The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-09-09

water, qulverins, glIstenlng and trem-
bling incesmntly. We were still gas.
ing blankly at this bewildering spec.
tacle, when the fatal truth was forced
upon us by the cries Of the black torch
bearers, who shouted, or. rather
screamed
"The driversi The driversv'
Then the full horror Of this ghastly
dilemma burst upon us Mt once.
The terrible "drlver ants" OF West
Africa. whose devourlng jaws can In
one night turn the carcass OF an OK
into a clean-plcked skeleton. were upon
us In an army millions strong; and
should they succeed In forcing their
way into the house our only way of
escape from being actually devoured
alive would be an instant flight down
to the beach, night upon which, un.
sheltered from the drenching rain
which mighty black cloud was fast
bringing up against us from the sea,
would be nothing short of certain
death TO the delicate women and fever.
stricken invallds of our company.
There was no time to lose. Barely
ten. PAGES divided the advancing
swarms from the front of the house;
and should they once reach Il all would
he over. Darling like lightning down
the little wooden stepladder that led
TO the courtyard, each Of us seized n
ilrebrand, and we fell upon the invad.
ers like men who were fighting for
their lives, and for other lives dearer
thon their own.
All that passed after that moment
was like the confused terror of a
frightful dream. The ceaseless sweep
Of our flaming scythes, moving down
the 'destroyers by thousands, only to
be replaced by fresh thousands In an.
other moment-the frantic yells and
wild gestures OF our black followers
the fitful and unearthly glare OF the
freight amid the utter darkness-the
deepening gloom of the coming storm.
blottlng out the cold splendor OF the
moonlight-all were, indeed, like the
visionary horror Of one OF those CHASTITY
Nightmares in which one seems newt.
ably doomed TO struggle forever with
some hldeous peril. and to struggle in
vain.
More than once Il seemed ns II the
battle must go against us after all;
and our hearts sank as we saw the
bleeding arms and limbs OF our native
helpers, upon which the greedy de.
stroyers fastened with such deadly
tenacity as TO let themselves be torn
asunder rather than unclinch the grasp
of their cruel jaws. Do what we would,
on came the invaders over the blasted
corpses of their comrades like rising
tide. We might as well have strlven
TO drive back the in6owlng tide of the
sea.
But, while some of us were fighting
their vanguard, others, under the di.
rection of the experienced traders, We're
laying blazing splinters of wood In q
line along the front. Of the charging
column, and meeting IL with an i'm.
passable barrier of fire, whence the
rising wind, luckily in our favor, blew
the flames right into the ranks Of the
assailants, destroying more of them
than we could NOW down with our
firebrands.
Little by little, human energy and
skill began to prevail over blind ami.
NAL ferocity; and at length, to our in.
describable relief, we saw the line Of
their march gradually slant Off to the
right, in direction which would carry
them past the house into the "bush"
beyond it. Before the first drop of the
gathering storm had fallen all was
over and we were saved; and the deep
"Thank Godw uttered by n brave mis-
sionary whose sick wife was among
those for whose lives we had been so
desperately battling found an echo In
the heart of every man amongst U.S.
Waverley Magazine.