The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-05-24

ana now, boys, here'S three times three
to the baby that walked two steps
Hearty my menW
And they gave the cheers-drank a
barrel of cider which Mr.. Phillips
rolled out, and then returned home.
AFRICA.
NJ DU CHAILLU in lecture on Africa
delivered a few days ago, has the fol-
lowing:
"In these equatorial forests there are
found vast number of ants-without
the II which l got accustomed to in
England -(laughter) some of which
are so terrible to man, and even to the
beasts of the woods, from their vene-
nous bite, their fierce temper, and vora-
city, that their path is freely abandoned
to them. The most remarkable and
most dreaded of all, is the black Bash
ikonay. Bashikonay is the name given
it by the Bakalal. There are two other
varieties of Bashikonay beside the black
kind. These black Bashikonay may be
well called the lords of the forest. 1t
is the most voracious creature | ever
met. 1t is the dread of all living ami
mails from the leopard to the smallest
insects. istheir habit to march through
the forests in long, regular line, a line
about two inches broad and often several
miles in length all along this line are
larger ants who act as ofiicers-stand
outside the ranks and keep this singular
army in order. If they come to place
where there are no trees to shelter them
from the sun, whose heat they cannot
bear, they Immediately build an un-
derground tunnel through which the
whole army pass in columns to the for
est beyond. When they grow hungry,
as by a sudden command the long file
spreads itself through the forest advanc-
ing forward, attacking and devouring
all living things with fury that is
quite irresistible. The elephant and the
gorilla fly before Them the black men
run away; every animal that lives in
their line of march is chased. In an
incredibly short space of time those that
are caught are overwhelmed, killed,
eaten, and only the bare skeleton re-
mains. They seem to travel day and
night. Many time have been ava
kened out of sleep and obliged to rush
into the water to save myselffrom them.
When they enter house they clear 1t
of every living thing. Cockroaches are
devoured in an instant; rats and mice
spring around the room in vain. They
will not touch vegetable matter, thus
they are very useful, clearing the coun-
try of many insects. When on their
march the insect world flies before them,
and have often had the approach of
Bashikonay army heralded to me by
this means. Wherever they go they
make clean sweep, even ascending to
the top of the trees in pursuit of their
prey. Their manner of attack is an inn
petuous leap, instantly the strong pin
GERS are fastened and they only let go
when the piece gives way. At such a
time this little insect seems animated by
a kind of fury which causes it to disre-
gard entirely its own safety. The ne
groes relate that criminals, by which
they generally wizards, havesome-
times been exposed on the path of the
Bashikonay ants, tied to tree so they
might not escape, and then We're de-
voured to the homes. They are larger
than any ants we have in America. The
number of one of theirarmies is so great
that one does not like to enter into cal
culations, but have seen q continuous
line passing at good speed a particular
place for twelve hours. So you may
imagine how many millions they have
been.