70 EDGE OF THE JUNGLE 



made by a single ant here and there forcing its 

 way against the stream. Unlike penguins and 

 human beings, army ants have no rule of the 

 road as to right and left, and there is no lessen- 

 ing of pace or turning aside for a heavily laden 

 drogher. Their blindness caused them to bump 

 squarely into every individual, often sending 

 load and carrier tumbling to the bottom of a 

 vertical path. Another constant loss of energy 

 was a large cockroach leg, or scorpion segment, 

 carried by several ants. Their insistence on try- 

 ing to carry everything beneath their bodies 

 caused all sorts of comical mishaps. When such 

 a large piece of booty appeared, it was too much 

 of a temptation, and a dozen outgoing ants would 

 rush up and seize hold for a moment, the con- 

 sequent pulling in all directions reducing prog- 

 ress at once to zero. 



Until late afternoon few ants returned with- 

 out carrying their bit. The exceptions were the 

 cripples, which were numerous and very pitiful. 

 From such fierce strenuousness, such virile ac- 

 tivity, as unending as elemental processes, it 

 seemed a very terrible drop to disability, to the 

 utilizing of every atom of remaining strength to 

 return to the temporary home nest that instinct 



