THE BEE HUNT
1.THE beautiful forest in which we were encamped，abounded in bee-trees；that is to say，trees，in the decayed trunks of which wild bees had established their hives.It is surprising in what countless swarms the bees have overspread the far west，within but a moderate number of years.The Indians consider them but the harbinger of the white man，as the buffalo is of the red man；and say，that in proportion as the bee advances，the Indian and baffalo retire.They are always accustomed to associate the hum of the beehive with the farmhouse and flower-garden，and to consider those industrious little insects as connected with the busy haunts of man；and I am told，that the wild bee is seldom to be met with at any great distance from the frontier.They have been the heralds of civilization，steadfastly preceding it，as it advanced from the Atlantic borders，and some of the ancient settlers of the West pretend to give the very year when the honey-bee first crossed the Mississippi.
2.The Indians，with surprise，found the moldering trees of their forests suddenly teeming with ambrosial sweets，and nothing，I am told，can exceed the greedy relish with which they banquet，for the first time，upon this unbought luxury of the wilderness.At present，the honey-bee swarms in myriads in the noble groves and forests that skirt and intersect the prairies，and extend along the alluvial bottoms of the rivers.It seems to me as if these beautiful regions answer literally to the deion of the land of promise，“a land flowing with milk and honey；”for the rich pasturage of the prairies is calculated to sustainherds of cattle as countless as the sands on the seashore，while the flowers with which they are enameled，render them a very paradise for the nectar-seeking bee.
3.We had not been long in the camp，when a party set out in quest of a bee-tree；and，being curious to witness the sport，I gladly accepted an invitation to accompany them.
The party was headed by a veteran bee-hunter，a tall，lank fellow，with a homespun garb，that hung loosely about his limbs，and with a straw hat，shaped not unlike a beehive.A comrade，equally uncouth in garb，and without a hat，straddled along at his heels，with a long rifle on his shoulder.To these succeeded half a dozen others，some with axes，and some with rifles；for no one stirs far from the camp without his firearms，so as to be ready either for wild deer or wild Indians.
4.After proceeding for some distance，we came to an open glade on the skirts of the forest.Here our leader halted，and then advanced quietly to a low bush，on the top of which he placed a piece of honey-comb.This，I found，was the bait or lure for the wild bees.Several were soon humming about it，and diving into the cells.When they had laden themselves with honey，they would rise into the air，and dart off in a straight line，almost with the velocity of a bullet.The hunters watched attentively the course they took，and then set off in the same direction，stumbling along over twisted roots and fallen trees，with their eyes turned up to the sky.In this way，they traced the honey-laden bees to their hive，in the hollow trunk of a blasted oak，where，after buzzing about for a moment，they entered a hole，about sixty feet from the ground.
5.Two of the bee-hunters now plied their axes vigorously at the foot of the tree，to level it with the ground.The mere spectators and amateurs，in the meantime，drew off to a cautious distance，to be out of the way of the falling of the tree，and the vengeance of its inmates.The jarring blows of the ax seemed to have no effect in alarming or disturbing this most industrious community.They continued to ply at their usual occupations；some arriving，full freighted，into port，others sallying forth，on new expeditions，like so many merchantmen in a money-making metropolis，little suspicious of impending bankruptcy and downfall.Even a loud crack，which announced the disrupture of the trunk，failed to divert their attention from the intense pursuit of gain.At length，down came the tree，with a tremendous crash，bursting open from end to end，and displaying all the hoarded treasures of the commonwealth.
