The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-06-06
A TRIAL OF NERVE.
Settling Of a Swarm Of Bees on a
Mans head,

mer residing at Brookland Farm,
Weybridgl, was dressing in order to
atteud the rent audit at Woburn
House. Before putting on bis coat,
he perceived from his window an un.
usually large swarm Of bees, filling
the air with their cloud aud noise.--
Ii was, ia fact, as ho afterwards as
certainod, two swarms, that had come
out of two distict hives, and had uni.
tod in the air. Ito rau out in his
shirt sleeves, and without his hat, to
see where they wonld alight The
bees after making some cir, les 10 the
air, led him off to the bank Of the rive
or Wey. Thinking that tho bees
might cross the river, aud perhaps
escape, he adopted a PLAZA net uncom--
mon with bee-masters, namely, that
Of throwing dust into the air among
the bees. This otter makes them
settle quickly They did settle quick
", aud this moro so than he expect
ed, for in a short time the whole of
this largest sworms he had seen, set
tied upon his head, face and breast.
/ They hung down in trout like great
beard to tho bottom OF his waiscoat.
Had he not been accustomed to the
bees aud perfectly collected, his situ-
alton would have beeu very jau-
gerous one; for bad he at all irritat.
ed this mass of armed insects, hc
would no doubt have received sufi-
cient number ofstings to have placed
his life in peril. He was obliged to
close his eyes slowly, and to keep
his mouth shut, Then, in order to
prevent their entering his nostrils,
which they epdeay, red TO do, he slow
ly thrust one hand through tho mass
aud with his two fingers managed to
keep drawing aud pushing them away
from his nostrils as they tried to Gu
ter he breathing all the while as
softly us possible This was necossa.
ry, as bees are generally irritated
by being brea,hed upon.
lie then began to consider what
course he should take. lie was somo
distance from his house, and no one
uoar him or within call. His frst
thought was to walk slowly into the
river Wey, and gently sink his head
under the water aud then throw ofthe
swarm. Bu' a moments. considera-
tion dissuaded MIN from attempting
that remedy. lie could not have dis
engaged them all, for many Of them
we're between his neckcloth and his
skin, and still more were crawling
down his back. lie found that If
he walked he could not help disturb
ing the hanging mass, and that eve
ry little agitation, however slight,
caused hum and a hiss from some
thousands. he then remembered the
account given in Thorleys work on
bees Of q swarm settling on the face
aud neck Of a servant maid, who es-
capped uuhurt by the care and advice
of her master; he without irritating
the swarm, having hived from off her
with hive well smeared with honey,
to avoid agitating the swarm. Mr..
Simmonds slowly knelt down on the
grass aud remained perfectly STILL
He then found a number Of bees we're
gathering in a mass under the waist
baud of his, trowsers, in the hollow OF
his back, TO which spot the others
were drawing, indicating that the
queen was there. Fearing, therefore
that the tightness of the waistbanC
might crush, or at any rate irritat,
this part Of the swarm, he slowly un
buttoned the front Of his trowsors.
1t is not easy to conceive a NOR
helpless condition than that to whicl
Mr.. imnonds was reduced. He tha
was the master of forty hives, from
which ho could levy what spois h'
pleased, killing his thousands at his
pleasure with birthstone match,
was now completely in the power OF
one detachment of his own army
and was reduced to the most suppliani
position. Even to call for help woulC
have been dangerous, as the bee
near his mouth would have been un
doubtedIy irritated, aud would hav'
probably entered his mouth. At thi
moment he heard a railway train OF
the Chertsey Branch Railway, frou
which he was about City yards dist
ant. 1t fortunately happened tha
the engine driver was known to him
aud bad commission from him t.
sound his railway whistle III he saw
anything wrong among his cows anC
sheep.
The ehgino-driver, seeing Mr.. Sim
monds on his knees, with one arm ex
tended as If for help, aud something
odd hanging from his face, sounded
his whistle. This was heard by MIR
Simmond's wife, who supposing tina
some COW was i'll, sent her son anC
farming man iuto the fields. Tho.
soon found Mr. Simmond's in the pre-
dicament above described. In addi
tion to the hanging mass, there wa
cloud Of bees still firing arounC
him, so that TO approach him was no
the most desirable Office. However
they camu near enough to hear hin
speak, which he did, very gently
merely. saying, "bring bushel hive
well rubbed with honey, and Som'
bricks" 4't Hial
While they were gone at the top oi
their speed for this, he remained per
Cectly still. The tickling of the bees
feet on his face was almost unbeara
BILE, aud the'danger of irritating those
that we're down his back and necl
was imminent,
The most difficult part he had Il
perform, however, was that before
mentioned, Of dissuading the bees
with the aid Of his two fore-6ngers
from getting up his nostrils. Thes'
bees were not in good humor, as they
we're breathed upon, aud were alst
deferred from doing as they pleased
and one bee showed his .diapleasur'