pose.

It was necessary to burn comb here as we soon had three or four bees
at work on the bait and in a short time we had bees a-plenty. They
flew just to the right of the wagon road in a westerly direction and
on to the side of a very steep hill where there was considerable
standing timber. We soon got the course of the bees' flight, but
there seemed to be two lines, as some of the bees would fly to the
left of a large tree that stood Just on the bank of the road, while
others would fly to the right of the tree. This caused Smoky to
remark that we had another sticky job on our hands, saying that there
was two different lines. I told Smoky that I thought not. It was all
the same bees and that the bees would soon all be flying to the left
or lower side of the tree.

Smoky wished to know how I made that out. I explained that I thought
the bees were around the point of the hill and up a side draft that
came into the main hollow some sixty rods below where we were and
that the bees that were flying to the right of the tree flew in a
direct line to the tree by flying up over the point of the hill then
down into the hollow; those that flew to the left of the tree flew
around the point of the hill and up the hollow to their tree. Smoky
laughed at my idea and said that bees always flew in a straight
line--does not everybody say as straight as a bee-line?

I told Smoky that was all very well in a level and open country. That
a bee knew that it was no farther around the rim of a kettle than up
over the bail; that a bee was far too wise to carry a load up over a
hill when he could get there in the same distance on a level; that
bees in their flight would often vary their course and fly along the
side of a hill to keep out of a strong wind until they were nearly
opposite the tree, when they would make nearly a square turn to the
tree. That they would also vary their flight from a straight line to
follow an opening as a road cut out through the thick woods.

The flight of the bees, as I suspected, was soon all to the left of
the tree standing on the bank of the road. We moved the bait down to
the mouth of the side draft and soon had a line flying nearly up the
hollow. I told Smoky to take the bees some forty rods up the hollow
and make a stand while I would follow and inspect the trees that
looked favorable. Soon Smoky halloed to me and said that the bees had
nearly all left him. I told him to make the stand where he was. As he