TRAPPING AND BEE HUNTING. 169 



Smoky said that we would go down to Hull's, a distance of 

 about three miles, and see if he could get cans to put the ex- 

 tracted honey in. We had made a sack from two towels and had 

 begun to strain or extract the honey from the comb and had the 

 water pail nearly full of strained honey, and were sorely in need 

 of the pail to carry water in. 



When I got to where we had left the bee bait, on the old 

 road bed, I found plenty of bees at work. I soon got the line 

 which went up the stream and a little to the left of the road 

 and directly toward two large soft maple trees, the only trees 

 of any size in that direction for a long distance. I said to my- 

 self, a quick job for you must be in one or the other of those 

 maples. I left the bait and went to look for the bees in one of 

 the two trees. 



When I came to the trees, bees came to me in great numbers, 

 but I could not see a bee going in or out in either. I was 

 satisfied that the bees were in one of the trees, but after 

 looking for a long time I- thought that I must be mistaken, that 

 the bees were farther on and up on the side of the hill. I gave it 

 up and moved the bait up the road to a point about opposite 

 where the line would strike the hillside and where several trees 

 were left standing, making a' good opening by cutting away the 

 brush. I then released the bees from the box. After they had 

 done much circling I was quite sure I saw two or three of them 

 swing back in the direction of the soft maple trees. 



I left the box and went along the creek in search of mink 

 or coon signs, so as to give the bees time to get the b it well 

 located, as they will then fly so much steadier and without -doing 

 so much circling. When I returned to the bait, the bees were 

 flying steadily in the direction of the two soft maples and there 

 could be no mistake this time. I took the bait down and placed 

 it in the road opposite the two soft maples and began the second 

 time to search the trees. After looking a long time without see- 

 ing bees going to or from the trees, I was again compelled to 

 give it up. I began searching among the old timber, old stumps 

 and stubs, as it was in the midst of an old bark slashing. I would 



