The bumble-bee had chosen another blossom for himself and between sips contentedly murmured to Tom, »This is my only pleasure. See how good it tastes to you also. Now you can see what it is to be merry«.
Tom no longer knew what he was about. He sat in the blossom, singing and drinking, and forgetting everything around him. Presently, the bumble-bee, paying no further attention to Tom, flew away; but Tom did not notice this and was soon so befuddled, that he hardly knew anything at all.
After a while, the Godmother came to the rock to see what he was about. Not finding him on top of the stone, she looked carefully around and soon discovered him peeping out of the monks-hood blossom. His little face was very red. He laughed and shouted and paid no attention to her when she spoke to him. At this she became angry, for she saw that he had been up to mischief; so she plucked the flower and took Tom out of it.
»Will you not obey,« she said, »there is nothing else to do but to tie you up, or you will lose your life somewhere.«
Taking him to the meadow, she pulled a hair from her head and tied him to a great thistle. Tom was so overcome by the sweet juice of the monkshood, that he lay down and immediately fell asleep.
When he awoke after a while, he had a severe headache. He thought over what he had done and was very much ashamed that he had allowed himself to be misled by the drunken bumble-bee. He saw that he had been tied up and felt very sorry, wondering how he should excuse himself to his Godmother when she should return to him.
In the meantime, Speckle, the cow, who had been grazing not far away, was all the while coming nearer and nearer to the spot where Tom had been fastened. He was lying flat on his back, gazing up into the sky, when suddenly a great mouth opened above him, extending from the earth to the sky, and—presto—as if a strong wind had blown, everything around him disappeared.
With a great rattle, the jaws with their powerful teeth closed over him and Tom found himself in complete darkness. All doubled up behind one back tooth, he screamed lustily; but Speckle was moving her tongue and grinding the grass and did not feel Tom at all. Holding his breath, he waited until Speckle opened her mouth, when he ran quickly out on her lip and up on her nose to her forehead, where he held himself by grasping the hair between her horns. He gave a great sigh of relief as he saw that he was saved.
When Speckle turned her head, Tom sat quietly, then got up and started for a walk along her neck and head.