NARRATIVE OF CARLI. 
115 
gravation to the evil. Under this complication 
of distress, he determined at length to lay the 
whole case before the Grand Duke. That prince 
presented him with a monkey, which was strongly 
scented with musk, and which was found sufficient 
to deliver him from all his evils. Its rapid move- 
ments deterred the rats from approaching ; while 
the effluvia of the musk corrected the unsavoury 
odours which issued from his sleeping companionse 
After being freed from all these annoyances, how- 
ever, he had nearly been overtaken by another 
still more serious. One night as he lay fast asleep, 
the negroes waked him by the exclamation of 
" out, out !" and, as he was unable to move, they 
laid hold of, and began hastily to drag him away. 
The father imploring to know the motive of such 
usage, they could only cry " the ants, the ants." 
In fact, on looking downwards, he perceived his 
legs covered with those insects, who were making 
rapid progress towards his trunk j and before he 
had passed the threshold, the floor was overlaid 
with them to the depth of half a foot. The mis- 
sionary was deposited in the garden, till a quanti^ 
ty of straw, being collected and set on fire, either 
consumed or drove away these formidable in- 
vaders. Carli then returned to bed ; but the ants 
had left such a stench, as the most diligent use of 
the monkey was scarcely sufficient to counteract. 
He was assured, however, that, but for this abrupt 
