: Driver Ants 
a small village to try a man for murder, and we 
walked a mile or so through thick bush to the 
house of a missionary, passing on our way two 
great streams of driver ants, going and coming 
to and from a store of food they had discovered. 
My chief stepped over this foot-wide mass of 
vindictiveness, and I followed gingerly. Coming 
home, however, we did not get off quite so 
simply. It was not dark, but the short tropical 
afternoon was closing in, and the half-lights 
played pranks with us. Suddenly Sir Claude 
put his foot right into the middle of a stream of 
driver ants, who set off at once on a tour of 
inspection up his boots. With a howl of dismay 
the victim started for the creek, calling wildly 
to the launch for the dinghy. Dignity was 
hurled to the winds, and we were rowed out in 
record time, and in record time too the chief 
jumped out of his consular uniform. 
43 
