Year: 1867

nj. Du Challlu, at the Cooper Insti-
tute, New York, in the first of a series
of lectures on Equatorial Africa, the
scene of lis late explorations, among
many curious things related the follow
ing, which will strike the reader as very
remarkable:


This evening time forbids that I
should speak at any length of the natu-
raj history Of the country. In these
equatorial forests there are found vast
number of ants, some of which are so
terrible to man, and even to the beasts
of the woods, from their venomous bite,
their fierce temper, and voracity, that
their path is freely abandoned to them.
The most remarkable and most dreaded
of all is the black Bashikony. Bashi-
kony is the name given it by the Baka-
lai. There are two other varieties of
the Bashikony besides the black Bashi-
kony. These black Bashikony may well
be called the lords of the forest. 1t is
the most voracious creature l ever met.
1t is the dread of all living animals,
from the leopard to the smallest insect.
1t is their habit to march through the





about two inches broad and often seve-
raj miles in lengh; all along this line
are larger ants who acts as officers
stand outside the ranks and keep this
singular army in order If they come
to place where there arc no trees to
shelter them from the sun, whose heat
they cannot bear, they Immediately
build an underground tunnel, through
which the whole army passes in col
umns to the forest beyond. When they
grow hungry, as ifby sudden COM
mand the long line spreads itself through
the forests, advancing forward, attack
ing and devouring all living things with
a fury that is quite irresistible. The
elephant and the gorilla fly before them; !;
the black men run away; every animal
that lives in their line of march is
chased. In an incredibly short space of
time those that are caught are oUer-
aohelnoed, killed, eaten, and only the
bare skeleton remains. They seem to
travel day and night Many time |
have been wakened out of sleep and
obliged to rush into the water to save
myself from them. When they enter a
house they clear it of every living thing.
Cockroaches are destroyed in an in
slant rats and mice spring around the
room in vain. They will not touch
vegetable matter; thus they are very
useful, clearing the country of many in
sects. When on their march the insect
world flies before them, and I have
often had the approach of Bashikony
army heralded to me by this means.
Wherever they 60 they make clean
sweep, even ascending to the top of
trees in pursuit of their prey. Their
manner of attack is an impetuons leap.
Instantly the strong pincers are fasten-
ed, and they only let 60 when the piece
gives way. AT such a time this little
insect seems animated by kind of fury,
which causes it to disregard entirely its
own safety. The negroes relate that
criminals, by which they generally
mean wizards, have sometimes been
exposed on the path of the Bashikony
ants, tied to tree so the might not
escape, and then were devoured to the
bones. They are larger than any ants
we have in America. The number of
one of their armies is so great that one
does not like to enter into calculations,
but l have seen continuous line pass
ing at good speed a particular place
for twelve hours. So you may imagine
how many millions there may have
been.