Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1878-07-04
THE NAVIGATING TREE.
A Horrible rlaat Of Madagascar
Island
How it Seizes lis Victim, and Crushes
Him to Deatll--A Most BarbarOus
Proceeding.

1. letter from Carl Leche, the dis
coverer, contains the following cou
corning that most wor lerIul produc-
tion OF nature, the man eating tree:
II you can imagine II pineapple
eight feet high, and thick in rropor-
tion, resting upon its base, and de-
nuded Of leaves, you will have a
good idea Of the trunk of tls tree.
which, however, was not the color CT
the banana, but dark, 1ingy brown.
and apparently hard as iron. From
the apex Of this truncated cone Cat
least two feet in diameter( (eightleaves
hung sheer to the ground, like doors
swung back on their hinges. These
leaves, which were joined at the tore
at regularinterva!s, were about eleven
or twelve feet lon5, and shaped very
much like the American agave, or
century plant. They were two feet
through in their thickest part, and
three feet wide, tapering to sharp
point that looked like cows horn,
very convex, the outer (but now un-
der) surface, and on the inner (now
upper surface was thickly set with
very strong thorny hooks, like those
upon the bead Of the t,azel. These
leaves, hanging thus limp and life
less, dead green in color, had in ap-
pearance the massive strength of oak
fibre. The apex of the cone was
round, white concave figure, like a
mailer plate set within a larger one.
This was not flower, but recepta-
u..e, ami there exuded into it clear
treacly LIQUID honey sweet, possessed
Of v;oient intoxicating and soporlGc
properties. From underneath the
rim, so to speak, Of the undermost
plate series OF long, hairy, green
tendrils stretched in every direction
toward horizon. These were
seven or eight feet long each, and
Tap red from four inches to a half
inch in diameter, yet they stretched
out stifly as iron rods. Above these
(lrom between the upper and under
cup) six white, almost transparent
palpi reared themselves toward the
sky, twirliug and twisting with
marvellous incessant motion, yet con-
stantly reaching upward. Then the
natives surrounded one of the women
md urged her with The points Of their
j..velins, until slowly and with des-
pairing face she climbed up the stalk
9f the tree and stood on the summit
If the cope, the palpi twirling about
her. "Tisl, Tisk p Drink DrinkD
cried the men, and STOPPING she drank
Of the viscil fluid in TIE cup, rising
instantly with wild frenzy in her face
and coavulsiye chorea in her limbs.
But she did not Jump down as she
seemed to intend to d.. Oh, no!
The atrocious cannbAl that had been
so inert and dead came to sudden
savage life. The slender, delicate
pal i, with the fury of starvel SER
pents, quivcred Tor moment over
her head, then as if by instinct, with
demoniac intelligence, fastened upon
her in sudden coils round and round
her neck and arms; then while
her awful screams and yet more aw-
full laughter rose wilder, to be Instant
ly strangled down again into gurg-
ling moan, the tendrils, one after
another, like green serpents, with
brutal energy and internal rapldity,
retracted themselves, and wrapped
her about in fold after fold ever
tightening, with the cruel swiftness
and savage tenacity of anacondas
fastening upon their prey. 1t was
the barbarity of the LAGOON without
its boauty-this strange, horrible
murder. And now the great leaves
rose slowly and stialy like the arms
of derrick, erected themselves in
the air. approaching one another, and
closed about the dead and humpercd
victim with the silent force Of any
hydraulic press and the ruthless pur-
pose Of thumb-screw. A moment
more, and while I could see the basis
of the great leaves pressing more
tightly toward each other, from their
interstices there trickled down the
stalks streams Of visci6ed honeylike
fluid mingled horribly with the blood