Dangerous Journey

As the narrator discusses the advantages of becoming familiar with the foreign lands and peoples being seen by American soldiers fighting overseas, scenes of North Africa are shown. The exquisite crafts made by different artisans are presented, and the journey then continues down through Africa along the Niger River. Across to the East, near Lake Chad, a wedding ceremony is celebrated, and then, to the South, along the Ubangi River, villagers live together in peace and harmony. The process of ritual scarification is demonstrated to the expedition members, and then, in another village, the King of the Watusi watches as his subjects dance and play musical instruments. Later, in the Belgian Congo, a "white hunter" leads the search for an adolescent elephant, which is captured for domestication. The expedition then follows the route of convoys carrying military men and supplies across the Indian Ocean to Bombay, where cows, which are considered sacred, wander through the streets. India is a country of many religions and different ideologies, including the Hindu who believe that the holy Ganges River will enable one's soul to go directly to heaven if one's ashes are scattered into it. In another part of India, Hindu men atone for their sins by inserting silver skewers and pins into their faces and bodies. In Ceylon, where powerful Allied seabases maintain their strongholds against Japanese forces, women artisans make lace, as they were taught by the Dutch. Then, "devil dancers" rehearse for the annual festival in which hundreds of pilgrims and special elephants march in a procession on the way to a shrine containing a sacred tooth of Buddha. Other Buddhists live and worship in Rangoon, Burma, which is home to many other interesting and unusual peoples. Teak, the hardest and most precious of tropical woods, is harvested in Burma with the help of elephants, which are specifically bred for the work due to the declining numbers of wild elephants. High in the mountains, hermit priests explain that there are still believers in the ancient legend of a snake god who was conquered by a mortal woman. The explorers leading the expedition travel to the small village of Kenzi, where only priestesses are allowed to tend to the living king cobras that are the embodiment of Naga, the snake god of fertility. After anointing herself with a sacred powder, a priestess lures a cobra out of his cave and then kisses his head three times to prove her domination over the dangerous creature. Despite the fact that two of her comrades have been killed during the ritual, the priestess shows no fear and accomplishes her goal. The explorers then make their way back to their companions and realize that, just as American soldiers are becoming familiar with the varied wonders of the world, so must ordinary citizens have respect for other cultures if war is to be prevented from breaking out again.