Facing the Charge

Softcover, 184 pages.By Michael J. Miller Brace yourself for the raw intensity of the African bush, where every safari holds the promise of adrenaline and danger. In Facing the Charge, veteran sportsman Michael J. Miller recounts more than sixty African safaris—from Zambia and Botswana to Mozambique and Cameroon—facing down the legendary Big Five: Cape buffalo, lion, leopard, elephant, and rhinoceros. Alongside these apex predators, he encounters man-eating crocodiles, massive pythons, territorial baboons, and a mama hippo the size of a Chevy Tahoe—who made her displeasure abundantly clear. Miller doesn’t spare the reader from the perils that lurk beyond wildlife: terrorism, quicksand, malaria, and witchcraft—death was never far from the trail. Yet amid adversity, there is humor, camaraderie, and respect for the African trackers who navigated danger with unmatched skill. Fiona Claire Capstick, widow of famed hunter-author Peter Hathaway Capstick, captures it best in her foreword, calli