first published in 1949, is a classic story of elephant hunting, safaris, native life, and the wilds of Uganda and Kenya in the late 1800s, at a time when the region (then known as "Karamojo") was completely unknown to the outside world. Walter Bell (1880-1954), a Scottish adventurer, traveled the area for 14 months, during which time he hunted and killed 180 elephants, and recovered a staggering total of more than 9 tons of ivory.

Famous for being one of the most successful ivory hunters of his time, Bell was an advocate of the importance of shooting accuracy and shot placement with smaller caliber rifles versus the use of heavy large-bore rifles for big African game. He improved his shooting skills by careful dissection and study of the anatomy of the skulls of the elephants he shot, and perfected the clean shooting of elephants from the difficult position of being diagonally behind the target; this shot became known as the "Bell Shot".