THE BEE. 



ont : tte bees were got under the covering, crowding up towards 

 her breast and face. When I perceived the veil was of no 

 further service, she at last gave me leave to remove it. This 

 done, a most affecting spectacle presented itself to the view of 

 all the company, fiUing me with the deepest distress and con- 

 cern, as I thought myself the unhappy instrument of drawing 

 her into so great and imminent hazard of her life, which nort 

 so manifestly lay at stake. 



" It is not iu my power to tell the confnsion and distress 

 of miud I was in from the awful apprehension it raised; 

 and her dread and terror in such circumstances may reason- 

 ably be supposed to be much more. Every moment she was 

 at the point of retiring with all the bees about her. Vain 

 thought ! To escape by flight. She might have left the place 

 indeed, but could not the oonjpany ; and the remedy would 

 have been much worse than the disease. Had she enraged 

 them, all resistance had been in vain, and nothing less than her 

 life would have atoned for the offence. And now to have had 

 that life (in so much jeopardy) insured, what would I not have 

 given? 



"To prevent, therefore, a flight which must have been 

 attended by so fatal a consequence, I spared not to urge all 

 the arguments I rould think of, and use the most affectionate 

 entreaties, begging her with all the earnestness in my power 

 to stand her ground and keep her present posture ; in order to 

 which I gave her encouragement tp hope in a little space for a 

 fall discharge from her disagreeable companions ; on the other 

 hand, assuring her she had no other chance for her Ufe. I 

 was, through necessity, constantly reasoning with her, or else 

 beseeching and encouraging her. 



" I now began to search among them, now got in a great 

 body upon her breast, about her neck, and up to her chin, for 

 the queen. T presently saw her, and immediately seized her, 

 taking her from among the crowd with some of the commons 

 in company with her, and put them together in the hive. Here 

 I watched her for some time, and as I did not observe that she 

 came out, I conceived an expectation of quickly seeiug the 

 whole body quickly abandon their settlement ; but, instead of 

 that, I soon observed them, to my great sorrow and surprise, 

 gathering closer together, without the least signal for depart- 

 ing. Upon this I immediately reflected that either there must 

 be another sovereign or that the same was returned. I directly 

 commenced a second search, and, in a short time, with a most 



