The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-03-10
Battle Among the Ants.

Ph0, VI IdtilcI my pile vi otuinPs, oU-
served two large ants, the one red, the
other much larger, nearly half an inch
long, and black, fercely centending with
one another. Having once got hold they
never let go, but struggled and wrestled
and rolled on the chips necessarily
Looking further. was surprised to find
that the chips were covered with such
combatants, that it was not a dueLiuR but
a beitap,, a war between two races of ants,
the red always pitted against the black,
and frequently twored ones to one black.
The legions of these myrmidons covered
all the hills and wales in my woodward,
and the ground was already strewn with
the dead and dying, both red and black.
1t was the only battle which ever wit
messed, the only battle field / ever trod
while the battle was raging interneeion
war; the red republicans on the one hand,
and the black imperialists on the other.
On every sidet they were engaged in dead
ly combat, yet without any noise that ]
could hear, and human soldiers never
fought so resolutely. watched couple
that were fast locked in each others
embraces, in a little sunny valley amid
the chips, now at noon-day. prepared to
fight till the sun went down, or life went
out. The smaller red champion had fas-
tened himself like vice to his adversary's
front, and through all the tumblings Of
that field never for an instant ceased to
gnaw at one of his feelers near the root,
having already caused the other to go by
the board /; while the stronger black one
dashed him from side to side, and, as
saw on looking nearer, had already. di-
vested him of several of his members.
They fought with more pertinacity than
bulldogs. Neither manifested the least
disposition to retreat. Itwas evidentthat
their battie-cry was Conquer or die. In
the meanwhile there came along single
red ant on the hill side of the valley, ey-
identity full of excitement, who either
had dispatched his foe, or had not yet
taken part in the battle /; probably the
latter, for he had lost none of his limbs
whose mother had charged him to return
with his shield or upon it. Or, perchance,
he was some Achilles, who had nourish-
ed his wrath apart, and had now come to
ayenge or rescue his Patroclus. He saw
this unequal combat from afar-for the
black was nearly twice the size of the
red-he drew near with rapid pace till
he stood on his guard within half an inch
of the eombatants, then watching his
opportunity, he sprang upon the black
warrior, and commenced his operations
near the root of his right fore-leg. leaving
the foe to selectamong his own members;
and so there were three united for life,
as if a new kind of attraction had been
invented which put all other locks and
cements to shame. / should not have Won
dered by this time to find that they had
their respective musical bands stationed
on some eminent chip, and playing their
national airs the while, to excite the slow
and cheer the dying eombatants. | was
myself excited somewhat, even as il
they had been men. The more you think
of it, the less the difference. And GER
tainly there is not the fight recorded in
Concord history, at least, if in the his
tory of America, that will bear mo-
ment's comparison with this, whether fol
the patriotism or .heroism displayed
For numbers and for carnage it was an
Austerlitz or Dresden. Concord fight
Two killed on the patriots side, and Lu.
ther Blanchard wounded! Why, here
every ant was Buttrick-'t Fire! fol
Gods sake fire !''-and thousands shared
the fate of Davis and Hosmer. There
was not one hireling there. I have nc
doubt that it was principle they fought
for as we'll as our ancestors, and not tc
avoid a threepenny tax on their tea |; and
the results of this battle viii be rs impor.
tant and memorable to those whom il
concerns as those of the battle of Bunker
Hill, at least.
took up the chip on which the three
l have particularly described were
struggling, carried it into my house
and placed it under tumbler on my
window-sill, in order to see the issue
Holding microscope to the first men
toned red ant, saw that though he wa.
assiduously gnawing at the near fore-leg
of his enemy, having severed his remain
ing feeler, his own breast was also tori
away, exposing what vitals he had there
to the jaws of the black warrior, whose
breastplate was evidently too thick forhim
to pierce: and the dark carbuncles o.
the sufferers eyes shone with a ferocity
such as war only could excite. They
struggled half an hour longer under the
tumbler, and when looked again the
black soldier had severed the heads oi
his foes from their bodies. and the still
living heads were hanging on either side
of him like ghastly trophies at his sad
dlebow, still apparently as firmly fastened
as ever, and he was endeavoring with
feeble struggles, being without feeler:
and only with the remnant of a leg. and
know not how many other wounds, t.
divest himself of them which at length
after half an hour more, he accomplished
I raised the glass and he went off owe
the windew-sill in that crippled state
Whether he finally survived that combat
and spent the remainder of his days ii
some Hotel des Invalides, do not know
but I thought that his industry woult
not be worth much thereafter. | neye
learned which party was victorious, no
the cause of the war but felt for tn
rest Of that day as if ] had my feeling
excited and narrowed by Witnessing tn
struggle, the ferocity and carnage. of !
human battle before my door.
The battle which / wit
messed took place in the Presidency 0
Polk, FIVE years before the passage Q
Webster's fugitive slave bill.-H d
1horeaa.
EE Hon. Mark w. lizard, the neI
Governor of Nebraska, has twice bee