THE WONDERS OF VEGETATION. 14-5 



bare-headed, lose their hair. A single drop falling 

 upon the skin produces inflammation. Birds can with 

 difficulty fly over the tree, and if they by any chance 

 alight on its branches, they fall dead. The soil 

 around is perfectly sterile to the distance of a stone's 

 throw. Any one wounded with a dart poisoned with 

 this resin is attacked by violent inflammation, followed 

 by convulsions, and dies in less than 15 minutes. 

 After death the skin is covered with dark spots, the 

 face becomes livid and swollen, and the whites of 

 the eyes turn yellow." 



Foerset speaks thus of the effects of the juice of 

 the upas. " Being at Soura Charta," he says, " I 

 was present at the execution of three women. They 

 were conducted at 11 A. M , to the square opposite 

 the palace. The judge passed sentence upon them. 

 They were presented with the Koran, upon which 

 they had to swear that their sentence was just, and 

 this they did, placing one hand upon the book, the 

 other upon their breast, and raising their eyes to 

 heaven. Afterward the executioner proceeded to his 

 grim business in the following manner: 



" Three stakes had been prepared, and to these 

 the convicts were bound. They remained in this po- 

 sition, saying their prayers, until the judge gave the 

 signal, when the executioner pricked each of them 

 in the breast with a lancet that had been dipped in 

 the resin of the upas. Instantly they were seized 

 with violent trembling, then with convulsions, and 

 in six minutes neither of the three survived. I saw 

 that their skin was marked with livid spots, their 

 10 



