Part 1: The Journey to Africa

Chapter 8

"Jane's Tall Tale"

So, Jane and Tarzan, the wild ape who saved her life, flung through the trees following the sounds of Clayton's rifle back towards the campsite. During the journey, Jane thought to herself how a wild savage man could come to know her so easily. But, she didn't have long to think as they were soon back at the campsite. Quickly putting her hair back into an elegant bun, Jane could not believe what she was seeing in front of eyes in the campsite.

"Gorillas!" she gasped and followed Tarzan as he rejoined his group. Amazed by what she was seeing before her, Jane quickly came to the conclusion as to why Tarzan was so different to her.

"He's one of them!" she said to herself and upon seeing the gorillas, they all looked at her with wonder and amazement. Tarzan then turned towards a smaller female gorilla named Terk and hooted at her to meet Jane. Terk walked over and was amazed to see someone who was like her best friend. She and the other gorillas had never seen other humans before and was fascinated by Jane and who she was.

But, before they could continue to gaze at each other, Jane felt a large gust of breath go onto her neck. She turned around and was horrified to discover what was behind her. A large silverback gorilla with a large angry look on his face was standing right behind her.

"Oh, my-," gasped Jane and the enormous beast roared and beat his chest in anger as Jane laid down in fear of the gigantic monster that was towering over her like the headmistress at her finishing school back in London. The beast bent down and Jane grabbed a serving spoon to defend herself if the gorilla were to get rough with her. Like all the other times she had done today, Jane was now preparing herself for death in front of her rescuer and his gorilla friends.

But, instead of attacking, the gorilla simply smelled Jane and then looked up and roared at Tarzan in anger. All Tarzan could do was hoot and grunt softly as a way of saying "I'm sorry." Just then, the sounds of Clayton and Archimedes came into view and the animals quickly left taking Tarzan with them.

"Jane!" called Archimedes.

"Jane!" called Clayton.

"Oh, Jane!" called Archimedes upon seeing his daughter in the ransacked camp. "We were so worried about you?"

"My goodness," said Clayton as he surveyed the damage. "What happened?"

"Are you all right?" asked Archimedes worriedly. "We've been everywhere looking for you."

Jane finally decided to come clean with her father and guide about her experiences from earlier. Neither man was prepared for what they were going to hear and see in front of them.

"Oh, oh, my goodness," began Jane. "Daddy, I was out walking. I was-little baby-little baby monkey, and I drew a picture. Suddenly the monkey starts crying, and I turned around and there's a whole fleet of them! There's an army of monkeys, a huge tree full of them, screaming at me! Terrified I was, terrified. Suddenly I was swinging in a vine, up in the air, swinging, flying, I was in the air. And we were all surrounded. And Daddy, they took my boot."

Neither men didn't quite know what to make of what Jane was doing in front of them, but Archimedes remembered that one of the boots that were missing from Jane's foot were the ones he bought her before the journey.

"Goodness," he said. "Those were the ones I bought you."

But, Jane was not finished with her story. She still had one more detail to give both of them.

"And I was saved," she said dreamily. "I was saved by a flying wild man in a loincloth."

"Loincloth," remarked Archimedes. "Good Lord."

"What is she talking about?" groaned Clayton, clearly not interested in the tale of what Archimedes' daughter was telling.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," added Archimedes. "Takes after her mother you know. She'd come up with stories like that, not about men in loincloths of course, but-."

But, neither man was prepared for what Jane said next.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," she said. "There were gorillas!"

"Gorillas?" said Clayton and Archimedes, realizing that the only woman in their party had seen what either one of them were looking for all day.

"You saw the gorillas?" asked Clayton, grabbing onto Jane's shoulders. "Where, Jane? Where?"

"He left with them," she answered.

"Who, dear, who?" asked Archimedes.

"Tarzan," answered Jane again.

"Tarzan?" asked Clayton.

"The Ape Man," she answered and the two men looked at each other with serious doubt in their minds. But, they had far more important things on their mind.

"Well, Miss Porter," said Clayton. "Thank God he didn't hurt or violate you in anyway."

"He did try to look up my dress," replied Jane. "He is a savage jungle man after all."

Archimedes gasped in horror at what his daughter had said and quickly began examining her. Fearing the worst, he wanted to go over every single square inch of her body.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" asked Jane as her father looked her over. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You are fine, my child," he said. "Although, I am afraid that there is a small rip on the edge of your dress."

Jane looked over and saw a small rip to her favorite dress that she sustained during her chase from the baboons. For a moment, Jane was upset that her favorite dress was ruined, but realized that she was thankful that she was still alive thanks to Tarzan.

"I can always repair it," she said. "I will find the piece and sew it back on, but not before giving it a wash. Perhaps this dress was a sign of good luck because I wore this when we first discovered gorillas."

But, Clayton had more important interests to follow than Jane's wardrobe malfunction.

"But, what about Tarzan?" asked Clayton. "I want you to tell us more about him, Jane."

"I will," she said. "But can't it wait until tomorrow? I think we should clean up what the gorillas did to the camp."

So, they all spent the rest of the day cleaning up the camp and Jane changed out of her soggy yellow dress and accessories and into her nightgown as the day quickly turned into night.

Her life was changed forever today and in the days to come it would continue to change, for it seems that there was much more to Tarzan and his gorilla family that met the eye…