The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-25
CHILDERIC'S BEES

charcoal burners. Here the little king
was fed on goats milk and coarse
black bread. for which his mother
paid golden chain. So greedy were
they FOR gold that they would have
robbed her then and there had 1t not
been for the stout men-at-arms.
A little beyond this they came 10
. the hermitage OF Druid, the last OF
the priests OF the ancient faith. He
stood under mossgrown rock be-
side a swift. brown brook, and they
saw him from affair of.
Thou art most welcome. 0 queen"
said he. and thou, little one. shalt
be far greater king than thy father
before thee. Thy pursuers are riding
swift TO Mirkwood; but allght and
rest. And for your comfort, | will
tel you that you shall escape all
perils. O queen. and thy little son
shall live to be more powerful than
was the king, his father.
When they had well rested. and the
horses had regalned strength. the
priest helped the queen and her lit
tie son to mount, and then he gave
her a pipe OF reeds and said: Ride
for al hour toward the sunset and
you shall come 70 place where deep
waters flow between high Gins. There
thou shalt blow upon the pipe Of
reeds. and fawn shall come and
guide thee TO shelter in the rocks,
Thou wilt find the place full of Wild
bees. These must thou and thy men
alarms leave undisturbed. az well as
the fawn and her dam, for when thou
blow upon the pipe the bees will give
thee honey and the dam VIII give nef
milk SO that the child will be fed,
Today thou shalt dwell there in
safety. but on the morrow there shall
come a great tramping of horses and
armed men: but thou and the child
must stay sheltered. Let the men-at-
arms stand forth to battle. II they
will. but when thou shalt hear the
clamor of thy enemies. blow upon
the pipes and the wild bees will sur
round and succor thee; for know
that this Is the kingdom OF the wild
bees and that / send you as guest to
their queen
SO they set forth again, and every
thing that the priest had foretold
came true. When they reached the
rocky place the queen blew upon her
pipes, and the notes brought a gentle
fawn, who guided them to cave in
the cliffs that overshadowed the river.
and wild flowers, and every nook and
Granny was alive with bees. coming
and going, and buzzing al their labors.
Every hollow tree and rock was black
and gold with velvety swarming bees
Here they rested and the little king
Toasted on does milk and honey,
while the queen and the men-at-arms
ate the black bread they had bought
from the charcoal burners. Exhaust
ed. they all slept soundly until morn
ing. when the trampling and neighing
OF horses woke them with start, and
the queen knew that Chlogion was
upon them. Remembering what the
Druid had said. the queen raised the
pipes and blew upon them in long
drawn whistles
At once the air grew deafening with
deep, savage humming and the wild
bees rose in mighty cloud and
moved against Chlogion's army The
4 men.at. arms stood forth eagerly to
see what would transpire. They
N watched the dark cloud swarm down
on the warfolk In myriads. and. ex-
ulting, sent shafts OF arrows into the
ranks of the foe But their aid was
not needed: the bees were driving
men and horses mad with their pois-