120 THE HUMAN SIDE OF TREES 



for all the world like the distant sound of heavy 

 artillery. 



Perhaps strangest and most dangerous of all the 

 tree-manufacturers is the agy-tree. This uncanny 

 inhabitant of the Island of Madagascar is the terror 

 of the natives and missionaries who know of its 

 miniature arrows. Mr. Montgomery in describ- 

 ing his experiences with it says: "Walking under 

 some trees and pushing aside the reeds and grass, 

 I was startled in a moment by a sudden tingling 

 and pricking sensation over the back of my hands 

 and fingers, for never had come the like to me, in 

 Madagascar or elsewhere. I stopped in sudden 

 surprise, for the pain was severe, and I had touched 

 nothing except the grass. But in another moment 

 the pain increased, the tingling burning sensation 

 seemed extending rapidly up my wrists, and I could 

 see nothing to cause it. But as I lowered my head 

 to look, pain, scalding pain, shot into my ears and 

 neck, growing worse, too, every instant. Dazed 

 and bewildered, I stood a few seconds in helpless- 

 ness, for I could neither see nor guess at the cause 

 of the terrible distress. Then I got back to my 

 company with agony writ plain enough on every 

 line of my face. 



"The men started up when they saw me, some 

 of them crying out, 'You have been stung by the 



