Bizarre Battle of Lake Tanganyika. The Whitbread Award-winning author of "The Last King of Scotland" brings his extensive knowledge of Africa to his first work of nonfiction: the true story that inspired the classic film "The African Queen." When the First World War breaks out, the British navy is committed to engaging the enemy wherever there is water to float a ship. The leader of this improbable mission is Geoffrey Spicer-Simson. His seemingly impossible charge: t o through the African bush hauling Mimi and Toutou- two 42 foot mahogany gunboats-and defeat the Germans on Lake Tanganyika. His folies on this journey turn him into a hero, But the truth about the battle is somewhat more complex.