“Why mulatto tree?” asked Jule.
“Because it is black before it begins to shed its bark.”
“Shed its bark?” repeated Clay.
“It sheds its bark every year, like a snake,” was Frank’s amazing reply.
Clay ripped off one of the long slabs, disclosing a pretty green surface underneath.
“That is the new bark,” Frank explained.
Clay dropped the slab of bark and turned it over with his foot.
“Heavy?” asked Alex.
“As a stone.”
“It makes fine wood, and also fine shingles for a hut,” Frank went on. “We’ll use some of it to cook supper with.”