BEE- keeper's manual. 291 



the bees departed. The next day, when I returned, he 

 came up grinning, "I've got 'em, sir, this time, and a 

 mighty large swarm it is, too," said he. What, another 

 swarm out, inquired I? "Yes, sir, here it is, and to 

 make sure of 'em, I cut off the branch, and put it into 

 the hive, and then tied a cloth over it tight,\ leaving one 

 little air hole for 'em to breathe, sir." Sure enough, 

 there was the hive tied up like a band-box on a journey. 

 I flew around and made the necessary preparations to 

 remove them, and called my wiFe out to witness the 

 first swarm, as I should remove the covering, and turn 

 up the hive to our admiring eyes. I got the whole 

 family around me, as assistants in the operation, all as 

 eager to witness the bees as myself I gently raised the 

 cloth. The end of the branch protruded under the hive. 

 I raised the hive on one side very slowly, with my heart 

 in a flutter of excitement and anxiety ; I expected soon 

 to hear exclamations of delight on all sides. Higher 

 and higher the hive was raised, expecting every instant 

 to catch a view of the swarm clustered at the top. Pre- 

 sently it gained a point where the eye reached the sum- 

 mit, and such a sight ! Reader, what _do you think it 

 was ? Not a single bee was there I If ever the mer- ' 

 cury went down suddenly in my blood, it was then. I 

 was nigh breaking the hive over Sambo's head, but the 

 old fellow was useful, and I let him off with a good 

 scolding for having duped me. The bees had escaped 

 one by one, through his air-hole, and had returned to 

 the parent family. 



