This map shows the paths of Livingstone and Stanley through Africa. The stories at each marker are summarized from Martin Dugard’s Into Africa.

Zanzibar. April 1, 1866 Dr. David Livingstone, a renowned African explorer, devout anti-slavery crusader, and paragone of British Victorian virtue prepares for his third and final major trek into Africa. His mission is to find the source of the Nile. Since 460 BC when the ancient Greek Herodotus, “the father of history”, failed to discover it after traveling 600 miles inland from Cairo, the source has remained an elusive mystery. Recent discoveries by Livingstone’s fellow British explorers nearly prove the source is Lake Victoria. However, Livingstone believes the source lies much farther south and that Lake Victoria and Tanganyika are part of a chain of rivers and lakes that form the Nile. After his disastrous 1858 Zambezi expedition, Livingstone seeks to redeem himself by settling the ancient question once and for all. And so, once more, he goes Into Africa.

Lake Nyassa. June 19, 1866 Exploring Lake Nyassa is the first vital step in proving that the lakes and rivers are, in fact, part of the Nile. He just needs to find the connection. While exploring, he encounters the Arab slave traders that he despises. They tell him an African tribe, the Mazitu, are ambushing all travelers and hacking them to pieces. Undaunted, Livingstone continues his search.

Casembe. November 21, 1867 Battling a fever and unable to continue on alone, Livingstone joins a caravan of Arab slave traders. Now convinced the Lualaba is the link between the lakes and thus the the source of the Nile, Livingstone plans to travel with the slavers to Ujiji where he can resupply and continue his search without the hated slavers.

Ujiji. March 14, 1869 After battling disease and utter despair, a broken and emaciated Livingstone reaches Ujiji. His spirits rise as he walks into the Arab trading post but they are soon shattered when learns that almost nothing remains of his stores. They have been plundered. All of his medicine, food, mail, and clothing, vital for trading with natives, are gone. Once again, he must rely on the slavers to survive.

Bambarre. October 1, 1869 After the slave traders leave him to acquire more of their evil commodities, Livingstone lives among the tribes of Bambarre. Here he writes the now famous Letter from Bombarre using ink made from berries and writing on pages from his copy of The Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society. The letter was impossible to read until 2010 when a group of academic researchers used different wavelengths of light to filter out Livingstone’s handwriting from the printed text of the Royal Geographical Society in a process called multispectral imaging. In the letter, Livingstone vents his disgust for the Arab slave traders and affirms his determination to find the source of the Nile.

Nyangwe. July 15, 1871 Unable to afford a canoe to explore the Lualaba River, Livingstone agrees to a trade with one of the slavers. He sacrifices the supplies he believes are waiting for him at Ujiji for a caravan to help him continue his search for the source. But days before the caravan leaves, Livingstone witnesses an Arab massacre of the local Africans all over the price of a chicken. As Livingstone wrote in his diary: “Shot after shot continued to be fired on the helpless and perishing. Some of the long line of heads disappeared quietly, whilst other poor creatures threw their arms high, as if appealing to the great Father above, and sank.” Desperately trying to stop the mass shooting, Livingstone sends one his men forward with his Union Jack, hoping the British flag might end the slaughter. Apparently reminded of the British explorer’s presence, the Arabs cease firing. Livingstone, who had relied on the Arabs for five years in trying to find the source, disgusted with them and himself, gives up the search and returns to Ujiji. His account of the massacre will later spur the British public and government to demand the end of slave trade.