WILD HONEY
Anna went singing about the house quite satisfied now to be herself; and
Rebby and her mother smiled at each other at the happiness of the little
girl.
"I doubt not you have learned many things, Danna," said Rebby, a little
wistfully, as the sisters sat on the broad doorstep after supper
looking down at the broad flowing river.
"Yes, indeed!" replied Anna confidently. "Why, Rebby, I know all about
history. The minister told me that a hundred and fifty years ago there
were English traders living right here, and they were driven away by the
French. And then, some forty years ago, Governor Belcher of
Massachusetts came cruising along this coast, and there was no one at
all here. And, Rebby, Mr. Lyon says there are no such pine forests in
all the colonies as stretch along behind this settlement. But, Rebby,
you are not listening!" and Anna looked reproachfully at her sister.
"Oh, yes, indeed, Danna, I heard every word. And I heard Father say that
very soon there would be a regular school here, with a master, as soon
as America conquers her enemies. But, Danna, do you suppose anyone will
dare touch the liberty pole?" For Rebby's thoughts could not long stray
from Lucia Horton's prediction that it might be cut down.
"What's that?" exclaimed Mr. Weston from the doorway behind them. "Cut
down the liberty pole? Why, there is not a man in Machias who would do
such a traitorous deed."
Rebby's face flushed scarlet at his words, but before she could speak,
her father continued: "Well, Danna, are you ready for a day's tramp with
me to-morrow? I must go up to the mill at Kwapskitchwock Falls, and we
will start early."
"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Danna, jumping up and clasping her father's hand.
"And perhaps we shall catch a salmon above the falls, and broil it over
a fire for our dinner."
"That is what we will hope to do," replied Mr. Weston. "And, Rebby, why
do you not come with us? 'Tis but a few miles, and a day in the woods
will do you good."
"Why, perhaps I shall, if Mother does not need me," Rebby answered. She
so seldom cared for woodland tramps that Anna gave a little exclamation
of surprised delight.
"I'll make a corn-cake to take with us," Rebby added, "and since we
start early I had best bake it to-night," and she went into the kitchen
followed by Anna singing:
"We'll go to the forest of liberty trees,
Where there are rabbits and birds and bees."
Mrs. Weston smiled as she listened. "'Twould indeed be fine if you could
find a store of wild honey in the woods; 'twould be a great help," she
said, measuring out the golden meal for Rebby to use for her corn-cake.
There was no butter or eggs to use in its making, for all food was
getting scarce in most of the loyal households. Rebby scalded the meal
and stirred it carefully, then added milk, and turned the batter into an
iron pan which she set over the fire. When it was cooked it would be a
thin crispy cake that would be appetizing and nourishing. Rebby's
thoughts traveled away to the dainties of the Hortons' cupboard, but
she said to herself that the "spider cake," as the corn-cake was called,
especially when eaten in the woods with freshly broiled salmon, would
taste far better than the jellies and preserved fruits of the Hortons.
Rebby could not forget Mrs. Horton's scorn of the liberty pole.
The Westons were up at an early hour the next morning. The sun was just
showing itself above the tops of the tall pines when the family sat down
to their simple breakfast. Anna wore her skirt of tanned deerskin,
moccasins, and her blouse of home-made flannel, while Rebecca's dress
was of stout cotton. Each of the girls wore round, turban-like hats.
Anna's was trimmed with the scarlet wings of a red bird, while Rebby's
had the white breast of a gull.
Mr. Weston wore deerskin breeches and moccasins and a flannel blouse. A
stout leather belt about his waist carried a couple of serviceable
knives, and he carried his musket, for the forest was filled with many
wild animals, and the settlers were always ready to protect themselves.
Rebby carried a basket that held the corn-cake, and a flint and steel
from which they would strike the spark for their noonday fire.
Anna ran along close beside her father, until the path narrowed so that
only one could walk, followed by the others. The air was cool and full
of the forest odors. Now and then birds flitted past them, and once or
twice Anna had a glimpse of startled rabbits, which she was sure were
Trit and Trot.
"If I could only catch one to give Luretta," she thought, "then she
would forgive me for taking the other rabbits," for Anna's thoughts were
often troubled because of the loss of Luretta's pets.
Mr. Weston stopped at one point to show his daughters an arrow marked on
a tall pine and pointing east. "That is to show the beginning of the
path to Chandler's River settlement," he explained. "The trail is so dim
that the woodsmen have blazed the trees to show the way. There is a good
store of powder and shot at Chandler's River," he added, a little
thoughtfully.
Rebby looked at the arrow, and afterward she had reason to remember her
father's words.
The mill at Kwapskitchwock Falls was not in use at the time of their
visit, and the mill workers were in Machias. But great booms of logs,
waiting to be sawed into lumber, lay all along the river banks.
The sun was high in the heavens when the little party came in sight of
the falls dashing over the rocks.
Mr. Weston led the way to a big flat rock above the mill, and where two
large beech trees cast a pleasant shade.
"You can rest here while I look over the mill," he said, "and then I
will see if I can spear a salmon for our dinner."
The girls were quite ready to rest, and Rebby set the basket carefully
on the rock beside them.
"Would it not be fine if we could catch a salmon and have it all cooked
when Father comes back?" Anna suggested, but Rebby shook her head.
"We haven't any salmon spear, and it is quick and skilful work," she
responded. "Father will be better pleased if we obey him and rest here."
From where the girls were sitting they could look some distance up the
quiet stream, and it was Anna who first discovered a canoe being paddled
close to the opposite shore.
"Look, Rebby," she said, pointing in the direction of the slow-moving
craft. "Isn't that an Indian?"
Rebby looked, and after a moment answered: "Why, I suppose it is, and
after salmon. But he won't come down so near the falls." But the girls
watched the slow-moving canoe rather anxiously until it drew close in to
the opposite shore, and was hidden by the overhanging branches of the
trees.
Rebby decided that she would gather some dry grass and sticks for the
fire, and asked Anna to go down near the mill and bring up some of the
bits of wood lying about there.
"Then when Father does bring the salmon we can start a blaze right
away," she said.
Anna ran off toward the mill yard, and Rebby left the shade of the big
beeches to pull handfuls of the sun-dried grass.
Rebby had gone but a few steps when she heard a queer singing murmur
that seemed to be just above her head. She looked up, but the sky was
clear; there was no bird flying low, as she had imagined; but as she
walked along the murmur became louder, and Rebby began to look about her
more carefully. A short distance from the flat rock was a huge stump of
a broken tree, and Rebby soon realized that the noise came from the
stump, and she approached it cautiously.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "It's a honey-tree! It is! It is!" for she had seen
the bees as they went steadily in a dark murmuring line, direct to the
old stump.
"A honey-tree" was a fortunate discovery at any time, for it meant a
store of delicious wild honey. It was, as in this case, usually a
partially decayed tree where the wild bees had swarmed, and where stores
of honey were concealed. Sometimes the bees had filled the cavities of
the tree so full that they were forced to desert it and find new
quarters; but it was evident that here they were very busy indeed.
"They will have to be smoked out," decided Rebby, who had often heard
her father tell of the way in which such stores were captured. "I wish I
could do it, and get some honey for dinner," she exclaimed aloud.
"Well, why not?" she heard someone say from behind her, and she turned
quickly to find Paul Foster, looking so much like an Indian boy in his
fringed leggins and feathered cap that it made her jump quickly.
Paul laughed at her surprise.
"I came up-stream in my canoe after salmon," he explained, "and I have
speared three beauties; I saw you from across the stream, so I paddled
over. You've made a great find," and he nodded toward the old stump.
"Could we smoke out the bees and get some honey, Paul?" Rebby asked
eagerly. She and Paul were nearly of an age, and Paul was a friendly
boy, always ready to make bows and arrows or toy boats for his little
sister and her girl playmates.
"I don't see why not," he responded, as if smoking out a hive of wild
bees was a very usual undertaking; "but I haven't a flint and steel," he
added.
"I have, in my basket," declared Rebecca; and in a few minutes Paul and
Rebecca had gathered a mass of sticks and grass, heaping it a short
distance from the stump.
"Mustn't get a blaze, only a heavy smoke," said Paul as he struck the
flint and steel together, and carefully sheltered the spark which the
dry grass instantly caught.
At the sight of the smoke Mr. Weston came running from the mill, and
with his assistance the bees were speedily disposed of.
The old stump proved well filled with honey.
"I have a bucket in my canoe," said Paul, and it was decided to fill the
bucket and take home all it would hold, and to return the next day in
Paul's canoe with tubs for the rest of the honey.
Paul insisted that Mr. Weston should accept one of his fine salmon to
broil for their midday meal, and then Rebby exclaimed:
"Where is Danna? She went to the mill after wood before we found the
honey-tree, and she isn't back yet."
"Oh! She is probably playing that she is an explorer on a journey to the
South Seas," laughed Mr. Weston. "I will go after her," and he started
off toward the mill, while Rebecca added wood to the fire, and Paul
prepared the salmon to broil.
Mr. Weston called "Danna!" repeatedly, but there was no answer. He
searched the yard and the shore, but there was no trace of his little
daughter. He went through the big open mill, and peered into shadowy
corners, but Anna was not to be found. And at last he hurried back to
tell Paul and Rebby, and to have them help him in his search for the
missing girl.