SOME BEES 149 



The cartmen ran away to the village for shelter, and 

 the ponies were sent there too. Our servants did 

 their best to get one tent up for us, we helping them, 

 and then their own small one, and we sat soaked and 

 shivering until dark, with water standing a couple 

 of inches deep everywhere. 



The rain began to fall less heavily and they 

 managed to pitch another tent and open out our 

 camp beds. The cook gave us one or two cold 

 potatoes for dinner, and we soon waded to bed to 

 get out of the floods. Bumps had found a low stool 

 to keep himself out of the wet and off the ground, 

 but it was much too small for his size and he over- 

 lapped it on all sides and looked very uncomfort- 

 able. Soon a cold wet nose was dabbed against 

 my face and two forepaws were put on to the edge 

 of the bed. Might he come up, or was this too much 

 of a favour to ask ? He climbed up with extraordinary 

 care, trying not to wet me, and laid himself down 

 at one side of the bed, near my feet, and at full 

 length, so as to take as little room as possible, and 

 he never tried to curl himself into a comfortable ball 

 all night long. It rained all night, and the poor 

 servants had a wretched time in their dripping single 

 fly tent. Next morning everything was quickly 

 packed and loaded on the carts again and we went 

 on for shelter to a forest bungalow there happened 

 to be a few miles away. Then one after another of 

 the whole party fell ill with fever, and there we 

 stayed until every one had recovered and the ground 

 had dried up. 



We were invited to go to a village to try and rid 



