," said Philip.

"Why," said Harry, "we ought neither of us to do it, because Cousin
Fred's here, and he's a visitor. Here, Fred," he said, holding out the
bellows, "you do it."

"Do what?" said Fred, staring. "I don't know what you are going to do."

"Why, take the wasps' nest in that old touchwood tree. You're only got
to put the nose of the bellows into the hole where they are going in and
out, and blew, and then keep them tight there till all the wasps are
dead."

Fred looked at the bellows, then at his cousins, then at the hole in the
fallen trunk where the wasps were flying about; and after giving a puff
with the bellows, when smoke issued from the nozzle, he slowly
approached the hole, and stooped over it to insert the death-dealing
instrument.

"Buzz--booz--whooz--ooz--ooz--ooz," said a couple of wasps, coming home
in a hurry, and circling round Fred's head so very closely that the boy
shut his eyes, and, stooping down very low, backed away crab fashion as
fast as ever he could.

"I shan't do it," said Fred, rather red in the face; "they'll sting."

"No, they won't," said Harry; "I'll go," and catching up the bellows, he
walked boldly up towards the hole.

"I say," he said, "you two get boughs, and if the wasps do come out you
can beat them down."

There was a minute of intense interest, during which Harry crept close
up to the hole, and Philip and Fred, armed with lime-tree boughs, stood
as body guard to protect the assaulting party.

Nearer and nearer went Harry, and then pushed the nozzle right in up to
the part holding the brimstone, and puffed away as hard as he could.

"Whir--whooz--whooz--booz--wooz--buzz--wooz--burr--urr-r-r-r--
whir-r-r-r," said the wasps, scuffling out past the nozzle by the dozen;
and one, which must have been the leader, made a lodgment in Harry's
hair.

Down went the bellows, and away went the boys as hard as ever they could
run out of the plantation, and over the wooden bridge, till they were
safe from the infuriated wasps, whose loud hum they could hear even
after they were some distance off.

"Here," said Harry, "knock this beggar out of my head; make haste, or
he'll sting me." For there, buzzing and struggling in the boy's curls,
was one of the wasps, which was killed by Fred, who squeezed it between
two pieces of stick, and placed it beyond the power of doing mischief.

"Ha, ha, ha!" said Philip, when there was no more danger: and when he
had got his breat