midday
His map informed him that his course lay across the Malay Peninsula , Dutch Borneo , and the islands of Celebes and Timor . It was necessary to rise to a considerable height to cross the hills that run like a spine on the Malay Peninsula , and having passed those , he came in little over an hour to the eastern coast , about a hundred and fifty miles north of Singapore . In another hour and a half he reached the coast of Borneo , whence for nearly three hours he saw beneath him an almost unbroken sea of foliage , only one range of hills breaking the monotony . Somewhat after midday he came to the straits of Macassar , at the south-east extremity of Borneo . As he crossed these , he had an unpleasant shock . The engine missed sparking once or twice when he was half-way across the Straits , and he shouted to Rodier to loose the life buoys in case it failed . There were several small craft beneath him , so that he had no doubt of being picked up if the aeroplane fell , unless , indeed , sharks `` got in first , '' as he put it .