THE MAN-EATING TREE OF MADAGASCAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 301, 20 December 1877, Page 4

THE MAN-EATING TREE OF MADAGASCAR.

The following description of this singular tree found in the island of Madagascar, is copied from the New Fork World. It was originally published in the last Graefeand Walther's Magazine, of Carlsruhe, together with notes upoo it by Dr Omelius Frediowski, to whom the letter of Carl Leche, the discoverer, from which the following is extracted, was addressed. ;•— "The Mkodos are a very primitive race, going entirely naked, having only faint vestiges of tribal relations, and no religion beyoud that awful reverence which they pay to the sacred tree. They dwell in caves hollowed out of the limestone rocks ia their hills, sod are one of the smallest of races, the men seldom exceeding 56 inches in height. At the bottom of the valley (I had no barometer), but should thiuk it not over 400 ft above the level of the sea) and Bear its eastern extremity, we came to a deep, tarn-like Jake ? about a aaile ia diameter, the Bluggisli waters of which overflowed into a tortuous ready canal, that went unwillingly into the recesses of a black forest, jungle below, palm above. A path diverging from its southern side, struck boldly for the heart of the forbidding and seemingly impenetrable forest. Henrich led the way along this path. I followed closely, and behind me a curious rabble of Mkodos men, womeu, aad childreu. Suddenly all the natives began to cry ' Tepe 1 Tepe ! " aad Henrich, stopping short, said 'Look I' The sluggish caoai-iike stream here wound slowly by, and ia a bare spot in its bend was the most singular of trees. I have called it the Crinoda, because when its leaves are in action it bears a striking resemblance to that weli-knowa fosail. the crinoia iilvßtoae, or St. Cuthbsrt's beads. It was now at rest, however and I will try to describe it to you. if you can imagine a pineapple Blt 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 aoana, but a dark, dingy brown, and apparently hard as iroa. From the apex of this truncated cone, at least 2ft in diameter, eight leaves hung sheer to the ground, like doors slung back oo their hinges. These leaves, wbicb were joined at the top ot the tree at regular inter vaU, were about lift or 12ft long, and shaped very much like the American aguave or century plant. They were two feet through in their thickest part, and three feet wide, tapering to a sharp point (hat looked like a cow's horn, very convex on the outer (but now under) surface, and oa the inner (aow upper) surface aLightly concave. This concavo face was thickly set with very strong thorny hooks, lika those upon the head of a teazle. These leaves, hanging thus limp and lifeless, dead green in color, had in appearance the massive strength of o»fc fibre. The apex of the cone was a round, white, concave figure, like a small plate set in withia a large one. This was not a flower, but a receptacle, and there exuded into it a clear, treacly liquid, honey sweet, and possessed of violent intoxicatiug and soporific properties From underneath tbe rim, so to speak of the undermost plate a series of iong, hairy, green tendrils stretched in every direction towards the horizon. These were seven or eight teet long each, and tapered from four inches to a half-iuCu it diameter, yet they stretched out stiffly as iron rods. Above these, from between the upper and under cup, six white, almost tranepareut, palpi reared themselves towards the eky, twirling and twisting with a marvellous incessant motioD, yet constantly reaching upward. Thin aa reeds and frail as quills apparently, they were yet fi ve or fiiic feet tall, aad were bo constantly and vigorously in motion, with such a subtle, sinuous, aileot throbuing against the air, tint ihey made me shudder iv spite ot myself with their suggestion ol serpents flayed, yet dauciug on their tails. The description I am giviug you now is partly made up fioua a subsequent cartful iuapbctiou of the plant. My ouaervaiious ou this occasion were suddenly interrupted by the natives, who had been shrieking arouad the tree iv their auriil voices, aad chanting wuafc tfeuricli toiJ m& ware prouitkt tory hytuaa to the great uee devil. With still wilder shrieks aud chants they surrounded one of tue women, and urgea her with the points of their jsigeiias, until slowly, and with deepairing voice, she climbed up tba stock of the tree, and stood ou tue summit of the coae, the palpi twirling all about her. « Tisk I Ti»k !" </di ink 1 drink !') cried the men, and Stooping, she drunk of the viscid fluid in tbe cap, rising instantly again with wild frenzy iv her face anil convulsive cholera iv her limbs, But she did not (imp down as she had intended to do. Ob, uo ! The atrocious cannibal that had beea so inert aa4 dtad, came to sodden, savage life. The slender, delicate palpi with the fury of starved serpents, quivered a uionueat over her head, theu, as if by instinct with, demoniac intelligence, fastened upon her ia sudden coils, round aud round her neck and arms ; then while her awful screams aud yet more awlu! laughter rose wilder, to be instantly strangled down again into & gurgling moan, tbe tendrils, one after another like great greeu serpents, with brutal energy ana infernal rapidity rose, retracted themselves, and wrapt her about ia told after fold, ever tightening, with the cruel swiftness and savage tenacity of anacondas fastening upon theie gt&y.

It was the barbarity of the liaocoon without its beauty — this strange, horrible monster. And now the great leaves rose slowly and stiffly, like the arms of a 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 thumbscrew. A moment more, and, while I could see the bases of these great levels pressing more tightly toward each other, from their interstices there trickled down the stalk streams of the viscid honey-like fluid mingled horribly with the blood and oozing viscera of the victim. Afc feight of this the savage hordes around me, yelling madly, bounded forward^ rowded to the tree, clasped it, and with cups, leaves, hands, and tongues got each enough of the liquor .- to send him mad and frantic. Then ensued a grotesque and indescribably hideous orgie, from which, even while convulsive madness was turning rapidly into delirious insensibility, Henrick dragged me hurriedly away into the recesses of the forest, | hiding me from the brutes, and the brutes from inc. May I never see &uch a sight again. The indescribable rapidity and energy of its movements may be inferred from the fact that I saw a smaller one seize, capture and destroy | an active little lemn which, dropping by accident upon it while watching and grinning at me, in vain endeavoured to escape from the fatal coils. With I Henrick's assistance and the consent of some of the head men of the Mkodos (who, however, did not dare to stay to witness the act of sacrilege) I cut down one of the minor trees and dissected it | carefully.' — Karl Leche.