WHITE ANTS. 295 stay hère for a whole day or more ; on the first opportunîty I shall go and explore ; it may turn out that we are near the stream we are seeking ; and perhaps we shall hâve to build a raft before we start again." Under hîs direction, therefore, Hercules took his hatchet, and proceeded to break down the lowcst range of cells and to spread the dry, brittle clay of which they were composed a good foot thick over the damp floor, taking care not in any way to block up the apcrture by which the fresh air penetrated into the interior. It was indeed fortunate that the termites had abandoned their home ; had it swarmed with its multitudes of vora- cious Neuroptera, the ant-hill would hâve been utterly uo- tenable for human beings. Cousin Benedict's curiosity was awakenedj and he was intensely interested in the question of the évacuation, so that he proceeded at once to investi- gàte, if he could, whether the émigration had been récent or otherwise. He took the lantern, and as the resuit of his scrutiny he soon discovered in a recess what he described as the termites' " storchouse," or the place where the inde- fatigable insects keep their provisions. It was a large cavity, not far from the royal cell, which, together with the cells for the réception of the young larvae, had been de- stroyed by Hercules in the course of his flooring opérations. Out of this réceptacle Benedict drew a considérable quan- tity of gum and vcgctable juiccs^ ail in a state so liquid as to demonstrate that thcy had been depositcd there quite recently. " They hâve only just gone," he exclaîmcd, with an air of authority, as if he imagined that somc onc was about to challenge his assertion.
- We are not going to dispute your word, Mr. Benedict,"
said Dick ; ** hère we are ; we havc taken their place, and shall be quite content for them to kccp out of the way, without caring when they went, or where thcy hâve gone." "But we must care," retorted Benedict tcstily ; "why they hâve gone concerns us a good deal ; thèse juiccs makc ît évident, from the liquid state in which we find them, that the ants were hère this morning ; they hâve not only
