Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1912-09-26
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defences with which he was pro-
vided by nature, besides being too
much melted by the love of
honey, to regard the little heroes,
but thrust his nose in at the hole,
doubtless hoping to plunge it at
once into the midst of mass OF
sweets. A growl, a start back
wards, and a flourishing of the
fore-paws, with sundry bites in the
air, at once announced that he had
met with greater resistance than
he had anticipated. In minute
all the bears were on their hind
legs, beating the air with their
fore-paws, and nipping right and
left with their laws. in vigorous
combat with their almost invisible
foes.
Instinct supplies the place of
science, and spite of the hides and
the long hair that covered them,
the bees found the means of dart
ing their stings into unprotected
places, until the quadrupeds were
fairly driven to rolling about on
the grass in order to crush their
assailants. This last process had
some effect, great many bees be-
ing destroyed by the energetic
rollings and tumbling of the bears ;
but, as in the tide of battle, the
place of those who fell were inn
In these days Of exaggeration in
all things, exaggeration in politics,
in religion, in temperance, in viz
tue, and even in education, by put
ting 'new wine into old bottles
that one little Jug might have
sufficed to give him bad name |;
but five-and-thirty years ago men
had more real independence than
they now possess, and were not as
much afraid of that croquemitaine
public opinion, as they are to-
day. To be sure, it was little to
lie Bourdon's taste to make a
mediately supplied by fresh assail-
ants, until numb ers seemed likely
to prevail over power, if not over
discipline. At this critical instant.
when the bears seemed fatigued
with their nearly frantic saltations
and violent blows upon moth
ing, lie Bourbon deemed it wise
to bring his forces into the COM
bat. Gershom having been APP
prised of the plan, both fired at
the same instant. Each ball took
effect; one killing the largest OF
all the bears dead on the spot,
while the other inflicted a grew
Gus wound on the second. This
success was Immediately followed
by a second discharge, wounding
two more of the enemy, while Ben
held the second barrel of his ''shot-
gun" in reserve.
While the hurt animals were
hobbling off, the men reloaded
their pieces; and by the time the
last were ready to advance on
the enemy, the ground was cleared
of bears and bees alike, only two
of the former remaining, of which
one was already dead and the
other dying. AS for the bees, they
followed their retreating enemies
in body, making a mistake that
sometimes happens to still more
intelligent beings: that of at
tributing to themselves and their
own prowess a success that had
been gained by others.
The bee-hunter and his friend
now set themselves at work to
provide a reception for the in
sects, the return of which might
shortly be expected. The former
lighted fire, being always pro-
vided with the means, while Ger
shom brought dry wood. In less
than five minutes bright blaze
was cleaning upwards; and when
the bees returned, as most of them
soon did, they found this new
enemy intrenched, as it might be,
of the little creatures persisted by
means of this new invention of
man, and the rest soon after were
led away by their chiefs to seek
some new deposit for the fruits
of their industry.
CHAPTER ~.
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