very easily done. But how were bee-trees found? That was the
puzzle; for, as I have before observed, these trees do not differ in
appearance from others around them; and the hole by which the bees enter
is usually so high up, that one cannot see these little insects from the
ground. One might tell it to be a bee's nest, if his attention were
called to it; for the bark around the entrance, like that of the
squirrel's, is always discoloured, in consequence of the bees alighting
upon it with their moist feet. But then one may travel a long while
through the woods before chancing to notice this. Bee-trees are
sometimes found by accident; but the regular bee-hunter does not depend
upon this, else his calling would be a very uncertain one. There is no
accident in the way he goes to work. He seeks for the nest, and is
almost sure to find it--provided the ground be open enough to enable him
to execute his manoeuvres. I may here remark that, wherever bees take
up their abode, there is generally open tracts in their neighbourhood,
or else flower-bearing trees--since in very thick woods under the deep
dark shadow of the foliage, flowers are more rare, and consequently the
food of the bees more difficult to be obtained. These creatures love
the bright glades and sunny openings, often met with in the
prairie-forests of the wild West.

"Well, as I have said, we were all eager to witness how our bee-hunter,
Cudjo, would set about finding the bee-tree--for up to this time he had
kept the secret to himself, to the great tantalisation of Harry, whose
impatience had now reached its maximum of endurance. The implements
which Cudjo had brought along with him--or as he called them, the
`fixins'--were exceedingly simple in their character. They consisted of
a drinking-glass--fortunately we had one that had travelled safely in
our great mess-chest--a cup-full of maple molasses, and a few tufts of
white wool taken from the skin of a rabbit. `How was he going to use
these things?' thought Harry, and so did we all--for none of us knew
anything of the process, and Cudjo seemed determined to keep quiet about
his plans, until he should give us a practical illustration of them.

"At length we arrived at the glades, and entered one of the largest of
them, where we halted. Pompo was taken from the cart, and picketed upon
the grass; and we all followed Cudjo--observing every movement that he
made. Harry's eyes were on him like a lynx, for