Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-11-05
ANTS GO TO BATTLE
Tsrss Of Their Advancing Col
UNA When on the March
AL asour The FIGHTERS
E.sry Living Thisx u Conp~iird 20
Ef>s B<fDr. Them or Bs speed-
M oterwhetmed

Tswas In HsndurAs. near the carib-
bszn coast. while on . govsrnment
sus~wy. sAys . correspondent of The
Omaha World Herald. that nrst $40
fh-s warrior snts-those strange Insects
whieh march throagh the tropical for
es1s Ia armies. stacking every living
err.turs tn their path one intensity
hot d.y, a. I sat In . hammock under
tas knAtahed roof Of my bamboo hat. 9
native came running in. aud. With en-
cited gestures. bads me follow him I
dbi - wond<ringiy, and, going out
into ths open. looked In the direction
ne Indicated There on the rolling
Savannah stretched . wide black belt
extending Tar back into the deep shsd-
osss Of tie al iaee at forest IL rose and
frl with every formation Of tho
sroand. aud, lie = huge snake, slowly
erept toward the village The war
nor ants" explained tlas native in .
strsEye patois Of English and spanish
Which I shaG not attempt 10 initiate.
They ~iiI soon b. here" be con-
tfnued "Nou hal better unite your
dog> 81 The ants viii XIII them" Act
ing upon his advice l loosened my
doys. aad. retiring a. safe distance.
watched The approach Of the warriors.
IN countless rnultitudcs they s~armcd
over thc plain. marching in compact
or.isr like = Weil-ariiied army. Before
them scurrird a heterogeneous mass OF
lizards. grasshopPcrs. frogs. beetles
end other manner Of insects and rep
tides. in a Mild se4mPer 20 reach
place II safetv.
Presently the advance guard reached
nv mt and disappeared within: then
thc main colnnn appeared. and soon
tar roo. soor. walls and rasters were
black with them Like the soft rustic
Of dried grass stirred by q gentle
breeze came the sound Of their pres
ence in the leaves Of my matched roof.
The sound increased in londness as
The rats. mice. lizards. coclSroaches.
centipedes and .others heir Tx. who
had .onC made the roof % their home.
tri~d vainly 20 escape Some succeed
81 la getting away from the house.
but oaly 90 fall victims 10 the sur
rounding hories without. One large
eockroseh. noticed. made plucky
fizht. but. overpowered BY numbers.
he gradually relaxed his efforts and
wa- xoon dismcmbere each ant car
rying 81 = portion OF his body a. =
trophy
The most exciting battle was with a
snake about three feet long. that tried
20 skp away unseen. The ants quiclly
surrounded him. however. and fought
with sevrihls frrocisy. With every
switch OF his tail the snake killed
essre OF his tormentors. but thar
places were soon allied by the blssx
sw.rxn wAich swept INCREASINGLY on.
Pinally ne vrsehings Of the snake BE-
came f2tn,sr snd fainter. aud ss laet
eesssa entirely. and then. and not I'M
tii then. did the ants relinquish their
se>srk Az day long they marched
thro~gh the house until At shutdown
tss end Of the column had passed and
was lost to view IN the thickness OF
sAs forese / entered the house and
prepared 20 survey ruefully my lsrder.
bss ny suasips,ions Of sorrow were
prsnaer-. Zoe there were all my pro-
visions "a had left them. untouched.
Th.re Vas but one exc-ption--a poor
tarrey which l had tied 20 . stake that
morning. intending 20 keep him alive
for q few days before liking him into
soup He wss stone dead. bat the
rsmDled earth abou, him showed that
he had made hard azht for life Not
dad ant was 90 be seen. they had AL
becn carried OF by their comrades I
aftsr,v.rd learned that the warrior
ants refuse % tOucha any food that they
fhomselves have no, caught and slain,
whrh accounted for my provisions re-
tasiuiag unmolestel was ovsrjoysd
a. the change Ia my house-oot .
erkroseh. lizard or any other insect
or reptile was left; they h.d been com
pietely exterminAted.