Part 24 (1/2)
She broke off There, thrust through the dooras the head of the first brigand The feelers played about, groping, cautious, the pincers opened and closed It was a blood-curdling sight Slowly the huge black-and-gold striped body with its strong wings crept in after the head The light falling in frolea like a quiver went through the ranks of the bees, but the silence remained unbroken
The hornet withdrew quietly Outside he could be heard announcing:
”They're fast asleep But the entrance is half walled up and there are no sentinels I do not knohether to take this as a good or a bad sign”
”A good sign!” rang out ”Forward!”
At that two giants leapt in through the entrance side by side; after the warriors, awful to behold Eight made their way into the hive Still no orders to attack from the queen Was she duands, did they not see in the shadow, to right and left, the soldiers drawn up in close, glittering ranks ready for h:
”In the naht, in the name of your queen, to the defense of the real roar went up Never before had the city been shaken by such a battle-cry It threatened to burst the hive in two Where, an instant before, the hornets had been visible singly, there were now buzzing heaps, thick, dark, rolling knots A young officer had scarcely awaited the end of the queen's words He wanted to be the first to attack He was the first to die He had stood for soerness for battle, and at the first sound of the order he rushed forward right into the clutches of the fore found its way between the head and upper breast-ring of his opponent; he heard the hornet give a yell of rage, saw hiold-black ball Then the bandit's fearful sting leapt out and pierced between the young officer's breast-rings right into his heart; and dying the bee felt himself and hisbees His brave death inspired theness to die for a noble cause Fearful was their attack upon the invaders The hornets were sore pressed
But the hornets are an old race of robbers, trained to warfare
Pillage and h the initial assault of the bees had confused and divided theht have sees did not penetrate their breastplates, and their strength and gigantic size gave thee of which they ell aware Their sharp, buzzing battle-cry rose high above the battle-cry of the bees It is a sound that fills all creatures with horror, even hunal, and are careful not to enter into conflict with hornets unprotected
Those of the assailants who had already penetrated into the hive quickly realized that they must make their way still deeper inward if they were not to block up the entrance to their co knots rolled farther and farther down the dark streets and corridors How right the queen had been in her tactics! No sooner was a bit of space at the entrance cleared than the ranks in the rear leapt forward to its defense It was an old strategy, and a dreadful one for the enens of exhaustion, the bees shammed the same, and let hireat swarm of fresh soldiers dashed up to defend the apparently unprotected entrance, while the invader who had gone on ahead would find hi ranks of soldier-bees who had not yet stirred a finger in battle Generally he succumbed to their superior nuroans of the wounded and the shrieks of the dying ony with the fierce battle-cries The hornets'
stings worked fearful havoc a knots left tracks of dead bodies in their wake The hornets, whose retreat had been cut off, realizing that they would never see the light of day again, fought the fight of despair Yet, slowly, one by one, they succuh their strength was inexhaustible, not so the poison of their sting After a ti lost its virulence, and the wounded bees, knowing they'd recover, fought in the consciousness of certain victory To this was added the grief of the bees for their dead; it gave them the power of divine wrath
Gradually the din subsided The loud calls of the hornets on the outside met with no response from the invaders within
”They are all dead,” said the leader of the hornets grimly, and summoned the combatants back from the entrance Their numbers had melted down to half
”We have been betrayed,” said the leader ”The bees were prepared”
The hornets were assehter, and the red of dawn tinged the tops of the linden-trees The birds began to sing The dew fell Pale and quivering with rage of battle, the warriors stood around their leader, aging an awful inward struggle Should he yield to prudence or to his lust for pillage? The former prevailed
There was no use anyway His whole tribe was in danger of destruction Grudgingly, in a shudder of thwarted aer to the bees to sue for the return of the prisoners
He chose his cleverest officer and called upon him by name
A depressed silence instead of an answer The officer was a those who had been cut off
The leader, overcome now by mortal dread lest those who had entered would never return, quickly chose another officer The raging and roaring in the beehive could be heard in the distance
”Be quick!” he cried, laying the white petal of a jass will soon coo away and leave them in peace forever if they will deliver up the prisoners”
The nal and alighted on the flying-board
The queen-bee was immediately informed that an emissary was outside anted to make terms, and she sent her aide to parley with him When he returned with his report she sent back this reply:
”We will deliver up the dead if you want to take them away