22 THE HISTORY OF BEES. 
the lofs of their lives. “They fell upon him with the 
greateft fury imaginable, but I durft not offer him any 
affiftance or relief. f 
They charged him in flank, front, and rear; clung 
to him, like ivy tothe tree; got under his covering, in- 
to his hair, and under his cloaths, and ftung him from 
head to foot. , 
It was a confiderable time before the battle was end- 
ed, and he had entirely difengaged himfelf; at which 
time I fuffered him to come to me, when hundreds of 
ftings ftuck in his hat, mittens, &c. befides a confiderable 
number left in his body, the poifon of which prefently 
inflamed his blood, and threw him into a violent fever, 
which threatened his life. The fever increafing, his 
life hung in fufpenfe for at leaft two entire days : toward 
the clofe of the third day it began to abate, and being a 
man of a {trong and vigorous conftitution, he recovered, 
and in a few days more was perfectly well, to the great 
joy of his family, and other friends, 
Some time after the battle, the fcattered troops being 
re-affembled, rofe and fettled upon a little branch of the 
tree, which I gently cut down, putting them into a hive 
prepared for them, when not fo much as one fingle Bee 
fhewed the leaft refentment, | 
1 was of opinion, that near one third was deftroyedin 
the engagement; yet they gathered that Summer fuffi- 
cient to maintain them the following Winter, and for 
fome years did well, though a very dear purchafe. 
The more you refift, the more you enrage them, and 
when once provoked and engaged, they fcorn to capitu- 
late, 
