The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-06-02
BY JULIAN A. SELBY.
HoRR1BLE PRonucE OF NATURE

HORRIBLE PRODUCE OF NATURE
If you can imagine pineapple
eight feet high and thick in pro-
portion, resting upon its base and
denuded of leaves, you will have q
good idea of the tree, which, how
ever, was notsof the color of anana,
but dark, dingy brown and appa-
rently as hard as iron. From the
apex of this fusticated cone, at least
two feet in diameter, eight huge
leaves sheer to the ground, like
doors swinging back on hinges.
These leaves, which are iointed at
the top of the tree at regular in
tervals, were eleven or twelve feet
long, and shaped very much like
the American .agave, or century
plant. They are two feet through
in their thickest point, and three
feet wide, tapering to sharp point
that looks like cows horn, very
convex on the outer (but now un-
der) surface, and on the under
(now upper) surface, slightly con-
cave. This concave surface was
thlckly' set with strong thorny
hooks, like those upon the head of
the teazle. These leaves, hanging
limp and ifeless, dead green in
color, had in appearance the
strength of oak fibre. The apex
OF the cone was round white
concave figure, life a smaller plate
set within larger one. This was
not a flower, but q receptacle, and
there exuded into it o clear, treacly,
liquid honey, sweet and possessed
OF notwithstanding, soporific
properties. Fron- underneath the
rim $50 to speak) of the under
most plate, series of long, hairy,
green tendrils stretched out in
every direction toward the hori
zon. These were seven or eight
feet long and tapered from four
inches to a half inch in diameter,
yet they stretched out stiffly as iron
rods. Above these (from between
the upper and under cup) six
white. almost transparent, palpi
reared themselves toward the aky,
twirling and twisting with mar
vellous incessant motion, yet con-
stantly reaching upward. Thin as
reed and frail as quilts, apparently,
were yet five or six feet tall, and
were so constantly and vigorously
in motion, with such q subtle, sin
nous, silent throbbing against the
air, with their suggestions of SER
pents fayed, yet dancing on their
tails. My observation on this oc-
casion was suddenly interrupted
by the natives, who had been,
shrieki9g Iaronnds the tree with
their shEii voices, and chanting
what Hendrick told me were pro-
pitiatory hymns to the great tree
devil. With still wilder shrieks
and chants they now surrounded
one OF the women, and urged her
with the points of their javelins,
until slowly and with despairing
lace she climbed up the stalk of the
tree and stood on the summit of
the cone. the palpi swimming oil
about her. "Tsik! Tsik!" (drink!
drink!) cried the men. STOPPING,
she drank of the viscid fluid in the
cup. rising instantly again with
wild frenzy in her face and convul-
sive cords in her limbs. But she
did not jump down, as she seemed
to intend to do. Oh, no! The afro
cious cannibai tree, that had been
so inert and dead, came to sudden
life. The slender, delicate palpi,
with the fury of starved serpents,
qulvered q moment over her head,
then, as if instinct with demoniatic
intelligence, fastened upon her in
sudden coil round and round her
neck and arms, md while her aw-
full screams and yet more awful
laughter rose wildly, to be instant
ly strangled down again in n CUR
Cling moan, and the tendrils one
after another, like green serpepts,
with brutal energy and Internal
rapauity, rose, protracted them
selves and wrapped her in fold.
after fold, ever tightening with
cruel swiftness and savage tenacity.