ARID LANDS ONCE FERTILE 



weakling. On one side the titanic forces of nature, in- 

 exorable, eternal ; on the other the man, frail of body, the 

 creature of an hour, matching himself against them. 



"'Fire! Fire!' 



" Sheltering his face from the insufferable heat, the Swede 

 hammered madly at the solid house-door. At the back, now 

 utterly unapproachable, the kitchen, the roof, and a part of 

 the main wall were already in flames. A few minutes — five 

 at the most — would complete the demolition of the house. 

 To right and left the great trees one after another went off 

 like rockets, the roar of their burning foliage shaking the 

 very earth. A deafening crashing of falling timber came at 

 intervals from the bush beyond." 



In some countries the destruction of the forests has had a 

 very serious effect on the climate. The rain which falls upon 

 a forest is partly absorbed by the leaves, and but a very small 

 part of it is carried off by burns and streams : most sinks 

 down into the forest soil, and is only gradually given back 

 again after being taken in by the tree roots and evaporated 

 by the leaves. 



But bare hills denuded of wood allow most of their rain to 

 rush down to the sea in dangerous spates of the rivers and 

 burns, and then the ground becomes afterwards very dry 

 and burnt up. There are very many countries now barren 

 and desolate because they have been robbed of the beautiful 

 forests which once covered the springheads and mountain 

 valleys. 



Perhaps Palestine is one of the worst instances. But it is 

 when we remember Babylon, Nineveh, and all the cities of the 

 coast of Asia Minor, as they were even a thousand years 

 ago, and compare their present barren, desolate condition, 

 that the full meaning of mountain forests becomes clear. 

 E 65 



