ROUGH TRAVELl.INO. 280 " No doubt of ît, Mr. Benedict" replîed Dîck ; " they are ant-hills twelve fcet high at least : and I hope we shall be able to gct înto thcm." "Twelve feet ! " the naturalîst repcated ; " thcy must be those of the termites, the white ants ; there is no othcr insect that could make thcm. Wondcrful architccts are the termites." " Termites, or whatever they are, thcy wîll havc to turn eut for us," said Dick.
- But they will eat us up ! " objccted Bcnedict
" I can*t hclp that," rctortcd Dick ; " go vc must, and go at once." "But stop a moment," continued the provoking natu- ralîst ; " stop, and tell me : I can't bc wrong : I always thought that white ants could ncver bc found elsewhere than in Afrîca."
- Come îilong, sir, I say ; come along, quîck ! " shoutcd
Dick, terrified lest Mrs. Weldon should hâve overheard him. They hurried on. A wind had riscn ; large spattering drops were now beginning to fall more hcavily on the ground and în a fcw minutes it would be impossible to stand against the advancing tempest. The ncarest of the accumu- lation of ant-hills was reached in time, and howevcr dangerous their occupants might be, it was dccidcd eithcr to expcl them, or to share their quarters. Each cône was formcd of a kind of rcddish clay, and had a single opcning at ■ îts base. Hercules took his hatchct, and quickly enlarged the aperture tîU it would admit his own huge body. Not an ant made its apncarancc. Cousin Bcnedict expressed his extrême surprise. But the structure unqucs- tionably was empty, and one aftcr anothcr the wholc party made their way inside. The raîn by this time was desccndîng in terrifie torrents, strong enough to extinguish, one v/ould think, tlîe most violent explosions of the clectrîc fluid. But the travcllcrs were secure în'their shelter, and had nothing to fcar for the présent ; their tenement was of greatcr stability than a tent or a native hut It was one of those marvcllous structures u
