PHOTOGRAPHING A HORNBILL 



in evidence. Before long an army of ants many 

 thousands strong started a march across my knees. 

 Then the monkeys began to cluster round, peering at 

 me from amongst the leaves, chattering and grunting. 

 After a time, however, the male bird returned, and I 

 got a few feet of film of his proceedings. 



Still, as I was there I decided to wait and get more 

 photographs, if possible, a decision which nearly 

 cost me my life. Minutes dragged by and became 

 hours without my getting another chance. At last, 

 at the end of the third hour, being horribly cramped 

 and weary, I made up my mind to be content with 

 what I had already secured. It was then that I 

 experienced one of the narrowest escapes of my 

 career. My chin and knees were touching, and on 

 looking down I saw a big snake gliding under my legs. 

 I kept perfectly still, and from the time it took him 

 to pass under my eyes I could have sworn he was 

 fifty feet long, but as a matter of fact he only measured 

 about five. He was a deadly fellow, and had I 

 touched him he would most certainly have bitten me, 

 and even with the promptest attention my chance of 

 life would have been small. As it was, I was some 

 little distance from help, and by a curious coincidence 

 I had, for the first time since leaving Sandakan, come 

 away from camp without the tube of permanganate 

 which I usually carried in case of snake-bite. 



The following day I had to return to Sandakan, 



43 



