mingled aspen and evergreens that was almost completely choked with undergrowth that would make further travel impossible. Although that wasn't what had cheered him up.
“Guess this is where we turn back,” Jane said, eyeing the tangle.
He nodded absently, eyes on a large split evergreen that had died recently enough that brown needles still hung on its branches.
“What is it?” Jane asked, coming up alongside him and following his gaze.
Lewis pointed. “See that? Up where it splits.”
His wife frowned, squinting. “A swarm of bugs? Buzzing around a . . .” her confusion abruptly cleared. “Beehive!”
He grinned. “Right. Never thought I'd see one out in the wild. This is lucky.”
She glanced back downstream to where they could see the road winding up the opposite side of the ravine, although their friends watching the herd were obscured by a thicket. “Do we want to try harvesting it?” she asked, obviously reluctant at the thought.
“That too.” At her wary look his grin widened. “Why just take the honey when we can also take the bees?” Her wary look turned alarmed, and he hesitated in sudden realization. “Oh. You're not allergic, are you?”
“No.” Jane frowned at the misshapen lump of the hive. “It's just, well, we don't know anything about keeping bees. Do we really want to have a swarm of them around stinging everyone when we might mess it up and end up accidentally letting the queen die or something?”
Lewis hesitated. He was well aware of how tricky it could be to handle bees, and the consequences for messing up could be pretty severe. Still, it was hard to ignore any potential source of food, and honey would provide a nice treat as well as a great trade item.
“Maybe we can ask around town to see if anyone has any experience,” he said. “Or I can check my books and see if I've got any on beekeeping. I'm pretty sure I grabbed at least a few. If nothing else we can at least think about coming back and just harvesting the honey, now that we know where the hive is.”
She gave him a relieved look, as if she'd been afraid he was going to suggest they wade in without any sort of protective clothing and tangle with the bees right then and there. “Sounds like a plan,” she said, then glanced downstream. A stray had ambled into view around the thicket, soon followed by another, and they saw Alvin circling to try to head them off as another stray broke away in the opposite direction.
Looked as if their break was over. “Back to work,” he said with a last longing look at the beehive. His wife nodded, and they began picking their way back downstream.
* * * * *
The remainder of the day was fairly uneventful. Any soreness remaining after the previous day's more strenuous ride faded with the easier pace, which involved walking their bikes more often than not. And there was an almost soothing quality to the constant
baaing
of the sheep that Lewis soon became familiar with.
He could get used to having his own herd with Jane. A nomadic life in the mountains didn't sound all that terrible at the moment, and it fit both their natures well.
As the sun began to set the sheep began getting more balky. They didn't stray as often, but they began wandering off the road to graze and became more and more indifferent to any efforts to get them going again. A few even plopped down in the grass to rest.
At that point Tom suggested they call it an early night. Lewis agreed that they didn't know enough about herding to justify pushing limits that didn't need to be pushed, and anyway the sheep hadn't seemed to mind an early start that morning. Getting a strong early start would make up any time they lost by not trying to drive the weary animals onward at a slower pace.
They waited until the next time Pete made his way back to report in, and with his agreement set up camp in a decent meadow where the sheep could graze. It wasn't far from a little trickle of a stream, which made its way down the
“Guess this is where we turn back,” Jane said, eyeing the tangle.
He nodded absently, eyes on a large split evergreen that had died recently enough that brown needles still hung on its branches.
“What is it?” Jane asked, coming up alongside him and following his gaze.
Lewis pointed. “See that? Up where it splits.”
His wife frowned, squinting. “A swarm of bugs? Buzzing around a . . .” her confusion abruptly cleared. “Beehive!”
He grinned. “Right. Never thought I'd see one out in the wild. This is lucky.”
She glanced back downstream to where they could see the road winding up the opposite side of the ravine, although their friends watching the herd were obscured by a thicket. “Do we want to try harvesting it?” she asked, obviously reluctant at the thought.
“That too.” At her wary look his grin widened. “Why just take the honey when we can also take the bees?” Her wary look turned alarmed, and he hesitated in sudden realization. “Oh. You're not allergic, are you?”
“No.” Jane frowned at the misshapen lump of the hive. “It's just, well, we don't know anything about keeping bees. Do we really want to have a swarm of them around stinging everyone when we might mess it up and end up accidentally letting the queen die or something?”
Lewis hesitated. He was well aware of how tricky it could be to handle bees, and the consequences for messing up could be pretty severe. Still, it was hard to ignore any potential source of food, and honey would provide a nice treat as well as a great trade item.
“Maybe we can ask around town to see if anyone has any experience,” he said. “Or I can check my books and see if I've got any on beekeeping. I'm pretty sure I grabbed at least a few. If nothing else we can at least think about coming back and just harvesting the honey, now that we know where the hive is.”
She gave him a relieved look, as if she'd been afraid he was going to suggest they wade in without any sort of protective clothing and tangle with the bees right then and there. “Sounds like a plan,” she said, then glanced downstream. A stray had ambled into view around the thicket, soon followed by another, and they saw Alvin circling to try to head them off as another stray broke away in the opposite direction.
Looked as if their break was over. “Back to work,” he said with a last longing look at the beehive. His wife nodded, and they began picking their way back downstream.
* * * * *
The remainder of the day was fairly uneventful. Any soreness remaining after the previous day's more strenuous ride faded with the easier pace, which involved walking their bikes more often than not. And there was an almost soothing quality to the constant
baaing
of the sheep that Lewis soon became familiar with.
He could get used to having his own herd with Jane. A nomadic life in the mountains didn't sound all that terrible at the moment, and it fit both their natures well.
As the sun began to set the sheep began getting more balky. They didn't stray as often, but they began wandering off the road to graze and became more and more indifferent to any efforts to get them going again. A few even plopped down in the grass to rest.
At that point Tom suggested they call it an early night. Lewis agreed that they didn't know enough about herding to justify pushing limits that didn't need to be pushed, and anyway the sheep hadn't seemed to mind an early start that morning. Getting a strong early start would make up any time they lost by not trying to drive the weary animals onward at a slower pace.
They waited until the next time Pete made his way back to report in, and with his agreement set up camp in a decent meadow where the sheep could graze. It wasn't far from a little trickle of a stream, which made its way down the
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