18 "A BYKE" IN THE WOOD. CHAP. i. 



proposed to go back and take down the paper byke. 

 His proposal was met with a decided refusal ; and on 

 his insisting upon going back, all the other boys ran 

 away home. Nothing daunted, however, he went 

 back to that part of the wood where the byke had 

 been seen. He found it, and was taking it from the 

 under side of the branch to which it was attached, 

 when a bee lit upon one of his fingers, and stung it 

 severely. The pain was greater than from any sting 

 that he had ever had before. He drew back, and 

 sucked and blew the wound alternately, in order to 

 relieve the pain. 



Then he thought, "What can I do next ?" There 

 the byke hung before him. It was still in his power 

 to remove it, if he could. To leave it was impos- 

 sible. Although he had nothing to defend himself 

 from the attacks of the bees, nor anything to put the 

 byke into when he had taken it down, still he would 

 not go without it. His bonnet could scarcely do. It 

 was too little and too holey. His stockings would 

 not do ; because he wished to take the byke home 

 whole. A thought struck him. There was his 

 shirt ! That would do. So he took off his jacket, 

 and disrobed himself of his shirt. Approaching the 

 tree very gently, though getting numerous stings by 

 the way, he contrived to remove the byke from the 

 branch to which it was hanging, and tucked it into 

 his shirt. He tied the whole up into a sort of round 

 knot, so as to keep all in that was in. 



