The bees came closer. Several thousands of them were stricken by
smoke from the embers, and the rest of the swarm took good care to
avoid it. They hovered over the prostrate forms of the aborigines
and made sure that they were unconscious.
"Is there nothing we can do?" whispered Cunora, straining her eyes
to see.
"Nothing, save to watch and wait," returned Rolla, her gaze fixed
upon the dark heap which marked her lover's form. And thus an hour
passed, with the four on the earth quite unable to take a hand in
any way.
Then one of the villagers--the first, in fact, who had dropped out
of the dance--stirred and presently awakened. He sat up and looked
about him, dazed and dizzy, for all the world like a drunken man.
After a while he managed to get to his feet.
No sooner had he done this than a dozen bees were upon him.
Terror-stricken, he stood awaiting their commands. They were not
long in coming.
By means of their fearful buzzing, the deadly insects guided him
into the nearest hut, where they indicated that he should pick up
one of the rude hoelike tools which was used in the fields. With
this in hand, he was driven to the little piles of smoldering ashes,
where the fires had flickered an hour before.
Hardly knowing what he was doing, but not daring to disobey, the man
proceeded to heap dirt over the embers. Shortly he had every spark
of the fire smothered beneath a mound as high as his knees. Not till
then did any of the others begin to revive.
As fast as they recovered the bees took charge of them. Not a human
had courage enough to make a move of offense; it meant certain
death, and they all knew it only too well. As soon as they were wide
awake enough to know what they were doing, they were forced to
search the bodies of those still asleep.
"We must find the means for growing the flower," said Supreme,
evidently convinced that a seed was a seed, under any circumstances.
And presently they found, tucked away in Corrus's lion-skin, a large
chunk of the pyrites, and a similar piece on Dulnop.
"So these were the discoverers," commented Supreme.
"What is your will in their case?" the subordinate asked.
The commanding bee considered for a long time. Finally she got an idea,
such as bees are known to get once in a great while. It was simply a
new combination--as all ideas are merely new combinations--of two
punishments which were commonly employed by the bees.
As a result, eight of the villagers were compelled to carry the two
fire-finders to a certain spot on the bank of a nearby stream. Here
the two fragments of pyrites were thrown, under orders, into the
water; so that the eight villagers might know just why the whole
thing was being done. Next the two men, still unconscious, were
buried up to their necks. Their heads, lolling helplessly, were all
that was exposed. So it was to be the Head Out punishment--imprisonment
of one day with their bodies rigidly held by the soil: acute torture
to an aborigine. But was this all?
One of the villagers was driven to the nearest hut, where he was
forced to secure two large stone axes. Bringing these back to the
"torture-place," as the spot was called, the man was compelled to
wield one of the clumsy tools while a companion used the other; and
between them they cut down the tree whose branches had been waving
over the prisoners' heads. Then the villagers were forced to drag
the tree away.
All of which occurred in the darkness, and out of sight of Rolla and
Cunora. They could only guess what was going on. Hours passed, and
dawn approached. Not till then did they learn just what had been
done.
The villagers, now all awake, were driven by the bees to the place
on the bank of the stream. There, the eight men who had imprisoned
the two discoverers told what had been done with the "magic stones."
Each villager stared at the offenders, and at something which lay on
the ground before them, and in sober silence went straight to his or
her work in the fields.
Presently the huts were deserted. All the people were on duty
elsewhere. Such bees as were not guarding the fields had returned to
the hives. Rolla and Cunora cautiously ventured forth, taking great
care to avoid being seen. They hurried fearfully to the stream.
Before they reached the spot Rolla gave an exclamation and stared
curiously to one side, where the tree had been dragged. Suddenly she
gave a terrible cry and rushed forward, only to drop on her knees
and cover her face with hands that shook as with the palsy. At the
same instant Cunora saw what had been done; and uttering a single
piercing scream, fell fainting to the ground.
Heaped in front of the two prisoners was a large pile of pebbles.
There were thousands upon thousands in the heap. Before each man, at
a distance of a foot, was a large gourd-ful of water. To the
savages, these told the whole story; these, together with the tree
dragged to one side.
Corrus and Dulnop were to be buried in that spot every day for as
many days as there were pebbles in the heap; in other words, until
they died. Every night they would be dug up, and every morning
buried afresh. And to keep them from telling any of the villagers
where they had found the pyrites, they were to be deprived of water
all day long. By night their tongues would be too swollen for
speech. For they had been sentenced to the No Shade torture, as
well; their heads would be exposed all day long to the burning sun
itself.