Part 23 (2/2)

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CHAPTER XVI

THE BATTLE

The kingdom of the bees was in a whirl of excitement Not even in the days of the revolution had the turreat The hive rumbled and roared Every bee was fired by a holy wrath, a burning ardor to asp Yet there was no disorder or confusion Marvelous the speed hich the regiments were mobilized, marvelous the way each soldier knew his duty and fell into his right place and took up his right work

It was high time At the queen's call for volunteers to defend the entrance, a number of bees offered themselves, and of these several had been sent out to see if the ene dots--and reported that the hornets were drawing near

An awesome hush of expectancy fell upon the hive Soldiers in three closed ranks stood lined up at the entrance, proud, pale, solemn, composed No one spoke The silence of death prevailed, except for the low co up the reserves in the rear The hive seemed to be fast asleep

The only stir caenerators were at work in feverish silence executing their orders to narrow the entrance ax As by a one up, which even the strongest hornets could not batter doithout great loss of time The hole had been reduced by almost half

The queen took up an elevated position inside the hive from which she was able to survey the battle Her aides flew scurrying hither and thither

The third er returned He sank down exhausted at the queen's feet

”I ath he had left ”The others have been killed”

”Where are the hornets?” asked the queen

”At the lindens!-- Listen, listen,” he staiants”

No sound was heard It ination, hepursued

”How many are there?” asked the queen sternly ”Answer in a low voice”

”I counted forty”

Although the queen was startled by the ene, confident voice that all could hear, she said:

”Not one of theain”

Her words, which seemed to sound the enemy's doom, had instant effect Men and officers alike felt their courage rise

But when in the quiet of thewas heard outside the hive, first softly, then louder and louder, and the entrance darkened, and the whispering voices of the hornets, the htful robbers and murderers in the insect world, penetrated into the hive, then the faces of the valiant little bees turned pale as if washed over by a drab light falling upon their ranks They gazed at one another with eyes in which death sat waiting, and those ere ranged at the entrance knew full well that one moment more and all would be over with them

The queen's controlled voice cah:

”Let the robbers enter one by one until I give orders to attack

Then those at the front throw themselves upon the invaders a hundred at a time, and the ranks behind cover the entrance In that e shall divide up the eneth and endurance and bravery depends the fate of the whole state Have no fear; in the dusk the eneht away hoell prepared we are, and he will enter unsuspecting”