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Show ) Steamy Borneo Is a af Story 'Story ' Book9 Book ' Land LandAllied Allied invasion of Borneo has re re- reopened reopened - opened the world s third largest 15 15land island land after Greenland and New NewGu NewGu Gu nea It is a story book terrl terrltory terntory tory lying lymg between the Japanese Japanesehomeland Japanesehomeland homeland and the main mam nerve centers cen ters of the Netherlands Indies says saysthe saysthe the National Geographic SocIetyBorneo Society SocietyBorneo Borneo straddled by the equator equatoris is the typical tropical land dreamed dreamedabout dreamedabout about by stay at home readers ot ottravel oltravel travel stories fictional and true In Inmany Inmany many sections rankly growing growmg vmes vmeslace vineslace lace trees together from ground to totop totop top Rare and beautiful orch ds dsthrive thrIve in the shadows Sp kellke kellkethorns kelikethorns thorns tear at clothing clothmg and flesh and andpaths andpaths paths can be kept open only by con contlnual contmual tlnual hacking hackmg \ with h heavy swordlIke swordlIkel.n swordlikekn l.n ln . ves The steaming heat is op oppresslve oppressive presslve Twenty toot foot pythons glide glidealong glidealong along the ground and among the thebranches thebranches branches shnekmg shrlekmg agile aglle little g b bbons bbons bons and lumbering lumbermg orangutans orangutansswmg orangutansswing swmg through the trees crocodiles crocodilesInfest crocodilesinfest Infest streamsFl streams streamsFiling Fl Filing ) Ing Frogs Midget DeerNumerous Deer DeerNumerous Numerous other wild animals arnmals in indude inelude dude tiny tmy foot high mouse deer deerhoney deerhoney honey bears wild pigs rhinos rhmos and andelephants andelephants elephants Among Borneo s queer queercreatures queercreatures creatures are the flying fiymg foxes-which foxes which foxeswhichare foxes - whichare are bats-and bats and bats - and the flying fiymg frogs wh ch chhave chhave have webbed feet of extreme e'Ctreme eCtreme ' wIdth wIdththat widththat that serve as parachutes when they theymake theymake make mighty leapsBorneo leaps leapsBorneo Borneo s air is filled with the shrIll shrIllear shrillear ear piercing plercmg sounds of myriads of ofmsects ofinsects msects Mute butterflies butterfhes show theIr theIrvivId theirvivid vivId colors against agamst the vaned vanedgreens variedgreens greens of the jungle Scorpions andsting and andsting sting flies tiles make life unhappy for forthe torthe the island s residents who must also alsoface alsoface face the ravages of wood devourmg devourmgtermItes devouringtermites termItes Many a European Europt.an Europtan . wife wifehas wifehas has removed a cupboard to find It Ithad ithad had no back or seen her beds and andchairs andchairs chairs tall fall apart from the hIdden hIddeninvasIOns hiddeninvasions invasIOns of these ant pests pestsHcadhuntmg pestsIIcadhuntmc Hcadhuntmg in Jungles JunglesIt It is estimated estlmated that Borneo has a apopulation apopulation population of around three millIOn millIOnof millionof of whom - before the war - only onlyabout onlyabout about 3 500 were Europeans Native Nativepeoples Nativepeoples peoples known as Dyaks make up upthe upthe the majority of the inhabitants WIth WIthaddItional withadditional addItional groups of Javanese ChI ChInese Chinese nese Arabs and so called Malays Malaysthe Malaysthe the latter comprising comprlsmg not only true trueMalays trueMalays , Malays but those of other races racesprofessing , professmg the Mohammedan faIthAn faith faithAn An interesting mteresting feature of natIve nativelife lIfe in Borneo is the community communitydwelling dwellmg or long house built on onstilts onstilts stilts and often decorated with hu human human man skulls Under one root roof a whole wholevIllage wholevillage vIllage with dozens of families may maybe maybe be accommodated Deep in the In Intenor intenor tenor tattooed and much ornament ornamented ed savages recalling the circus ad advertlsements advertisements vertlsements of the W Id Man of ofBorneo ofBorneo Borneo still practice headhuntmg headhuntmgand headhuntingand and strange rites ntes and feasts in hon honor honor or of the dead |