Touge

Identity and Introduction

The tigers appear as a group of seven in the jungle on Wild Island, where Elmer Elevator encounters them after leaving the river behind. Their introduction turns the forest’s uncertain noises into a visible danger: after hearing sounds around him and suspecting he is being followed, Elmer reaches a clearing and sees fourteen green eyes surrounding it. The eyes resolve into seven tigers, who circle him, watch him, and sit down to speak. Their number and encircling position make the encounter feel organized rather than accidental; Elmer is surrounded before he can choose a way out.

The group speaks in turn, presenting itself as the owner of the jungle and Elmer as an intruder. The tigers suggest that he might claim ignorance of their territory, then invoke the danger facing explorers who enter the island. Their claims are meant to intimidate him, though Elmer knows from Old Alley Cat that the boast about no explorer ever leaving alive is untrue. He wisely keeps that knowledge to himself rather than contradicting a group that has already made its intentions plain.

Threat and Encounter with Elmer

The tigers make their immediate purpose unmistakable. They emphasize that Elmer is the first boy they have encountered and speculate about eating him; the group then agrees to begin at once and moves closer. Elmer is therefore not facing a mere warning or a test of manners: the tigers have surrounded him and threaten his life. The episode makes the practical imbalance clear. He is alone, while they are seven, and he has no way to overpower them.

His response depends on information supplied earlier by Old Alley Cat: tigers on the island are especially fond of chewing gum, which is scarce there. Elmer opens his knapsack and gives each of the seven a piece. The gift does not immediately make them abandon their intention; they continue to prefer eating him. He changes the terms of the encounter with a second part of the plan, claiming that the gum will turn green if chewed long enough and can then be planted to grow more gum. The tigers are eager to be first to plant theirs, and begin chewing in competition with one another.

That rivalry supplies Elmer’s opening. Each tiger checks the others’ mouths to see whether the gum has changed color, and their attention shifts from the captive boy to the possibility of gaining more gum first. They forget about him while they monitor one another. The episode thus turns a direct threat into an escape through observation and timing: Elmer succeeds because he knows what the tigers value and gives their shared appetite a competitive form. The story does not establish that they are truly deceived about how gum grows; it shows only that the promise is persuasive enough to occupy them while Elmer gets away.

Role in the Pursuit

The tigers return as part of the larger group mobilized against Elmer when he crosses the river to reach Baby Dragon. Their anger is directed at an apparent invasion and at the possibility that the intruder is coming for the dragon. With Wild Boars leading the outcry, seven furious tigers join a Rhinoceros, two Lions, a Gorilla, and countless monkeys in rushing toward the riverbank. The scale of this response contrasts with Elmer’s solitary crossing: the animals have numbers and noise on their side, and he has little time to finish freeing Baby Dragon.

At the bank, the tigers and the other pursuers attempt to follow Elmer across a bridge made from the backs of Crocodiles. Elmer is still sawing through the rope around Baby Dragon’s neck when the animals begin crossing. His escape and the dragon’s freedom are not yet secure; the advancing group could reach them while the rope remains uncut. The tigers’ place in the pursuit therefore raises the stakes of the rescue even though the text does not single them out as its leaders or assign them a separate action there.

Reversal and Narrative Significance

The crossing ends in reversal rather than confrontation. As the pursuers ride the Crocodiles, the first crocodile turns downriver after finishing its lollipop; the others follow, each still sucking a pink lollipop. The tigers are swept along with the other animals, yelling and getting their feet wet, instead of reaching Elmer and Baby Dragon. Their collective rush to stop an escape becomes a ridiculous river journey that gives Elmer the time to finish cutting the rope.

Across both encounters, the tigers embody the danger Elmer faces on Wild Island, but they are also vulnerable to distraction. In the jungle, their greed and desire to outdo one another interrupt their attack. At the river, their forceful pursuit is undone by the Crocodiles’ unreliability and the lure of candy. The contrast keeps the tigers threatening without making them invincible: Elmer survives not by defeating them in a contest of strength, but by recognizing how appetite and group behavior can redirect their attention.