales of the Base, 8. The elephant trumpets--Fighting an elephant with swords-The forehead-shot -Elephants in a panic--A superb old Neptune--The harpoon reaches its aim- Death of the hippopotamus--Tramped by an elephant, 9. Fright of the Tokrooris- Deserters who didn't desert--Arrival of the Sherrif brothers--Now for a tally-ho!- On the heels of the rhinoceroses--The Abyssinian rhinoceros--Every man for himself, 10. A day with the howartis--A hippo's gallant fight--Abou Do leaves us--Three yards from a lion--Days of delight--A lion's furious rage-Astounding courage of a horse, 11. The bull-elephant--Daring Hamrans--The elephant helpless--Visited by a minstrel--A determined musician--The nest of the outlaws- The Atbara River, 12. Abyssinian slave-girls--Khartoum--The Soudan under Egyptian rule--Slave-trade in the Soudan--The obstacles ahead, 13. Gondokoro- A mutiny quelled--Arrival of Speke and Grant--The sources of the Nile-Arab duplicity--The boy-slave's story--Saat adopted, 14. Startling disclosures--The last hope seems gone--The Bari chief's advice--Hoping for the best--Ho for Central Africa!, and much more.