As Cuffy Bear tore through the forest, with the bees clustering all about his head, he thought he never would reach the . He was going straight for the deep pool, which he had often visited in order to watch the speckled about in the clear water.  
Now and then Cuffy paused in his mad rush, to bury his face in the thick blanket of dead leaves that covered the ground. But just as soon as he raised his head the bees would settle on his face again. And Cuffy would rush off once more as fast as he could go.
 
At last he came to the brook. And he leaped right off the big that hung high over the pool and landed ker-splash! right in the middle of it. How the water did fly in all directions! And Cuffy went right down out of sight.
 
Of course, the bees wouldn't go down into the water too. They knew they'd be drowned if they did. So they lingered in a above the water. They there in the air and waited. And when, after a moment, Cuffy's head came up out of the pool, they down and began to sting him again.
 
Cuffy ducked his head. And he swam under water to the further side of the pool and came up once more. To his surprise the bees were right there waiting for him. And he ducked under again, and swam to the opposite side, near the big boulder. And once more, when he came............