Tales out of school

by Frank R. Stockton

A species of Laurel in India contains camphor in all its juices. Break up twigs, stems, and leaves of this tree, and heat them, and the liquid that comes from them will soon condense into camphor gum.

The seeds of one kind of palm produce a fine oil; and the stalks of another give us wax, of which candles are made. This wax forms on the outside of the stalk, at the places where the leaves join the stem. From another palm is extracted a juice that when exposed to the air for a short time, becomes wine.

In arid deserts, and in unwholesome marshes plants flourish luxuriantly, the leaves of which contain pure, sweet, freshwater, always ready for the thirsty traveler.

So far we have only spoken of the wholesome juices of plants and trees, but a large number are full of deadly poisons. Many of these grow in our own woods and fields. Some of the poisons have been utilized in medicines, for it has been found that, properly prepared, and given in small quantities, they can frequently arrest disease. Such is opium, which we get from the poppy, strychnine, and prussic acid. All of these are terrible poisons, but when administered by a physician in small doses, they relieve pain, and help to cure disease.

Other vegetable poisons seem to be only destructive. If a man should, ignorantly take refuge under a Machineel tree from a shower, and remain there for any length of time after the rain began to drip upon him, he would suddenly discover that blisters were breaking out on his skin, and that sharp pains were running through his limbs, and he might well feel thankful if he escaped without a fit of sickness. This, at least is the story that the savages tell who live in the regions where the Machineel grows. It is probable that they exaggerate the facts, but they will none of them go near a tree of this species if they can help it; and there is no doubt that it is very poisonous.

THE DEADLY UPAS.

The most celebrated of the poison-trees is the Upas, which grows in several tropical countries, but chiefly in the island of Java. The accounts given of the Machineel tree are nothing compared to the wonderful stories told of the Upas. No plant, not even grass, will grow under one of these trees, or anywhere near it. A drop of water falling from a leaf on any one beneath it, will produce inflammation. Whoever walks under one of these trees bare-headed, must expect to lose all his hair. To stay under it for a short time will cause sickness. To sleep under it is certain death. Birds fly over the tree with great difficulty, and if one should chance to alight upon it, woe be to him! Instantly he drops down dead. The wild beasts know the fatal tree, and shun it, but, if one venture beneath its shadow, he never comes forth again, but leaves his bones there.

These stories which the natives really believe, they told to travelers, and, for a long time they were supposed to be true. One thing which caused these accounts to be so readily credited was the condition of things in a valley in Java, where these trees were found in abundance.

The natives of Java told the Europeans of a wonderful valley that they called the Valley of Death, because the air was so poisoned with the noxious vapors of the Upas trees that no animal ever went through the valley. It dropped dead before the short journey was completed, and the ground was strewn with the bones of creatures that had perished there. The natives were willing to conduct their visitors to a hill that overlooked this valley at a safe distance. When they arrived at this hill, there, sure enough, was the valley, Upas trees, dead grass, bones, and all, just as the savages had described it. This settled the matter for a great many years in regard to the death dealing Upas tree. Other travelers to Java, rode up this hill, looked at the Valley of Death, shuddered, and rode down again.