chunk: A good deal of the initial exploration is to focus on the finding of the source of the Nile, an event that occurs in chapter 18 (out of 43). The second leg is to link up the other explorers. There are numerous scenes of adventure, composed of either a conflict with a native or a conflict with the environment. Some examples include:
  Rescuing of a missionary from a tribe that was preparing to sacrifice him.
  Running out of water while stranded, windless, over the Sahara.
  An attack on the balloon by condors, leading to a dramatic action as Joe leaps out of the balloon.
  The actions taken to rescue Joe later.
  Narrowly escaping the remnants of a militant army as the balloon dwindles to nothingness with the loss of hydrogen.
  An anachronistic killing of a Bluebuck antelope, a species which was already extinct.*