ent many hours in finding it, and the day was now well
advanced, we concluded to leave farther operations for the morrow, when
we should fell it, and procure the delicious honey. With this
determination, and well satisfied with our day's amusement, we returned
to our house."

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.

A RIVAL HONEY-ROBBER.

"Now, there were some circumstances to be considered, before we could
proceed any farther in the matter of the bees. How were we to get at
the honey? `Why, by felling the tree, and splitting it open, of
course,' you will say. Well, that would have to be done, too; but there
was still another consideration. It is no very difficult matter to fell
a tree, and split it up--that is, when one has a good axe--but it is a
very different affair to take the honey-combs from some eight or ten
thousand bees, every one of them with a sharp sting in his tail. We had
no brimstone; and if we had had such a thing, they were well out of the
reach of it, while the tree stood; and after it should be felled, we
could not approach them. They would then be furious to a certainty.

"But Cudjo's knowledge of bee-hunting extended farther than to the mere
finding of the tree. He knew, also, how to _humbug_ the bees, and rob
them of their sweet honey. That was a part of the performance that
Cudjo understood as well as any other. According to his directions,
then, two pairs of stout buckskin gloves were prepared. We chanced to
have one pair already, and Mary soon stitched up a second, of the kind
generally used for weeding thistles--that is, having only a thumb, and a
place for all the fingers together. One pair of the gloves Cudjo
intended to use himself--the other was for me. Of course, the rest were
to take no part in the robbery, but only to stand at a safe distance and
look on.

"In addition to the gloves, a couple of masks were cut out of elk-hide,
and with strings fitted to our faces. These, with our thick deerskin
overcoats, would protect us against the stings of all the bees in
creation.

"Thus accoutred, then, or rather taking these articles along with us, we
set out for the bee-tree. Of course, everybody went as usual. We took
with us the axe to cut down the tree, and several vessels to hold the
honey.

"On arriving at the glade, we loosed Pompo out of the cart; and picketed
him as we had done the day before. It would not do to bring him any
nearer the scene of action, as the bees might take