296 THE AGY-TREE 



Although dry and pleasant for a floor, the sand had the dis- 

 advantage of giving bad holding-ground for the tent-pegs, and, 

 had not the fresh breeze died away at sunset, a very slight 

 gust would have brought down the whole concern over our 

 heads. 



We might congratulate ourselves in not coming across, in 

 short rambles among the trees, a tree which caused no small 

 discomfort to some of our missionary friends in this very 

 locality. Mr Montgomery thus describes his experiences. He 

 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 ex- 

 tending 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 helplessness, 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 agy.' Some of them led me 

 to a seat, others rushed for water from the river, and two or 

 three brought sand heaped up in their hands. Then they 

 chafed me with the sand and water to take out the stinging 

 hairs, which they knew caused the mischief. As they rubbed 

 me, I felt the pain abate, and after about a quarter of an hour's 

 continuance of the operation I was comparatively free from 

 pain. While the men were rubbing me, I was able to discern to 

 some extent the cause of my distress. Countless hairs, like tiny 

 arrows, almost transparent, pointed at either end, and from a 

 third to a fourth of an inch long, had dropped down on me in an 

 invisible shower from the agy -tree, as I passed and stood under 

 it. Ere I came away that afternoon, very cautiously I ventured 

 to examine the tree at a little distance, and found that these 



