Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-05-21

lOWIuS unique pIOuuCtlOH, etllu ~ u0Sc UccA
| condensed from II Carsruhc magazine. The
! extract purpOrts to be from letter written
! by one Karl Leche, q traveller in Madagascar.
The writer says:
ut the bottom Of the valley | had no ba-
romcter, but should think it not over 400 feet
| above the level of the sea- and near its eastern
| extremity, we came to a deep tarn-like lake,
about mile in diameter, the sluggish, oily
waters of which Ovcrlowed into a tOrtrOus,
reedy canal that went unwillingly into the
rcccsscs of black forest, jungle below, palm
above. This lake was filled with alligators.
| and its junglcd borders were the home of the
chctah and Il variety OF vcnOmous scrpcnts.
Great ferns bent over its margin, and its sur
face was spotted with leaves and flowers Of
the lotus. 4 path, diverging from its south
ern side, struck boldly for the heart of the
forbidding and seemingly impenetrable for
est. Henrick led the way along this path,
following closely, and behind me curious
rabblc of MkodOs, men, women and children.
After we were fairly in the forest. the shade
overhead was SO dense that the jungle and
underground almost disappeared, and instead
there was damp, bOggy turf, cold, spOngy,
and yielding to the tread. The stalks of the
tall trees rose like columns, the vines hang
ing down from them in festoOns and their
roots running over the ground in every direc-
ton made walking difficult.
Suddenly all the natives began to cry
''Tepe! Tepe." and Henrick, stopping short,
said. "Look" The sluggish, canal-like
stream here wound slowly by, and in 3 bare
spot in its bend was the most singular of
trees. l have called it Crinolda, because
when its leaves are in action it bears strik-
ing resemblance to that well-known fossil the
crinold lilystone, or St. Cuthbert's head. 1t
was now at rest, however, and will try to
describe it to you. If you can imagine pine
apple eight feet high and thick in proportion
resting upon its base and denuded of leaves,
you will have good idea Of the trunk Of the
tree, which, however, was not the color of
an anama, but a dark, dingy brown, and ap-
parcntly hard as iron. From the apex of this
truncated cone (at least two feet in diameter)
eight leaves hung sheer to the ground, like
doors swung back on their hinges. These
leaves, which were joined to the top Of the
tree at regular intervals, were about eleven
or twelve feet long, and shaped very much
like the leaves of the American aguave or
century plant. They were two feet through
| in their thickest part, and three feet wide,
tapering to a sharp point that looked like
cows horn, very convex on the outer (but
now undcr) surface, and on the inner (nOw
upper surface slightly concaye. This con-
cave face was thickly set with very strong,
thorny hooks, like those upon the head of the
teazle. These leaves, hanging thus limp and
lifecss, dead green in color, had in appear.
ance the massive strength of oak fiber.
The apex of the cone was round, white,
concavc figure, like smaller plate set within
Il larger one. This was not flower, but u
receptacle, and there exuded into it y clear,
treacly liquid honey-sweet, and possessed OF
violent intoxicating and sOpOritic properties.
From underneath the rim $50 to speak, of tue
undermOst plate series of long, hairy, green
tendrils stretched out in every direction to-
wards the horizon. These were seven or
inches to half an inch in diameter, yet they
stretched out stitt1y as iron rods. Above these
(from between the upper and under cnp), six
white, almost transparent palpi reared them
selves towards the sky, twirling and twitch-
pg with marvellous incessant motion, with
such subtle, sinuOus, silent thrObbing against
the air, that they made me shudder in spite of
myself with their suggestion of scrpents tlay-
ed vet dancing on their tails
Here were not cOrOlla, pistils, stamens,
flower, mind you, nor nothing like it. For
CrinOida, unknown, new species as it is, is
highest akin to the cycadace;e, and perhaps
its exact prototype may be found among the
fossil cycadr, though confess do not re-
member any one that presents all Its peculiar
features. The description l am giving you
now is made up from subsequent careful
inspection of the plant. My observations on
this occasion were suddenly interrupted by
the natives, who had been shrieking around
the tree in their shrill voices, and chanting
what Henrick told me were propitiatory
hymns to the great tree devil.
With still wilder shrieks and chants they
now surrounded one of the women, and urg
ed her with the points of their javelins until
slowly, and with despairing face, she climbed
up the rough stalk of the tree and stood on
the summit of the cone, the palpi twining all
about her. "Tsik. tsik!' (''drink! drink
cried the men, and, STOPPING, she drank OF
the viscid fluid in the cup, rising instantly
again with wild frenzy in her face, and con-
yulsive chorea in her limbs. But she did not
Jump down, as she seemed to intend to do:
oh no. The atrOcious cannibal tree that had
been so inert and dead came to sudden savage
life. The slender, delicate palpi, with the
fury of starved serpents, quivered moment
over hc- 'oH' 'hen, as if instinct with de-
mona, 'gtelii~ ce, fastened upon her IN
sud.eI co.'s -, I'd and round her neck and
arms; then. wAe, her awful screams and yet
more awful laugh.e rose, wilder, to 0e Instant
~ stranslro down again into u gurgiing moan,
the tendris, one after another, ike great
green serpen.s, with brutal energy ana inter.
M rspidi,y rose, retracted themselves, and
.sppei her about in fold after fold, ever
uca.erinr. with the cruel swiftness and saw
- ',~"~;,- os aiacoudas fastening upon
t.ler prey. Il was the bsrbsrity of the
Locoon without il pasu.y strange, hor-
rihle murder. And now ths great leaves went
up like the arms Of derrick, elected them |
selves In the air, appgoschud one another, and
hampered h victim with the silent force of |
hvsraolic neess nnd the ruthless purpose of q |