Part 24 (2/2)

There are no prisoners All of your people who invaded our territory are dead Your proain, whenever you wish You will fare no better than you did to-day And if you want to go on with the battle we are ready to fight to the last bee”

The leader of the hornets turned pale when this ht with hiladly would he have yielded to the wishes of his warriors who claain,” he hissed ”How could this thing have happened to us? Are we not a n of lory How can I face the queen after this defeat?”

In a quiver of fury he cried again: ”How could this thing have happened to us? There must be treachery somewhere”

An older hornet known as a friend of the queen's here took up the word

”It is true, we _are_ a more powerful race, but the bees are a unified nation, and unflinchingly loyal to their people and their state That is a great source of strength; it makes them irresistible Not one of theht of self serves the weal of all”

The leader scarcely listened

”My day is coeois! I aand-- But to keep up the battle noould be ood would it do us if we destroyed the whole hive, and none of us caer, he cried:

”Give us back our dead We ithdraw”

A dead silence fell The er flew off

”We h I don't think the hornets are in a fighting mood at present,” said the queen bee when she heard the hornets' decision She gave orders for the rear-guard, wax-generators, and honey-carriers to reuarded the entrance

Her orders were carried out Over and's body after another was dragged to the entrance and thrown to the ground outside

In gloomy silence the troop of hornets waited on the silver-fir and saw the corpses of their fallen warriors drop one by one to the earth

The sun arose upon a scene of endless desolation Twenty-one slain, who had died a glorious death, rass under the city of the bees Not a drop of honey, not a single prisoner had been taken by the enemy The hornets picked up their dead and fleay, the battle was over, the bees had conquered

But at what a cost! Everywhere lay fallen bodies, in the streets and corridors, in the dim places before the brooders and honey-cupboards Sad was the work in the hive on that lovelyof summer sunshi+ne and scented blossoms The dead had to be disposed of, the wounded had to be bandaged and nursed But before the hour of noon had struck, the regular tasks were begun; for the bees neither celebrated their victory nor spent tirief locked quietly in his breast and went about his work

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVII

THE QUEEN'S FRIEND

The noise of battle awoke Maya out of a brief sleep She juhtanted to dash out to help defend the city, but soon realized that she was too weak to be of any help

A group of struggling co young hornet, an officer, Maya judged by his badge, as defending hi nu knot drew nearer To Maya's horror it left one dead bee after another in its wake But nuiant: whole clusters of bees, ready to die rather than let go, hung to his ar to pierce between the rings of his breast Maya saw hi to the very end, neither suing for and's death

The bees left him and hurried back to the entrance to throw themselves anew into the conflict