Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1901-11-14

Day.
Was It the attempted application Of
the doctrine Of territorial expansion;
vas 1t a case of forcing a higher order
of civilization upon m energetic and
unwilling race; was 1t retaliation for
real or fancied insult to national honor,
was 1t, perhaps, because of an interest
I'm the slave trade or a gold mine or a
diamond mine; was It any or none Of
these reasons that led to the terrific
and decisive battles of which l was an
interested witEess some years ago? II
viii perhaps never be determined what
We're the causes underlying n struggle
of three days duration, marked by car
mage, feats of strength and deeds Of
valor such as is rarely the lot of his
torian to record.
l was sitting one summer afternoon
in the shadow of my cottage neal a
stunted lilac bush when my attention
was attracted to a horde of large black
ants crossing a narrow roadway which
lay between my house and that of a
neighbor in the same yard. Their OBJ
jective point, l soon perceived, was the
foot of the lilac, the ground around
which had been hOneycombed by little
red ants half as large as the others.
There seemed to be an unusual excite
ment here. Possibly a sentry or scout
had brought news to the colony of the
approaching army. At least they We're
not being attacked unawares. The in
vaders were met near the foot of the
bush and the war was on. The bat
tleground was confined to a space per-
haps three feet square, but here among
the hillOcks and ravines in miniature
all the tragedies and triumphs Of war
were enacted.
There was at first arrangement and
order when van met van, but the con-
flict soon resolved itself into a general
catch-as-catch-can encounter. Woe to
the red ant luckless enough to get
into the jaws of its larger foe. One
closing up of those powerful instru-
ments and a crushed, helpless mass
was flung aside. The smaller, however,
had the advantage both in numbers
and agility and fought in pairs or trip
lets. Thus, while the black ant gener-
ally killed one or more of its antago-
nists, it was itself doomed. The dura-
ton of a battle varied from five to
nlAttn IllAuAtns NNdHNh ny AAN hAohP
pearance of the invaders, to be sud
denly renewed later.
1t was pathetic during these periods
of truce to note the casualties and the
movements on the fateful field. Busy
little army surgeons or possibly mem
bers of the Red Cross corps hurried
from one mangled body to another.
Sometimes a feeble response on the
part of the wounded soldier to the
anxious inquiry of the relief was no
ticeable. The solicitous and universal
sympathy of the unframed for their
less fortunate companions was a sight
never to be forgotten. The ground
was strewed with bodies in all stages
of misunderstanding gone, anten-
nae missing, head severed from the
body, the body itself sectioned. Here
and there one mortally wounded
dragged itself slowly and painfully to
some obscure spot TO die. Others were
helped away to a place of security. but
in such condition that it is safe to in
fer that they passed their remaining
days in a hospital or some home for
the disabled. For three days, in at
least as many battles each day, the
conflict ragged. Each day witnessed a
perceptible thinning out of the ranks,
but the vigor and spirit of the contest
kept up till near the close.
DESTROYS of knowing what effect the
presence of strange surroundings
would have on the comhatants, l pro
cured a large glass dish and captured
several of both species. This l repeat
ed at various times. Invariably, while
at first trying to escape, upon becom-
ing aware Of each others presence
they grappled and fought to the death.
Nalor, honor, hatred, r~evenge-what
was it?-dominated entirely over fear.
Against the stubborn resistance and
greater numbers of their antagonists
the invaders could not hold out. A pan
ic finally seized the survivors such as
comes upon human warriors-an I'M
%utterable, ~unreasoning fear-and, thor
oughly defeated in their object, what
ever ii. might have been, for days af-
ter hostilities ceased any unusual noise
near their dwellings would send each
individual hurriedly to shelter as If
an avenger were at his heels.