Translation:The High Mountains/34

The Yeusois, said Mr Stephan, are from the village called Yeuse, which is lower down, about two hours from the Green Wood.

Many of them live by destroying the forest. They go out at night and chop down a big pine which gives a lot of hard wood.

The chop it down and cut it up. Then they load the logs onto the mule and take them bit by bit to the village.

Others then remove some of the bark all around the fir tree so that it dries out. After some time they return and cut it down.

Many of them burn the shrubs and the trees at the edge of the forest to make fields. And then they advance further into the forest. In this way in time they strip whole hills.

Two years ago they started to remove the resin in secret. Many of the most beautiful pines of the Green Wood have been scraped and plundered.

That way the Yeusois have come into the forest like a worm in a fruit.