Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-07-13
THE MAN-EATING TREE.

high, and thick in proportion, resting
upon its base, and denuded of leaves, you
will have Il good idea of the tree, which,
however was not the color of the anana,
but dark, dingy brown, and apparently
hard as iron. From the apex of the
trIncated cone Cat least two feet in diam
eter) eight leaves hung clear to the
ground, like doors swung upon hinges.
These leaves, which were jointcd at the
regular intervals, were about eleven or
twelve feet long, and shaped very much
like the American agava, or century
plant. They were two feet through in
their thickest part, and three feet wide,
tapering to a sharp point that looked like
cows horn, very convex on the outer
(but now under) surface, and on tho inner
NOW outeD surface slightly concave.--
This concave surface was thickly set with
very strong thorny hooks, like those upon
the head of the teasel.
These leaves, hanging thus limpid and
lifeless, dead green in color, had in
appearance the massive strength of oak
fibre. The apex of the cone was a round,
white, concave figure, like smaller plate
set within larger one. This was not
flower, but receptacle, and there exuded
into it clear, treacly liquid, honey sweet
and possessed Of violent Intoxicating and
soporifc qualities. From underneath the
rim, SO to speak, of the outermost plate
q series of long, hairy, green tendris
stretched in every direction toward the
horizon. These were seven or eight feet
long each, and tapered from four inches
to half an inch in diameter, yet they
stretched out as stiffly as iron rods. Above
these, from between the upper and under
cup, six white, almost Transparent, palp
reared themselves toward the sky, twirl-
ing and twisting with marvellous
incessant motion. yet constantly increas-
ing upward.
Then the natives surrounded ono Of the
women and urged her with the points of
their javelins, until slowly and with
despairing face, she climbed up the stalk
of the tree and stood on the summit OF
the cone, the palpi twirling all about her.
"Tisk Tisk /" drink drink y cried
the men, and STOPPING she drank of the
viscid fluid in the cup, rising instantly
with wild frenzy in her face and convul-
sive chorea in her limbs. But she did
not jump down as she seemed to intend to-.
Oh, no The atrocious cannibal that had
been so inert and dead came to sudden
savage life The slender, delicate palp,
with the fury of starved serpents, culver
ed for moment over her head, then. as
If by instinct, with demoniac intelligence,
fastened upon her with sudden coils
round and round her neck and arms ;
then, while her awful screams and yet
more awful laughter rose wilder, to be
instantly strangled down again into a
gurgling moan, the tendrils, one after
another, like green serpents, with brutal
energy and internal rapidity, rose, re.
tracted themselves, and wrapped her
about in fold after fold, ever tightening,
with tie cruel swiftness and savage te-
nacity ofanacondas fastening upon theil
prey.
1t was the barbarity of the Laecoon
without its beauty-this strange, horrible
murder. And now the great leaves rose
slowly and s:iffly like the great arms o
derrick, erected themselves in the air
approaching one another, and closed about
the dead and hampered victim with the
silent force of an hydraulic press and the
ruthless purpose of a thumb screw. A
moment more, and while | could SEQ the
bases of the great Leaves pressing more
tightly toward each other, from their in
terstices there trickled down the stalk
stems of viseid, honey-like fluid, mingled
horribly with the blood and oozing visce.
ra of the victim .-Cdrt Leche.