+ /* Find tree element, descending from root, that
+ * corresponds to the named path, lazily expanding
+ * the tree if possible.
+ */
+
+ while (path) {
+ /* The fact we still have path means that the caller
+ * wants us to make sure that elem at this point is a
+ * directory, and possibly descend into it. Even what
+ * is left is just trailing slashes, we loop back to
+ * here, and this call to prepare_children() will
+ * catch elem not being a tree. Nice.
+ */