The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-07
A NOVEL DUEL ON A BAR.
six Bottles aud 500 Wagered on the
Result.
From the Neto York Sun.

From the Nelo York Sun.
A number of fiies had settled on one end Of
the bar at well>known uptown resort the
other afternoon, attracted by few drops
Of sweet drink that had been spilled. A
group of customers Of the place stood near.
but the tipping flies were objects of no in
terest to them until one of the group dis
covered a reddish-brown ant moving in q
very business-lise manner toward the hies.'
The presence Of an ant of that kind in such
a place was something SO unheard of that
every person in the house became interested
In it at once. The ant hurried along until
it was within three or four inches of the
flies, and then stopped and seemed to be
making a reconnaissance. Presently it sd-
vauced in a cautious, siding manner to-
ward the flies again.
The flies ware apparently 30 much en-
gagged in absorbing the strange delicacY
they had come upon that they did not no.
tice the approach of the ant, and even il
they had there was nothing in the manner
of the insect to strike them with alarm.
The ant sided along until IL was close to
the transporting flies, when 1t made a sud
den dash and snized fly by one of its
wings. This created a panic among the
flies, and the unlucky one was left strug
Cling to escape from its captor. The fly
was more than twice the sze Of the ant, and
if the latter had seized the former by a leg
or by the body the fly would have had no
difficulty in bearing the ant away, what
ever it's ultimate might have been; but the
willy ant had undoubtedly calculated on
that when it made its attack on the fly, and
by grabbing It by the wing, made it i'm
possible for it to rise.
In the struggle that followed the ant was
tumbled and rolled and pounded about by
the big fly. as tear might tumble a wood
| chuck which presumed TO give it fight. But
the ant held on, and presently accomplished
| what 1t had set out to. do, probably. from
the first. 1t cut O wing from thu fly,
close TO the body, and thus put an end to
the insects power of flight. The attack Of
the ant on the fly excited the most intense
| interest in the group of spectators from the
start, and when the ant disabled the fly,
after the lively rough-and tumble round, a
| dozen bets were quickly made on the result,
the odds being in favor of the ant.
The fly, unable to take wing, tried to
escape by running, but the ant was upon 1T
again in second, and again they wressled
about on the bar. By this time two or
three OF the fly's companions bad recovered
| themselves sufficiently to comprehend the
trouble it was in, and came back to aid it,.
| They pumped down on the wrestler, and
managed to break its hold on the fly before
any turtner percepCOIe Injury had been
done, but the ant dashed boldly to the fight
again and grabbed one of tho newcomers
by the leg. This fly rose from the bar,
taking the ant with It, but the ant uipped
the leg off, tumbled back on the bar again,
and without an instant's delay started in
pursuit of the crippled fly. which was being
helped along by its remaining comrades.
They might have succeeded in getting the
crippled fly to some place of fafety, but the
| spectators who had bet on the ant interfered
at this point and chased the rescuing con-
tingent away. Tho ant then pitched into
the one-winged fly. and after another live
ly wrestle cut the remaining ng off. All
this time the other flies were making efforts
to get to their impsriled companions assist.
ance, aud had to be kept out of the fight by
the spectators. After shipping off the fiy's
second wing the ant boldly grasped the in
sect by the head, and, throwing it over his
shoulder as lioness might a deer it had
captured, trotted off with its prey, climbed
down the end of the bar. and disappeared II
hole behind it. Sixty dollars in money
and six bottles of wine were lost and wor
on the exciting ant and fly duel, which
lasted I've minutes.