ATTACK BY BEES.
Some days ago the following singular narrative appeared in the Berlin Gazette: it was furnished to that paper by M. Eulert, a merchant of that city, who was himself the party principally concerned:—
"I was travelling," says M. Eulert, "on the 20th of July, at 7 o'clock in the morning, in my carriage, accompanied by my wife, on my way from Wirtemberg to Berlin, between Kroppstadt and the town of Schmogelsdorf, which is contiguous to the high road; I observed one of my horses rub himself with uneasiness against the other. I remarked to my wife that the animal no doubt was stung by a horse-fly. Whilst we were talking upon the subject, we were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of bees, so thick, that our carriage horses, coachman, my wife, and myself, were completely covered. The furious insects attached themselves immediately to the nose, mouth, eyes and ears of each horse; the two animals seemed to be deprived of every sense, and as if overcome with stupor, they lay down, and stretched themselves out an unresisting prey to the bees.
"As soon as we perceived this cloud of insects to lessen around us, my wife threw over her hat the hood of her night cloak, got out of the carriage, went back a little way on the road, and instinctively fled into the ditch, where she lay down with her face to the earth. I exerted myself in the meantime in endeavouring to get over this disaster; I went also out of the carriage, and covering my face and neck with my handkerchief, I re-ascended the carriage, and with all my strength cried out for help.—Three peasants, a short distance off, had all the while calmly observed my situation; but neither by the offer of reward, nor by the most urgent entreaty, could I prevail upon them to render us any assistance; they turned their backs upon us, and pursued their way to the village. In this unhappy plight I walked on for half an hour, when I met the road-keeper, named Daniel Arndt, and a carrier, named David Henry, accompanied by some labourers, and driving a cart with three horses.—Still tormented by the bees, and pursued by them with inconceivable bitterness, I breathed at last, and was relieved by this rencontre, as these good people had lighted tobacco pipes, and the smoke dispersed my disagreeable guests.
"The carrier being informed of the danger, in order not to expose himself to it, would not stir one pace further; and as the bees began to surround us on all sides, he unharnessed his team, left his cart laden with goods on the road, and took a by-way in order to place his horses under shelter in the village. Soon after the other people accompanied me to where my horses were, and they brought with them an abundance of hay and straw. There we found my unfortunate coachman stretched in the ditch, his head and hands all covered with bees, so that the road-keeper was obliged to use a brush to get them off his face; his hair was matted with blood, and as the insects could not be extricated, they were crushed to death.—Whilst this operation was going on, we set fire to the straw, and succeeded in driving away the bees.
"As soon as the carrier had placed his horses in safety, he came back to us having fortified himself in every way against the bees, and showed himself anxious to give all the assistance in his power to my horses.—But one of them was so severely injured, that he died the same day. The other was conducted to Schmogelsdorf; but though the veterinary surgeon exhausted all his skill, the animal perished in twenty-four hours after.
"My coachman had brought his misfortune on himself, because, in endeavouring to succour the horses, he had lost his hat. The bees fastened on his naked head, and deprived him of his senses, and for forty-eight hours he remained in a state of suffering that threatened to terminate in his death. We were supplied with horses, and had him conveyed to Treuenbrietzen, where he recovered. He had at first cried out so vehemently for assistance, that the bees got into his mouth and throat. I myself passed twenty-four hours in extreme pain at the same place, and was compelled to apply several poultices, to my head, neck, and ears, to appease the inflammation.
"My wife, who, as if by inspiration, threw herself down into the ditch, came out again perfectly safe—and in a few days after, the coachman and I were at length entirely recovered.
"I attribute this accident to two causes. In the first place, I now believe it was not a horse fly that stung the horse, as I at first supposed, but rather the queen bee, which must have been killed when the animal rubbed against his companion. I conjecture this to have been the case, from the natural history of these insects; it is very common to see a swarm of bees, when deprived of their leading queen, unite with other swarms, and fall with a species of madness, upon the first objects they encounter.
"In the next place, I attribute the circumstance to the fact, that, contrary to express prohibition of the magistrates, the Commune of Schmogelsdorf, besides its proper number of 900 hives, takes in an equal number from the neighbouring communes to tend during the time of swarming, because the flowers, fields and gardens which it contains, present a singularly rich pasture for such insects. Hence it happens, that in a small space nearly two thousand hives are crowded together, so that in the season of swarming it is dangerous to pass that way.