“I believe this thing has bees in it too,” interrupted Bob, who was trying to open the door of the old cupboard.
The door gave a little, and let out a trickle of brownish honey, and three or four excited bees. The insects buzzed about for a moment, and then found their way outdoors, and, examining the exterior of the cabin, the boys found a hole through the boards opposite the cupboard. There was a stream of entering and returning bees, and it was evident that a flourishing colony dwelt there. Returning to the cabin, they presently discovered still another colony snugly established between the inner boards and the studding of the wall.
“Why, this place is full of ’em!” cried Carl, looking about rather wildly.
“The more the better!” Bob laughed. “I’ll bet anything there’s a swarm somewhere up the chimney too.”
The chimney was built up on the outside of the cabin, and made of crossed sticks heavily plastered with clay. Carl put his head into the fireplace and gazed upward.
“You’re right,” he said. “The chimney’s blocked half-way up, and I can hear the bees and smell ’em. We’ll never be able to get them out of that without killing them.”
“Dick’s gums must have swarmed and swarmed,” said Bob. “Joe told me that the more swarms these gum-keepers get the better they like it. There must have been hundreds of swarms every summer, especially after the old nigger went away and the bees had no sort of attention. I expect they filled up every hollow tree within reach. It’s a wonder they didn’t overrun the whole country.”
“Why, yes! There must be lots of bee-trees close by here,” Carl exclaimed. “I never thought of it, but let’s look for them. They’re just as good as the gums.”
They did not have far to look. Just behind the cabin they found a colony in a decayed stump, and another in a hollow gum-tree within twenty yards. Bob made the curious discovery of a swarm living in an old keg half covered with brushwood; the bees were flying through the open bung-hole. There were three more bee-trees a little way up the slope toward the spring, and down by the bayou they found apparently two swarms living in the same tree.
“The woods are certainly full of ’em!” said Bob. “Very likely there are more bees around here in the trees than Old Dick ever had in his gum-yard.”