"Good-bye," called Billy, to the astonished crowd, "I had forgotten that you couldn't do any more than nearly catch me or I should not have been frightened."
And the last Billy ever saw of Shamville was a great sea of big round eyes and wide open mouths.
"I wonder whether this is the beginning or the end of my adventures," said Billy to himself. "I hope it is the last because I really want to deliver this note to Bogie Man as soon as I can. They will think it strange at the office if I'm gone longer than a week delivering one message."
"My goodness, can that be a cyclone?" For just ahead of him Billy saw a great cloud from which came a hum-m-m—Buzz-z-z-z. "Why, it's a swarm of bees and they are carrying something. I do hope they won't sting me."
By this time Billy had met them and of course, as he couldn't steer himself in the air, the bees had to get out of the way.
"Hum-m," said a big old fat bee, clearing his throat, "what sort of a beetle are you?"
"I'm—I'm a boy," said Billy, very, very politely, because he saw that the soldier bees had fixed sting bayonets.
"I've never heard of a beetle boy—stop a minute, I want to look at you."
"I'm sorry, sir," said Billy, "but I can't."
