The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-15
NE Of the most extraofoiii"'s
sights in a tropical jungle ~
IN army Of ants. Ear anu

wide, throughout tAo"S
unon thousands of miles Of uneNplofeu
wilderness in South America. no'h'ns
ia feared more by man OF beast.
BEFORE one may say that lie mas seen
q r.o, AMI army. he must have seen
tho very ground crawl. The jet niacA
soil of the dusky virgin forest must pe
hidden completely beneath Dlahhe'
OF glistening hustlins. little p!aeA
heads. and the patter OF the myr,aas
of feet must sound like the rustic OF
tho early evening zephyr as IT or'i's
through the impei etrable roof or green
which has from time immemoria. kept
Gods sunshine and the light out OF
the maze OF the tangled, Dushrole"
iungles under the equator.
"It was such an army AS TINS Whici
descended early one morning on 'ie
Dieu Dispose camp OF the Wltte Water
Mining Company, 400 mics up 'i'e
Saramacca River, in Dutch Guihea'
South America" said mining ehsr
neer. ..The surprise came early one
morning shortly before sunrise, ana the
way it routed us and the way tEe arm!
cleaned out the camp and contihteo
on IFS march Of conquest was the most
wonderful thing have seen Ill twenty
wears of mining and big game huh'-
ing.
..rhc camp was a very pretentio"s
affair-built With Il roof OF sheet 1fop'
, and on six-foot pillars to raise 'ne
floor from off the ground ana pSee4uoe
malaria, fevers. In the entire country
there was not and there probably never
viii II, sueh another camp for its floor
sn.ce measured 5Ox1O0 feet, and noth-
ing that the forathought OF man eo",''
e devise. short of an ant arm! a''ach'
:. had been omitted in the building.
f .we were awakened out or deeI
s,umber one morning by the wlld pray
d ino of Don Pedro, the mascot oackass
@ Don had never before misbehaved MN
d Golf and all six of us tumbled out o
q ON, h,mmocks. rifles at hand, eXpect
L. ing TO find the animal attacked ny
= ;,~uar. Don was in the midst or III
ant army, acting as If he WAS Graz!
T. He had rolled on his back ana wa
,e writhins in pain, fighting ana kickih
~ and biting everywhere at once, aA
at emitting cries of agony. We ran ah'
g, tho midst OF the little fighters an
at soyef, Den by the ears and tan, IL
ru ,n,y t,vo safe places to lay hold
~. I;,,, rhan hc was brushed clean {
ng the little pests. ,,,
"Thc army was making peeiii
for the camp, and it became race
tween us and the insects to see VII
hi. could be saved. The program was
ng store AWAY what could lie stored
'er tho only safe means possible. and TN
'es ~ y,cate and let the little visitors ha
ou tho place till they got tired. sus;
lor brtter. rice meats and everything ei
)ur was nut on table. the tour legs
nts which were immersed in basins
en-: wator Then we departed to aw'
ing developments.
old "Outside the ground was litera
md alive. The entire clearing about
:tal comn crawled for hundred II
she SQUARE and out of the jungle thlci
a, tho stream Of ants continued stead
led. nc # a black river were flooding
un- of it. There was no danger oi Ahe
are venience in watching the army
lar- work. SO long as one did NOT slep
the -roup there would be no trou'
and We watched the midGets from
side,ines. one ant leading the unco'
sue able ones ard the rest following u
~ solid mass.
JUN "JIp one of the posts headed
'iS leader anN up The post followed III
'n' behind. disappearing in the cracks
VI crcyices between the weather poa
ie'.' Then every upright became alive
thc little pirates. In the place
ui." went. spreading everywhere. under
,oil! "en'' ,,rtors ~, thc walls ii
ould ~ Va Inv 10 Goa tho black crs
her
ou!d 'ns' '"''s o,+i,o5o fo
'nish wait w w" .;'. fnra,,en
,rI said one of the native forehen'
,,a..a barely had he said so than
streak shot with the speed OF II
no niu. down 4 wall from q hiding
T., under the roof. The centipede iai
- in the centre OF the floor, and 1t lot
as if he were going 10 dash clear OF
,ormcntors when he made inc
stoD tha; doomed him, rs 1t do
everything else that fails to run
,,,;. of the attacking force before hsh
;he ones fastened in the boHy.
.,. "Around and around spun the po
', ous insect thrashins the floor Wila
lbove an ehort W "l"'' , ,,,a,,,,n.
as, dead ants OF the spot OF the hSh'
nu;cls as some fell others took
.,,at places. and the centipede was lite
lcoln, covered "i'h '.'.', ,,n.. ~, -
Gar tceth oeep's INV ''t.' .;.a,,
, dur. 'eeh minutes 'iie y,
The struggles of the centipede pe
weaker and weaker till graduall