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Chapter Four. Above the Clouds |
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At the entrance of the village proper a mighty banyan tree stretched in a wide bow over the path, its aerial roots grown anew into the ground, forming countless pillars about the mother stem. Connected with the men's house by a gangway on high bamboos, this giant tree served in former times as a village lookout. From here sentries watched over the paths leading deep down through the fields. No movement stirring in the country round escaped their notice, and their warning shouts alarmed the villagers on distant fields. |
