40 THE SEVEN LITTLE BASKETS.

And presently she came across something which in ant-
land is considered a great dainty, a dead fly. This was a great
catch. The little ant was so pleased at what she had found
that she danced three times round the body on her hind legs,
before she ran up and caught hold of it between her strong
jaws. The fly was not large, yet it was a dozen times as big as
the ant; and with all her tugging and pushing she could only
just manage to make it rock to and fro. She got on the top
and pulled, she ran to the front and dragged, she went behind
and shoved, she even butted at the fly, and tried to roll it along
by putting her head underneath, but it was all of no use; to
trundle the treasure all the way to her ant-hill was a thing not
to be done, but what a prize to lose! She stood and twiddled
her horns while one could count six, as if she were making up
her mind what to do, then started off very fast underneath the
grass and raced home. The soldier saw her run into the nest
to tell all the other ants about the fly; but they did not talk
with voces, they touched each others’ horns like dumb people
when they’speak on their fingers, and that was quite enough.
Eight of them set off at once with the first ant, who took the
lead to show the way, and they marched along till they came up
to the fly. Tug, tug, they went, and managed to roll the fly
over on its back, that was all. Heave ho, they went at it again,
and turned it over on one side, but it was plain to each one that
they would never get their booty home at ¢/a? rate.

They stopped and held a council. After much shaking of
horns one of them suddenly pounced on the fly and bit off its
head. The others followed this example, sawing off a leg, a
wing, and so on, working with such sharp jaws that at last
there was nothing left but the bare carcase of the fly, not worth
taking away, which they fell upon and gobbled up that no-
thing might be wasted. After the meal they all set off in a