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Updated: June 5, 2025
"Well, you see, madame," said the forester, who asked no better than to tell the tale, "Farrabesche may have had good reason for what he did. He was the last of the Farrabesches, an old family of the Correze, don't you know! His elder brother, Captain Farrabesche, died ten years earlier in Italy, at Montenotte, a captain when he was only twenty-two years old.
"Poor man! perhaps he does not know how kind madame is." "But what has he done?" "Ah! madame, Farrabesche is a murderer," replied Champion, simply. "Then they pardoned him!" said Veronique, in a trembling voice. "No, madame," replied Colorat, "Farrabesche was tried and condemned to ten years at the galleys; he served half his time, and then he was released on parole and came here in 1827.
All the water of these mountains pours into this valley and makes a deluge. Luckily for you, the trees hold the earth; otherwise the land would slide into the valley." "Where are the springs?" asked Madame Graslin, giving her full attention to what he said. Farrabesche pointed to a narrow gorge which seemed to end the valley just below his house.
She leaped her horse across the ditch and rode at full gallop across the drear expanse, seeming to take a savage pleasure in contemplating that vast image of desolation. Farrabesche was right. No power, no will could put to any use whatever that soil which resounded under the horses' feet as though it were hollow.
At certain places where the valley widened Gerard had taken advantage of a few hillocks to make islands and plant them with trees of varied foliage. These vast operations completely changed the face of the country; but five or six years were of course needed to bring out their full character. "The country was naked," said Farrabesche, "and madame has clothed it."
But as he belonged to the region and was brought up with them, and had, as they said, only fled the conscription, all the women were on his side, and that's a great deal, you know." "Is it really certain that Farrabesche did kill several persons?" asked Madame Graslin.
Madame Graslin raised her head at last, looked at Farrabesche with an almost majestic air, and said, to his amazement, in a voice that stirred his heart: "Thank you, my friend. But," she added, after a pause, "where did you find courage to live and suffer?" "Ah! madame, Monsieur Bonnet put a treasure within my soul! and for that I love him better than all else on earth."
All the poor people know they can get their wood from him all cut and ready to burn; so they go and ask him for it, instead of taking it themselves and injuring your forest. He is another kind of chauffeur now, and warms his poor neighbors to their comfort and not to their harm. Oh, Farrabesche loves your forest! He takes care of it as if it were his own property."
The first important point was to estimate the amount of water flowing through the Gabou, and to make sure whether or not the slopes of the valley allowed any to escape in other directions. Veronique gave Farrabesche a horse, and directed him to accompany the engineer and to explain to him everything he had himself noticed.
"At last, madame, they caught nearly all his comrades, but they never could catch him; hang him! he was so young and active, and knew the country so well, he always escaped. The chauffeurs he consorted with kept themselves mostly in the neighborhood of Brives and Tulle; sometimes they came down this way, because Farrabesche knew such good hiding-places about here.
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