■jgfi DICK SANDS, THE BOY CAPTAIN. gûne, but they hâve carricd ofF thdr young larvae witfa them ; they hâve beeo s;^^ous enough to take warniog of some impending danger." " Perhapa they heard that we were comii^," sud Her- cules, laughing. A look of withering scorn was the only answer that the entomolc^st delgned to gîve. "Yes, I say " repeated Hercules, "perhaps they heard that we were coming." " Pshaw ! " said Benedict contemptuously ; " do yon imagine they would be afraid of you ? they would reduce your «arcasc to a skelcton in no time, if they found it across their path." " No doubt, if I were dead,"^ replied Hercules, " they could pick my bones pretty clcan ; but while I had the use ' of my limbs I thïnk I could cnish them by thousands." " Thousands ! " ejaculatcd Benedict, with increasing warmth ; " you think you could demolish thousands ; but what if they were hundreds of thousands, millions, hun- dreds of millions ? Alive as niuch as dcad, I tell you, they wouldn't be long in consuniing every morsel of you," During this brisk little discussion Dlck Sands had bcen pondering over what Benedict had said. There was no doubt that the amateur naturalîst was well acquaîntcd with the habits of whitc ants, and if, as he affirmed, the însects had instinctively quittcd thcir abode on account of some approaching danger, Dick asked hîmsdf whether ït was safe or prudent for his party to remaift. But the fury of the storni was still so great that ail possibility of removing from the sheiter seemcd prccludcd for the présent, and, without inquiring farthcr into the mystery, he merely said, " Although the ants, Mr. Benedict, hâve left us their pro- visions, we must not forget that we hâve brought our own. We will hâve our supper now, and to-morrow, when the 8torm is over, we will see what is to be donc," Fatigue had nottaken away the appetite of the enei^tic travcUers, and they gladly set about the préparation of their mcat. The provisions, of whtch they had enough far
