BKE9. 1 ^ 3 



And now to have had that life (in so much jeopardy) insured* 

 what would I not have given ! 



*^To prevent, therefore, a flight which must have oeeii 

 attended with so fatal a consequence, I spared not to urg-e iui 

 the arguments I could think of, and use the most afec- 

 tionate entreaties, begging her, with all the earnestness m 

 my power, to stand her ground, and keep her present pos- 

 tm'e ; in order to which, I gave encouragement to hope, in a 

 little space, for a full discharge from her disagreeable com- 

 panions ; on the other hand, assuring her she had no other 

 chance for her life. I was, through necessity, constantly 

 reasoning with her, or else beseeching and encouraging 

 her. 



" I began to search among them for the queen, now got in 

 a great body upon her breast, about her neck, and up to her 

 chm. I presently saw her, and immediately seized her, taking 

 her from the crowd, with some of the commons in company 

 with her, and put them together into the hive. Here I 

 watched her for some time, and as I did not observe that she 

 came out, I conceived an expectation of seeing the whole 

 body quickly abandon their settlement ; but instead of that, 

 I soon observed them, to my greater sorrow and surprise, 

 gathering closer together without the least signal for de- 

 parting. Upon this I immediately reflected, that either 

 there must be another sovereign, or that the same was 

 returned. I directly commenced a second search, and in a 

 short time, with a most agreeable surprise, found a second 

 or the same ; she strove, by entering further into the crowd, 

 to escape me, which I was fully determined against ; and 

 apprehending her without any further ceremony, or the 

 least apology, I re-conducted her, with a great number of 

 the populace, into the hive. And now the melancholy scene 

 began to change and give way to one infinitely more agree- 

 able and pleasant. 



" The bees, presently missing their queen, began to dis- 

 lodge and repair to the hive, crowding into it in multitudes, 

 and in the greatest hurry imaginable. And in the space of 

 two or three minutes the maid had not a single bee about 

 ber. neither had she so much as one sting-, a small number 

 »f which would have quickly stopped her breath. 



*^ How inexpressible the pleasure which succeeded her 



T 



