The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-01-28
THE USEFUL TRAVELLERS TREE.
1t Furnishes Refreshments of Many Kinds
to People of Madagascar.


to People of Madagascar.
A European traveller, on his way from
the coast of Madagascar to the capital,
Tanarivo in the interior, had emptied his
water flask and was suffering from
thirst. He asked one of the natives of
his party when he should be able to OBJ
tain water. ANY time you like, . said
the native, smiling. The European saw
no sign of springs of water; but the ma
tives conducted him to a group of tall,
palm like trees standing in a cluster on
the edge of the forest, with straight
trunks and bright green, broad leaves,
growing from the opposite sides of the
stalk, and making the tree appear like
great fan. The white man gazed admir-
ingly at the tree. You think it is fine
tree said the native, ''but l will show
you what it is good for. -
He pierced the root of one Of the leaf
stems, at a point where it joined the tree,
with his spear, whereupOn stream OF
clear water spurted out, which the
European caught in his water can and
found cool, fresh and excellent to
drink.
The party having satisfied their thirst
and taken a supply, the native who had
spoken went on:
This tee. which is good for us in
more ways than one, we call the travel
er's tree
But where does the water come from
tina the tree contains?'' asked the white
man. is it taken up from the soil?''
"Oh, no." said the native. 1.-The
leaves drink in the rain that falls on
them, and when it has passed all through
them it becomes very pure and sweet. .
land are there many of these trees on
the island?'
There are so many that sometimes
one sees no other trees for mile, and
very often we take no provision or water
when we travel, because we know that
we shall find the travellers tree"
And you say there are other things
that they are good for?''
The native answered by asking another
question.
''Do you remember he said, ''the
village that we passed through this morn
ing. with its wooden huts rooted over
with leaves? Those huts were made of
nothing but the travellers tree. The
wood splits easily, but makes tough
pianks for floors, and the walls of the
houses are made of bark.
with the branches we make the
l5GC this is not all that the good tree does.
We are coming soon to a village whose
people | know, and | will show you
more"
The native was eager in his haste to
show to the traveller what the tree had in
store for him, and the European, for his
part, felt no little curiosity. They ar
rived soon at the village, and the guide
conducted the traveller to the hut of
friend, who received them very hOspit-
ably and soon spread meal for them.
First he placed upon a sort of a table
spread made of some vegetable substance,
very light and pretty; then he set before
his guests two drinking vessels of a ma
terial which the white man did not rec
ogniZe, and then he gave them two uten-
sis, which, although rude in shape,
served in the stead of knife and fork.
In the midst of the table he placed
large bowl, filed with cream of very APP
petizing appearance. In another vessel
there was a quantity of oil, with almonds
floating upon it.
Before we begin, said the guide, Il
must tell you what 1 promised. Every
thing that there is upon this table comes
from the travellers tree. You see this
table cloth? 1t is made of the fibers of
the leaves of the tree.
''These drinking cups, these plates,
these knives are made of the wood or the
bark of the tree. What you take to be
the cream is a dish made of the seeds of
the tree, pounded up with meal and
mixed with kind of milk drawn from
the trunk of the tree.
e'What you think are almonds are lit
tie cakes made of these seeds, and the oil
~ pressed from the skin or shuck of the
seed. As for the water you arc about to
drink, you know that already. And we
get not only these things, but some of the
people of Madagascar have made kind
of cloth that they wear out of the fiber of
the wood. youths Companion.