CHAPTER XL 



Burning the Weeds 



We see a man on the slope of a hill armed 

 with a great strong bladed hoe, stripping the 

 ground by removing great slabs of earth 

 covered with grass and heather. He places 

 these slabs upright — either back to back or 

 rolled over on themselves, or bent into an 

 arch so that the air may circulate freely and 

 dry them. 



If we return in a few days we shall find that 

 the sun and air have completely dried them 

 and the man will be still at work. Now he is 

 arranging the slabs in a heap, always with the 

 grass inside, forming a hollow in the middle 

 filled with brushwood and dry leaves. He 

 then sets fire to it. Another heap is arranged 

 in the same way and kindled in its turn. 

 Soon the hill is covered with a number of 

 these small ovens, which burn slowly and 

 send out long trails of smoke. In a few days 

 — three, four or more — the fire goes out. As 



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