ive--hence an expression often
heard in western America, the `bee-line,' and which has its synonym in
England in the phrase, `as the crow flies.' Cudjo knew it would keep on
in this line, until it had reached the tree where its nest was;
consequently, he was now in possession of one link in the chain of his
discovery--_the direction of the bee-tree from the point where we
stood_.

"But would this be enough to enable him to find it? Evidently not. The
bee might stop on the very edge of the woods, or it might go twenty
yards beyond, or fifty, or perhaps a quarter of a mile, without coming
to its tree. It was plain, then, to all of us, that _the line in which
the tree lay_ was not enough, as without some other guide one might have
searched along this line for a week without finding the nest.

"All this knew Cudjo before; and, of course, he did not stop a moment to
reflect upon it then. He had carefully noted the direction taken by the
insect, which he had as carefully `marked' by the trunk of a tree which
grew on the edge of the glade, and in the line of the bee's flight.
Another `mark' was still necessary to record the latter, and make things
sure. To do this, Cudjo stooped down, and with his knife cut an oblong
notch upon the bark of the log, which pointed lengthwise in the
direction the bee had taken. This he executed with great precision. He
next proceeded to the tree which he had used as a marker, and `blazed'
it with his axe.

"`What next?' thought we. Cudjo was not long in showing us what was to
be next. Another log was selected, at a point, at least two hundred
yards distant from the former one. A portion of this was scraped in a
similar manner, and molasses poured upon the clear spot as before.
Another bee was caught, imprisoned under the glass, fed, hoppled with
wool, and then let go again. To our astonishment, this one flew off in
a direction nearly opposite to that taken by the former.

"`Neber mind,' said Cudjo, `so much de better--two bee-tree better than
one.'

"Cudjo marked the direction which the latter had taken, precisely as he
had done with the other.

"Without changing the log a third bee was caught and `put through.'
This one took a new route, different from either of his predecessors.

"`Gollies! Massa!' cried Cudjo, `dis valley am full ob honey. Three
bee-trees at one stand!' and he again made his record upon the log.

"A fourth bee was caught, and, after undergoing the ceremo