"i don't think we know much of anything about borneo," said scott, as the blanchita continued on her course up the sarawak, after the dinner of roast pork.
"we all heard the lecture of professor giroud on board the ship," replied louis.
"i should like to hear it over again, now that we are on the ground," added the captain.
"sure, we're not on the ground, but on the wather," suggested felix.
as the reader did not hear the lecture, or see it in print, it becomes necessary to repeat it for the benefit of "whom it may concern." the professor, after being duly presented to his audience in conference hall, proceeded as follows:—
"australia is undoubtedly the largest island in the world, and some geographers class it with the continents; but chambers makes borneo the third in size, while most authorities rate it as the second, making papua, or new guinea, the second in extent. lippincott says papua disputes with borneo the claim to the second place among the great islands of the world; and i do not propose to settle the question.[20] chambers gives the area of borneo at 284,000 square miles, the population in the neighborhood of 200,000, and the dimensions as 800 by 700 miles.
"it has a coast-line of about 3,000 miles, nearly the whole of which is low and marshy land. a large portion of the island is mountainous, as you may see by looking at the map before you;" and the professor indicated the several ranges with the pointer. "one chain extends nearly the whole length of the island, dividing in the middle of it into two branches, both of which almost reach the sea on the south. near the centre of the island are two cross ranges, one extending to the east, and the other to the south-west. it would be useless to mention the malay names of these ranges, for you could not remember them over night. the general idea i have given you is quite enough to retain.
"the interior of borneo is but little known; and when mr. gaskette makes another map of the island twenty or thirty years hence, it will probably differ considerably from the one before you. in the extreme north is the peak of kini balu, the height of which is set down at 13,698 feet, with an interrogation point after it. other mountains are estimated to be from 4,000 to 8,000 feet high. there are no active volcanoes.
"in the low lands on the coast, it is hot, damp, and unhealthy for those who are not acclimated; but in the high lands among the mountains, the temperature is moderate, from 81° to 91° at noon, and it is sometimes[21] worse than that in new york. from november to may, which is the rainy season, violent storms of wind with thunder-showers prevail on the west coast. in hot weather the sea-breezes extend a considerable distance inland. vegetation is remarkably luxuriant, as our young hunters will find in their explorations. the forests produce all the woods of the indian archipelago, of which you know the names by this time. bruneï, on the north-west coast, produces the best camphor in asia, which is about the same as saying in the world."
"what is camphor, professor?" asked mrs. belgrave. "i have used it all my life, but i have not the least idea what it is."
"camphor is an oil found in certain plants, mostly from the camphor laurel. this oil is separated from the plant, and then undergoes the process of refining. it is mixed with water, and then boiled in a sort of retort. it makes steam, which is allowed to escape through a small aperture, which is then closed, and the camphor becomes solid in the upper part of the vessel. this is the article which is sent to market.
"all the spices and fruits of the torrid zone are produced in borneo, with cotton and sugar-cane in certain parts. the animals of the island are about the same as in other parts of the archipelago. the monkey tribe is the most abundant, including the simia, the gibbon, the orang-outang, found in no other island, except very rarely in sumatra, where our hunters did not find even one; tapirs"[22]—
"what are they?" asked uncle moses.
"they are a sort of cross between an elephant and a hog. they are found all over south american tropical regions and in this part of asia. the animal is more like a hog than like an elephant, though it has the same kind of a skin as the latter. it is about the size of the average donkey. it has a snout which is prehensile, like the trunk of an elephant, but on a very small scale.
"what does that mean?" asked mrs. blossom.
"capable of taking hold of anything, as the elephant does with his proboscis. the tapir is one of the gentler animals, and may be easily tamed; though it will fight and bite hard when attacked, or harried by dogs. they take to the water readily, though the american swims, while the asiatic only walk on the bottom. one book i consulted calls the tapir a kind of tiger, to which he bears hardly any resemblance.
"the other animals are small malay bears, wild swine, horned cattle, and puny deer. the elephant and rhinoceros are found, few in number, in the north. the birds are the eagle, vulture, argus-pheasant,—a singular and beautiful bird,—peacocks, flamingoes, and swifts."
"what in the world are swifts?" inquired mrs. woolridge.
