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


cross the brook to the ottss eide OF the
ravine? Can they SWIM"
NO, they will get across in some
way" And sure enough the army OF
black ants had paused. Their music
had ceased, and the long line of insects.
that had toiled over dead leaves ana
fallen twigs, in a straight line from
far up among the shrub oaks at the
west side of the valley. was now resting
while those in advance were running
along the edge of the water. looking
OFT upon it, and now and then glancing
UPSTREAM and and downstream, try
ing to find some sort of a bridge.
.',rhey are defeated now" said T1llic
Bruce, looking at the sleek httie
black legs Of the ants, and the way
they scrambled with perfect ease over
the ground.
They will find way. They are OF
a high order of intellect" said the
Sarsaparilla. "They came out of the
darkness early, very early in the his
tory of the world. and are almost as
old as men are. as they who come TO
the spring over yonder, and who walk
upright, and carry pitchers of water.
remember these ants, many, many
thousands of years ago. They were
among the first of the animals to
adopt laws, and they have been living
constantly by them ever since. He
who breaks a law among them dies the
death, and all their little ones know
it, and live as they should, IN
the sight of the Master. the
Sun. And that is the reason that
thew are so WISE and can do so many
things. There is not creature in the
forest, plant, shrub tree or animal,
who does not fear and respect the black
ants. Only the bears are their deadly enc
mics, and even they are sometimes
stung fearfully when they attack them.
But the bears eat them in the winter.
and destroy them. when they are still
and stark with the cold sleep. and then
the poor little ants know nothing about
it, | have heard the bears say that
frozen black ants are peculiarly bitter
and sweet, a sort of sour sweetness
that they like. But the bears can
only eat them when a pine is broken
off by the wind, and a nest of them is
found in the shattered tree. Yes. the
ants are very wise. and in some things
they are wiser than the upright folk.
though / was told once. that the up
right folk do not think that any
animals or plants know anything ex-
cept themselves. They do not even
know that they We're once animals.
and that they are now animals of a
better sort. and l suppose they don't
believe that all animals were once
plants. and that the Master. the Sun.
has willed that all things should grow
better and wiser. and finer. But see.
the ants are moving again"
And sure enough the ants were on
the move. They We're going up the
side of the red oak tree that stood near
the bank of the brook. and they looked
like black string fastened to the
side Of the tree. Clinging to the bark
and moving and weighing. Up, up, up
they went. constantly moving along.
and rapidly swaying from side to side
against the smooth bark Of the tree as
they went. No animal moves in per
fectly straight line. No one can walk
SO straight as that.
Now the leaders We're walking out
upon the upper side Of a distant limb
W
limbs of a spruce tree that stood on
the other side of the brook. They
crossed the stream somewhere among
the branches far up in the air. and it
was not very long. not more than three
hours-for things move slowly in
Natures realm. sometmeS-before
they were coming down the other side
Of the brook nearing the ground slow
ly.
And now they found a string of the
voodbine that grew wild along the
shore. and was hanging to the spruce.
and spanning the space to the bank of
the ravine. And the leaders ventured
out on this. and in a little while the
whole army was marching on the vine
bridge, toward the ground.
go. N.Y." cried the Pitcher Plant, cit
makes me dizzy to see them. Il
wouldn't venture up there for the
world"
Don't trouble yourself" said the
frog you won't have the opportunity
to do So unless it is next fall when you
have dried up and some hard wind
blows you there. Say. | wonder what
Buffo is thinking about? He has been
watching the ants for an hour, stead
lily"
II will guarantee that whatever he is
thinking about. is lonesome in that
dull head of his. He never has but
one thought at time. He always
seems to be in brown study" said
Sir Reynard, the fox. who lay at the
mouth of his burrow up on the incline
Of the hill, and was sleepily watching
the ants as they swung by him.
steadily. rapidly, paying no more at
tention to him and the sweep of his
tail, than they would have paid to a
stone, had it been there.
Look out for that brushy tail Of
your cried Hudsonius, the red squir-
rel from the branch of the oak over
head. "you might wipe out few
hundred of them at one clip OF that
ram. and then
20, yes, / know what then-I shall
be careful. you may be sure. for had
an uncle once. who tried to carry war
into the camp of these little fellows.
He ate up a little handful of their
shiny black brothers. and the next
that they were all there. The hole was
full of them. and they were en-
.renched in his deep fur like bees. and
hey bit him. AMI bit him again, and
l. lin ~ ,c