The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-29
MOBBED BY ARMY OF ANTS.
A Travellers Experience with the
Insects In RrnyiI.

Insects in RrnylI.
From the New YorE Times.
At an uptown club a few nigats ago
several men were discussing the st. Louis
strike. Incidentally the subject of riots
and mobs in general was touched upon.
Speaking of mobs, said one man,
were you ever mobbed by ants?'
Everybody laughed. and incidentally
asked for the story. The man was Viii
liam s. Booth. who is at present manag
ing the editorial department of the Mac
milan Company. Mr.. Booth has Travelled
widely and in many places where human
foot las scarcely ever rested.
He does not relate his experiences Of
ten, he said, because people ordinarily
won't believe them. His friends were in
sistent, however, and this Is the story
about as he told It;
The incident to which refer" he said,
happened in Brazil. / had gone there in
the interest of London house to investi-
gate the Bahia passava, valuable fibre
used largely in England for making brush
as and brooms. l had gone to Bahia and
was quartered there in a small house with
David Burke at that time United States
G nsul, and another friend. Edward New
man. Burke, l believe. is at present very
co e to David b. HIM.
1t was IN the spring OF the year. and
just after the warm rains. which have a
quickeniIg effect on veg tation and all
living things. We retii ed one eht, after
looking things over to ses that every
thing was all right. and saw no signs OF
anything unusual. A little after daybreak
we were awakened by a peculiar sound.
1t was like running water an iucessant,
uninterrupted buZzing. When we walked
out a curious sight met our eyes.
In the distance we deserted two slowly
moving lines OF black that looked like
thin crawling snakes AS the lines APP
preached we saw that they were moving,
not slowly, but with rapidity. 1t seemed
hardly an instant until they reached us,
and the ground was carpeted with ants.
They were of all kinds and sizes. Short,
bulet-headed fellows and long, thin ones;
red and white and black Nothing seemed
10 stop them-into the house they swarm
ed. over everything, and into every nook
and Granny
Then we began to have uncomfortable
sensations. l stopped down and discovered
that in that short space of time they had
succeeded In making shreds of my hose
and there was a fringe at the bottom of
my trousers. where the ants had been
feasting We rushed into the house for
acid but 1T did little or no good The
ants continued 10 swarm upon us.
Then the three of us had a short, quick
ccl'oquy / appealed to the American
consul for protection on the ground of
international friendship.
Decidedly I'd like to help you, my
good English friend said Burke. but this
mob is too much for me-
I'VE didn't know what the beggars
would stop at. Up to that time they had
been content to feed on our clothes, end
apart from a decided creeping sensation,
we had experienced no serious complica-
lions Still, we didn't know how soon those
ants would exhibit active cannibal ten
denotes.
Fled to the English Consul.
Alexander Stevens. at that time Eng
fish consul to Brazil. lived only a short
distance away, and 1 suggested that we
fee to him for protection.
4 don't know continued Mr.. Booth,
what Mr. Burke's present views are on
the subject of an Angio-American alli-
ance. but he seemed heartily in favor of
one at that moment So we started for
the English consuPs house-some of the
ants went with us.
When Mr. Stevens saw us and heard
our story he burst into a NJ OF laughter.
But what shall we do?' we asked.
"'Do! he iterated.' Why. do moth
ing. The ants are merely looking for
something green to feed on n you
weren't such awful greenhorns they
wouldn't have come near you
1.-THE fact is such vistations are by no
means unusual after the rains. The Bra
I'll ants are remarkably ambitious: when
they want a thing they don't even mind
sacrificing a few million of their fellow
ants to attain their end. They are i'm
perialists. with a vengeance.
AT the time of the year when their
coming is looked for It is customary in
Brazilian homes 10 protect the food by
placing It in a cagelike arrangement on
top of tall pole At the bottom and
about half way IN the poe are pans OF
water. But the ants don't mind little
thing like that. They succeed in bridging
the liquid by means of their own bodies,
gluing themselves together in a sort Of
chain That means death to these ants
that enter into it, But after that the re-
mainder of the horde can pass over in
safety and climb the pole easily to cap
ture the food.
II have seen frogs in Brazil" continued
Mr.. Booth, that were fully nine inches
long and that sat six inches off the
ground They are so big at times that
they can't get through the bars of an
ordinary gate.
THE butterflies are often as large as
a good-sized book, and the sight of
number of them flying in the sunlight is
not easily forgotten"
Mr. Booths memories OF Brazil are
vivid. He had been 40 semi-tropical coun-
tries, but he had never before come in
contact with the rich 4uxurionce of the
tropics. Going, as he did, direct from
the gloom and gray OF London, the trans-
ton to the brilliant land of light and col
or made an impression which is reflected
in his conversations.
Some Brazilian Incidents.
In the course OF the evening Mr.. Booth
added the following:
81 was in Brazil. shortly before the rev.
oulion. One day while l was in the Unit
ed States consulate a Republican leader
came in. He gave us an account of what
he all Red Mere the gross inanitlea OF the