Part 3 (1/2)
”There are plenty of leaves,” observed Maya
”All rented,” said the blue-bottle ”Now-a-days one is happy to be able to call a piece of ground one's own If o, I should still be without a proper place to live in It's not very pleasant to have to hunt up a different lodging every night Not everyone has such a well-ordered state as you bees But permit me to introduce myself My name is Jack Christopher”
Maya was silent with terror, thinking hoful it
”Are there s in the lake?” she asked and drew to the very middle of the leaf so as not to be seen froiving yourself unnecessary trouble,” he jeered ”The frog can see you from belohen the sun shi+nes, because then the leaf is transparent He sees you sitting on my leaf, perfectly”
Beset by the awful idea thatat her with his bulging hungry eyes, Maya was about to fly off when so for which she was totally unprepared In the confusion of the first mo She only heard a loud rustling like the wind in dry leaves, then a singing whistle, a loud angry hunter's cry And a fine, transparent shadow glided over her leaf Now she sa fully, and her heart stood still in terror A great, glittering dragon-fly had caught hold of poor Jack Christopher and held his, sharp as a knife The blade of the rush bent low beneath their weight
Maya could see the above her and also mirrored in the clear water below Jack's screa, she cried:
”Let the blue-bottle go, at once, whoever you are You have no right to interfere with people's habits You have no right to be so arbitrary”
The dragon-fly released Jack fros, but still held him fast with its arhtened by its large, grave eyes and vicious pincers, but the glittering of its body and wings fascinated her They flashed like glass and water and precious stones The horrifying thing was its huge size How could she have been so bold? She was all a-treon-fly's tone, surprisingly, was quite friendly
”Let hio,” cried Maya, and tears came into her eyes ”His naon-fly s on an interested air, though
Maya staentleman, and he's never done you any hararded Jack Christopher contemplatively
”Yes, he _is_ a dear little fellow,” it replied tenderly and--bit Jack's head off
Maya thought she was losing her senses For a long time she couldn't utter a sound In horror she listened to theabove her as the body of Jack Christopher the blue-bottle was being dison-fly with its”Your sensitiveness doesn't impress me Are you bees any better? What do you do? Evidently you are very young still and haven't looked about in your own house When the massacre of the drones takes place in the summer, the rest of the world is no less shocked and horrified, and _I_ think with greater justification”
Maya asked:
”Have you finished up there?” She did not dare to raise her eyes
”One leg still left,” replied the dragon-fly
”Do please s it Then I'll answer you,” cried Maya, who knew that the drones in the hive _had_ to be killed off in the suon-fly's stupidity ”But don't you dare to co on you”
Little Maya had really lost her te and the first tion-fly threw her a wicked glance It had finished itsMaya with its eyes and looking like a beast of prey about to pounce The little bee was quite cale froer afraid She set up a very fine clear buzzing as she had once heard a sentinel do when a wasp caon-fly said slowly and threateningly: