Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-02-18
ASWARMOF
WILD BEES
By ALBERT w. ToLMAN

How many bridges have l driven
rivets on?" repeated the Waterman, re-
fectively. Let me see-just 47-no 4Si
forsot the Mogung cantilever. Never
in Burmah were you? Well, it's the
only time / ever went abroad. 1t was
something of a compliment for a
young fellow of % to be sent on his
company's first job abroad. should
have liked the trip first rate IL Harry
Lack hadn't been going as foreman.
Harry had risen from the ranks.
and at 25 was considered one of the
company's best men. I'd never worked
under him; but 1 judged he'd be up
pish and arbitrary, and knew L
shouldn't like him. You notice such
things when you've Just come of age.
AS you get older you begin to think
less of your own feelings, and more OF
doing your work right.
I'VE landed at Rangoon- about May
l. went by rail to Mandalay, and from
there Travelled slowly up-country by
construction train to the Mogung
gorge. During the whole journey l
didn't speak dozen words to Lancy
Still, l don't think he suspected / had
any grudge against him. If he did,
be never let on, but treated me just
like the others.
The gorge was an awful hole, $50
feet vide and 200 deep, with the river
dashing white over the lodges at its
bottom. 1t was to be spanned by
cantilever bridge with an intermediate
truss.
we found our work all cut out
for US. Every beam and girder was
on the ground, numbered and ready.
There were plenty of coolies for the
ordinary labor. So we got busy at
once A temporary wire suspension
bridge was thrown across above the
site of the cantilever, and work be-
gun from both sides at the same time.
From the outset I had determined
to give Lancy no chance for fault-find-
ing, but to have as little to do with
him as l possibly could.
Little by little our beam-trusses
pushed out from each bank, and the
gap between them grew narrower.
One thing that interested me espe-
cially at first was the wild bees. For
miles back into the hills their nests
lined the walls of the gorge. Millions
of them made it their thoroughfare to
and from the fiower-covered plains be-
low us. Particularly at morning and
night their hum, echoing through the
ravine. and mingling with the MUIR
muir Of the river, sounded like the
drone of distant machinery.
These bees were black and small;
but they made up in nerceness for
what they lacked In size. Their
stings were far more painful and poi
sonous than those Of our bees here
by the middle OF June the ends of
the opposite beams were about so
feet apart.
One hot morning, between ten and
eleven, 1 was roaming out a rivet-hole
in the tip of the last beam. was feel
ing out of sorts that forenoon. Lancy
had given his orders to me gruff and
short, though, as a matter of fact, he
was probably Just as gruff with every
body else. But when you're looking
for trouble, you know, you don't have
much trouble finding 1t.
81 had almost finished the hole,
whey my ears caught humming, grad
ually growing louder. / looked down
Several yards below hung a black
mass about as big as a nailkeg 1t
was a nest of wild bees swarming.
AT first felt curious, interested
then / noticed that the bunch was ris-
ing directly toward me, and began to
feel alarmed, as 1 remembered their
fearful stings. II they attacked me l
should be in a bad fix.
an intense, spiteful sszzzzzing, the ir-
regular mass kept rising. Its center
seemed so solid that wondered how
the wings had room to beat Its out
side frayed of into separate bees,
drawn inward by a common attrac-
fion.
1T was not yard under me now.
j dared not move, for knew what con-
centrated misery the swarm held for
the man who angered it. AS watched
it floating nearer my skin crept and
my brain was fascinated by that mo-
notonous buzzing. Perhaps, If ! sat
perfectly quiet, it would pass and leave
me unframed.
For a moment, apparently unde-
cided, the ball lowered under me.
Then with a quickened motion up 1t
came, straight for my feet.
Il grew hot and cold. My flesh Quiv-
cred with the imaginary stings of
thousands Of poisoned needles, as the
fearful mass melted apart and settled