Fritz and I then, with a chisel and small axe, made an opening about three feet square, below the bees' entrance.

Before we detached this, I repeated the fumigation, lest the noise and the fresh air should awake the bees; but there was no fear of such a thing,--they were quite stupified.

We removed the wood, and through this opening beheld, with wonder and admiration, the work of this insect nation.
There was such a store of wax and honey, that we feared we should not have vessels to contain it.

The interior of the tree was filled with the honeycombs; I cut them carefully, and placed them in the gourds the boys brought me.

As soon as I had made a little space, I placed the upper comb, on which the bees were hanging in clusters, in the new hive, and put it on the plank prepared for it; I then descended with the rest of the honeycomb, and filled a cask with it, which I had previously washed in the stream; this we covered with sailcloth and planks, lest the bees, attracted by the smell, should come to claim their own.