The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1903-08-14
USES OF FIREFLIES.
They supply Light to Read and shoot
By-How One Was Employed
TO Rescue a Prisoner.

''In the tropics" says G. Il. o'Reilly.
the naturalist, according to the New
York Sun, the fireflies may be made to
serve many purposes. For instance,
they supply light q read by.
"One night SAt.4 sc. inbound in the
forest-covered mountains of Pavia, in
eastern Venezuela, my companions COM
planned OF the monotony of having moth
ing to Go.
How jolly 1t would be- he said, III
We only had lamp and some books!
why, I've got Don Quixote" in the
sack said |. and III soon have light
Il jumped from my hammock, caught
a FREELY, and soon, with Don Quixote'
open, was reading aloud in such dark
ness that none of US could see the faces
OF the others.
II had only one FREELY. yet ii was quite
sufficient, because | used it properly.
! held the little creature between finger
and thumb, close TO the page, and as
passed 1t along the lines of print, word
after word became successfully visible
and passed from my lips as freely as il
l had had the whole page plainly before
me, instead of little circle of light, IL
Illuminating word after word as it moved
steadily along the paper.
"On another occasion | came across
a snake in the dark and resolved to
catch him. Accordingly | decided to
mark the spot and return Immediately
with a lantern. To mark the spot, how
ever, in such darkness was difficult
"Fireflies were passing quite near me.
was smoking cigarette, and had some
fine copper wire in my pocket waved
the glowing point of the cigarette about
my head with one hand, and held my
hat in the other. Soon a freely sailed
near me. attracted by the light.
knocked it down with the hat and Sc
cured it,
In the same manner | got two 9TH
ers. tied them all together with the bit
OF copper wire. hung them on branch
over the pathway close by where the
snake was, and then hurried home for
lantern.
when | returned my FREELY beacon
was still there, glowing as brightly as
ever. My lantern soon revealed large
snake Just finishing his meal. | cap
tured him without difficulty. Then.
thanking the firefiies for their services
! turned them loose.
Another night, wishing to shoot a
large white owl when it was too dark
10 see the sights of the gun, a new use
Tor freflies flashed across nv mind
Iaking two of the insects. | killed them
and pulling off the luminous part of
each, | placed the phosphorescent sub
stance on the fore sight and back sight
of the gun barrel.
by this means | brought down tho
owl without difficulty. the pale, weak
night on the sights being just sufficient
10 aim by, and yet not so strong as to
dazzle the eyes
Venezuelan gentleman. whom
met at Caracas. told me how his life
once was saved by the use of a fireflv
During revolution being taken pris-
oner' ne was confined in a house near
the forest under guard of soldiers He
had learned telegraphy while at school.
and his friends remembered that fact
when every other plan of communicat
ing with him had failed.
But they could not imagine how to
telegraph to him without exciting the
suspicious OF his guards. until at last
they thought that by confirming a large
FREELY so that its light would show stead
lily among the trees. telegrapher
might. by alternately hiding and ex-
posing its light. send a message to him
while he sat smoking in the window Of
his prison.
During the day, when he sat smok-
Ing by the window. they got boy TO
rioe past on mule. singing a verse OF
song:
Quando el mundo suerme
Mirad los cucullos
Nj Corazon!
THAT is, When everyone is asleep
look out at the fireflies. my dear, The
singer was boy whom the prisoner
knew well. and he naturally suspected
that some hint was intended for him