"If we wanted to ruin them, we should have to give up our manner of
living; we should have to devote ourselves to fighting, warring and
gaining skill in arms. Who among us would then attend to the
agricultural work? Then we should be like them, murderers and robbers,
living only on the work of others, and that we do not wish to be. We try
to defend ourselves and at the same time not change our mode of life. We
build our towns far from the Redheads and, if necessary, would rather
move away from them. We station guards over our entire territory and, if
we are attacked, meet the enemy bravely. We also know how to fight. Our
workmen are skilful and when the worst comes, they become very good
fighters. We have often defeated the Redheads and driven them away from
our town; but we do not attack their towns or rob them. The Redheads
avoid our large towns and attack those that are young and newly
established. Only when they lack slaves, do they attack our principal
communities. As for us, we are satisfied to stand up for our rights,
defend our liberty and our young ones, and live according to our
destiny."
Little Tom looked admiringly at Mirmex, who was talking quietly and
earnestly, but Tom felt his genuine loyalty to his native town and his
passionate love for freedom.
In the meantime, they came to a lonely part at the back of the town,
where the corridors were ruined and the surface covered with dust. Tom
asked in surprise, why such a large part of the town was left in ruins.
Mirmex explained that this was the oldest portion which had been well
founded, but, overhead in the pine tree, something had happened. A
branch had been torn off by the wind, so that the town was not properly
protected from the rain and the chrysalises were threatened by the
dampness. Therefore, they started to build new halls a little farther
along, where it was drier and better sheltered, until the town was
higher and larger, into which they would then move their stores and the
chrysalises.
Then Mirmex asked Tom to go with him and look at the storehouses; so
they went back to the town and passed through winding corridors to great
rooms, where they met many ants carrying heavy burdens. Tom saw the
rooms piled clear to the top with little grains dried and cleaned. In
one room many ants were sitting, some cleaning the grains, others
blowing away the chaff and still others stacking up the finished
product. Others gathered up the refuse and carried it outside the ant
hill.
"These," said Mirmex, "are our granaries and our stores for bad seasons.
There are enough supplies here to support the town for a long while."
Then they went to a hall higher up, where the porridge for the
chrysalises was being prepared, and there Tom saw workers hurrying out
of the nests with empty coverings of the chrysalises. He thought how
this soft silk used to be brought by the gnome merchants to his father
and how, at home, they were woven into precious silken garments.
[Illustration]
From the granaries and kitchens, they came to the stalls, where Tom saw
green bugs, fat and lazy, crawling under a low arch. From the back of
each bug extended two little tubes, through which the ants were sucking
as they tickled the bugs with their feelers. Tom was surprised again,
when Mirmex explained that, through these tubes, the bugs let out a
sweet juice, of which the ants are very fond. "We keep many of them
here," continued Mirmex, "for the workers engaged in the town. Those who
are working outside, have their large stalls on the flowers."
Tom asked why the bugs on the flowers did not run away and Mirmex told
him, that where there were enough bugs on a flower, the ants surrounded
it with trenches and ramparts, so that the bugs were in captivity and
could not escape. "There they stay in their captivity and do not have to
be fed and the workmen do not have to return to the town to drink," he
added.
Little Tom sincerely admired the whole arrangement of the ants town.
This pleased Mirmex. "Let us go a little further," he continued. "I will
next show you our hot-beds." They went along a narrow corridor, and Tom,
touching the walls, found them damp. They passed through rooms that were
very hot, until they reached a low chamber which was filled with damp,
round leaves, while the walls were covered with mildew. Tom did not care
to go into this damp hot bed, but Mirmex laughed.
"Do you remember," he inquired, "how you helped us build a crossing over
the strip of glue on the rose-bush in the garden? At that time you were
curious to know why we were biting out little circles from the rose
leaves and were carrying them away. Here you see the leaves piled up in
heaps. In this part of the mound grows a mushroom. Here it is damp. The
water comes from a near-by mossfield and the dampness is good for the
mushroom mildew. It puts out little thin stalks that grow up from the
rose leaves."
Tom noticed that the heaps were covered with long stalks which
surrounded them like grass. While he was looking at them, many ants came
into the room. One examined the stalks to see if they were sufficiently
grown and then they started to work. One after the other, they bit the
shoots on the end. Mirmex conducted Tom into the second room, so as not
to be in the way of the workers. There were no longer stalks on the
leaves but, in their place, stunted, round bulbs as if the heap were
covered with pin heads.
"If we should allow the shoots to grow", remarked Mirmex, "they would
fill the whole room and be of no use; therefore, we must bite them on
the end, and so the shoots are stunted and grow into the broad, juicy
bulbs which are our best food."
Tom tasted one or two of the bulbs and found them very good. They were
slightly sweet and full of juice. He envied the ants their clever mode
of living. He doubted if he would be able to bring the Ladybirds to such
a degree of perfection; but when they were leaving the halls, he thought
that, after all, the life of the Ladybirds was better, more beautiful,
fresher, and more joyous, being spent in pleasure under the great,
bright sky, without troubles, without heavy labor, and full of happiness
and merriment.
He thought that he would speak to Mirmex about it and ask him why the
ants have no pleasure and merriment, if life is so serious that all the
time it is necessary to worry and work and be on guard and not to have
one moment of relief or time for one's own pleasure.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER NINE.
THE WAR OF THE ANTS.
THE PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.
LITTLE TOM BECOMES THE COMMANDER OF THE
BLACK TOWN.
THE AMBUSCADE OF THE REDHEADS.
LITTLE TOM'S VICTORY. THE PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY.
LITTLE TOM TAKEN CAPTIVE.
* * * * *
[Illustration]
When they came to the square before the town, Tom told Mirmex of his
doubts, but before the latter could answer they perceived an ant
hurrying at great speed out of the moss and barely succeeding in
staggering around them to the gate. Mirmex looked after him in
astonishment, but, at this moment, a crowd of the workmen ran out,
quickly divided themselves into groups, and took their stations on the
roads in every direction.
The whole town was swarming with workmen, hurrying out, and with the
nurses who were quickly carrying the chrysalises from the place where
they had been sunning themselves, inside the mound. Some exciting
message had set the town in an uproar.
Mirmex immediately disappeared through the gate and Tom was left to look
on the excited turmoil. It seemed to him the wildest disorder, that
every one was hustling and running around, as if bereft of reason; but
he soon saw that all this bustling was part of a carefully directed plan
and that something was being carried out that he did not understand.
From the gates were coming ants who stretched themselves in long,
well-ordered lines and then disappeared in the moss. Work in the town
ceased, and at once the whole surface was deserted; but from all the
roads, crowds of ants came quickly into the square, where they formed
themselves in battle array.
Tom finally recognized that the preparations were for battle. At that
moment, Mirmex came up to him and started leading him into the town,
telling him that news had come of a marauding expedition of the
Redheads.
The guards on the borders had seen some Redheads spying about and had
caught some black slaves, from whom they learned that, since early
morning, the Redheads had been planning a most formidable expedition. At
first, they thought the Redheads were planning to attack a small town by
the brook, in the forest, but they sent out some spies of their own who
came upon a great crowd of Redheads gathering by the stumps on the
clearing leading to Black Town, and they at once sent in the messenger
to give the alarm.
"This will be a battle such as we have never seen," said Mirmex. "The
Redheads have all gone into this attack in which they have formed great
armies. In all probability, they wish to rob us, not only of our
children but of our large harvests. They themselves live deep in the
valley, where there is little grass and the country is not rich, while
they know that we are close to the fields and gardens from which we
have, this year, gathered great stores of food. This time it will be a
fight for life or death. Fortunately, we have time to send out
messengers and collect all our strength and to form our army."
Tom was trembling with excitement and asked to be allowed to fight in
the first rank and to help in the victory over the robbers. Mirmex
thanked him. "You will be most welcome," he said, "but you cannot go
into the field, for you do not know our way of fighting. It is not a
question of personal bravery but of a sound plan based on our knowledge
of the ground. We are not afraid of the result, for we are well prepared
and all that we need is the full strength of our numbers to equalize the
greater weight and the better fighting equipment of our enemies. The
only thing we fear is the treacherous attack of some reserve force, for
the Redheads are very crafty and know how to conceal their plans and we
are quite likely to be attacked in the town while our forces are all in
the field."
[Illustration]
"We ought to leave a garrison to defend the town. Therefore, we will ask
you to remain for its defense, in which case a small group with you will
be sufficient. Then we will not fear that anything will happen behind
our backs, while we are out in the field."
Tom thanked Mirmex for this confidence and promised him that he would
defend the town to his last breath.
In the meantime, the last divisions were disappearing in the moss and in
the grass. The town became quiet; only some guards were running on the
stones at the top and crawling up the flowers in the square. A small
garrison remained at the crossroads and watched the last of the soldiers
marching toward the depths of the wood. Mirmex quickly said good-bye and
also disappeared. Tom returned to the town, as he wanted to mount to the
top and take a look around the country.
Thus a terrible war started which completely changed Tom's fate.
[Illustration]
The broad country around the ants' town was almost deserted. Tom saw
only his garrison in the square, the guards hiding in the blossoms of
hawkweed and grass stems, groups of workmen putting various things in
order, and the nurses in perturbation, running all over the town and
taking care of the entrances where they had placed the chrysalises.
Tom ran down from the top of the mound, saw that there were guards at
the magazines and went out to take a look at the surroundings. At the
gate, he met two guards who were leading his rose-bug steed out of the
stall, having been ordered by Mirmex to get him ready, in case Tom
should need him in the fight. Tom at once mounted and rode to the
heather, to see if there was any danger threatening the town in that
direction.
On the way, he thought of his friends and wondered how they were getting
on in the fight; then he thought of Chrysomela and decided that after
the battle he would send her a message, lest she should worry about him.
As he rode through the moss, he saw behind a stone at one side, two
little red spots moving. They seemed, at first, only two dry twigs, but
their movement was suspicious. He rode along slowly as if he did not see
them, but when he had come up to them, he jumped down suddenly and with
drawn sword threw himself behind the stone; there he found a Redhead
whom he cut in two. The moss moved and there were two other Redheads
running away. Tom left them, mounted hurriedly and rode back to the town
as fast as he could go. It was high time.
The reserves of the Redhead army were stealing through the heather to
the town, hoping to find it weakly guarded and to plunder it. When a
messenger reached them reporting how a giant had killed one of their
spies, they were greatly surprised; but they did not suspect that Tom
was an ally of the Black Ants, so they became quieted, thinking that the
giant had met their spies only by accident, and started forward toward
the town.
Tom ordered all the guards to be brought back to the town, so that they
should not be surprised by the attack of the Redheads, and placed part
of the garrison on top of the town and the rest in the grass close by.
He already knew whence the attack would come and was prepared to meet
it.
The Redheads crawled carefully through the moss and when they did not
encounter any guards, they thought that the Black Ants did not suspect
that they had reserves. They soon came out on the square and ran in a
great crowd to the town which seemed to be deserted. As soon as they
came close, Tom sent the garrison hidden by the gates to attack them.
Although taken by surprise, the Redheads defended themselves bravely.
They struck the defenders with their long, sharp jaws and in a compact
body, pushed forward toward the main gate. At this moment, out of the
gate came Tom with his band of selected workers, and wherever he struck
with his sword, off flew a red head or a foot. Then, two or three of his
companions would throw themselves on the red fighters, biting their feet
and backs. The Redheads became afraid and leaving many dead and wounded
on the square, ran headlong for the moss.
At this moment, a great company of Black Ants that had hidden in the
grass, came out and met them. A terrible fight followed and only a few
of the Redheads were able to beat their way through the black ranks and
return as best they could to the rest of their army.
Tom was not satisfied with this victory. He sat on his rose-bug and, in
his rage, wished to exterminate the Redheads altogether. All his friends
begged him not to leave the town, but he was burning for revenge.
Leaving the older men on guard, he chose a group of young, enthusiastic
workers and hurried with them after the retreating enemy.
Moss, red and blue berries, sped by them as they hastened on and,
whenever they came to one of their foes lagging behind, they immediately
cut him to pieces. The rose-bug, who also became enthusiastic over the
fight, was soon running at the head of the scattered crowd and wherever
he saw a Redhead easily overtook him, when Little Tom would cut him down
with his sword. So they ran blindly ahead, paying little heed to
anything, intoxicated with their victory.
[Illustration]
Now brave Little Tom did not know the sly cunning of his foes. The
fleeing ones scattered broadly as they made for their home. The
strongest among them, however, stopped a moment and, hiding themselves,
noticed that Tom was riding almost alone, having outridden his own
troop. Then they ran as fast as they could to their home, where they
found a swarm of slaves awaiting the results of the main battle. With
them were many of their masters in great excitement. They had received
many discouraging reports. Many fighters had been lost and the army was
being pressed back, step by step.
Tom was really dreaming how he would attack the deserted Red Town, start
a revolt of the black slaves and fall upon their army in the rear, thus
completing the victory. He did not even wait for his scattered party to
catch up with him and, as soon as he saw the black slaves, immediately
urged his steed after them. The slaves became frightened at the sight of
this victorious giant on a golden horse and turned around, running in
desperate fright with Tom galloping after them.
At this moment, some of those who were retreating came up and reported
that just behind them was a great giant at the head of a band of Black
fighters, heading straight for their town. Immediately, they gathered
themselves together and, hiding all along the path, sent some black
slaves toward Tom. They knew these slaves could not fight, but would
start to run away from Tom and thus draw him on.
Already, before him, appeared the town and he was almost on the square
in front of it, when the Red fighters came out of their ambush and threw
themselves on the rose-bug. He stopped. Tom struck around him into the
red bodies which squirmed under his blows; but the clever fighters,
protected by the bodies of their fallen comrades, attacked him by biting
his feet with their powerful jaws, until he slipped and fell to the
ground.
Before he could get up, they rendered him unconscious and ordered the
slaves to drag him victoriously into the town. There they took away
everything that he had, bit his clothes to pieces and left him
unconscious in a dark dungeon.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER TEN.
LITTLE TOM IN CAPTIVITY AND FREEDOM.
THE DEFEAT OF THE REDHEADS.
MIRMEX TRIES TO FIND LITTLE TOM.
LITTLE TOM IN PRISON.
THE BANQUET OF THE REDHEADS.
LITTLE TOM BECOMES AN ARCHITECT.
HIS WALKS TO THE BROOK.
SEVEN SPOT DISCOVERS THE WHEREABOUTS OF
LITTLE TOM.
LITTLE TOM SAVED BY THE WOOD-BUG.
LITTLE TOM AND CHRYSOMELA.
THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE WINTER-SLEEP.
LITTLE TOM AND CHRYSOMELA SET OUT ON THEIR
WAY TO THE ABODES OF MEN.
* * * * *
The Red fighters returned to their nest in disorder and were very angry.
They had lost the battle. The Blacks, after chasing them away, stopped
the pursuit and returned to their homes. Mirmex hurried along among the
first to learn how things were going in the town. When he approached,
the guards hurried out to meet him with great joy and told him how Tom
had defeated the treacherous attack of the Reds and how the town was
untouched.
Mirmex at once looked for Tom to thank him and was surprised that he did
not come to greet him. When he learned that Tom had gone in pursuit of
the fleeing enemy, he was greatly troubled. He knew Tom's brave heart
and also the cool, treacherous Redheads and he feared for the worst.
The town quickly resumed its normal life. Workers cleared the square and
removed the dead bodies, while the nurses carried the chrysalises back
to the upper stories; everything moved along in the regular channels,
only Mirmex ran impatiently out to the paths looking and waiting for
Tom's return.
But he did not return. Towards evening, the tired warriors who had
accompanied him, returned and told of his brave fight and his capture.
They related how he was overpowered and pulled away before they could
run to his rescue.
The entire town was very sad over the fate of its brave defender. Mirmex
went himself to announce the sad news to Chrysomela and the Ladybird
kingdom. There was no thought of rescue. In their defenses the Red
fighters were invincible. This the Black Ants knew very well. Therefore
they gave up the idea of trying to free Tom. They again took up the work
that had been interrupted by the fight and could no longer be delayed,
as they were preparing for the winter.
In the meantime, Tom was lying wounded and unconscious in the nest of
the Redheads, who crawled over him and looked at him with the greatest
curiosity. When he finally revived, he could not move and lay for a long
while trying to think where he was. He felt the touch of feelers and
feet, which he began to push away, but was at once bitten. Then he
remembered his defeat and that he was in captivity.
When the Redheads saw that Tom was becoming conscious, they gathered
around him. He raised himself to a sitting position with difficulty and
looked about. He saw that they had brought him a kind of porridge with
little seeds in it, but he was not hungry. His wounds burned and he had
a fever. When he fully recalled all that had happened, he almost cried
with sorrow. All his dreams of capturing the town had melted away, and
his friends had vanished. What was to happen to Chrysomela? In vain, she
would be waiting and watching for her hero to return. And what would
happen to him?
When the Redheads had looked at Tom long enough to satisfy their
curiosity, they left him alone; but he noted that the little hall was
well guarded and that they were watching to see what he would do when he
could again control the strength of his limbs. After his pain and
sadness had passed, he did not by any means give up all hope. He thought
that Mirmex would surely learn of his fate and tell what had happened to
the ladybirds, and his friends would plan how to set him free.
Of course they were powerless against the Redheads and would not dare to
attack their town. He himself, without armor and with torn clothes would
not dare to pit his strength alone against his captors. He had observed
that they were quarrelsome, doughty and well armed.
If he should stand up against them, even if he could kill some of them,
he would be wounded and very likely be killed himself. He realized that,
first of all, he must regain his strength, act very quietly so as not to
arouse suspicion, and wait for an opportunity to escape. Therefore, he
sat quietly all day long, ate the unpalatable seed porridge, until he
felt that he had quite recovered his strength.
The Redheads noticed that he was beginning to walk about and appearing
better; so, one morning, they sent a few slaves to him to request him to
go out with them. He accompanied them quietly through the corridors and
out on the square where many fighters had gathered. They sat around him
in a dense circle, proud in manner and not seeming to notice anything
while they were being served by their slaves.
Tom saw how the slaves swarmed about them, bringing to them quantities
of food. Each fighter simply opened his terrible jaws and the obliging
slaves quickly and skilfully thrust in morsels of tasty food. None of
them wanted to be kept waiting a minute, and if he did not immediately
get his morsel he would pitilessly grasp the slave by the foot and
remind him of his duty.
Tom paled with anger when he saw all this, and waited to see what would
happen next. When the masters had eaten enough, they formed into dense
battle array for an expedition and started off, while in the town only
the slaves and a few guards remained, walking about without noticing Tom
in the least.
Some of the slaves ran to Tom and led him through corridors to a great
hall, whose ceiling had fallen. With their feelers, they pointed to a
heap of stones and spines. He understood that they were asking him to
help. He thought the best thing to do would be to work and thus gain
their confidence, so that he would not remain all of the time locked up
in his dark cell.
He started bravely at the work and the ants saw with surprise how well
he knew how to handle the stones and beams, and what a gigantic strength
he had. The slaves began to obey him, when he showed them how to clear
away the fallen pieces, and the fighters themselves admired him, when
they saw that he knew how to build, how to support the ceiling with
beams, fasten the walls and smoothly level the corners.
Tom was very glad to have the work, for the time forgetting his wounds
and humiliation, and hoped that through it he would regain his freedom.
When the evening came, the work had advanced more than the slaves could
have accomplished in weeks; when they had finished, they led Tom back to
prison.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
On the way, he saw a group of fighters joyously returning. They brought
with them many white chrysalises, which the slaves at once took to the
nest as if they were their own. The last comers brought grains and
immediately all began to feast, the slaves as usual bringing them food,
until they could eat no more.
Tom knew that, somewhere, they had robbed a Black nest and compensated
themselves for their recent defeat. He was sorry that he, too, was their
slave and obliged to serve them like his black comrades, but he did not
see any other way, if he hoped to escape from their clutches.