The bees did not seem at all alarmed by the strokes of the axe; they continued going in and out, carrying on their industrial labours in full security. A violent cracking even, which announced the splitting of the trunk, did not divert them from their occupations. At length the tree fell, with a horrible crash, opening the whole of its length, and leaving the accumulated treasures of the community exposed to view. The guide immediately seized a bundle of hay which he had prepared, and to which he set fire to defend himself from the bees. But they attacked nobody; they did not seek to avenge themselves. The poor creatures were stupefied; they ran and flew about in all directions round their destroyed empire, without thinking of anything but how to account for this unlooked-for catastrophe. Then the guide and the lanceros set to work with spoons and knives to get out the comb and put it into the wineskins. Some of the comb was of a deep brown, and of ancient date, other parts were of a beautiful white; the honey in the cells was almost limpid. Whilst they were hastening to get possession of the best combs, they saw arrive on the wing from all points of the horizon numberless swarms of honey bees, who, plunging into the broken cells, loaded themselves, whilst the ex-proprietors of the hive, dull and stupefied, looked on, without seeking to save the least morsel, at the robbery of their honey. It is impossible to describe the astonishment of the bees that were absent at the moment of the catastrophe, as they arrived at their late home with their cargoes; they described circles in the air round the place the tree had occupied, astonished to find it empty; at length, however they seemed to comprehend their disaster, and collected in groups upon the dried branch of a neighbouring tree, appearing to contemplate thence the fallen ruin, and to lament the destruction of their empire. Doña Luz felt affected in spite of herself, at the trouble of these poor creatures. "Let us go," she said, "I repent of having wished for honey; my greediness has made too many unhappy." "Let us be gone," said the general, smiling; "leave them these few combs." "Oh!" said the guide, shrugging his shoulders, "they will soon be carried away by the vermin." "The vermin! What vermin do you mean?" the general asked. "Oh! the raccoons, the opossums, but particularly the bears." "The bears?" said Doña Luz. "Oh, señorita!" the guide replied, "they are the cleverest vermin in the world in discovering a tree of bees, and getting their share of the honey." "Do they like honey, then?" said the lady, with excited curiosity. "Why, they are mad after it, señorita," the guide, who really seemed to relax of his cynical humour, rejoined. "Imagine how greedy they are after it, when they will gnaw a tree for weeks, until they succeed in making a hole large enough to put their paws in, and then they carry off honey and bees, without taking the trouble to choose."