There were bees, too; and bee-birds humming from flower to flower, and robbing their rich nectaries.

Now and then partridges and ruffed grouse whirred up before the horses; and Francois succeeded in shooting a brace of the latter, and hanging them behind his saddle.
Through these great flower-beds our travellers rode on, crushing many a beautiful corolla under their horses' hoofs.

Sometimes the flowers grew upon tall stalks that stood thickly together, and reached up to the shoulders of the horses, completely hiding them from the view of one at a distance.

Sometimes the travellers passed through beds of helianthi alone--whose large heads, brushing against their thighs, covered them with yellow pollen-dust.
It was, altogether, a rare and beautiful landscape; and the young hunters would have enjoyed it much, had they not been suffering from weariness and want of sleep.

The fragrance of the flowers seemed at first to refresh them; but after a while they became sensible of a narcotic influence which it exercised over them, as they felt more sleepy than ever.