ANT EXPEDITIONS TO CAPTURE SLAVES, 343 



or four in breadth. Quitting the road in a few 

 minutes, they passed a thick hedge, and entered a 

 meadow, where I followed them, and observed them 

 winding along the grass without straggling, their 

 column remaining unbroken, in spite of the obstruc- 

 tions in their way. They soon approached a nest 

 inhabited by a colony of the negro- ant (jP. fusca), 

 the dome of which rose above the grass, at a dis- 

 tance of twenty feet from the hedge. Some of the 

 negroes were guarding the entrance ; but, on the 

 discovery of an approaching army, darted forth upon 

 the advancing legion. The alarm instantly spread 

 into the interior, whence their companions rushed 

 forth in multitudes to defend their homes. The 

 legionaries, the bulk of whose army lay only at 

 the distance of two paces, quickened their march, and 

 when they arrived at the hill, the whole battalion fell 

 furiously upon the negroes, who, after an obstinate, 

 though brief conflict, fled to their subterranean gal- 

 leries. The legionaries now ascended the dome, 

 collected in crowds on the summit, and taking pos- 

 session of the principal avenues, left some of their 

 companions to excavate other openings in the exterior 

 walls. They soon effected this, and through the 

 breach the remainder of the army made their en- 

 trance ; but in about three or four minutes after- 

 wards issued forth again, each carrying off* a pupa 

 or a grub, with which booty they retraced their 

 route, in a straggling, irregular march, very different 

 from the close orderly array they had before exhi- 

 bited.' 



Our author followed them for some time, but lost 

 sight of them in a field of ripened corn ; and on re- 

 turning to examine the state of the assaulted city, 

 he found a small number of the defeated negro- 

 workers perched on the stalks of plants, holding in 

 their mouth the few grubs they had succeeded in 



