WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD 



of the rivers of Borneo. A favourite dog belonging 

 to the manager attempted to swim the stream. Before 

 he had gone very far he disappeared for ever. A 

 crocodile had got him. At the same plantation I was 

 shown four rings which had just been taken from 

 the stomach of a crocodile, a brute which had recently 

 managed to kill several native washer- women. 



The route to the caves where the birds' nests were 

 collected lay up a small river, which ran into the main 

 stream about a mile below the rubber plantation, 

 so we cut across a little hill to where the boys were 

 waiting for us with the canoes. Hardly had we reached 

 them when the rain began to fall once more — that 

 terrible, drenching downpour of the tropics. Still, 

 we were determined to go on. 



Navigation on that stream was no easy matter. 

 In places the course narrowed down to about six yards, 

 and the current became correspondingly rapid. Often 

 the branches of the trees met overhead, and we found 

 ourselves almost creeping beneath the boughs. It 

 seemed an ideal nesting-place for birds, but, on the 

 other hand, I saw several snakes on the overhanging 

 branches, and these reptiles are the birds' most deadly 

 foes. 



Until two o'clock in the afternoon we paddled and 

 punted our way up-stream, then, coming to a fairly 

 broad pool, we landed for lunch. A few minutes 

 later yet another terrific thunder-storm swept down on 



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