Description
The orphaned son of aristocratic English parents marooned in Africa is adopted and raised by a band of apes. Not otherwise known to science, the ”mangani” apes name the boy ”Tarzan” in their primitive speech. Tarzan’s upbringing gives him physical skills considerably superior to those of the finest athletes, but he also inherits a high level of mental prowess. He teaches himself to read by examining basic English primers left by his parents, and eventually learns to speak several languages fluently. Tarzan only rejoins the civilized world when fully grown…
Book Excerpt
o immediately fell to talking again and finally, with his head tipped back, sniffed the air in the direction of the tree above them and then suddenly pointing toward the carcass of Bara, the deer, he touched his stomach in a sign language which even the densest might interpret. With a wave of his hand Tarzan invited his guest to partake of the remains of his savage repast, and the other, leaping nimbly as a little monkey to the lower branches of the tree, made his way quickly to the flesh, assisted always by his long, strong sinuous tail.
The pithecanthropus ate in silence, cutting small strips from the deer’s loin with his keen knife. From his crotch in the tree Tarzan watched his companion, noting the preponderance of human attributes which were doubtless accentuated by the paradoxical thumbs, great toes, and tail.
He wondered if this creature was representative of some strange race or if, what seemed more likely, but an atavism. Either supposition would have seemed preposterous enough did he
