nty-three of arable land, and
five of waste land, situated on a hillock covered with stones, and known
by the name of La Butte.[4]

They procured all the indispensable requirements for the purpose: four
horses, a dozen cows, six hogs, one hundred and sixty sheep, and for the
household two carters, two women, a shepherd, and in addition a big dog.

In order to get cash at once, they sold their fodder. The price was paid
to them directly, and the gold napoleons counted over a chest of oats
appeared to them more glittering than any others, more rare and
valuable.

In the month of November they brewed cider. It was Bouvard that whipped
the horse, while Pecuchet on the trough shovelled off the strained
apples.

They panted while pressing the screw, drew the juice off into the vat,
looked after the bung-holes, with heavy wooden shoes on their feet; and
in all this they found a huge diversion.

Starting with the principle that you cannot have too much corn, they got
rid of about half of their artificial meadows; and, as they had not rich
pasturing, they made use of oil-cakes, which they put into the ground
without pounding, with the result that the crop was a wretched one.

The following year they sowed the ground very thickly. Storms broke out,
and the ears of corn were scattered.

Nevertheless, they set their hearts on the cheese, and undertook to
clear away the stones from La Butte. A hamper carried away the stones.
The whole year, from morn to eve, in sunshine or in rain, the
everlasting hamper was seen, with the same man and the same horse,
toiling up the hill, coming down, and going up again. Sometimes Bouvard
walked in the rear, making a halt half-way up the hill to dry the sweat
off his forehead.

As they had confidence in nobody, they treated the animals themselves,
giving them purgatives and clysters.

Serious irregularities occurred in the household. The girl in the
poultry-yard became _enceinte_. Then they took married servants; but the
place soon swarmed with children, cousins, male and female, uncles, and
sisters-in-law. A horde of people lived at their expense; and they
resolved to sleep in the farm-house successively.

But when evening came they felt depressed, for the filthiness of the
room was offensive to them; and besides, Germaine, who brought in the
meals, grumbled at every journey. They were preyed upon in all sorts of
ways. The threshers in the barn stuffed corn into the pitchers out of
whi