Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-29

his friends, but kept on Until he WdSoh
the ground under the vine. and his
flashing white tongue. the only thing
that was quick about BuffO. was play
ing in and out Of his mouth In his at
tempts to brush the ants off the vine.
But they were not yet down TO the
ground, or where he could reach them,
and they called halt. They stopped.
and one could see by the way that the
sharp knives of the leaders worked
back and forth on their heads that
they were surprised and angry. 1t
was a great scheme of Bufo's. just to
sit there and eat the ants as they came
off the limb. and have no EFFORT to
make at all. He hadn't been listening
to the fox, or he was depending on MS
thick, scabby skin to save him. But
Sir Reynard who piticd him fully as
much as he hated him for his thought
lessness, saved him. The words of COM
mand were running back on the line
Of the advancing army OF the ants,
and where they could they doubled up
their line, and there was soft muir
muring in the valley which only Title
and Fun Ting and the plants could
hear. 1t was the angry scoldinS and
shouting Of the enraged ants as they
beheld an enemy in their way. Sir
Reynard jumped swiftly across the
brook, mindful not to tread upon any
of the ants. and with one deft swoop
of his left paw brushed the dull and
hungry Buffo out of the way and sent
him rolling into the brook where he
floated helplessly. 1t was none too
soon for minute after there was
veritable shower Of blackness upon the
spot where Buffo had been, and a poor
old rotten piece of birch bark was
covered inches deep with fighting
swarming, squirming, biting. slashing
black ants. They jumped down from
the vine, from the tree trunk. and
even from the high branches of the old
spruce they came tumbling needless
ly in their haste to be in at the thick
est of the battle. One or two of the
more accurate who had not jumped
till afterwards saw Buffo floating in
the water, and landed upon his thick
back and bit and stung him till the
white milk of his warts fiOated like
pitch upon the water. He had enough
of it. and dove down among the rocks
of the bottom, and staid there hours.
only coming up at times to breathe, as
he had done in the spring while his
fat old mate was laying long strings
of eggs in the snow water. When
the ants finally gave up venting
their wrath upon the piece of birch
bark that had been under Buffo when
he defied them. they again formed and
resumed their march up the ravine
toward a great old pine that had lived
many years. and was ripe. and dry in
side. and had been decided upon as
their next victim. 1t was late that
night when the rear guard of the ants
crossed the perilous sky bridge, and
came down the vine. looking with won
der and interest. but knowing nothing
about the scenes of the battle of the
morning.
What was it," asked slim. small
| WASTED young corporal with a dandi-
fed air. of q gray old private who
trudEed beside him.
Il don't know, unless it was a young
robin. that tried to get an easy dinner
by picking off some Of the STAFF at near
range. l don't see any feathers. but
have seen less left after gray spuir
rel had insulted the COMMUNICATIVE
chief
And as the last ant of the rear
guard disappeared up the water
course Of a recent rain storm. now full
of shadows. and the moon came up
the hill. smiling over. tcnderly. at the
forest and the little valley. Rama went
down to tell Buffo that the coast was
clear and he might come up. but it
was days before he came. He had
| one big idea in his head. and il
wouldn't CO. and this idea was that it
was raining black ants out on shore.
and that every ant had a knife an
inch long. and that his knife was par
ticularly aimed at him. And he pre-
fcrred 10 commune with the nymphs in
the bottom of the brook. and to let the
little black water bugs torment him
They knew that he couldn't use his
tongue under water fast enough to
catch them. and so they tickled him
on the belly with straws. and made life
intere sting for him.
He wedged his head down between
two stones. and held his breath each
time till he could see red things in his
closed eyes. before coming up to
breathe.
Fun Ting and Title crept silently out
of the valley. feeling that the world
was very large and hard to under
stand.
The next day there We're suspicious
looking little parties of black ants
running over the brook side watching
here and there. and trying to get
some of the little sun-dews. and the
pale white vOilets to tell where tn
toad was. but they all refused. an,
the ants were to chivalrnus to torture
them into telling. and since the
violets and sun dews hadn't any
nerves. it was plain that all the biting
and scratching that the ants could do
wouldn't make any difference.
At last the ant spies went back to
the doomed tree. and the work of drill
ing into its broad sides began, and the
long days and nights too. were the
same as they had been before the
march of the ants began. Only when
there was a thunder shower one after
noon there came terrible crash up
the ravine. and those who had lived
long in the forest knew that the tree
that the black ants had deserted had
fallen among its needles on the 'ound,
and was going back to death to duet