Hebrew. Envy and wrath shorten the life.

"Eastern Proverbs and Emblems Illustrating Old Truths"

In the bush, as usual, he picked up a sandalwood cutters’ trail and began to follow it. The sandalwooders’ tracks were like watercourses, following the path of least resistance, meandering and criss-crossing through the bush.

The Bowgada Birds, Shire of Kalamunda (Kalamunda), 1986.

http://andrewlansdown.com/fiction/short-stories/the-bowgada-birds/#more-71