The Hawaiian gazette., 1875-06-30
A CannibaI Tree.
Description of Remarkable Australian Veg
etable.

Description OF q Remarkable Australian Veg
etable.
TDr. Jay, In the South Australian Register.l
If You can imagine a pineapple, eight
feet high and thick in proportion, resting
upon its base, and denuded of leaves, yor
will have good idea of the trunk of the
tree, which, however. was not the color
of an anana, but was dark, dingy brown
and apparently as nard as iron. From
the aspect of this fusticated cone lat least
two feet in diameter) eight huge leaves
sheer to the ground, like doors swinging
back on their hinges. These leaves, which
are joined at the top of the trees at regu.
lar interval, were about eleven or twelve
feet long, and shaped very much like the
leaves of an American agave or century
plant. They are two feet through in their
thickest part and three feet wide, taper
ing to sharp point that looked very
much like cows horn, very convex on
the outer (but not underl surface, and on
the under (now upper surface slightly
concave. This concave surface was thickly
set with strong thorny hooks like those
upon the head of teazle. These leaves,
hanging thus limp and lifeless, dead green
in color, had in appearance the massive
strength of oak fibre. The apex of the
cone was round concave figure like a
smaller plate set within a larger one.
This was not flower, but receptacle,
and there exudes into it clear, treacly
liquid honey, sweet, and possessed of VIC
lent intoxicating and suporifc properties.
From underneath the rim $50 to speak, of
the undermost plate, series of long,
hairy, green tendrils stretched out in every
direction toward the horizon. These
were seven or eight feet long, and tapered
from four inches to half an inch in diane
ter, yet they stretched out stifly as iron
rods. Above these (from between the
upper and under cup) six white almost
transparent palpi reared themselves to-
ward the sky, twirling and twisting with
marvellous incessant motion, yet constantly
reaching upward. Thin as reeds and frail
as quilts, apparently, they were five or six
feet tall, and were constantly and Wig
orously in motion, with such a subtle,
silent throbbing against the air,
with their suggestions of serpents fayed j.,
yet dancing on their tails. My observations
on this occasion were suddenly interrupt
ed by the natives who had been Shrek
ing around the tree with their shrill voices,
and chanting what Hendrick told me were
propitiatory 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
face, she climbed up the stalk
of the tree, and stood on the summit of
the cone, the palpi swirling all about her.
Tsik! Tsik !" Drink drink } cried
the men. STOPPING, she drank of the Wis
cid 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, sshe seemed tointend to do.
Oh, no The atrocious cannibal tree, that
had been so inert and dead, came to sud
den savage life. The delicate palpi, with
the fury of starved serpents, quivered
over her head, then as if instinct
with demoniac intelligence, fastened upon
her in sudden coils round and round her
neck and arms, and while her awful
screams and yet more awful laughter rose
wildly to be instantly strangled down
again into a gurgling moan, the tendrils
one after another, like great green serpents,
with brutal energy and Internal rapidity,
rose, protracted themselves, and wrapped
her about in fold after fold, ever tighten
ng with cruel swiftness and savage tena-
,ity of anacondas fastening upon their
prey. 1t was the barbarity of the Lao
coon without its beauty-this strange, 4
horrible murder. And now the great
caves rose slowly and stify, like the arms
IF derrick, erected themselves in the air,
approached one another, and closed about
he dead and hampered victim with silent
orce of hydraulic press and the ruthless
purpose of a thumb-screw. A moment
more, and while l could see the basis of
hese great levers pressing more tightly
oward each other from their interstices,
here trickled down the stalk of the tree
great streams of the viscid honey-like
iuid, mingled horribly with the blood aud
,ozing viscera of the victim. At sight of
his the savage horde around me, yelling
nadly, bounded forward, crowded to the
rec, clasped it, and with cups, leaves,
lands and tongues, each one obtained
nough of the liquid to send him mad and
rantic.
Vicissftudes of a Statue.