82 Buz. 



spring, a fine super of honey was taken from the hive 

 next to ours, and a lot of excitement it caused ; 

 surely you remember? " 



" No, I don't," said Buz. 



" It must have been just before you were hatched 

 then." 



"But what were they all about?" cried Buz, 

 excitedly; "why did they let their honey go? 

 Couldn't they sting ? " 



" I heard one of them say that they tried at first, 

 and that something prevented them from getting 

 near the robbers — something soft ; and besides, there 

 was so much honey running about, that they were 

 busy sucking it up ; and, what with the excitement 

 and what with being glutted with honey, very few 

 of them felt like fighting." 



" Then my rude acquaintance at the top of the 

 hill was not very far from right after all," said Buz 

 thoughtfully. 



" She was right to a certain extent, but there's 

 another side to the question." 



" Indeed," cried Buz ; " I should like to know it." 



" The tradition is, that those who rob us look after 

 us in the winter, and supply us with food if our 

 honey runs short ; so we need never starve. Now, I 

 have heard, that after a bad honey season whole 



