Edmond Francois Valentin About was a French novelist, publicist and journalist. While the German botanist, Hermann Schultz, was lodging with a Greek family in Athens, he learned of a notorious Greek bandit so powerful that the government could not destroy his band. Hadgi-Stavros, the King of the Mountains, was greatly feared, but he was also greatly admired by many of his countrymen. John Harris, an American who was Hermann's fellow lodger, snorted in disgust as the landlord recited with admiration all the exploits of the bandit.