Subj: Re: T & A

Date: 97-11-12 23:35:45 EST

From: Zone agent

To: erblist@beginners.net

Tigers & Apes are two topics which need further discussion, in my mind, as I re-read, for about the fifth time, Tarzan of the Apes. Also diet was a topic, as were monogamy, cleanliness, and others. It's amazing the information which this book possesses as to these matters. Well, perhaps not so amazing.

Recently there has been some discussion of how the mangani might look. I recall when I first posted saying something about tigers, and there were a few responses, but I don't recall what they were. It appears to me that the tigers ERB was talking about were in fact Bengal Tigers, as I read the books. Does anyone have any contrary information?

To quote from ERB in connection with some of these matters, he relates the following passages. This is from the 4 volume 1988 book.

"Scarcely had they closed their eyes than the terrifying cry of a tiger rang out from the jungle behind them. For an hour or more they heart it sniffing and clawing at the tree which supported their platform, but at last it roamed away across the beach, where Clayton could see it clearly in the moonlight - a great, handsome beast, the largest he had ever seen."

"As soon as they had made their meager breakfast of salt pork, coffee, and biscuit, Clayton..."

"The ape was a huge bull, weighing probably three hundred pounds."

"Kerchak was a huge king ape, weighing perhaps three hundred fifty pounds."

"The tribe of anthropoids, over which Kerchak ruled with an iron hand and bared fangs, numbered some six to eight families, each family consisting of an adult male with his wives and children - some sixty or seventy apes, all told.

"But she was still an ape, a huge, fierce, terrible beast of a species closely allied to the gorilla, yet with more intelligence, which, with the strength of their cousins, made her kind the most fearsome of those awe-inspiring progenitors of man."

"When they walked it was a rolling, awkward motion, placing their knuckles of their closed hands upon the ground and swinging their ungainly bodies forward."

"...for at ten the great anthopoids were fully grown, some of them towering over six feet in height."

"Though but ten years old he was fully as strong as the average man of thirty."

"Sabor, the tiger -......................the great muscles rolling under the beautiful skin of black and yellow."

"Tarzan now swam to shore and clambered quickly upon dry land. The feeling of freshness and exhilaration which the cool waters had imparted to him, filled his being with grateful surprise, and ever after he lost no opportunity to take a daily plunge in lake or stream or ocean when it was possible to do so."

"Near the back of the book he found his old enemy, Sabor, the tiger, and, just above him, coiled Histah, the snake."

"Had Tarzan been a full-grown ape of the species of his tribe he would have been more than a match for the gorilla, but..."

"Flesh seldom cam to their jaws in satisfying quantities, so a fit finale to their wild revel was a taste of fresh-killed meat...."

"Many moons ago, when he had been much smaller, he had desired the skin of Sabor, the tiger, or Numa, the lion, or Sheeta, the leopard.......

"Quick was Sabor, the tiger, and quick were Numa and Sheeta, his cousins, but Tarzan of the apes was lightning."

(This last phrase not only highlights that, since ERB clearly knew what lions and leopards were, and this Sabor could only have been the only other big cat on that side of the ocean, the Bengal Tiger, but is one of my all-time favorite ERB phrases. My brother and I have said "Quick is Numa, et.,... so many time in our lives, that it's become one of those timeless sayings which always bring a smile.. I looked for that type of phrase in every book, and was never remotely disappointed. ERB just loved that one and/or very similar ones. They are my favorites pharases of his, not that anyone is probably surprised at this.)

In any event, to me the above clearly shows Tarzan came from a line of coffee-drinkers. It was part of his noble heredity.

Clayton smoked a pipe, not cigarettes, but just as clearly the ape-man came from a heritage of smokers.

The mangani are quite large, adults being perhaps six feet, and weighing 300-350 lbs. While this is taller by several inches than a gorilla, and lighter by about 100 lbs or so, they were closely allied to the gorilla, and were, because of ferocity, intelligence, strength, etc., easily a match for a gorilla.

They clearly walk on all fours to travel. From these descriptions I picture gorillas which are a bit more slender, but taller, and more lithe. Still apes in all movements, with no upright walking, and probably not much standing on two legs.

A creature which is six feet and 325 lbs, with ape hair, would be very imposing physically, much moreso than a chimpanzee grown double in size, at least to me.

At this time Kerchak's tribe had apparently only six to eight bulls, each bull having several wives. So apparently while not precisely monogamous, they tried to keep it in the family..

They are mainly vegetarians and eaters of bird's eggs, small mammals, grubs, etc, to Tarzan did not learn to hunt Bara from the mangani, who rarely have flesh in quantity to eat.

For ever after his first swim, Tarzan swam daily, whenever he could. Ever after is a long time. Much cleaner than some Tarzan-bashers would have you believe.

It seems to me ERB was clearly describing the Bengal Tiger. This is obviously a very large animal, which cannot climb trees. It is clearly not the leopard, Sheeta. It is not a black panther; being black and yellow, although not described as striped, either. Black leopards have always been clearly regarded as such, and good tree-climbers as well.

This tiger is, however, depicted in a picture dictionary, thus implying that it was an animal commonly described and understood.

I see this as just an error on ERB's part, in thinking Africa had tigers, which was subsequently corrected in the books. From the ERB experts, is this story? When did he learn of his error?

Already, with the language of the book itself in front of me, and its description of Tarzan, I am straying from the massive body concept again. He is an egnima in this, as he is in so many other respects.

What a book.

That's all I have to say about that.

Tarak