One day he found a large dead horse-fly; so he took it and laid it down at a little distance from the ant-hill. Pretty soon he saw one of the ants come near the fly. The little fellow began to smell about, and then went to it. He took hold of it, and tried to carry it. He then pulled and hauled with all his might; but finding it impossible for him to manage it, he set off for the hill. It was as much as two yards that he had to travel, but he very soon got to the hill. He there met several of his companions. He went close to them, and seemed to touch them with his little feelers. Immediately four of them set off with him, and went to the dead fly. Jack did not hear the ant speak, and, perhaps, he had no voice; but it was quite plain that he told his friends what he had found, and that he wished them to go with him. When they got to the dead fly, they took hold, and began to drag him toward the hill. It was twice as big as all the five ants put together; but they jerked, and pulled, and twitched, and it was really quite wonderful to see how fast they got the carcass along over the rough earth. Every ant did his best: there was no lazy fellow among them, shirking and shamming so as to put off the hard work upon his companions. In a very short time, the ants had brought the fly to the hill. As they approached, great numbers ran out, to see what was coming. In a few seconds all was life and bustle, and it really seemed like a city when some great sight has brought all the people into the streets. But the ants did not spend their time in gazing: immediately they began to cut up the fly, for he was too big to be got into one of their doors. One sawed off’ a leg, another a wing, and another the head; each carrying his piece into the hill. In the space of about five minutes the fly was cut to pieces, and stowed away in the city of the ants. Jack was greatly delighted with what he saw; he had now found out that ants, instead of being hateful little insects, as most people consider them, are really quite interesting. Every evening he used to tell his father and mother what he had observed during the day, and they were always pleased with his simple stories. But Jack had an aunt, whose name was Betsey Piper, and who, having no husband or children to take care of, spent a great deal of her time in talking with him. Whenever he met with anything curious, he used always to tell her, the first thing. She was not only kind to Jack, but she had read a great deal, and was therefore able to give him much instruction. Jack had got so much interested in the ants, that he now begged his Aunt Betsey to go with him and see them. She agreed to go the next day, and Jack went to bed, full of pleasure at the idea of visiting his little insect-friends, the next morning, with his Aunt Piper. We shall tell the wonderful discoveries they made, in another chapter. CHAPTER III.