COCOA-NUTS. 221 



smelling flowers, and then he once more lay down and fell 

 asleep. 



But now the scene changed : he saw himself lying as he 

 actually was, beneath a tree, and from the neighboring 

 jungle an immense cobra di capello issued forth. The 

 rajah regarded it without fear ; it was the sacred snake of 

 the Buddhists, and had protected their god while he walked 

 the earth. The snake approached the dreamer, and thrice 

 dipped its forked tongue in the leaf of water which the 

 rajah's attendants had placed at his side ; then it bowed 

 its head over him and slowly retired to the jungle. The 

 good prince awoke, and slept again ; this time he revisited 

 the scene of his first vision, and there beheld an old man 

 "whose face shone with the splendor of the moon." 



This was Maha Sudona, the father of the god Buddhoo. 

 In majestic accents he addressed the rajah, bidding him 

 arise and journey for one hundred hours to the southward, 

 where he should behold in reality the tree of his vision ; 

 its fruit he could obtain by fire, since it could not be other- 

 wise reached, and by making it his sole diet for the space 

 of three moons, his health would be restored, and a long 

 life await him. 



And now, having looked at this most royal palm from 

 what we may well term the romantic point of view, let us 

 examine more closely into that portion of its life history 

 which is eminently practical ami useful to man. Rearing 

 their feathery crowns to a height of from sixty to one hun- 

 dred feet, these noble trees, even before the period of their 

 fruit-bearing arrives, begin their career of usefulness in 

 shielding the palaces and huts which are built in their 

 midst, from the danger of the terrific thunder-storms 

 w r hich are of such frequent occurrence in their native 

 land. Their tall stems arrest the fiery destroyer, and di- 

 verting it from its perilous course conduct it harmlessly 



