242 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



path parallel to this, which soon took rne to 

 the open plain and thence home. 



A walk in these woods is a sad one for a lover 

 of trees. Were it not that the Slav peasant is 

 much too lazy, one would think he uses his axe 

 for the pleasure of destroying ; and indeed he 

 rarely passes a fine tree without giving it a slash. 

 Everywhere are felled trees lying rotting, some 

 of enormous size, but what is worse is that they 

 are always cut some four to six feet from the 

 ground. In the same way one comes across 

 dozens of young trees cut down and left, ap- 

 parently from laziness. Even on a summer day 

 the axe is at work everywhere, contrary to all 

 our ideas; but perhaps firewood can be as well 

 cut in summer. Of course, there are no funds 

 for the proper conservation of these forests ; but, 

 with wood at famine prices in Mostar, one would 

 think it would pay the Government to arrange 

 some sort of rude lift to get it up the Yelez, 

 with the view of shooting it down the opposite 

 side. The worst sight of all are numerous pine 

 trees standing with the heart burnt out. It may 

 be said that as a rule these were previously 

 decayed, but, though this is often the case, it is 

 equally often the case that adjoining sound trees 

 are so destroyed. Besides, the sound pines (luca) 

 in other districts are mostly damaged by fire. 

 The simple fact is that the Austrian Forest 



