BORNEO JUNGLE STORIES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 120, 16 November 1929, Page 21

BORNEO JUNGLE STORIES

"The Meeting Pool." By Mervyn Skipper. London: Elkin, Mathows, and Marrott, Ltd. (through Robert--1 son and Mullens, Melbourne). Primarily written: for an anonymous "Sonia," "The Meeting Pool" is also intended for the delight of other children than the daughter of the writer. It is a book, too, that those grown-ups who are * interested, if not fascinated, by stories of jungle life, will read with pleasure. The scene is laid in the little island of Pulu Daat, off tho coast of Borneo. Around a pool in the matted forest the animals in conclave to consider what is to be done about the white man, who has violated the sanctity of the island, cutting down its trees and undergrowth, destroying and burning, in order to plant rubber trees. At the pool, where a perpetual truce is observed, this grave problem of the white invader, with his army of coolies, is discussed by. hornbill and anteater, tiger and. boa, monkey and flying fox, and many tales are told in the course of the, debate; and finally the white man tells his story, of how his baby son.was saved from death in the coils of a python by a brave little bear,-which fixed its fangs into the great snake, and held on till both were dead. Adult readers will recognise "that Mervyn Skipper has the happy gift of story telling and gripping the interest of the child, has, too, a sense of humour, which is shown in describing the intrujsion of the arrogant python into the I debate by the meeting pool. Now the python. was the only creature in the jungle who kept not the island law not to kill at the meeting pool, because he is strong enough to break it, nor'is he afraid of the white man. As for the dog of this intruder, the python said he had taught it manners —a poor beast of skin and bone, but hard to digest because of th o hard leather thing round its neck, with bits of brass and thirds on it. Little sidelights are thrown on jungle life in these atories, whicn will give as much pleas-ire to the grown-up reader as to the listening child. The. clever black and white illustrations by R. W. Coulter are not only in keeping with the text, but are also full of humour. It will be a lucky