The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-07-16
JULY I6, 1875
.r'ElEs siAN-EArryG TRER.
A Singular Freak of Nature
20 he Found Ina NADIA
Easear.


A writer in the South Australian
Register gives the following account
of the man-eating tree of Madagas-
car : 1
If you can imagine a pineapple,
eightjfeet high aud thick in proper
ton, resting upon its bare, and de-
nuded of leaves, you will have a
good idea of the trunk of the tree,
which, however, was not the color
of en ansns, but q dark, dingy
brown, and apparently as hard as
iron. From the apex of this fusti-
called cone Cat least two feet in di-
aniciei0 eight huge leaves sheer to
the ground. like doors swinging
back on their Images. These leaves,
which were joined at the top of the
tree al regular 1nterYals, were about
eleven or twelve feet long, and
shaped very much ike the leaves of
an American agave or century plant.
They were two feet through in their
thickest point and three feet wide,
tapefing to sharp point that look
ed like q cows horn. very convex
on the outer (but now nnder) sur
face, and on the under (now upper
surface slightly concave. This con.
cave face was thickIy set with strong
thorny hooks like those upon the
head of the teazIe. These leaves,
hanging thus limp and lifeless, dead
green in color, had in appearance
the massive strength of oak fiber.
The apex of the cone was a round
white cOncave figure like q smaller
plate set within larger one. This
was not q flower, but a receptacle,
and there exuded into itss clear,
treacly, liquid honey, sweet and pos
sessed of violent intoxicating and
sOporific properties. From under
meath the rim ESQ to speak of the
undermost plate, series of long
hairy green tendrills stretched out
in every direction toward the hori-
ION. These were seven or eight feet
long and tapered from four inches
to half inch in diameter, yet they
stretched out as stiff1y as iron rods.
Above these (fron between the up
per and under cup) six white, almost
transparent palpi reared themselves
toward the sky, twirling and twist
ing with marvellous incessant mo.
ton, yet constantly reaching up
ward. Thin as reeds and frail as quilts
they were yet five or
six feet tall, and were so constantly
and vigorously in motion, with such
a subtitle, sinuous, silent throbbing
against the air, that they suggest
ed of serpents flayed, yet dancing
on their tails. My observations on
this occasion were suddenly inter-
rupted by the natives who had been
shrieking around the tree with
their shrill 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 the iaYelins, until slowly
and with despsiring face, she climb
ed the stalks of the tree, and stood
Ola the snmmit of the cone, the pslpi
sWirling all about her. "Tisk, Tisk !"
drink! drink y cried the men.
STOPPING, she drank of the viscia
fluid in the cup, rising instantly
again, with wild frenzy in her face
and cOnv0lsiVe chords in her limbs.
But she did-not Jump down as she
seemed to intend to do. On, no the
atrOciOus cannibal tree, that had
been SO inert and dead, came to sud-
den savage life. The slender, deli
cate palpi, with the fury of starved
serpents, quivered a moment over
her head, then, as if instinct with
demOniac intelligence, fastened
upon her neck and arms, and while
her awful screams and yet more
awful laughter rose wildly TO be in
stantly strangied down again Into a
gurgling moan, the tendrils one af-
ter another, like great green SER
Eents, with brutal energy and infer
nal rapidity, rose, protracted them
selves, and wrapped her about in
told after fold, ever tightening. with
the cruel swiftness and savage tenac-
ity of anacondas fastening upon their
prey. It was the barbarity of the
LAGOON without its beauty-this
strange, horrible murder. And now
the great leaves rose slowly and
stiffiy, like the arms of a derrick,
erected themselves into the air, APP
preached one another, and closed
about the dead aud hampered vic
tim with the silent force of q hydrau.
lie press and the ruthless purpose of
q thumb-screw. A moment more,
and while 1 could see the basis of
the great levers pressing more tight
ly toward each other from their in
terstices, there trickled down the
stalk of the tree great streams Of the
viscid honey.like fluid, mingled
with the blood and oozing viscnre
of the victim. At the sight of this
the savage hordes around me, YELL
ing madly, bounded forward, and
crowding to the tree, clasped it, and
with cups, leaves, hands and tongues
each one obtained enough of the