St. Landry democrat., 1881-09-03

limb OF tall, straight, smooth parked
eucalyptus tree, seventy-hve feet from
the ground. The trunk of the tree was
a yard or more in diameter. To cut
it down would have been several hours
work, even for an experienced woods
man; while to climb it. after the ordinary
fashion, would have been out OF the
question. This is the way Benu, one
of the Timor men, set to work. First.
he took from his bundle 2 torch of some
resinous wood. and lighted it. This
torch he attached to his waist cloth, or
girdle, by means of a string some ten
feet long. so that as he climbed up, the
slowly burning, but densely smoking,
torch would hang beneath him. TO
his girdle was also hung chopping-
kniie, for cutting off the comb from the
branch, and a long line, in coil, for
lowering it to the ground. Fola, an
other of the men, now brought him a
strong bush rope, or creeper, some
twenty feet long, green and pliable,
and freshly cut from a thicket. Benu
first passed one end of this creeper
round the trunk of the tree, then grasp
ing an end in each hand, leaned back,
and setting his feet against the trunk,
he began to walk up the tree, holding
fast by the bush rope and throwing it
up, by quick jerk, after every second
step. 1t was wonderful to note the
skill with which he took advantage of
the least roughesss, or scar in
the bark, to get a hold for the
loop. or for his feet. He was not
much more than minute going up sixty
feet. All this time, he was almost en-
veloped in cloud of smoke from the
torch, which seemed to prevent the
bees from settling upon his body;
which, but for his waist-cloth, was en-
tirely bare and exposed to their stings.
Arriving directly beneath the limb to
which the comb was suspended, by a
deXterous spring he threw himself
partly over it. then drawing up his
torch, so that its smoke completely en-
veloped his body, he rested for some
moments before creeping out on the
branch to cut off the comb. Thousands
of tho bees were flying about him, and
thousands more were clinging in black
masses to the outside of the comb. But
upon Benu's holding out the torch be-
meath it, they all rose in a dense cloud.
filing the fores: with their deep, solemn
hum. Defended by the smoke, Benu
had in a moment or two more made o
double moose of his smaller line round
the comb; and then, with few delft
cuts OF his chopper, he cleaved off the
cone from the limb. and lowered it I'M
broken to the ground. In three min
utes more he had walked down the tree,
much as he had walked up, and stood
among US, none the worse for his ex-
plot, with the exception of few
stings.
Afterward, I repeatedly saw Fola,
ANIME, Motuleet and a dozen others OF
our native squad, climb up for nests in
the same way. 1t was their customary
method. Nothing would have induced
any of our sailors be induced or cajoled
into attempting it.
A little way out from our huts, on the
further side, and just beyond the three
dardee trees, there was a rocky gully
or gulch, twenty-five or thirty feet in
depth, and from forty to fifty feet wide.
So steep were it's sides, and so tangled
with creepers and vines. that to cross it
we should have been forced to made a
long detour, either below or above, had
it not been for bridge, which nature
had provided in the shape Of tree
which had fallen across the ravine,
spanning it completely from bank to
bank. 1t had been very large. old
tree. The shattered top lay on the side
next our huts; and the ends were over
run by luxuriant wild grapevine,
loaded down with clusters OF grapes,
the outer skins of which were covered
with hair! But their flavor was deli
cious, though on first putting one in
your mouth, the hair gave you very
peculiar sensation. Winding through
| the top of the tree with the vine, there
was beautiful croWn-lily, displaying
it's glorious festoons of blossoms side by
side with the strange hairy grape clus-
tiers, so that a most singular and gor-
geous effect was produced. The trunk
of the tree, which was at least four feet
in diameter, offered a perfectly safe
bridge across the gully; and for the first
four days we were constantly going
back and forth on it. 1t had evidently
been used for this purpose, either by
men or wild animals, long before our
arrival, for the log was worn smooth,
apparently, by the many feet that had
! passed and repassed on it.
Though still tolerably sound and
strong, the log was plainly hollow one;
and out near tine middle of it there was
hole in the upper side. | noticed
this hole the first time / went across.
and thought what an ugly thing it
would be to step into it when crossing
with load. It must have been not far
from foot and half in diameter.
Several times, while walking over
this log, 1 noticed strange, sickening
odor coming from it, which, though
faint, was very nauseating, and once,
when standing still for q moment,