HAPPY 



prick of his stinger, and then with a supreme effort I 

 escaped his clutches. I rushed away from the spot 

 and soon came upon a batch of honey over which it 

 appeared ten thousand bees were quarreling and fight- 

 ing. Without thinking, I fell into the scrimmage and 

 by some chance finally landed on a half -filled cell, and 

 into it I plunged. 



Here my troubles began afresh. Hundreds of bees 

 piled on top of me and all but drowned me in the 

 honey I was intent on possessing. For a minute my 

 head was buried in it and I began to strangle. But 

 by a mighty effort I escaped. 



It was almost as difficult to get out of the hive as it 

 was in ; and on my return journey a hungry, malevolent 

 bee intercepted me and demanded that I divide my 

 load with him. On my refusing he seized me by a wing 

 and jerked me so violently that I thought he had all 

 but torn it off. I fought him from the start, but, he 

 being a stalwart and I heavily laden, he thrashed me 

 almost into a lifeless state. To add to my terrible 

 mischance, another freebooter, more vicious than the 

 first, joined against me, and the two of them overcame 

 me quickly and robbed me of my load. They left me 

 half senseless and I was only too glad to escape with my 

 life. 



I flew as straight as an arrow to my home,, feeling 

 outraged and exhausted. After all, I was not powerful 

 not important. I was crestfallen ; but I did not even 

 have to think of the direction or the location of my 

 house, and you may be assured I was glad to return 

 to it, if only to make sure that I was alive and knew 

 the road. At the same time I was still under the 



36 



