Echoes of the Hunting Horn 



hives he told me to behave as though there wasn't a 

 bee within miles of me. Now, it's a very simple business 

 listening to instructions but it's not quite so simple 

 carrying them out, and when three bees came zooming 

 towards me it was by a sheer effort of will-power that 

 I restrained myself from striking-out at them. 



" They're Dutch," said my host laconically. 



" They're more like dive bombers," said I, trying to 

 pretend I was joking. 



" Don't be raving," he laughed. " Sure they're the 

 friendliest creatures in the world." 



" So I believe." But I didn't believe a word of it. 



" Now this hive are all British. The next two are 

 native. The third one down has an American Queen 

 and the rest of them on this row are Dutch . . . ." 



" League of nations," I muttered. The remark may 

 not have been a very brilliant display of wit, but it's 

 not so very easy being witty when you feel that a few 

 hives of bees want to swarm on your head. 



" I wonder," I enquired anxiously, "if I light a 

 cigarette would it make them keep their distance ? " 



'You may if you like; but they won't touch you. 

 Look ! " and he held up the back of his hand, and there 

 was a bee having a constitutional along the top of his 

 knuckles. 



" Perhaps the smoke might annoy them," I wailed 

 piteously, as I forsook the cigarette suggestion. I did 

 this for two reasons : the first being that I was afraid 

 to take my hands out of my pockets and perhaps afford 

 an exercising paddock for some bee : the second reason 



38 



