Then the snail was angry and went to her house and said to her family, “The bees are our enemies. In fifteen days, five of you must go to their house and destroy it.”
So they went. But when they reached the bee’s house, they found no one there; and they said, “We are glad, for we can eat their honey.” And they ate honey until sunset. Then the bee king and all his people in great numbers came with joyous singing, drumming, and dancing to their home.
When the bee king saw the five snails in his house he said, “Friends, this is not your home nor your food. Why do you come here and eat all our honey? But [[34]]it is late, and you are welcome to stay overnight with us, if you do not hurt our children.”
The big snail only laughed and answered, “This is very good honey. I have moved my family here. We will stay not only one night or two nights, but forever, and we will eat your honey for our food as long as it lasts.”
The bee king said, “I will allow you to stay only one night here. You can not live in my house. You do no good thing to help. I am afraid even to let you stay one night. My honey may be all taken and the babies killed while we sleep to-night.”
And he said to the wise old bees, “Do not sleep. We can not trust them.”
The next morning the wise bees came and told the king, “Thirty-five babies died last night. The snails crept all about our house and poisoned them. And they left much mouth-dirt in the honey so that we fear it will kill even man to eat it. We must drive them away, O king.”
“One day more and if they do not go, we will do some other thing,” said the bee king.
Then he went to talk to the snails again and said, “Friends, you are looking fat; I know you are satisfied here and like my honey, but why do you kill my people and why do you spoil our honey? I think I [[35]]know why. I believe you are an enemy, for I remember now that I met a snail mother some time ago, who scolded me and my people. I believe you are her children.
“Be that as it may, I now tell you that if you snails do not leave my house before to-morrow at midday, you die here.”