New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-09
THE UNREASONABLE ANT.
From "a Tramp Abroad," 1y Mark Train.

From "a Tramp abroad" by Mark Train.
Now and then, while, we rested, we watched the
him-certainly nothing to change my opinion Of
him. 1t seems to me that In the matter of intellect
the ant must be strangely overrated bird. During
many Summers now l have watched him, when
ought to have been in better business. and have
not yet living ant that seemed to have
any more sense than dead one. l refer to the
S SsT1nfeS Of those wonderful Swiss and
African ones which vote, keep drilled armies.
ticular ants may be all that the naturalist paints
them, but am persuaded that the average ant Is
sham. I admit his industry, OF course; he IS the
body is looking-but his leather-headedness Is the
point make against him; He goes out foragtpg,
he makes Q capture. and then what does he dot 60
doesn't know where home Is. His homo may be
only three feet away; no matter, he can't find it,
He makes his capture. as lhayesad 1t is generally
something which can be Of no sort Of use TO himself
or anybody else; 1t Is usually seven times bigger
than it ought to be; he hunts out the awkwardest
place to take hold OF IT he lifts It bodily up IN the
and and Wisely ' but With frantic haste which
a as %ss'eiai pebbo and instead Of going
Around it, be climbed over it backwards, dragging
his booty after him, tumbes down the other side,
jumps up in passion, kicks the dust off his clothes,
moistens his hands, grabs his property viciOusly,
yanks it this way then that, shoves It ahead Of him
moment, turns tail and Tugs 1t after, him an
emily hoists it into the air and goes tearing away
in an entirely new direction comes to q weed IL
never occurs to him to 90 around IL. No; he must
climb it. and he does climb it, dragging bis worth
less property to the tOp-which IL as bright thing
TO do rs it would be for me to carry sack of -four
from Heidelberg to Paris by way or Strasbgrg
steeple; when he gets there he finds that that Is
not the place takes cursOry glance at the scenery,
and either climbs down again or tumbles down, and
starts off once mOre-aS usual 10 new direction.
At the end of halfan hour he fetches up. within
six inches of the place lie started from, and lays his
burden down. Meantime ne pas 9eeh oyer aii i the
weeds and pebbles he came across. Now he wipes
the sweat from his brow, strokes his limbs. and
then marches simlessy of, in as violent hurry as
ever. He traverses good deal of zig-zag country,
and by-and-by stumbles on his same booty again.
He does not remember to have ever seen 1t before;
he looks around to see which is not the way bone,
grabs his bundle and starts lie goes through the
same adventures he had before finally stops to rest
and friend comes along. Evidently the friend
remarks that last years grasshopper leg Is very
noble acquisition, and inquiries where he got 10.
Evidently the proprietor does not remember exactly
where me GS gst " eTt tho
tc help him freight IL home Then, with q 1ndg-
ment peculiarly antic pun not ntentionai. they
aud begin to tug with all their might in opposite
directions. Presently they take rest and confer
together. They decide that something Is wrong
again, Just as before. Same result. Mutual recrim-
inations follow. Evidently each accuses the other
OF beng an obstructionlst They warm up. and the
together together and chew each others Jaws for while,
then they roll and tumble on the ground till one
loses horn or leg aud has to haul of for repairs
They make up and go to work again in the same old
insane way, but the crippled ant is at disad-
vantage tug rs he may the other one drags on the
booty and him at the end of it. Instead OF giving
up he hangs on and gets his shins bruised against
every obstruction that comes in the way. By-and-
by when that grasshOpper leg has been dragged all
over the same old ground once more, it is finally
dumped at about the spot wheIe 1t originally lay.
The two perspiring ants inspect II hOughtfuly and
property after ALL and then each starts of N diff
ferent direction to see II he can't find an old nail
something else that is heavy enough to afford enter
and at the same time valueess enough to
make an ant want to own IL.