, for he knew that bees have
stings. Watching his chance, he would dexterously slap at them with
his paws till, one by one, they were knocked down and crushed; then
sniffing hard for the latest information, he would stir up the nest
gingerly till the very last was tempted forth to be killed. When the
dozen or more that formed the swarm were thus got rid of, Jack would
carefully dig out the nest and eat first the honey, next the grubs and
wax, and last of all the bees he had killed, champing his jaws like a
little Pig at a trough, while his long red, snaky tongue was ever busy
lashing the stragglers into his greedy maw.

[Illustration: "JACK ATE TILL HIS PAUNCH LOOKED LIKE A RUBBER
BALLOON"]

Lan's nearest neighbor was Lou Bonamy, an ex-cowboy and sheep-herder,
now a prospecting miner. He lived, with his dog, in a shanty about a
mile below Kellyan's shack. Bonamy had seen Jack "perform on a
bee-crew." And one day, as he came to Kellyan's, he called out: "Lan,
bring Jack here and we'll have some fun." He led the way down the
stream into the woods. Kellyan followed him, and Jacky waddled at
Kellyan's heels, sniffing once in a while to make sure he was not
following the wrong pair of legs.

"There, Jacky, honey--honey!" and Bonamy pointed up a tree to an
immense wasps' nest.

Jack cocked his head on one side and swung his nose on the other.
Certainly those things buzzing about looked like bees, though he never
before saw a bees' nest of that shape, or in such a place.

But he scrambled up the trunk. The men waited--Lan in doubt as to
whether he should let his pet cub go into such danger, Bonamy
insisting it would be a capital joke "to spring a surprise" on the
little Bear. Jack reached the branch that held the big nest high over
the deep water, but went with increasing caution. He had never seen a
bees' nest like this; it did not have the right smell. Then he took
another step forward on the branch--what an awful lot of bees; another
step--still they were undoubtedly bees; he cautiously advanced a
foot--and bees mean honey; a little farther--he was now within four
feet of the great paper globe. The bees hummed angrily and Jack
stepped back, in doubt. The men giggled; then Bonamy called softly and
untruthfully: "Honey--Jacky--honey!"

[Illustration: "'HONEY--JACKY--HONEY'"]

The little Bear, fortunately for himself, went slowly, since in doubt;
he made no sudden move, and he waited a long time, though urged to go
o