BY J. C. MOULTONo 
168 
is stationed here, and Miss Gibbs notes that this is the 
farthest station in the interior at present. Continuing the 
journey north, Korikut is the objective of the next stage, 
which Miss Gibbs failed to reach that day owing to floods ; 
the following day she arrived at Mensangau, and the next 
at Bundu Tuhan rest-house, which is perched on a ridge 
2700 ft. just opposite the Kinabalu mass. Thence to Kiau 
was the last day’s journey. 
“Arriving at Kiau was like treading on classic ground,” 
writes Miss Gibbs, and continues thus: “ Amongst the 
usual crowd of natives squatting in the public apartment 
of the rest-house, Sumpot, an oldish man of self-respecting 
appearance, was presented as the headman of the village. 
He immediately handed me a letter written by Haviland, 
stating that he had acted as guide to him in his expedition 
up the mountain. My mind was already full of the pre¬ 
vious experience and the results of those whose devoted 
work had rendered this mountain a Mecca to biologists for 
the present day; and that letter seemed almost an augury 
from one whose unknown fate in South Africa was met in 
the quest of his life’s work.” 
Sumpot still has this letter; he showed it to me with 
great pride in 1918, relating how interested other European 
travellers were on reading it. I explained that it was of 
particular interest to me, as Dr. Haviland came from the 
Sarawak Museum like myself. 
Bad weather prevented Miss Gibbs from making the 
ascent at once, so a few days were spent in a botanical 
examination of the Gurulau spur which runs up behind 
the village of Kiau, and a few more days on the Marei 
Parei spur. It is noteworthy that Miss Gibbs failed to find 
any sign of the big Pitcher-plant, Nepenthes rajah, recorded 
by St. John and Burbidge from this place, and found by me, 
three years after Miss Gibbs, in some quantity. She 
explored the higher slopes above this plateau, reaching an 
altitude of 8000 ft., which was some 2000 ft. higher than 
St. John and Low’s record. 
On returning to Kiau the weather improved, and Miss 
Gibbs writes that a start was made for the ascent on 
February 22nd, and that she returned to Kiau on February 
27th. The note I found on the summit, however, records 
her arrival there on February 20th. 
The usual route was followed to the summit, but Miss 
Gibbs’ full account of the varied flora observed on the way 
up should be carefully read by a botanist. She notes Kam- 
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