AT A CALIFORNIA SHEEP RANCH. IN THREE PARTS—PAST II.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 50, 30 September 1892, Page 25

AT A CALIFORNIA SHEEP RANCH. IN THREE PARTS— PAST 11.

By M. B. Gibsov.

Tapping a Bee-Tree. The day after their exploit in catching the cub bears, it became neoessary that Jim and Ham-fat should make a trip borne, and have an interview with their mother with regard to the condition of their elotbes. What that worthy woman would say to them was somewhat uncertain, and the faces of the boys lengthened as they pondered the ■abject. They went, however. BUI guessed that his mother would not let them come up to camp again 5 but in this he was mistaken, for during the afternoon of the nezt day we heard a long '• coo-whoop " down the trail, and saw both heading for the shack, driving the packmule, " Old Nig," loaded with vegetables. They were now arrayed in some old suits which they had outgrown, and their first exclamation was that they had found a bee-tree on the way np. It was not more than a hundred yards from the trail, they said, and about two miles baok from the camp, and they insisted that we must go with them to " tap it " that very night. 11 We'll do all the work I " cried Ham-fat. "We only want you to go for company and see the fan. We've planned how to get it." A mountain-lion bad harassed the sheep the previous night, and Bill had intended to watch for the animal that evening ; but the boys were so urgent that we yielded and went with them. We started shortly after dusk." We took the pack-mule, an aze, and two five-gallon tin cans for the honey. Jim had made a hive oat of an old naii-keg ; for they proposed to get the bees as well as the honey. There was no moon, but the stars shone brightly, and as the boys had been oweful to mark the spot, we bad no trouble in finding the tree, which was a stunted oak, aboat eighteen inches in diameter standing upon the very brink of a steep, rocky declivity . To fell the* tree was out of the question, for it leaned over the crag, and would have fallen at least a hundred feet before striking. Knocking on it with the back of the aze, the boys found that the tree was hollow. While Bill and 1 looked on, the two boys lighted a bright fire at the side of the tree, and chopped a hole near the bottom, Listening at the opening, they found that the bees were only ten or twelve feet above the ground. Jim cut a hols s high np as he could reach, through which, by the light of the fire, we could see masses of clear white honeycomb hanging down almost on a level with the hole. The bees had entered through a large knot-hole about twelve feet from the ground. This hole the boys had carefully stopped up at the outset. Jim now clambered up and adjusted tha n&il-keg over this knothole, propping it up, as he thought, quite securely, with sticks and poles which Ham-fat passed up to him. When Jim had arranged the keg and drawn oat the leaves with which be bad stopped the hole, both boys set about gathering sticks with which to make a platform to stand npon while getting out the honey. They also placed a few live coals in the hole at the bottom of the tree, and heaped piles of leaves and rotten wood over them to make * smoke and drive the bees oat. Bill and I sat and watched their manoeuvres, not a little amused. Their plans seemed to work very well, for the bees began to make the tree hum with their buzzing. They were manifestly pouring through the knot-bole into the keg. Jim now mounted the platform, and swinging the aze at a lively rate, soon began to lay bare the finest and largest store of honey that I had ever seen in a tree. We had been joking the lads somewhat, not ezpecting that they would find much honey in the tree, and we doubted Jim's abilily to manage the bees j but cv ything progressed so nicely up to this time that the boys began to augh at us in turn, declaring they should secure pack-load of ho ey besides a large swarm of bees. Bnt they were too confident. The tree contained not only a great amount of honey, but more bees than I had ever seen in one ■warm, and before Jim bad half finished chpppiog away the two or three inches of bark and wood whiob surrounded the honey, the kes literally overflowed with bees. Bill and I noticed, too, as we lay upon the ground at a safe distance, that the blows of Jim's aze made the keg totter, and that it

was likely at any moment to oome tumbling down upon the heads of the two boys, who were standing directly beneath it. " Jim," I called out, " your keg is over fall of bees I Hadn't yon better itop chopping and take care of them ? " " No," aaid Jim, who evidently distrusted my advice, " The bees are all right, and I'm going to bag the whole nest. Don't fret I" he added, with a sarcastic chuckle. " Maybe you think we don't know how to tap a bee-tree. We'll show you." Whack went his aze again, but he had not dealt many mora blows before down came the keg I Luckily for the boys, it was thrown a little to one by its aide props, and went over the brink of the crag. About a pint of the bees fell down upon them, however, and landed for the most part on Jim's head. They were in a stinging mood, and stung fiercely whecevef they touched. Jim dropped bis aze and jumped to the ground, screaming, slapping, and brushing frantically at the back of bis shirt. Ham-fat fared but little better. They: made the hills echo with their outcries. The hills also sohoed with Bill's iboute, hot bis were shouts of laoghter. It was several seconds after the keg went over the crag before I heard it strike. Then it bounded on downward, thumping and bouncing, scattering the bees right and left. We found what thwe was left of the keg a week later nearly a quarter of a mile from the beetree. The boys soon shook oft the bees, but were not rid of the sin tit of their stings so readily. Jim was half inclined to give it np, trot Ham-fat's temper was of a more gritty sort. Our laughter had hurt him more than the bee-Btings, and he was determined now to have the honey at any cost. " Laugh away, if it amuses you I " he shouted to us. " Maybe you think we're going to give np, but that's where yon are mistaken. We'll have that honey. Oome on, Jim, let's finish up the business I" He and Jim then set to work gathering up damp brush and rotten wood, so as to create plenty of smoke, Piling the wet iuel on the coals of the fire about the roots of the oak. a dens* smoke was raised, which soon drove away the bses which were bussing about. Under cover of the smoke Jim again mounted the platform, and succeeded in catting away enough of the tree to enable him to get at the honey. They then aleared out large blocks of oomb, and soon filled both the cans. There was enough of it, indeed, to have filled several more. Jim, whose stings no longer troubled him much, was inclined to jeer at us. "Hal ha ! Ton smart fellows I " be shouted to Bill and me. 11 What do you think now ? You'd like to help eat this honey,* wouldn't you? But you won't get the chance! We'll pack the whole of it down to the ranch, won't we, Ham-fat ? " '.' Yes, and sell half of it at the store for some clothes. Mother won't want so much honey." They brought up the mule, and set the large cans, which were about a foot square and eighteen inches deep, into a rawhide pockets which hung from each side of the pack saddle, lashing them firmly in place. While they were tagging at the ropes Bill and I noticed that now and then a bee was beginning to buzz by again. They flew blindly, in the darkness, alighting everywhere, crawling rapidly about, and stinging too. The old male began to get uneasy. He stamped his feet, flapped bis long ears, and shook himself several times. The boys made slow progress. " Whoa, old mule ; what's the matter with you ?" oried Jim. " It's the bees coming back from the keg," Bill whispered to me. " Why don't you hold the male?" cried Jim ; for the animal was now plungiog about, and immediately began to kick violently. " I can't hold him, Jim," panted Ham-fat. « Something's got into him I Onch 1" he ried, slapping at the back of bis neck. « The bees are at me again 1" The bees were no doubt mercilessly at work on the mule. Jerking away from Ham-fat, he kicked, reared, and bucked, as only a mule can, till all the fine comb honey was well churned and thrown over the tides of the cans. Then, finding that he could not rid himself of his tormentors, the brute suddenly wheeled about, struck into the trail, and started for camp at a terrific gallop. Jim and Ham-fat gave chase, fighting off bees as they ran. As soon as we recovered from our laughter, Bill and I followed. The mule had left such a trail of honey and bees behind him that we found it prudent to keep to one side. About half a mile further on we overtook the boys, who had sat down to nurse their wounds ; for the bees had stung them pretty badly during this last encounter Neither felt like talking ; in spite of Ham-fat's youthful fortitude' the big tears would gather in his eyes— tears be disdained to wipe away, but occasionally dislodged with an impatient shake of his head. When we reached the shack the old mule was standing by the door, bis ears lopped over in front, and bis head bowed almost to the ground ; while, from the tips of his ears t6 the end of his tail—packsaddle, ropes, straps and all— he was a mass of dripping bonsy I

Not more than a gallon was left in both cans, and that was unfit for use. It was long put midnight before Bill and I fell asleep ; and, in consequence, I was very late astir next morning, though Bill went out at five o'clock, and took the sheep to grate. I was faintly conscious of bis departure, and later on was dimly aware that the boys were awake and whispering, but I fell asleep again. It was almost eight o'clock when I woke at last. 1 was alone in the shack. Where Jim and Ham-fat had gone I could not think. I rose and proceeded to get breakfast. Bill had shot a deer the previous morning, and we had abundance of venison steak on hand. After a bit Bill came in from the range, and when I asked him where were the boys, he said he had seen nothing of them. " I think they felt pretty sore this morning, and left for the ranch," said be. But as we were sitting down to breakfast the boys came in sight along the trail— Jim with a large can in eaoh hand, and Ham-fat with two buckets all heaped full of honeycomb. " How's that ?" they cried out in triumph, setting the cans and buckets on the table. " Look at that, will you l' : Their bee-stings had ceased to smart during the night, and their courage had revived. We found that they had set off at six o'clock, and going back to the bee-tree, had made dense smoke, nnder cover of which they had been able to fill both the cans and the buckets with the comb. M And we haven't half of it yet I " cried Ham-fat. " The whole trunk of the tree up above the hole is full of comb. We are going back as soon as we can get something to eat, and get the rest of it." II Ob, we'll show you yet that we can take care of a bee-tree," added Jim. Bill was obliged to return to the sheep ; but after breakfast all the remaining pails and kettles about the camp, to the number of aix or seven, were mustered, and I went with the boys to the tree. But before we had reached it we beard a deep humming sound* wbioh was almost a roar. Approaching nearer, the air aboui the oak was seen to be actually dark with hers. Attracted probably by the odour of the scattered sweets, not only the rightful proprietors, but one or more uwarms of n bber bees bad com« about the tree, and apparently a tenific battle was raging be ween them. While we stood watching the cloud of iusvets, another would-be robber made bis appearance on the scene, in the shape of a large bear which suddenly climbed up into view from over the brink of the declivity. We had been so loaded down with pails and kettles that we bad neglected to take a gun — an oversight which Ham-fat ani Jim lamented in eloquent whispers, as we crouched behind a rock. The bear, a large cinnamon, walked around the tree, inspecting it on all sides for some minutes. If the bees stung him he did not appear to mind it. " Let's all three yell at him together," said Jim, " and see if we can't send him off. If be gets bis paws into that honey he'll spoil it I " 'in " He may rush at us," said Ham-fat. "No, be won't," whispered Jim, " and if he does, we'll run for those little pines back of us here, and climb out of his way. All leady now, year As onr discordant shout burst on the bear's ears, he jumped suddenly aside and, as I now think, mistaking the direction from which the sound had come, ran directly towards the rock behind which we lay bidden. There was no knowing exactly what his intention was ; and if ever three fellows made a rapid movement towards three low pines we were the trio, I am confident. The creature had no sooner Been or scented us, however, than he turned away, and made off through the woods. 11 1 told you he wouldn't touch us," Jim now exclaimed. " Then what are you half-way up that pine for ? " retorted Hamfat. •' I didn't know but what he might run into me by mistake," mutteied Jim. Brush and decayed wood were again collected, and another immense smoke mieed beside the tree ; and while I tended it the boys tore down more than enough honey-comb to fill all our dishes, and Bill packed about a hundred pounds down to his mother next morning. (To be concluded in our next.)