The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1888-10-06
thur heap o them round this hero

thur heap O. them round this her
swamp hole too"
The bee hunter blazed a large chi,
of ofone side of the tree and accordin.
to the code of backwoods unwrittel
law, that tree could not rightfully b,
claimed by any one else.
| "Arter buckwhit is CUT said tn,
hunter" by which time bees will b,
over their work for this year, we'll 81
some o. the boys and will come over yel
some fine evenin' and tap this tree"
The tapping of the tree came off one
night last week. 1t was picturesque
bit of work, but the cruelty OF it,
necessary cruelty perhaps, but still
cruelty-destroyed its pleasures for me.
A couple of rough and rugged noun
taineers and dog were added to make
up the tapping party. The dog was not
anecessity to the honey getting, neither
were the guns carried by the noun
taineers. But as one of the latter re-
Marked:
Long about this time o. the year
We can't tell. Yer apt to run agin a
coon or a cattymount. mebby, and
proberly bar. A dog don't do no
harm and nuther does a gun when
your goin' out inter the ''Knob" kentry
long bout this time o. year."
The way into the bee tree over the
rocks and through the brush and mire
was lighted by blazing pine torches,
and as we stumbled along the old bee
hunter told me that he liked to tap a
bee tree best at night because the bees
were asleep and consistently the work.
ers wasn't a goin' in an a comm out
an a peggin' it inter We as ye worked"
The bee hunter found the tree with
case While two of us held torches,
two others went to work with keen
axes to chop down the trees. The
white chips flew in all directions,
CLEANED for second in the glare of
the torches and fell in the darkness.
The blows of the axe awoke sullen
echoes over against the knob. Occa-
sional bees, frightened from their re-
treat, buzzed aimlessly down from the
tree and burned themselves to death in
The flames of the pine knots. Once a
great horned owl swooped down from
some place in the darkness, fluttered
or moment on the borders of the
Illuminated spot, while his immense
,yes bllnked and glared and then swept
way again with blood-curdling cry.
The tree was large one, dead, but
ound at the butt. The two choppers
we're half an hour in telling it. 1t
anne down with a roar and crash that
made the ground tremble and sent
hundred weird sounds reverberating
md re-echoing among the hills.
"She didn't break in fallin' like these
cad oil pines is li'ble to-" exclaimed
be bee hunter, IAN I'll bet the combs
z sound ez nut"
Now came the serious business. One
I the men ran to the hole in the tree
hat formed the opening to the nest
'ithin. He had barely reached the
pot when the poor bees began pouring
ut. But they came out only to their
The man held his burn
lg torch at the hole, and as the stream
bees poured out they were cookedto
cath in the flame. The sound made
) the poorinsects roasted by thousands
as sickening, While the man held
lie torch to burn the bees the bee
inter chopped into the hollow place
here the honey was stored. When
lie store was uncovered the sight was
rich one. The great combs filled to
irsting with the distilled nectar of
70 sweetest wild flowers filled the
hole place for distance of six feet,
I'd was solid mass of sweetness more
an foot and half in diameter. But
W OF the busy workers whose incessant
IL had stored this rich feast escaped
Q torch, and in half hour the honey
rs carefully removed and placed in
rye pals brought to receive it. The
g tree had been tapped.-Ed Mott, in |
Y. Mail and Express.