a fancy to revenge
themselves by stinging him. We then took our `fixings' from the cart,
and proceeded to the tree. In a few moments we stood by its foot.

"On looking up we observed that there was an unusual commotion among the
bees. They were whirring in large numbers around the entrance of their
nest, and swarming out and in. As the day was very still, we could hear
them buzzing loudly. What could it mean? Were they going to hive?

"Cudjo thought not. It was too early in the season for that. And yet
their actions were strange. He could not understand it.

"`Dey look, Massa,' said he, after gazing at them for some moments, `dey
look zackly like some varmint war a-vexin' ob 'em.'

"So did they, but no `varmint' appeared to be near their hole; and no
animal, however thick in the skin, would have ventured into it, as we
thought. The orifice was not over three inches in diameter, and we knew
that neither squirrel, marten, nor weasel, would have dared to put a
nose into it. What, then, could have so excited them?

"We observed that it was a warm day--the warmest we had had up to that
time--and, probably, the beat had set them a-going. With this
explanation, therefore, in the absence of a better, we remained
satisfied; and commenced making our preparations to fell the tree.

"It was not likely to be a difficult job. The tree, as I have said, was
a hollow one; and near the ground its trunk was nothing but a mere
shell, which we could easily cut through. So Cudjo went lustily to work
with his axe; and the white sycamore chips were soon flying in every
direction.

"He had hardly made a dozen strokes, when we were startled by a singular
noise, that sounded something like a `cross' between a growl and a
snort!

"Cudjo immediately suspended his blows; and we all stood gazing at each
other with looks that betokened surprise and terror. I say _terror_--
for the noise had something terrible in it; and we knew it could have
proceeded from nothing else than some large and fierce animal. Whence
did it come?--from the woods? We looked anxiously around us, but no
motion could be observed in the bramble. The underwood was thin, and we
could have seen a large animal at some distance, had such been there.

"Again the horrid sound echoed in our ears. It appeared to issue out of
the earth! No--_it came out of the tree_!

"`Golly!' exclaimed Cudjo, `it am a bar, Massa Roff! I know him growl.'

"`A bear!' I eja