day of November
was a very warm day in Potter County, and as we had not tried to get
any bees west of camp, I told Smoky that we had better let the
balance of the traps go for a day and try the bees in that direction
as it was not likely that we would have many more days that bees
would fly during the season.

We went about one-half mile west of camp and put out the bee bait and
burned more comb. It was not long before a bee came to the bait and
then another and another, until we had several at work. As soon as
the first bee that came was loaded up and began to make preparations
to go, I told Smoky to keep a good eye on him to see which way he
went, as the quicker we got a line the quicker we could move on.

When the bee first started from the bait, he jagged off east, then he
circled so that neither Smoky nor I could tell which way he went. I
told Smoky that I was afraid that the bee went back up the creek
toward a tree we had already found. Smoky said that he did not know
what made me think so, for no one could tell which direction that bee
went. I told Smoky that I had always noticed that the way that the
bee first started when leaving the bait was pretty sure to be in the
direction of the tree and to get in position so that he could see
well if the bee should fly back up the creek as we had no time to
spare on bees flying in that direction.

It was not long before we had bees a-plenty and they came from a tree
that we had already found. I told Smoky that we would leave some bait
there so that those bees would not follow us, and we would move down
the creek some distance before we would try for more. We moved nearly
a mile, and while I was fixing a stand--there was no stump or good
place to set the box--so I cut a stick about four feet long, an inch
in diameter and split the top end into four parts, or in other words
quartered the stick, then with two small sticks the size of a lead
pencil, pressed down in between these quarters. It spread them so as
to form plenty of space to set the box on. The other end of the stick
is sharpened to drive firmly into the ground. As I was about to say,
while I was fixing the stand, Smoky discovered a bee working on a
witch-hazel bush close by the stand. Smoky said that he thought that
the bee must have the rheumatism and was gathering Pond's Extract to
bathe his joints in (it is with this shrub that Pond's Extract is
made) and this was the cause of Smoky making the remark, I sup