The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-05-16

the causers of the annoyance;
they swarmed round them, stung
them on the hands, face, and
neck, settled in their hair, and
pursued them as they ran to me
for assistance. 1t was with diff
Guilty that we got rid of the angry
insects and were able to attend
to the boys. Jack, who had been
the first to reach the hole, had
Jared the worst, and was soon a
most pitiable sight, his face swell
ed to an extraordinary degree,
and it was only by the constant
application of cold earth that the
pain was alleviated. They were
all eager to commence an organ
lied attack upon the bees at once,
but for an hour or more, by rea-
son of their pain, they were un-
able to render me much assist
ance. In the meanwhile / made
my arrangements. l first took a
large calabash gourd, for l in
tended to make a beehive, that,
when we had driven the insects
from their present abode, we
might not lose them entirely. The
lower half of the gourd l flatten-
ed, l then cut an arched opening
in the front for a doorway, made
a straw roof as a protection from
the rain and heat, and the little
house was complete.
Nothing more, however, could
then be done, for the irritated
bees were still angrily buzzing
round the tree. l waited till dark,
and then, when all the bees had
again returned to their trunk,
with Fritz's assistance l carefully
stopped up every hole in the tree
with wet clay, that the bees
might not issue forth next morn
ing before we could begin opera
tions. Very early were we up and
at work. l first took a hollow
cane, and inserted an end through
the clay into the tree; down this
tube with pipe and tobacco |
smoked most furiously.
The hunming and buzzing that
went on within was tremendous;
the bees evidently could not I'M
derstand what was going 10 hap
pen. / finished my first pipeful,
and putting my thumb over the
end of the cane, | gave the pipe
to Fritz to refill. He did so and
l again smoked. The buzzing was
now becoming less noisy, and was
subsiding into a mere murmur. BY
the time / had finished this sec
ond pipe all was still; the bees
were stupefied.
Now then, Fritz" said l.,
quick, with a hammer and CHS
el, and stand here beside me-
He was up in a moment, and,
together, we cut a small door by
the side of the hole; this door,
however, we did not take out,
but we left it attached by one
corner that it might be moved
at a moments notice.; then Civ
ing the bees a final dose of to-
bacco smoke, we opened it.
Carefully but rapidly we re-
rnnUnd tho Snnnnfr nc %hnrr 11,,-or |
in clusters to the sides of the
tree. and placed them in the hive
prepared for their reception. AS
l then took every atom
Of wax and honey from their
storehouse, and put it in a cask
| had made ready for the purpose.
The bees were now safely re-
moved from the trunk, but | could
not tell whether, when they re-
vived from their temporary stu
.or, they might not refuse to oc-
the house with which l had
presented them, and insist on re-
to their old quarters. To
prevent the possibility of this oc-
.currence, | took a quantity of to-
bacco, and placing it upon a board
horizontally within the
l lighted it and allowed it
to burn slowly, that the fumes
might fill the cavity. 1t was well
did SO, for, as the bees return
I'd to consciousness, they left
pretty hive and buZzedi
away to the trunk of the tree.
They seemed astonished at find
.ng this uninhabitable, and an
immense deal OF noisy humming
Round and round they