This success was immediately followed by a second discharge,
wounding two more of the enemy, while Ben held the second barrel of
his "shot-gun" in reserve. While the hurt animals were hobbling off,
the men reloaded their pieces; and by the time the last were ready
to advance on the enemy, the ground was cleared of bears and bees
alike, only two of the former remaining, of which one was already
dead and the other dying. As for the bees, they followed their
retreating enemies in a body, making a mistake that sometimes
happens to still more intelligent beings; that of attributing to
themselves, and their own prowess, a success that had been gained by
others.
The bee-hunter and his friend now set themselves at work to provide
a reception for the insects, the return of which might shortly be
expected. The former lighted a fire, being always provided with the
means, while Gershom brought dry wood. In less than five minutes a
bright blaze was gleaming upward, and when the bees returned, as
most of them soon did, they found this new enemy intrenched, as it
might be, behind walls of flame. Thousands of the little creatures
perished by means of this new invention of man, and the rest soon
after were led away by their chiefs to seek some new deposit for the
fruits of their industry.
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