It sways--it staggers; a loud crack as the fibres part, then with a slow heave over it goes, and, descending, twists upon the base.

The vast limbs plough into the sward; the twigs are crushed; the boughs, after striking the earth, rebound and swish upwards.

See that you stand clear, for the least branch will thresh you down.

The flat surface of the exposed butt is blue with stains from the steel of the saw.
Light taps with a small sharp axe, that cut the rind but no deeper, ring the trunk at intervals.

Then the barking irons are inserted; they are rods of iron forged at the top something like a narrow shallow spoon.
The bark from the trunk comes off in huge semi-cylinders almost large enough for a canoe.