Since his return from his adventure three days earlier, the Wart has been confined to his bed to rest to regain his strength. Naturally, he is bored; his only amusement is the set of ant-nests that he took from Merlyn's cottage. Looking at the ants gives the Wart the idea to ask Merlyn transform him into one, and the wizard reluctantly agrees.
As an ant, the Wart does not fit in with the collective spirit of the colony; however, he does his best to perform his "antly" duties. He learns about the two basic utterances in the ants' language ("done" and "not done") and tries to complete his job as a member of the mash squad: A group of ants who fill their crops with the scrapings of seeds and then allow other ants to feed directly from their mouths. Eventually, an ant from a rival nest approaches the Wart's colony and is murdered — a war ensues. Merlyn rescues the Wart and transforms him back into a boy before the two ant armies engage in battle.
