Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-28

By Guy E. Mitchell

X7E had been sitting for sometime in the cool
w shade OF the big piazza smoking the Captains
perfectos home rolled by the wives of his native In
dian banana cutters 1t number of years ago,
when the general supposition that the Central
American route would be chosen for the interoceanc
CANAL and Nicaragua contained many Americans who
had invested in banana cocoa, coffee lands, both
in the expectation of making good money out of the i'm
mediate crops, and further of being the ground
floor when the big ditch should be decided upon.
"Well will tell you my little chain of destruction
story have called it,, remarked the Captain. 1T
not unlike some of Captain Mayne Reds boy hunter
yarns only this one really happened. should have
been bitterly disappointed, though when boy,
if had had to believe that any of Mayne Reds stories
not exactly truthful chronicles of adventures.
lone bright morning in May, before the rainy
had in took native hunter and started out with
Winchester in hand and pistol in belt to trail peccaes,
Central American pork We proceeded directly back
out of the bananas and struck into the dark virgin for
est, the Indian cutting slight trail with his heavy,
keen edged mach which he swung against the growths
Of vines and undo brush as lightly whip. We had
gone only short distance when noticed great fut
tering of birds ahead
Warrior ants said the Indian.
Fighting ants they WERE indeed big black fellows,
and thousands millions, OF them. They formed dark
belt eight ten feet wide of sod rapidly moving ants
with here and there thinner lines of foragers reaching
out along the sides. As they passed the ground
they attacked and devoured every insect bug and
encountered. They were flesh eating ants. When
army of warrior ants finds house in its pathway in
Central America, the people move out, and when they
return there is vestige remaining of animal in
sect life. These ants then what had attracted
the numerous birds that were flying about and
and then Swoopng down among them But, no, they
not eating the ants. Their victims the
fortunate flies moths, and other insects, which, alarmed
by the ants, attempting to their wings as
of escape They only fell prey to the activity of
the BIRDS We stood looking at them for few minutes
before attempting to get their line No living
creature not the fierce cougar, dares brave the
fearless army ants, with their Short powerful orceps,
the pinch of which will draw blood.
A was backing off for running jump across the
line unusual movement attracted my attention.
Two brilliantly plumed trogons started in chase of
large winged insect which the ants had startled into
fight. Both were determined upon securing the NOR
sell and when it made futile dodge to escape both
bounced upon it from different directions and uttered
to the ground fighting for their prey. They apparently
forgot the usual caution of birds when in the vicinity of
ants and did not notice that they fighting very
near of the side foraging lines of the warriors.
One now was seen quickly to lose interest in the
insect for whose possession he had been striving and
to fly up on low limb and begin picking among his
feathers. The other appeared badly disconnected
He had evidently been attacked and bitten by
Der of the fierce ants He luttered away few steps,
then and houndered directly toward where l was