22 SOLDIER AND SPORTSMAN 



itself into every contortion imaginable ; but it was 

 only a few minutes before he succumbed, and 

 about ten more before only the skeleton remained. 

 And now came the interesting part of the pro- 

 ceedings. The ants that had fought, conquered 

 and broken up the milliped composed only a 

 comparatively small portion of the entire raiding 

 party. They waited until the rest of the column 

 had passed on. Then each ant, well laden, fell 

 into its place in column, escorted by the necessary 

 number of scouts, and proceeded homewards. 



Sir Harry Johnston relates how in some districts 

 of Western Tropical Africa enormous tracts of 

 country are absolutely devastated by incredible 

 armies of ants — a species measuring about an 

 inch in length, black and armed with enormous 

 jaws. These ants will clear the forests of every 

 living thing. Birds, insects and animals, of the 

 largest size, even elephants have to clear out, or 

 else succumb. 



Althoueh the British Bechuanaland Border Police 

 was by way of being a mounted corps, with a nominal 

 strength of one hundred and fifty horses, sickness 

 among the latter made it impossible to keep the corps 

 up to the mark. About seventy-five per cent, of re- 

 mounts succumbed annually. The only thing known 

 at that time concerning this dreadful scourge was that 

 the germ producing the sickness was either bred in 



