Part 3 (2/2)

The Drones began to talk together. ”I think that the whole swarm should fly at the Kingbird and sting him and drive him away,” said one. ”There is no sense in allowing him to perch outside our home and catch us as we pa.s.s in and out. _I_ say that we should make war upon him!” He looked very fierce as he spoke, buzzing and twitching his feelers at every step.

”Exactly!” cried another Drone. ”If I had a sting, I would lead the attack. As it is, I may be useful in guarding the comb. It is a great pity that Drones have no stings.” You would have thought, to hear him speak, that if he had been given a sting like those of the Workers, not all the Bees in the tree could keep him from fighting.

While the Drones were talking about war, some of the Workers sent to their Queen for advice. ”Tell us,” they said, ”how to drive away the Kingbird. Should we try to sting him? You know it kills a Bee to sting anybody, and we don't want to if we can help it, yet we will if you say so.”

The Queen-Mother shook her head. ”You must not bother me about such things,” she said. ”I have all that I can do to get the eggs ready, and you must look after the swarm. n.o.body else can do my work, and I have no time to do yours.” As she spoke, she finished the one hundred and seventeenth egg of that day's lot, and before night came she would probably have laid more than a thousand, so you can see she was quite right when she said she had no time for other things.

This left the Workers to plan for themselves, and they agreed that a number of them should fly out together and see where the Kingbird was.

Then they could decide about attacking him later. When one gave the signal, they dashed out as nearly together as possible.

After the Workers returned with honey and pollen, the Drones crowded around them, asking questions. ”Where is he? What does he look like? Did he try to catch you?” The Workers would not answer them, and said: ”Go and find out for yourself. We all came back alive.” Then they went about their work as usual.

”I don't see how they dared to go,” said a very young Bee who was just out of her coc.o.o.n and was still too weak to fly.

”Pooh!” said the big Drone. ”You wouldn't see me hanging around this tree if I were not lame.”

”There is no use in stopping work even if you are scared,” said one of the Workers. She smiled as she spoke, and whispered something to the Queen-Mother as she pa.s.sed her. The Queen-Mother smiled also.

”Why don't you Drones go for honey?” she said. ”You must be getting very hungry.”

”We don't feel very well,” they answered. ”Perhaps it would be better for our health if we were to keep quiet for a while and save our strength. We will lunch off some of the honey in the comb if we need food.”

”Not a bit of it!” exclaimed the Workers. ”Stay in the tree if you want to for your health, but don't you dare touch the honey we have gathered for winter, when the day is clear and bright like this.” And whenever a Drone tried to get food from the comb they drove him away.

The poor Drones had a hard day of it, and at night they were so hungry they could hardly sleep. The next morning they peeped out, and then rushed away to the flowers for their breakfast. They stayed out all day, and when they returned at night they rushed swiftly into the tree again.

”There!” they said; ”we escaped the Kingbird.”

”What Kingbird?” asked a Worker.

”The one who was there yesterday,” answered the Drones. ”Has he been back to-day?”

”There was no Kingbird near the tree yesterday,” said the Worker.

”What!” cried the Drones.

”No,” said the Queen-Mother, ”I was mistaken when I thought I heard him.

The Workers told me after they had been out for honey. Perhaps they forgot to tell you.”

But her eyes twinkled as she spoke, and all the Workers smiled, and for some reason the Drones did not know what to say.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

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