ain if you can."

The Sergeant gave reins to Moz, and followed by MacWhirlie on his
Bee-pony Buzz, flew straight to the spot where Cteniza had lain. The
bulky carcass was nowhere to be seen.

"Now my good Moz," said the Sergeant, "show us what you know of this
mystery." The obedient wasp, circled around the spot, and then darted
into the bushes. She soon lit upon an overhanging twig, and folded her
wings as though quite contented with herself.

"What is the matter now?" cried MacWhirlie.

"Look for yourself," said Goodnews, pointing to the ground beneath. A
mound of fresh earth was thrown up on the margin of a wide hole out of
which came the sound of rattling clods and fluttering wings.

"What is this? It explains nothing!"

"Wait a wee. There! do you see that?"

A large Pompilus wasp flew out of the hole, which she at once began to
fill with the loose clay heaped around the edge.

"That is your sexton," said Goodnews; "this is her newly made grave, and
inside you will find the missing body. The sexton is a full cousin of my
Formosa. She has dragged your giantess here by her own unaided strength;
has dug that grave which you see, and is just ready to fill it up. Are
you satisfied? If not, look for yourself."

Down flew MacWhirlie to the edge of the grave. Away went the sexton in
alarm. The Lieutenant peeped into the hole and saw the brown body and
limbs of the Pixie queen already partly covered with pellets of clay.

"I am satisfied," he said, and the two rode away. "But tell me, what
strange fancy could have turned yon insect into an amateur grave
digger?"

"It is not a matter of fancy," replied Goodnews, "but of those strong,
wise natural promptings of motherhood which men call maternal instinct.
If you had lifted one of the Pixie's limbs you might have found an egg
of the wasp snugly stowed away against the body. In due time that egg
will become a grub with a most ferocious appetite, and that appetite
will find food in the plump body of the Pixie queen. That is why nature
has given some wasps the power to paralyze by their sting the prey which
they stow away as food for the future grub; it remains fresh and
palatable instead of decaying as it would do in actual death."[BG]

When the Lieutenant again reached the head of the column it was about
passing the trap-door cave. The Brownie guards were relieved from duty,
and Prince Proud was left to his fate. As the trap had been pretty
tightly fastened down, h