The Bee-Man of Orn | Page 5

thousand years. You can go to his
cave and examine him just as if he were stuffed, and then you can sit on
his back and think how it would be if you should live to be a thousand
years old, and he should wake up while you are sitting there. It would
be easy to imagine a lot of horrible things he would do to you when
you look at his open mouth with its awful fangs, his dreadful claws,
and his horrible wings all covered with spikes."
"I think that might suit me," said the Languid Youth. "I would much
rather imagine the exercises of these monsters than to see them really
going on."

"Come on, then," said the Very Imp, and he led the way to the cave of
the Ghastly Griffin.
The Bee-man went by himself through a great part of the mountain, and
looked into many of its gloomy caves and recesses, recoiling in horror
from most of the dreadful monsters who met his eyes. While he was
wandering about, an awful roar was heard resounding through the
passages of the mountain, and soon there came flapping along an
enormous dragon, with body black as night, and wings and tail of fiery
red. In his great fore-claws he bore a little baby.
"Horrible!" exclaimed the Bee-man. "He is taking that little creature to
his cave to devour it."
He saw the dragon enter a cave not far away, and following looked in.
The dragon was crouched upon the ground with the little baby lying
before him. It did not seem to be hurt, but was frightened and crying.
The monster was looking upon it with delight, as if he intended to make
a dainty meal of it as soon as his appetite should be a little stronger.
"It is too bad!" thought the Bee-man. "Somebody ought to do
something." And turning around, he ran away as fast as he could.
He ran through various passages until he came to the spot where he had
left his bee-hive. Picking it up, he hurried back, carrying the hive in his
two hands before him. When he reached the cave of the dragon, he
looked in and saw the monster still crouched over the weeping child.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Bee-man rushed into the cave and
threw his hive straight into the face of the dragon. The bees, enraged by
the shock, rushed out in an angry crowd and immediately fell upon the
head, mouth, eyes, and nose of the dragon. The great monster,
astounded by this sudden attack, and driven almost wild by the
numberless stings of the bees, sprang back to the farthest portion of his
cave, still followed by his relentless enemies, at whom he flapped
wildly with his great wings and struck with his paws. While the dragon
was thus engaged with the bees, the Bee-man rushed forward, and,
seizing the child, he hurried away. He did not stop to pick up his
doublet, but kept on until he reached the entrance of the caves. There he

saw the Very Imp hopping along on one leg, and rubbing his back and
shoulders with his hands, and stopped to inquire what was the matter,
and what had become of the Languid Youth.
"He is no kind of a fellow," said the Very Imp. "He disappointed me
dreadfully. I took him up to the Ghastly Griffin, and told him the thing
was enchanted, and that he might sit on its back and think about what it
could do if it was awake; and when he came near it the wretched
creature opened its eyes, and raised its head, and then you ought to
have seen how mad that simpleton was. He made a dash at me and
seized me by the ears; he kicked and beat me till I can scarcely move."
"His energies must have been toned up a good deal," said the Bee-man.
"Toned up! I should say so!" cried the other. "I raised a howl, and a
Scissor-jawed Clipper came out of his hole, and got after him; but that
lazy fool ran so fast that he could not be caught."
The Bee-man now ran on and soon overtook the Languid Youth.
"You need not be in a hurry now," said the latter, "for the rules of this
institution don't allow the creatures inside to come out of this opening,
or to hang around it. If they did, they would frighten away visitors.
They go in and out of holes in the upper part of the mountain."
The two proceeded on their way.
"What are you going to do with that baby?" said the Languid Youth.
"I shall carry it along with me," said the Bee-man, "as I go on with my
search, and