Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-09-28
A NIGHT INVASION.
Adventure With Fierce Ants in
West Africa.

Wiu tttttC hNtS ~
West Africa.
The following occurrence is, no
donbt, the experience Of every one
who has ever spent any length of
time on the west coast or in the in
terror of tropical Africa; but still it
may prove of interest to those people
who have been fortunate enough not
to have had to earn their living in
that part Of the world. 1t hap
pened to be my lot some time ago to
De living in Northern Nigeria, in
which Protectorate, as elsewhere,
numerous species of ants exist
black, red and white; large, small
and medium. 1t is usually in the
Wet season, which lasts approx
mately from May to November, that
the'traveling"ants, black and of me-
dunn size, travel about the country,
disturbed and driven, doubtless,
from their babitations by the i'm.
mense amount of rain that falls and
floods them out
Ii Is quite common TO see thous.
ands In one long stream all travel
ing In the same direction, looking
for food and dry quarters, and any
insect or reptile that may be in
their path, and not able to make
quick escape, soon fall a prey to
these wandering hordes.
was living at the time iu q grass
house-that is 20 say, the roof was
of the latter substance, the walls
composed of mud, and the rooms
open to the roof without any ceiling.
One night l had been sitting up
rather late writing, and on retiring
to my bedroom my attention was at
tracted to curious pattering noise,
as OF rain falling on the tarpaulin
had erected over my bed, which
covering was very necessary in the
wet season, as the natives in this
part Of the world are incapable of
making roofs impervious to the rain.
On looking to see the cause of this
noise, / perceived hundreds and
hundreds of black ants dropping
from the roof, climbing down the
wallis, and coming through the
aperture called by courtesy win
dow. ~. -. 4.
Presently scurring noise arose
from the grass mats on the floor and
walls, and there appeared all man.
ner of innumerable and loathsome
insecls dunning and creeping down
the walls ont of every crevice, their
starting point evidently having been
the roof, their usual home ana resort
spiders of many species (large and
small, hairy and otherwise), iizards,
crickets, cockroaches-all fleeing be.
fore mutual foe, to say nothing of
q scorpion with its deadly sting,
which is said TO bring on tetanus,
The latter is speedily exterminated,
and in few seconds the ants were
responsible for its remains.
BY the way of digresslon, may
say that the natives of those parts
use the tail and body of the scorpion
as an ingredient in mixture they
make for poisoning arrows, pounding
up with the body poisonous leaves aud
smearing their arrow points with it
OF course this is oniy one of tn,
many ways they have of doing that
The cause Of ali this commotior
lay the fact that the ants had climbet
up into the roof. and once there, has
instituted drive through it, search
ing for food, and all its occupant
had fled downward toward the ligh
in my room, as if there they coult
secure safety. The next object
saw was small snake, the color O
whipcord, said to be very poisonous
executing tight performance upol
the rope of my tarpaulin. It
quickly knocked down and killed
and by the morning nothing re
NAMED except the backbone. b
this time the room was pretty full
and not having anywhere else to &c
climbed onto my led inside th
mosquito curtains, which, being wei
tucked In at the bottom, sufficed {
keep the ants out. From my DOS
OF vantage l was able to see and hea
all that passed. At intervals an nm
fortunate lizard would rush acros
the floor covered with ants, wh
were gradually devouring it, an
make frantic efforts to climb the fui
ther wall, but. being too weak, woul
fall down exhausted, never to ris
again and speedily were demolished
1t was slightly grewsome, to say th
least of it, in the middle Of th
night to see these thousands of ami
noiseless descending and crawlin
. about everywhere, the stiffness onl
, broken by the insects and reptile
: trying without avail to escape thei
relentless pursuers, many Of thel
covered and half eaten by the ant
'lThese invaders remained for ove