The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-05-22
A Murderous Tree.

[ Dr. Jag IN tie South Australian Rsg.,.erl
Ifyou can imagine pineapple, eight feet
high and thick in proportion, resting upon
It's base, and deruded Of leaves, you will have
a 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
hard as iron. From the apex of this fustica-
ted cone Get least two feet in diamcter) 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
regular interval, were about eleven or twelve
feet long, and shaped very much like the
leaves of an American agavc or century plant.
They are two feet through in their thickest
part and three feet wide, tapering to q sharp
point that looked very much like q cows
horn, very convex on the outer (but now
UNDER surface and on the under NOW upper
surface slightly conclve. This concave sur
face was thickly set with strong thorny hooks
like those upon the head OF a teaZle. These
leaves, hanging thus limp and lieless, dead
green in color, had in appearance the massive
strength of oak fiber. The apex of the cone
was II round concave figure like a smaller
plate set within larger one. This was not q
flower but receptacle, and there cXudes into
it a clear ,rcacly liquid honey, sweet, and
possessed OF violent intoxicating and Sopori-
tic properties. From underneath the rim $50
To speak, OF the undermost plate, n series Of
long, harry, green icndrils stretched out in
every direction toward the horizon These
were seven or eight feet long, and tapercd
from four inches To half an inch in diameter,
vet they stretched out stiiily as iron rods.
Above these from between the unprr and
under cup) six white almost transparent pal
pi reared themselves toward the sly, twirl-
inc and twisting with marvellous nccssant
motion, yet constantly reaching upward.
Thin as reeds and irail as quilts, apparently,
were yet five or six feet tall, and were SO con
stantly and vigorously in motion, with such
a subtle, sinuous, silent throbbing against
the arr with their suggestions of scrpcnts
| flaycl, yet dancing on their tails. My obscr
vations on this occasion wer, suddenly in'
terrupted by the natives who had been Shrek
! Ing around the tree with their shrill voices
and chanting what llendricl. told me were
Ipropitiatory hymEs TO the great tree devil
! With still wilder shricks and chants they
row surrounded one ofthe women, and urged
her with the points of their javclins, until
b, slowly, aud with despairlngf she climbed
! up the stalk Of The tree, agd stood on the sum
nit Of the cone, the palpi swirling all about
her. "rsk' Tsik" Drink drink 3 cried
the men. STOPPING, She drank of the yascid
p fluid IN the cup, rising Instantly again, with
wild frenzy in her face and convllsiyr cord,
. in her limbs. But She did not lump down q.
she seemed to intend 10 do. oh. no, Tn,
iairuciuus cnnnibal tree, that had been 80 in
crt and dead, came 10 sudden savage life
q The slender, delicate palpi, with the fury o.
i starved scrpcnts, quivcrcd moment over hcr
head. then rs il instinct with demoniac in
telhgcncc, fastened upon hes in sudden coil
round and round her neck and arms. am
while her awful screams and yet more awtu
Laughter rose wildly 10 be- instantly siranCle,
d down again into a gurgling moan, the ten
=. drills one after anothCr, like great green ser
penis, with brutal energy and internal rapid
h, ity, rose, proiractcd themselves, and wrappc,
y her about IN fold after fold, ever Eighteenth
with cruel swi1ness and savage tenacity q
4. anacondas fastening upon their prey. 1t wa
the barbariIy of the LAGOON without its beau
ly-this strange, horrible murder. And no,
~ the great leaves rose slowly and Stitiiy, Xix
Tie arms Of derrick, erected themselves !
We the AR, approached one another and close
Iy sbout the dead and hampered victim wit