The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-01-17
THE NAVIGATING TREE.


Graefe and Walther's Magazine of Carls-
ruhe, together with notes upon it by DR..
Omelius FredlOwski, to whom the letter
by Carl Leche, the discoverer, from
which the following is extracted, was
"The MkOdos are a very primitive !
race, going entirely naked, having only !
faint vestige of tribal relations, and no |
reverence which they pay to the sacred |
tree. They dwell entirely in caves hOl- |
lowed out of the limestone rocks in their
hills, and are one of the smallest of races, |
the men seldom exceeding ffty.six
inches in height. At the bottom of
valley (I had no barometer, but should
think it not over 400 feet above the level
of the sea, and near its eastern ex-
tremity) we came to deep, tarn-like
lake, about mile in diameter, the
sluggish waters of which overlooked
into a tortuous reedy canal that went
unwillingly into the recesses of black
forest, jungle below, palm above.
A path divergiDg from its southern side
struck boldly for the heart of the forbid
ding and seemingly impenetrable forest.
Henrick led the way along the path. l
followed closely, and behind me curious
rabble of Mkodos men, women and
children. Suddenly all the natives began
to cry "Tepe! Tepe!" and Henrick,
stopping short, said, Lookw The
sluggish, canal-like stream here wound
slowly by, and in bare spot in its bend
was the most singular of trees. l have
called it the CTinOda, because when its
leaves are in action it bears a striking
resemblance to that well-known fossil,
the crinoid lilystone, OF st. CuthberU's
beads. 1t is now at rest, however. l
will Try to describe it to you. If YOU
can imagine pineapple eight feet high,
and thick in proportion, resting upon its
base, and denuded of leaves, you will
have a good idea of the trunk 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 this truncated cone Cat least two feet
in diameter) eight leaves hung sheer to
the. ground, like doors swung back on
their hinges. These leaves, which
were Joined at the top of the tree at
regular intervals, were about eleven or
twelve feet long, 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 a sharp point that looked
like cows horn, very convex on the
outer (but now under) surface, and on
the inner (nOw upper) surface slightly
cOncave. This cOncaye face was thickly
get with very strong thorny hooks, like
those upon the head of the teazle
These leaves, hanging thus limp aid
lifeless, dead green in color, had in ap
pearance the massive strength of. OAK
fiber. The apex of the cone was 8
round, white, concave figure, like 6
smaller plate set within q larger one
This was not flower, but a receptacle
and there exuded into a clear, treacly
liquid, honey sweet, and possessed O
violent intoxicating and soporifc prop
critics. From underneath the rim, so t.
speak, of the undermost plate, a series
OF long, hairy, green tendrils stretched
in every direction toward the horizon
These were seven or eight feet Ions
each, and tapered from four inches Il
a half inch in diameter, yet they
stretched out stiff1y as iron rods. Above
these (from between the upper anC
under cup, six white, almost transpar
ent, palpi reared themselves toward TIT
sky, twirling and twisting with a mar
velous incessant motion, yet constantly
reaching upward. Thin as reeds anC
frail as quilts apparently, they were We
| FIVE or six feet tall, and were so con
stantly and vigorously in motion, will
such a subtitle, sinuous, silent thrObbin,
against the air, that they made me shud
der in spite of myself with their sug
gestion of serpents hayed, vet dancinl
on their tails. The description | an
giving you now is part made up from
subsequent careful inspection of tn
plant.
My observations on this occasion wer
suddenly interrupted by the natives
who had been shrieking around tn
tree in their shrill voices, and chanting
what Henrick told me were pro
pitiatory hymns to the great devil-tree
With still wilder shrieks and chant
they surrounded one of the women
and urged her with the points O
their javelins, until slowly and wit
despairing face, she climbed up tn
stalk of the tree, and stood on the sum
nit of the cone, the palpi twirling al
about her. "Tiski Tisk v' drink
r drink y cried. the men, and stopping
she drank of the viscid fluid in the cur
: rising instantly again with wild frenz
In her face, and cOnvulsive cholera in he
/ limbs. But she did not jump down s
she seemed to intend to do. Oh, no ! Tn
atrocious cannibal that had been s
{ Inert and dead came 10 sudden, savag
life. The slender, delicate paGpi, with tn
= fury of starved serpents, quivering for
moment over her head, then, as if by il
stinct, with demoniac intelligence. ia
t tened upon her in sudden coils round an
( round her neck and arms, then, while kt
awful screams, and yet more awful laugl
: ter, rose wilder, to be instantly strng1e
D down again into a guTgling moan, tt
teudrils, one after another, like gres
= green serpents, with brutal energy an
g internal rapidity, rose, Ietracted then
selves, and wrapped her about in FOL
after fold, ever tightening, with the cru,
h, swiftness and savage tenacity of anOcOl
das fastening upon their prey. 1t W;
the barbarity OF the LAGOON without i
beauty--this strange, horrible murde
And now the great leaves rose slowly an
4 stiffiy ike the arms of a derrick, erecte
|. themselves in the air, approaching or
9 another, and closed about the dead an
q harnpered victim with the silent force
4 sn hydraulic press, and the ruthless pu
pose of thum bscrew. A moment nor
+ and while | could see the basis of IL
I great levers pressing more tightly towar
: each other, from their interstiCes the
: trickled down the stalk streams of visci
+ honey-li like fluid, mingled horribly wit
o the blood and oOZing viscera of the wi
!. tim. At the sight of this the savas
!. hordes around me, yelling madly, bounde
f forward, crowded to the tree, clasped i
and with cups, leaves, hands and tongue
4 got each one enough of the liquor TO sen
f him mad and frantic. Then ensued
= grotesque and indescribably hideous org
: fIom which, even while its convulsi,
= madness was turning rapidly into delir
v UNI and insensibility, Henrick drsgge
. ne hurriedly away into the recesses
4 the forrest, hiding me from the dangerol
q brutes and the brutes from me. May