Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-06-04
THE NiAN-EATING FREE.
Horrible Produce OF Nature-ThG c
Dsvil Fish OF the Vegetable King
Dem.

If you can imagine pineapple eight
feet high aud thick i'll proportion,
resting upon its base and denuded of
leaves, you will have good idea of
the tree, which, however, was not OF
the color of ananana, bnt a dark.
dingy brown, and apparently as hard
as iron. From the apex of this fustl-
Gated cone, at least two feet III diane
ter, eight huge leaves sheer to the
ground, like doors swinging back Oh
their hinges. These leaves, which are
iolnted at the top of the tree at regu-
|. lar intervals, We're eleven or twelve
feet long, and shaped very much like
the American agave, or century plant.
They are two feet throug in their
thickest point, and three feet wide
taperiBg to sharp point that looks
like a cows horn, very convex on the
outer (but now under) surface, and on
the under (now upper surface, slight
ly concave. Tins concaye surface was
thickly set with strong thOrny hooks
like those upon the head of the teazle.
These leaves, hanging limp and life
less, deadgreen in color, had IN az
pearance, the strength of oak fibre.
The apex of the cone was a round,
white concave figure, like smaller
plate set within a larger one. This
was not flower, but a receptacle, and
there exuded into it a clear, treacly,
liquid honey, sweet, and possessed OF
violent intoxicating and soporhc prop
critics. From underneath the rim $50
10 speak, of the undermost plate,
"a series OF long, hairy, green tendrils,
stretched out in every direction to-
ward the horizon. These We're seven
or eight feet lorg aud tapered from
tour inches to half inch in diameter,
yet they stretched out stitf1y as iron
rods. Above these Orom between
the upper and under cup SIX white,
almost transparent pal,pi reared them-
selves toward the sky, twlrling and
twisting with a marvellous lucessant
motion, yet constantly reaching up
ward. Thin as reed and fl:all as quilts,
apparently, were yet FIVE or SIX feet
tall, and were SO constal ltly and v1gor-
ousiy in motion, with such subtle,
| sinuous, silent throbbn G against the
| air, with their suggestions OF serpents
1fayed, yet dancing Oh tneir tails. My
observations on this occasion were
suddenly interrupted by the natives,
| who had been SHINE King around the
| tree with their sl1rIii voices, and chant
| ing what Hendrick told me- were pro
| pitiatOry hymns to tile great tree devil.
| With still wilde sllrieks and chants
| they now SUI rounded one OF the
women. and urs ,ed her with the points
| of their javeE MS, uutll slowly, anC
with despairing. face she climbed uE
| the stalk of the tree and stood on the
summit Of the cone, the palpl swim
ming all abo Mt her. -'Islk! Islk!
(drink! drln' kD cred the man.
A1L Il l. ~ tIoA
fluid in til cup, rising instantl.
again with flsd frenzy in her fac
and convuls i've cords IN her limbs
But she di d not Jump down as sh
seemed to intend to do. Oh, no
The atroci ons eannlbal tree, that hat
been so in ert and dead, came TO sud
den life. THE slender, delicate paipl
with the fury of starved serpants
| quivered n moment over her head
then, as Iff instinct with demonlatl
intelligt n,ee, fastened upon her III sud
den coil nsRnd and round her nee
and arr u.s. sand while her awful scream
and ye more awful laughter rose wllo
ly to be INSTANTLY strangled dow
again N q .gurgllng moan, and IN
tendr, lis OLse after another, like gree
serpa cts, w15h brutal energy and IL
fey rlat re apitiity, rose, protracted then
selves and wrapped her III fold atte
FOLD, ever t'is htening with cruel swif
ness and saGage tenacity of anaconda
fastening ti,son their prey. 1t was tt
barbarlty OF the LAGOON without 1
, beauty-ttais strange horrible mu
der. And nosw t1e great leaves roF
! slowly and stifhy, like the arms OF
i derrick, erected themselves IN II
= air, approached one another and close
. about the des d and hampe,ed vlcti
}. with the siler.t force of a hydraui
: press and the ruthless purpose OF
0 thumb-screw- A moment more, al
b while could see the basis of the
9 great levers pressing more tight
: toward each other from their lnte
;. stices. there :trickled down the sta
!. of the tree gre lat streams of the VIC
: honey-like I'll d, mingled horribly WI
= the blood and oozing vlscera OF
I victim. At sight of this the savag
e gathered afonnd me, yelling mad
D I bounding forward, crowded TO
s tree, clasped it, and with cups. heav
a / hands and ton CUES each one obtain
o + enough of the liquid to- send hlEa ID
i, and frantic.--Dr. jay in fhe 1os
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