x had been reluctant to accompany Bertrand northward through the
lower forty toward 3 mile wood. For one thing Bertrand had not been
specific about the actual purpose of the errand so he had surmised it
to be mere peg-legging or a chance to kick up a little steam. What
finally swayed him was the mentioning of a visit to the sand pit toward
the end of the miles. Now this was something he had rarely visited and
it did present some possibilities for exploring. In spite of warnings
to stay clear of the pit, every boy along the river had a fascination
with the dunes and gorges pock marking that bit of earth. Wind
sculptured landforms notwithstanding, imagination unfettered itself in
myriad forms that stretched from shades of Arabian Nights to more
recent movies wherein the protagonist had to climb a seemingly endless
mound of sand to fulfill a sadistic command. Plenty of ammunition
there! Perhaps something to the effect of double nought seven might be
conjured from that heap of sand.

Images of gouged out earth, mole hills and a troglodyte's existence in
the trenches of Verdun flickered across Bertrand's mind. An old
grandfather and trunks of adventure books in his attic had fascinated
him with story after story around a winter's fire about men burrowing
like moles during World War One. This and the primeval urge to dig and
bury lurked fiercely in the breast of the newly erect carnivore, the
man child.

It was not long in coming. True to form during the woodward trek, a
wasp's nest had been located and, once clubbed with a stick, yielded a
livid horde. What was more, this time no adventure book heroics took
hold. Instead, stung and dazed, his face a mass of welts, one of their
number crashed through brambles and thickets toward the sand and gravel
pit. In a few more strides, Alex would be over its outer perimeter
spiralling down endless chutes of dirt. Suffocation and the random jerk
of limbs caught in some nightmarish bog would overpower any resistance.

In a mind made panicky with fear, Bertrand recalls a spate of facts
from the natural world. Any item grounded in natural fact was
accredited with near reverence and infallibility. Alex's upcoming fate
would even be held explicable if seen through this context.

Wasps in their predator state have been known to render spiders
senseless, then bury them encrusted with eggs.

An ant lion will dig an entrapment, then hiding behind a blind, await
the unwary.

Caterpillars a