Mimi and Toutou go forth : the bizarre battle of Lake Tanganyika ([Abridged ed.])

"It's the duty of the Royal Navy to engage the enemy wherever she is afloat" is the order of the day, but their lordships would never have imagined what they would be letting themselves into when they sent Lt.

Spicer Simson and his ragtag expedition to sink three German Steamers on Lake Tanganyika in central Africa.

Spicer Simon, when he wasn't AWOL, would perform ritual baths for his African bearers, who quickly christened him Lord Belly Cloth.

Fitzcarraldo meets Heart of Darkness, this is rich, vivid and flashmanesque in its appeal - military history at its most absorbing and entertaining