Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1919-07-10
A Terrible Army.

swung IN MS HdlIllHoCh III lllS ioPiSS,
Mr.. William Beebe, the naturalist, en-
countered as he lay half dreaming in
the daytime heat or wakeful in the
wonderful scented nights more inter-
esting experiences than come to many
men during the hours of their most
alert activities. One such was the pas
sage, directly beneath his Swaying re-
fuge, of the terrible hunting ants on
the march.
He was doing quietly when his ears
caught a low rustling, as of moving
leaves without wind. There was in il
something sinister and foreboding.
leaned over the edge of my hammock,
he says, and saw coming toward ME, in
a broad, irregular front, great army
of ants, battalion after battalion OF
them flowing like a sea of living NOTES
over twigs and leaves and stems.
knew the danger and | half sat up, pre-
pared to roll out and walk to one side
Then | gauged my supporting strands
tested them until they vibrated and
hummed, and lay back, watching, to see
what would come about. knew that
no creature in the world could stay in
the path of this horde and live.
To kill an insect or great bird
would require only few inStants, and
the death of jaguar or a tapir would
mean only few more. Against this
attack, claws, teeth, poison fangs
would be idle weapons.
In the van fled cloud of terrified
insects-those gifted with flight to
wing their way far off, while the
humber ones went running headlong,
with their legs, four, six, or hundred,
making the swiftest pace vouchsafed
them. There were foolish ones that
climbed up low ferns, achieving the
swaying, topmost fronds only TO be
traiIed by the savage ants and brought
down to instant death.
Even the winged ones were not i'm
mune, for if one of them hesitated a
second, an ant would seize upon it and
although carried into the air, would
not loosen his grip, but cling to it, OBJ
struct its flight, and perhaps bring il
to earth in the heart of the jungle,
where cut off from their kind, the
single combat would be waged to the
death. From where watched, | saw
massacres innumerable; terrible bat
ties in which some creature "a giant
beside an ant-fought for his life
crushing to death scores of the enemy
before giving up.
They were a merciless army and
their number was countless, with host
upon host following close on each
others heels. A horde of warriors
found a bird in my game bag and left
of it hardly feather | wondered
whether they would discover me, and
they did, although Think it was more
by accident than by intention. Never
theless, half a dozen ants appeared or
the footstrands, nervously twiddling
their antennae in my direction. Their
appraisal was brief: with no more
than second of delay they started to-
ward me. waited until they were wei
on their way, then vigorously twangec
the cords under them harpwise, send
ing all the scouts into mid-ar anc
headlong down among their fellows.
So far as know, this was revolu
tionary manoeuvre in military tactics
comparable only TO the explosion OF
set mine. When the last of this bri
gade had gone on their menacing, pitt
less way and the danger had passeC
to a new province, could not hell
thinking of the certain, inexorable fat
OF man who, unable to move from hi
| hammock or to make any defense
should be thus exposed to their attack
There could be no help for him /
but one of this great host should seen
him out and carry the word back +
the rank and file.
For little while, after the army ha
passed, heard the ant birds, whicI
accompanied its march to feed upo
the cloud of terrified insects fleeing be
fore il. The wind brought back I
me the twittering and chirping Of thes
camp followers, these feathere
profiteers; and when it had died away
took up my work again in a glad
in which no voice OF insect reache
my ears. The hunting ants had don
their work thoroughly.