132 FRESH WOODS. 



whole regiment of soldiers on guard, wide 

 awake, with their formidable weapons in 

 readiness. 1 There was also a considerable 

 buzzing about overhead ; the stragglers were 

 not all in even yet. 



We decided to postpone the attack for 

 half an hour, and meanwhile go into the 

 wood and take the wasps' nest in which 

 Joyce had come to grief that afternoon. 



Another and smaller squib was soon made 

 and applied to the hole ; it was satisfactory to 

 find that this acted splendidly a good omen 

 for the hornets' torpedo. A turf was quickly 

 and firmly fixed on the hole ; we gave the 

 " waspys " a little time to suffocate comfort- 

 ably, and then Joyce set to work with his 

 usual vigour to dig out the nest. But he was 

 beaten this time ; the roots were so thick, 

 and the rock so immovable, that he had to 

 give it up. 



We were a party of four, and if Joyce 

 looked like a ghost when he mounted the 



1 " If a nest of wasps be approached without alarming the 

 inhabitants, and all communication be suddenly cut off 

 between those out of the nest and those within it, no pro- 

 vocation will induce the former to defend it and themselves. 

 But if one escapes from within, it comes with a very 

 different temper, and appears commissioned to avenge pub- 

 lic wrongs, and prepared to sacrifice its life in the execution 

 of its orders." Kirby andSpence. 



