OF MT. KINABALU AND BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. 23 
the plain for all the world like Swiss chalets, except for the banana, coco 
nuts, and Areca Catechu palms, which are always planted round their 
dwellings. l 
It is a tradition amongst these people that the plains of Tambunan and 
Kaningau were formerly lakes, formed by the accumulation of material 
brought down by the Pengallan river. In a time of great flood these 
barriers were broken through again and the waters from the lakes escaped 
in a devastating flood. The small plain of Ranau, near Kinabalu, about 
15 miles east of Renagong, in the Tambunan district, is, according to 
Mr. Pritchard, who knew it well, covered by water-worn granite blocks, 
which could only have been brought there by water-transport from Kinabalu, 
as there is no other source of granite in the neighbourhood. 
Should this tradition of the Muruts and Dusuns prove correct, it would 
substantiate the more widely spread one of the fabulous lake of Kinabalu, 
with its thriving inhabitants, which obtained such wide credence in the 
works of the earlier writers on North Borneo—Keppel (1. Ap. 11, lix) and 
St. John (6. 221). 
This suggestion has already been made by Posewitz (12. 233) in the 
following passage :—“ The name ‘ Danau’ is characteristic for such plains. 
This gives an indication of their mode of origin, for Danau denotes a lake.” 
Similar cases occur in Š. Borneo. 
The plain rises towards the north, where one enters the forest-clad foothills, 
in which small padi-clearings were numerous. One very fine oak-tree was 
conspicuous by the “rentis.” Wendlandia paniculata, with long handsome 
white racemes, was abundant, with Bauhinia Kochiana, a mass of lovely 
flowers, the petals first cream, the reverse side turning red, and large red 
stamens, and Dioclea reflexa ; also Leora stricta, with the spreading Selagi- 
nella pentagona and the pretty pink Sonerila maculata. var. glabrata, whose 
pink leaves with red undersides carpeted the ground, and Syzygium 
Cumingianum with minute flowers and shining leaves. 
The * rentis," gradually rising to Patau Patau, was fringed with Clethra 
canescens, and showed a lot of white sand. This rest-house is beautifully 
situated at 2600’ on loose white sandy soil. A luxuriant growth of bracken has 
sprung up in the clearing all round, the red cup-lichen, Cladonia Floerkeana, 
carpeting the ground amongst it; Clethra canescens was also abundant. 
A little farther on; the path cut across a stretch of Bæckea frutescens, then 
descended into the forest. 
The weather, which had been gorgeous since I landed in the country, now 
broke, torrential rain falling day and night. As the rivers rise rapidly 
in wet weather, and all have to be forded, progress may be considerably 
delayed. 
To get to Korikut, the next stage, the usual ford was impassable, and we 
had to camp for the night on the banks. I was much impressed by the 
