40 Secures the Byke. [CHAP. I. 
sting that he had ever had before. He drew back, and 
sucked and blew the wound alternately, in order to relieve 
the pain. 
Then he thought, “What can IJ do next?’ There the 
byke hung before him. It was still in his power to remove 
it—if he could. To leave it was impossible. Although he 
had nothing to defend himself from the attacks of the bees, 
nor any thing to put the byke into when he had taken it 
down, still he would not go without it. His bonnet could 
scarcely do. It was too little and too holey. His,stock- 
ings would not do, because he wished to take the byke 
home whole. A thought struck him. There was his shirt! 
That would do. So he took off his jacket, and disrobed 
himself of his shirt. Approaching the tree very gently, 
though getting numerous stings by the way, he contrived 
to remove the byke from the branch to which it was hang- 
ing, and tucked it into his shirt. He tied the whole up 
into a sort of round knot, so as to keep all in that was in. 
It was now getting quite dark, and he hurried away with 
his prize. He got home in safety. He crept up the stair, 
and peeped in at the key-hole to see that the coast was 
clear. But no! he saw his father sitting in his chair. 
There was an old iron pot in a recess on one side of the 
stair, in which Tom used to keep his numerous “ things,” 
and there he deposited his prize until he could unpack it 
in the morning. He now entered the house as if nothing 
had happened. “ Late as usual, Tam,” said his father. No 
further notice was taken. Tom got his supper shortly aft- 
er, and went to bed. ” 
Before getting into bed, he went a little out of the way 
to get undressed, and then, as much unseen as possible, he 
crept down beneath the blankets. His brother, having 
caught sight of his nudity, suddenly called out, “Eh, moth- 
er, mother, look at Tam! he hasna gotten his sark!” 
Straightway his mother appeared at the bedside, and found 
that the statement was correct. Then the father made his 
