Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-06-05
A CANNIBAL TREE.

by DR.. jay. in the South Australian Register
If you can imagine pineapple, 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 banana, but was dark, dipey
brown. and apparently as hard as iron.
From the summit of this truncated cone
(st least two feet in diameter
EIGHT HIGH LEAVES
Sheer to the ground, and like doors
swinging back on their hinges. These
leaves, which are joined at the top of the
trees at regular intervals. 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 the thickest part and three
feet wide, tapering to a sharp point that
looked very much like cows horn, very
convex on the outer (but not under) sur
face, and 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
summit of the cone was n round concaye
figure like a smaller plate set within q
larger one. This was not a flower, but q
receptacle and there exudes into it
clear treacly liquid honey, sweet, and
possessed of violently
INTOXICATING AND sopoRIFIc PROPERTIES.
From underneath the rim ESQ to speak)
of the undermost plate, series of long,
hairy. green tendrils stretched ont in
every direction towards the horizon.
These were seven or eight feet long, and
tapered from four inches to half an
inch in diameter, yet they stretched out
stiffiy as iron rods. Above these (from
between the upper and under cup) six
white almost transparent palpi rearing
themselves toward the sky, twirling and
twisting with marvellous incessant mo-
ton, yet constantly reaching upward.
Thin as reeds and frail rs quilts. sppar-
entity, were yet five or six feet tall, and
were so constantly and vigorously in
motion. with such subtle, sinuous,
silent throbbing against the air. with
their suggestions of serpents fiayed, yet
DANCING ON THEIR TAILS.
Ny observations on this occasion were
suddenly interrupted by the natives who
had been shrieking around the tree with
their shrill voices. and chanting wha,
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 theil
javelins, until slowly, and with despair
ing face. she climebed up the stalk o.
the tree. and stood on the summit o
the cone, the palpi swirling all abou
her. "Tsick! Tsick!' Drink! Drink !
cried the men. Shopping, she drank o
the viscid fluid OF the cup, rising instant
ly again, with wild frenzy in her face
and convulsive cords in her limbs. Blu
she did not jump down. as she seemed Il
intend to do. Oh, mol
THE ATRoCIoUs cANNIBAL TREE,
That had been so inert and dead, cam
to savage life. The delicate palpi, witt
the fury of starved serpents, quivered
|
stinct with demoniac intelligence, fas
tened upon her in sudden coils roun
and round her neck and arms, and Will
her awful screams and yet more awfr
laughter rose wildly to be Instant
, strangled down again into
GURGLINa MOAN,
, The tendrils one after another, like gref
I green serpents, with brutal energy an
internal rapidity, rose. protracted then
selves. and wrapped her about in fol
= after fold. ever tightening with the cru
Q swiftness and savage tenacity OF anacoi
n das fastening upon their prey. 1t wa
the barbarity of the LAGOON without i
beauty-this strange, horrible murde
And now the great leaves rose slow
and stiffly, like the arms of derricl
erected themselves in the air. approache
one another and closed about the
DEAD AND HAMPEnED VICTIM
f. With the silent force of hydraulic pre-
a and the ruthless purpose of thum
!, screw. A moment more, and while
- could see the bases of these great leve
II pressing more tightly toward each 9th
II from their interstices, there trickl
n down the stalk of the tree great strear
of the viscid honey-like fluid, mingl
y horribly with the blood and oozing v
10 cera of the victim. At sight of this t
10 savage hordes around me, yelling madl
a bounded forward, crowded to the trt
clasped it. and with cups. leaves. han
and tongues. each one obtained enou
Nv of Tho lirp;J IN, cap1 hin, mod ou1 fra