OF MT. KINABALU AND BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. 33 
was fully taken up by labelling and writing up the plants already collected, and 
arranging for work in all weathers on the mountain itself, while Mr. Maxwell 
organised the details of the expedition, no light task in such a country. 
Bearers had to be chosen among the many volunteers, sufficient rice procured 
for the needs of so many people—the Dusuns growing little more than 
suffices for their own consumption—and the necessary quantity once obtained 
had still to be husked. Dried fish ordered from the coast had not yet 
arrived ; so the natives had to make the best of their own small supplies, 
while the country was scoured for chickens both for sacrificial requirements 
and our own needs. * Kajangs," tents, blankets, and stores had to be sorted 
and packed, and the endless necessary arrangements made for so large a 
party on a five or six days’ trip. Everything was finally settled, even to the 
religious observances ,which, [ was most interested to hear from Mr. Maxwell— 
who seemed to combine exemplary patience with the happy knack of pleasing 
everybody, yet set on getting things through to his own satisfaction—were 
still considered as vital to the success of an ascent as on previous occasions, 
We both felt very strongly that the same respect which had ensured satis- 
factory results before should be shown in the present case, and the final 
arrangements were to the effect that the three head-men, Sumpat, Lamat, and 
Umpoh, should act as guides, only carry their own loads and be in charge of all 
the essential ceremonies. Finally, on the 22nd February, the third morning 
since our return from the Maraiparai, we started in magnificent weather, a 
party of 35, for the summit, Lobang rock being the first stage in the ascent. 
Old Sumpat carried an enormous basket of charms, something like a 
pillow-lace cushion in shape, the charms hanging all round like bobbins, 
each encased in coloured rotan, beautifully plaited. The separate items 
consisted of bits of horn, bone, pebbles, glass, and other oddments, and I 
recognised the basket as the same which Low (2. 9) described as being 
carried by his guide Lemaing on the occasion of his first ascent, and 
St. John (7. 268) on that of the second. 
The path skirted the slopes to the east, keeping to the Kiau level, dipping 
up and down as we crossed the many streams with their fringing woods, 
which intersected the slopes. The latter were all under cultivation, the 
summer “houses " of the Kiaus dotted about them, and often whole families 
working on their allotments, on which the sun beat down with relentless 
force, Farther on, the fields had evidently been abandoned for the last year 
or so, as they were covered with a fine crop of ** Lalang,” and the “ houses ” 
showed signs of decay. The opposite slopes of the valley, which Burbidge 
(9. 95) noted as under cultivation, were clothed in recent secondary woods ; 
while, looking over to the Kolupis valley, where Whitehead (= Kinokok, 
16. 180) camped for some time and which he describes as clothed in primary 
forest, one saw the whole of the lower slopes covered with young jungle in 
LINN. JOURN.—BOTANY, VOL. XLII. D 
