Chapter 7
Where the valley narrows to a point at the gate between the mountains, the river forms a large hippopotamus pool. Completely isolated, about four miles from the house, it is a delightful campsite among the rough terrain. On one side, hanging branches enclose the pool, and at the foot of it lies a strip of white sand. From the cracks in the rocks, with roots arching over the sand, grow the twisted trunks of a few ancient wild fig trees that throw their branches over the water. Upstream from the white sand is the grass-covered bank of the river that ends in the dense thickets that surround this miniature beach. Across the hippopotamus pool are also dense bushes that completely exclude the outside world from the spacious and pleasant campsite of the Masked Robber and his gang.
The
