American fiction -- 19th century; Historical fiction; Indians of North America -- Fiction
The men complied, and le Bourdon was now all intense attention to his
business. The bee first taken had, indeed, filled itself to satiety, and
at first seemed to be too heavy to rise on the wing. After a few moments
of preparation, however, up it went, circling around the spot, as if
uncertain what course to take. The eye of Ben never left it, and when
the insect darted off, as it soon did, in an air-line, he saw it for
fifty yards after the others had lost sight of it. Ben took the range,
and was silent fully a minute while he did so.
“That bee may have lighted in the corner of yonder swamp,” he said,
pointing, as he spoke, to a bit of low land that sustained a growth of
much larger trees than those which grew in the “opening,” “or it has
crossed the point of the wood, and struck across the prairie beyond,
and made for a bit of thick forest that is to be found about three miles
further. In the last case, I shall have my trouble for nothing.”
“What t'other do?” demanded Elksfoot, with very obvious curiosity.
“Sure enough; the other gentleman must be nearly ready for a start,
and we'll see what road HE travels. 'Tis always an assistance to a
bee-hunter to get one creature fairly off, as it helps him to line the
next with greater sartainty.”
Ben WOULD say acTYVE, and SARtain, though he was above saying creatoore,
or creatur'. This is the difference between a Pennsylvanian and
a Yankee. We shall not stop, however, to note all these little
peculiarities in these individuals, but use the proper or the peculiar
dialect, as may happen to be most convenient to ourselves.
But there was no time for disquisition, the second bee being now ready
for a start. Like his companion, this insect rose and encircled the
stump several times, ere it darted away toward its hive, in an air-line.
So small was the object, and so rapid its movement, that no one but the
bee-hunter saw the animal after it had begun its journey in earnest. To
HIS disappointment, instead of flying in the same direction as the
bee first taken, this little fellow went buzzing off fairly at a right
angle! It was consequently clear that there were two hives, and that
they lay in very different directions.
Without wasting his time in useless talk, le Bourdon now caught another
bee, which was subjected to the same process as those first taken. When
this creature had filled it-self, it rose, circled the stump as usual,
as if to note the spot for a second visit, and darted away, directly in
a line with the bee first taken. Ben noted its flight most accurately,
and had his eye on it, until it was quite a hundred yards from the
stump. This he was enabled to do, by means of a quick sight and long
practice.
“We'll move our quarters, friends,” said Buzzing Ben, good-humoredly, as
soon as satisfied with this last observation, and gathering together his
traps for a start. “I must angle for that hive, and I fear it will turn
out to be across the prairie, and quite beyond my reach for to-day.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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