THE ANTS FIGHT THE EYELESS ROBBERS 219 



This caused the Robbers to stop the attack, and, as it was 

 dark, we skipped for home. 



CECIL. Then you don't know how the battle ended? 



ALBERT. Yes, we found that out this morning when 

 we saw our undertakers carrying about a hundred of our 

 ants to the cemetery. 



DOROTHY. And not a Robber killed? 



ALBERT. Not so fast. Ours had piled three hundred 

 dead Robbers in a circle around the door. 



DOROTHY. Good news from the front. 



ALBERT. And that isn't all. They are still working at 

 it, and have now piled nine hundred bodies of the enemy 

 ir. a circle around the door all that we killed and all that 

 they killed. 



FLORENCE. Yes. The dead were so thick on the 

 ground that their legs got tangled and one of our ants 

 could carry a whole bunch at a time. Great fun. Some- 

 times an ant would pick up a bunch of Robbers that didn't 

 need moving, stick her head up in the air, and trot around 

 for sport. 



ALBERT. Several days now since the fight. Ours close 

 the doors with dead Robbers through the heat of the day, 

 and pile them in a ring around the door at night. Owing 

 to the wind, hungry animals or something, the number of 

 bodies is gradually growing less (200 still remained a month 

 after the battle). Maybe our ants are eating them; I don't 

 know. Their bodies don't fall to pieces for some reason, as 

 do the bodies of our ants and of the Carpenters. 



KENNETH. "What in the Sam Hill did our ants pile 

 nine hundred dead Robbers around the door for? 



CECIL. I don't know. But if the Robbers should send 

 ;i scout down to that door to investigate, would it be likely 

 to advise another attack? Not on vour life. 



