Chapter One and Chapter Two Summary and Analysis

In the Heart of Borneo begins with the author describing himself as a former academic and natural history book reviewer. He is surprised about, upon being threatened with a two-month exile to Borneo, how fast a man can learn to read. The author, Redmond O'Hanlon, is a young British author at the time and is terrified of all the diseases he might catch and poison he might run across in Borneo. Part of his preparation for his trip involves reading accounts of men who travelled to Borneo from decades before. It turns out that O'Hanlon's uncle had spent time there as part of the pre-World War II intelligence service. And so O'Hanlon decides to learn more about Borneo from current members.

O'Hanlon had never come close to a tropical rain-forest before. His partner...