THE LIFE OF A BEE 



so entangled in his hair that I could neither sting him 

 nor free myself. I struggled in vain, and my efforts 

 were rendered more difficult on account of the mad 

 capers he cut in escaping from the spot. The moment 

 we flew at him and stung him about the head, he turned 

 somersaults and cried like a cat in torment, while he 

 fled madly. So wildly did he fly that he banged square- 

 ly into a neighboring hive and nearly upset it. Then 

 he collided with weeds and brush and cacti in fact, I 

 now suspect he could see nothing. Certainly he cared 

 not what lay in his road. 



I can think of it calmly, now that I am safely back, 

 but while I rode unwillingly upon his back I thought 

 each instant would be my last. After vainly trying 

 to reach his body in order to sting him, I gave over 

 and endeavored to free myself. What with the buzz- 

 ing of many pairs of wings in his ears, and the pain 

 from the stings, he fled like the wind. Presently, how- 

 ever, he stopped suddenly and tried to reach me with 

 his claws. Then he did his best to crush me with his 

 teeth, snarling and whining betimes. He did crush 

 some of my brother guards; but I was just back of 

 his ears, and he could not reach me. However, I 

 may add I almost wished he had, for his breath 

 was horrible. I never could abide the breath of any 

 living thing. 



Soon he gave over and set out running again at top 

 speed. I had abandoned myself for lost, when a bush 

 scraped me out of my entanglement and I fell half 

 dead to the ground. But the would-be robber never 

 stopped, for I could hear the brush rattling in his wake. 

 He still fled incontinently, as though he feared another 



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