314 TIMOR. [chap. xm. 



covered it flying off and forming a dense cloud above and 

 around. The man then lay at full length along the limb, 

 and brushed off the remaining bees with his hand, and then 

 drawing his knife cut off the comb at one slice close to the 

 tree, and attaching the thin cord to it, let it down to his 

 companions below. He was all this time enveloped in a 

 crowd of angry bees, and how he bore their stings so coolly, 

 and went on with his work at that giddy height so de- 

 liberately, was more than I could understand. The bees 

 were evidently not stupified by the smoke or driven away 

 far by it, and it was impossible that the small stream from 

 the torch could protect his whole body when at work. 

 There were three other combs on the same tree, and all 

 were successively taken, and furnished the whole party 

 with a luscious feast of honey and young bees, as well as 

 a valuable lot of wax. 



After two of the combs had been let down, the bees 

 became rather numerous below, flying about wildly and 

 stinging viciously. Several got about me, and I was 

 soon stung, and had to run away, beating them off with 

 my net and capturing them for specimens. Several of 

 them followed me for at least half a mile, getting into 

 my hair and persecuting me most pertinaciously, so that 

 I was more astonished than ever at the immunity of the 

 natives. I am inclined to think that slow and deliberate 

 motion, and no attempt at escape, are perhaps the best 



