The Florida agriculturist., 1884-12-03
The Gagus Stalk.
THE MOST TERRIBLE AND FATAL INToXI-
CANT YET DISCOVERED.

N-h-Nh III 1yASNOf 2-AAEDsF
''Do you know what that is ?" said th,
captain of bark lately returned from
cruise in the Southern seas to CAL re
porter who was prowling around th'
waterfront in search OF items. He hel(
in his hand what appeared to be gau
dily painted barber's pole shrunken t
the size OF a policeman's club. The re
porter surveyed the object curiously anC
admitted that he could not guess what i
was.
THAT" continued the skipper, taking
the nondescript object from the repor
ter's hands, and caressing it as though il
was kitten, sis piece of gagus stalk
1t came from Gauptil Island, near the
Molucca group. [ have navigated the
South Seas for many years, and | never
saw it growing on any other island, and
l don't think you will find any seafaring
man who halls from these waters but
will bear out what l say"
''But what is it?" questioned the re-
porter, eyeing the curiosity. "Gagus
root?"
Eyes, that's as near as we sailors can
get to what the natives there call it. I've
heard these four-eyed scientific lubbers
call it by name yard long, but 1
might as well have tried to reef main
sail alone as to real it around my mental
windlass. Gagus is good enough for
me-"
"NNho painted it" went on the re-
porter, a suspicion creeping into his
mind that the captain had ornamented
it with color for the purpose of selling it
to some democrat to put in his hat.
Painted it? Why, jigger me, that's
the way it crew." cried the skipper, with
l.
thing like it before"
The reporter admitted that he had not,
and asked the captain to dissipate at
once the cloud of mystery surrounding
the 'gagus."
''It is a species OF cactus" he ex
planned, "and, as / said, grows only, to
my knowledge, on Gauptil Island. The
island is a small one, but is well popu-
lated by natives of the Malay race. In
the interior this plant grows wild, -four
ishing especially in the red rocky soil.
1t looks beautiful when growing, as you
might Judge by the bright hues with
which this is spotted. The main stalk
is covered with sharp, nettle-like pro-
tuberances, and prick from one of them
will cause more pain than handful Of
red pepper thrown in your eyes. When
young the plant consists of but one stalk,
which shoots up straight to the height
of four or five feet. 1t is brilliant scar
let in hue. Toward winter number of
offshoots spring out until the thing looks
like a broom stood upright. Green and
purple specks then appear all over it.
A grove of gagus shrubs is very pretty
sight. But it is the properties of the
plant which distinguish it.s Opium is a
potent drug, but will back the extract
from the gagusI stalk to effect more dam
age on the human system than all the
opium in the world. The natives cut
the plant in the early spring. After they
have gathered sufficient quantity they
put it in bowls and crush it with huge
stones. A grayish sap runs out freely, and
this they collect and drink after letting it
ferment, which it does easily. One
drink of pint is enough for an ordinary
man, but have seen natives drink more.
Within half an hour after imbibing it
the drinker becomes perfectly stupid and
lies around like log. The spell lasts a
natives say they live in paradise"
''Do white men drink it?''
81 have known sailors to try it, but
they never tackled it twice. Three years
ago l had a man in my crew who was
''What effect does it have upon the
natives?"
''NNell, that is where the gagus dis
plays itself. If you could see some of the
terrible examples of gagus drinking in
Gauptil you would be Mortified. The
first effect of the liquor is to soften the
bones and gradually eat them away
There are natives there, the victims of
gagus, who are indeed boneless and un-
able to walk or use their limbs. They
then begin to wither away like this stalk
until they die in misery and commissions
Immediately after death the head of the
corpse becomes soft as pulp, no bones
can be felt; the skull is completely eat
en- away. The body then begins to swell
as though it were inflated with gas, and
immediate burial is necessary
''How long does it take to thus devas-
tate a human being?" asked the repor-
ter.
THAT is according to the appetite OF
the victim to the stuff. Uusually two
years will finish the hardest man. Oh,
the sufferings OF the slaves to drink are
terrible"
The piece OF plant was again subjected
to an inspection by the reporter, and
this time with some manifest interest.
"You see, it is hard" said the cap
tain, dropping it on the deck to prove his
words; "and this is harmless unless,
presume, it was soaked in water and the
liquor drank"
TooL.,,n. D..4Ao.,