- Matt can't stop thinking about the beehive he discovered with his father. He remembers that his father said the first bees came with the English colonists, so they must have escaped one of the towns. Matt's dad warned him to stay away from bees.
- Here's the problem, though: Matt is going crazy with only fish to eat, and dude needs some sugar up in his diet.
- He sucked out every last drop of molasses from the empty keg after the bear left, and now all Matt wants is honey. It's worth a few stings to him to satisfy his sweet tooth.
- He climbs the bee tree and stares inside at the golden deliciousness, but his hand is too big for the hole. He pulls away some of the bark around the hole.
- Bad idea. Very bad idea. The bees swarm out, attacking Matt's hands, neck, and face.
- He somehow manages to get out of the tree, running toward water and swatting as he goes. He finally he makes it to the pond, but loses a boot in the muck and trips over a root along the way.
- And then has to keep ducking his head under the water to avoid the bees, but he can't swim because his feet are tangled in something and he's crippled by pain in his leg.
- Needless to say, it's officially panic time.
- Someone lifts Matt from the water and sets him on dry ground. In Matt's delirium he thinks it's his dad, then sees it's an Indian man and boy.
- The man reaches for his throat, and Matt tries to escape, but the man tells him to stop so he can get the bee stingers out. Sheesh.
- Matt's so weak he can't resist, and he feels like he's on fire while also shivering uncontrollably.
- Matt relaxes as he realizes the man is gentle—he's not going to hurt him.
- His brain is fuzzy when the man carries him back to his cabin and leaves him to sleep. The man returns later with some nasty medicine to choke down, and then Matt sleeps some more.