Seven Tigers

The Seven Tigers are a group of territorial hunters on Wild Island whose pursuit of Elmer Elevator turns on a comic reversal: they surround him intending to make him their meal, but their hunger and competitive curiosity let him redirect their attention with chewing gum. They return as part of the larger force pursuing Elmer and the Baby Dragon, and end up swept downstream on a line of Crocodiles. The group is dangerous in its numbers and apparent unity, yet repeatedly vulnerable to its own appetites.

Identity and First Encounter

Elmer encounters the Seven Tigers after hearing whispers in the jungle and suspecting that unseen animals are following him. He runs, stumbles over roots, and hears what may be laughter, but sees no pursuers until he reaches a clearing. There, fourteen green eyes appear around him and resolve into seven Tigers. The animals circle him, watch him with growing hunger, then sit down to speak in turn. Their formation makes the encounter feel planned: Elmer has been surrounded before he can identify who is following him or choose a way out.

The Seven Tigers present themselves as owners of the jungle and treat Elmer’s presence as trespassing. They also insist that no explorer has ever left Wild Island alive. Elmer knows from the account given him by the Old Alley Cat that this claim is not true, but recognizes that contradicting hungry Tigers would be unwise. The exchange establishes a contrast between their confidence and the limits of their knowledge: they speak as if their authority over the island and its history were unquestionable, while Elmer silently retains information that could correct them.

Threat and Collective Character

The group’s threat grows through a sequence of separate remarks. One Tiger wonders whether Elmer is especially tender; another says that they eat whenever they are hungry rather than following regular meal-times. Others make clear that they are hungry now and unwilling to wait. The Tigers then move closer together, turning their talk into an immediate danger. Their speech is divided among the seven, but the threat is collective: no individual offers Elmer an opening, and the circle tightens as they approach.

Their introduction gives the group a sharply defined shared appetite rather than separate, developed personal histories. The sequence nevertheless distinguishes them through the turn-taking of their remarks and, later, through their rivalry. They are attentive to food and quick to act on desire, but not careful about testing an attractive promise. Their appetite is at once the source of their menace and the weakness Elmer can use against them.

The Chewing-Gum Diversion

Elmer’s response depends on advice from the Old Alley Cat, who has told him that the Tigers especially like chewing gum and that it is scarce on the island. Elmer opens his knapsack and tosses each Tiger a piece. The gift does not immediately resolve the danger: even while accepting the gum, the group remains more interested in eating Elmer. He therefore adds a claim designed to make the scarce treat seem renewable. If they chew it until it turns green and plant it, he says, more chewing gum will grow; the sooner they begin, the sooner they will have a supply.

The promise redirects the Tigers from their prey to the prospect of being first to cultivate more gum. Each unwraps a piece and chews as hard as possible. They monitor one another’s mouths, checking whether anyone’s gum is ready before the others’, and repeatedly find that it is not. In concentrating on who might gain an advantage, they forget about Elmer. The diversion works not because their hunger disappears, but because Elmer offers a new object for it and turns the group’s cooperation into competition. Their shared attention, which had made the encirclement effective, now keeps them occupied while their intended victim gets away.

Pursuit and Reversal

The Seven Tigers reappear among the animals pursuing Elmer as he crosses the river toward the Baby Dragon. Their anger joins that of the Rhinoceros, two Lions, the Gorilla, the Wild Boars, and numerous other animals. Together the pursuers interpret Elmer’s presence as an invasion and assume that he is after their dragon. Their renewed role makes clear that the gum trick has not converted them into allies or ended their opposition: once the immediate distraction is over, they are again part of the force trying to stop him.

The final reversal comes as Elmer finishes crossing on the backs of the Crocodiles, using Pink lollipops to keep them moving. The pursuing animals reach the bank and follow the Crocodiles into the river. One by one, the Crocodiles turn downstream to eat their lollipops, carrying the Seven Tigers and the rest of the shouting crowd along with them. The Tigers are no longer surrounding Elmer; they are passengers in a disorderly procession, swept away from the crossing while Elmer and the Baby Dragon remain together on the other bank.

Across both encounters, the Seven Tigers’ function in the story rests on the gap between force and judgment. Their numbers and coordinated pursuit make them a serious obstacle, but their attention can be captured by promised food, first by the possibility of planting chewing gum and later by the lollipops that draw the Crocodiles away. The repeated pattern turns a danger into an escape without making the Tigers harmless: they remain determined opponents, while their appetites repeatedly undo the advantage of their numbers.