Here and there the passages and balconies graded one to another's level,
all being held together by innumerable stays and props, sent down from
branch to branch, and from branches to the grassy turf beneath; and one
sweeping limb, coming almost to the ground in a gentle incline before
twisting away and up again, made ascent so simple that the men-folk sent
the missus for a "stroll in midair," sure that no white woman's feet had
yet trodden those winding ways. And as she strolled about the tree--not
climbed--hindered only by her holland riding-skirt, Brown followed,
anxiously but cautiously. Then, the spirit of vandalism taking hold of
the Maluka, he cut the name of the missus deep into the yielding bark.
There are some wonderful trees on the Elsey, but not one of them will
compare with the majesty and grandeur of that old banyan. Away from the
world it stands beyond those rocky ways and boulders, with its soft shade
sweeping curves, and feathery undergrowth, making a beautiful world of
its own. For years upon years it has stood there--may be for
centuries--sending down from its branches those props for its old age,
bountiful with its shade, and indifferent whether its path-ways be
trodden by white feet or black.
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