what does "peert"mean? He began to chop at the base of the dead pine. High in the air a hum-ming sounded like a den of rattlers, far distant and turbulent. The blows of the axe echoed back and forth across the sink-hole. Squirrels, quies-cent in the oaks and palm trees, began to chatter at the disturbance. Scrub jays cried shrilly. The pine shook. The humming grew into a roar. The bees sung across their heads like small shot. Buck called, "Light me a smudge, boy. Be peert."