Among the Forest People Read online

  THE BEES AND THE KINGBIRD

  There was in the forest a great hollow tree where for years a swarm ofBees had made their home. To look at it in winter, one would never guesswhat a store of honey was sealed up within, but in summer the Bees werealways passing in and out, and it was indeed a busy place. Then theWorkers had to gather honey and build the cells and look out for theQueen-Mother's many babies. The Queen-Mother had so much care of hereggs that she could really do nothing but attend to them. After theywere ready in their cells, the Workers took care of them, and tucked ina lot of bread for the babies to eat when they were hatched. Then therewas the bread-making to be done also, and all the Workers helped bringthe pollen, or flower-dust, out of which it was made.

  The Drones didn't do anything, not a thing, not a single thing, unlessit were taking care of the Queen when she flew away from the tree. Theyhad done that once, but it was long ago, before she had laid an egg andwhile she was still quite young. They were handsome great fellows, allblack and gold, and if you didn't know about them, you might havethought them the pleasantest Bees in the tree. Of course you would notcare for them after finding how lazy they were, for people are neverliked just because they are fine-looking.

  The Drones always found some excuse for being idle, and like many otherlazy people they wanted the busy ones to stop and visit with them. "Whatis the hurry?" they would say. "There will be more honey that you canget to-morrow. Stop a while now."

  But the Workers would shake their brown heads and buzz impatiently asthey answered, "We can get to-morrow's honey when to-morrow comes, butto-day's honey must be gathered to-day."

  Then the Drones would grumble and say that they didn't see the sense ofstoring up so much honey anyway. That also was like lazy people theworld over, for however much they scold about getting the food, they aresure to eat just as much as anybody else. Sometimes lazy people eat evenmore than others, and pick for the best too.

  On cloudy days, the Workers did stay at home in the tree, but not toplay. They clung to the walls and to each other and made wax. It tookmuch patience to make wax. When they were gathering honey there was somuch that was interesting to be seen, and so many friends to meet, thatit was really quite exciting; but when they made wax they had to hangfor a long, long time, until the wax gathered in flakes over theirbodies. Then it was ready to scrape off and shape into six-sided cellsto hold honey or to be homes for the babies.

  One sunshiny morning the Queen-Mother stopped laying her eggs and cried:"Listen! did you hear that?"

  "What?" asked the Workers, crowding around her.

  "Why, that noise," she said. "It sounded like a bird calling 'Kyrie!K-y-rie!' and I thought I heard a Worker buzzing outside a minute ago,but no one has come in. I am afraid--" and here she stopped.

  "Of what are you afraid!" asked the Drones, who, having nothing to dobut eat and sleep, were always ready to talk about anything andeverything. The great trouble with them was that if you once began totalk they did not like to have you leave and go to work.

  "Why," said the Queen-Mother, "I don't want to alarm you, but I thoughtit was a Kingbird."

  "Well, what if it was?" said a big Drone. "There is only one of him andthere are a great many of us."

  "Yes," said the Queen-Mother, "but there may not be so many of us verylong if he begins to watch the tree. I have lived much longer than youand I know how Kingbirds act."

  This was true, for Queens live to be very old, and Drones never livelong because they are so lazy.

  "Well," said the big Drone, "we must find out about this. Just flyaround and see if it is a Kingbird," he said to a Worker. "We must knowabout things before we act."

  "Suppose you should go," she replied. "I have my leg-pockets full ofpollen, and it ought to be made into bread at once. I never saw Larvae sohungry as these last ones are."

  "I only wish that I could go," said the big Drone, limping as he got outof her way; "but my fifth foot just stepped on my third foot, and I canhardly move."

  When he said this, all the Workers smiled, and even the Queen-Mother hadto turn away her head. The Drones looked as solemn as possible. It wouldnot do for them to laugh at their brother. They did not want him tolaugh at them when they made excuses for staying at home. They evenpretended not to hear one of the Workers when she said that it wasfunny how some people couldn't use their wings if one of their feet hurtthem.

  "Yes," said another Worker, "and it is funny, too, how some people canget along very well on three legs when they have to, while others aretoo helpless to do anything unless they can use the whole six."

  The Drones began to talk together. "I think that the whole swarm shouldfly at the Kingbird and sting him and drive him away," said one. "Thereis no sense in allowing him to perch outside our home and catch us as wepass in and out. _I_ say that we should make war upon him!" He lookedvery fierce as he spoke, buzzing and twitching his feelers at everystep.

  "Exactly!" cried another Drone. "If I had a sting, I would lead theattack. As it is, I may be useful in guarding the comb. It is a greatpity that Drones have no stings." You would have thought, to hear himspeak, that if he had been given a sting like those of the Workers, notall the Bees in the tree could keep him from fighting.

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

  The Queen-Mother shook her head. "You must not bother me about suchthings," she said. "I have all that I can do to get the eggs ready, andyou must look after the swarm. Nobody else can do my work, and I have notime to do yours." As she spoke, she finished the one hundred andseventeenth egg of that day's lot, and before night came she wouldprobably have laid more than a thousand, so you can see she was quiteright when she said she had no time for other things.

  This left the Workers to plan for themselves, and they agreed that anumber of them should fly out together and see where the Kingbird was.Then they could decide about attacking him later. When one gave thesignal, they dashed out as nearly together as possible.

  After the Workers returned with honey and pollen, the Drones crowdedaround them, asking questions. "Where is he? What does he look like? Didhe try to catch you?" The Workers would not answer them, and said: "Goand find out for yourself. We all came back alive." Then they went abouttheir work as usual.

  "I don't see how they dared to go," said a very young Bee who was justout of her cocoon and was still too weak to fly.

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

  "There is no use in stopping work even if you are scared," said one ofthe Workers. She smiled as she spoke, and whispered something to theQueen-Mother as she passed her. The Queen-Mother smiled also.

  "Why don't you Drones go for honey?" she said. "You must be getting veryhungry."

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

  "Not a bit of it!" exclaimed the Workers. "Stay in the tree if you wantto for your health, but don't you dare touch the honey we have gatheredfor winter, when the day is clear and bright like this." And whenever aDrone 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 hungrythey could hardly sleep. The next morning they peeped out, and thenrushed 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 beenback to-day?"

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

  "What!" cried the Dron
es.

  "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 theyforgot to tell you."

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