The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-14
WARRIOR ANTS.
Terrors of Their Advancing Col.
umn When on the March.
Every Living Thing Is Compelled to
Flee Before, Them BE Speedily
Overwhelmed and De-
vOured.

It was in Honduras. near the Carib-
bean coast, while on a government
survey, says correspondent of the
Omaha World Herald, that | first saw
the warrior ants-those strange insects
which march through the tropical for
ests in armies, attacking every living
creature in their path. One intensely
hot day. as l sat in hammock under
the matched roof of my bamboo hut. a
native came running in, and, with ex-
cited gestures, babe me follow him. I
did SO wonderingly. and, going out
into the open, looked in the direction
he indicated. There on the rolling
savannah stretched wide black belt
extending far back into the deep shad-
ows of the adjacent forest. 1t rose and
fell with every formation of the
crept toward the village. THE war
rior ants" explained the native in
strange patois of English and Spanish
which shall not attempt to initiate.
They will soon be here" he con-
tinued. You had better unite your
dogs or the ants will kill them" Act
ing upon his advice ! loosened my
dogs. and, retiring to safe distance,
watched the approach of the warriors.
In countless multitudes they swarmed
over the plain. marching in compact
order like a well-drilled army. Before
them scurried a Heterogeneous mass of
lizards, grasshoppers. frogs, beetles
and other manner of insects and rep
tiles, in wild scamper to reach a
place OF safety.
Presently the advance guard reached
my hut and disappeared within: then
the main column appeared. and soon
the roof. floor, walls and rafters were
black with them. Like the soft rustic
of dried grass stirred by gentle
breeze came the sound of their pres
ence in the leaves of my matched roof.
The sound increased in loudness as
the rats. mice. lizards. cockroaches,
centipedes and others their ilk, who
had long made the roof OF their home,
tried vainly to escape. Some succeed
ed in getting away from the house.
but only to fall victims TO the sur
rounding hordes without. One large
cockroach. noticed, made plucly
fight, but. overpowered by numbers.
be gradually relaxed his efforts and
was soon dismembered. each ant car
rying of :. portion OF mis- body as a
trophy.
The most exciting battle was with
snake about three feet long. that tried
TO slip away unseen The ants quickly
surrounded him. however, and fought
with terrible ferocity- With every
switch of his tail the snake killed a
score Of his tornlentors. but their
places were soon filled by the black
swarm which swept increasingly on
Finally the writings of the snake be-
came fainter and fainter. and a. last
ceased entirely. and then, and not un-
I'll then. did the ants relinquish their
attack. All day long they marched
through the house until ct SHUTDOWN
the end OF the column had passed and
was lost To view IN the thickness q
the forest. | entered the house and
prepared 70 survey raefuliy M larosr.
but nv anticipations Of sorrow were
premature, For there were ali nv pro
visions IS had left them. untouched.
There vas hut one exception Docr
tarley which had tied 20 : stsac i1a,