1912 October The Son Of Tarzan

DATE:  October 6, 1912      

EVENT:  Jack/Korak and Jeanne/Meriem get married.                              

SOURCE:  When Baynes and Hanson make plans to steal Jeanne ERB reveals Tarzan's farm is a two-month quick march from the coast. "She'll have to come, and after it's all over she won't feel so bad about it - especially after livin' with you for two months while we're makin' the coast." ERB-The Son Of Tarzan.  

CHAT:  Malbihn, tells Baynes the coast is a two-month march from the Greystoke farm. Why march for two months when one can take a train? Because you are an outlaw committing kidnapping, murder, and other criminal acts. Otherwise, especially when traveling with women, you would take the train from Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, to Mombasa, Kenya's principal seaport. The Mombasa-to-Uganda railroad was completed in Kisumu in 1901 and Uganda in 1906. 

    At this point, the Greystoke's were on their way to England. One can imagine how much luggage they would have between the four of them. ERB says the Greystoke farm is several marches to the nearest mission. ERB does not directly say so, but that mission was most likely located in Kisumu. In 1912 Kenya there weren't but about 3,000 Europeans settled around Mombasa. 

    One other thing to keep in mind is Kenya's climate. It has two rainy seasons. The long rains occur from March to June. The second rainy season is the short rains from October to November. Common sense tells you Tarzan and Korak with two women and luggage, are not going to hike for two months during the rainy season to the coast when they can ride on a train with full comforts. 

Meriem & Korak

DATE:  October 13, 1912  

EVENT:  The Greystoke's arrive at the coast.            

SOURCE:  In my opinion, and not provided by ERB, the Greystokes' took the train in Kisumu and rode to Mombasa. This took approximately a week, which I will use as a conservative working date.

Mombasa Railroad

DATE:  October 14, 1912  

EVENT:  Greystoke's sail for England.                        

SOURCE:  "and after the marriage ceremony had been performed they kept on to the coast to take passage for England." ERB-The Son Of Tarzan.

Oceanliner

DATE:  October 25, 1912                                   

EVENT:  Greystoke's arrive in England.              

SOURCE:  "The noise, and bustle and confusion of the English railway station frightened her." ERB-The Son Of Tarzan.                    

CHAT:  In the early 20th century, steamship journeys from East Africa to Europe could take several weeks. A reasonable estimate for a steamship voyage from Mombasa to Dover in October 1912 would be around twenty to twenty-five days. Several factors could influence the actual travel time: To keep things conservative I used twenty-five days as a working date.

• Ship Speed: Faster ships would naturally take less time.
• Weather Conditions: Storms and adverse weather could significantly delay the journey.
• Route Taken: The specific route chosen, including any stops for refueling or cargo, would affect the overall duration.
• Canal Transit: If the ship transited the SuezCanal, this would add to the travel time.

London, England

DATE:  October 25, 1912

EVENT:  Abdul Kamak, in Paris, contacted General Armand Jacot and reported Jeanne/Meriem being alive.                     

SOURCE:  "A week since there came to me in Paris a swarthy Arab, who called himself Abdul Kamak." ERB-The Son Of Tarzan.                                

CHAT:  Note that ERB describes at this point that Tarzan has more than one African estate. "The man's story led the Admiral to believe that the place where the white girl the Arab supposed to be my daughter, was held in captivity was not far from your African estates, and he advised that I come at once and call upon you -." ERB-The Son Of Tarzan. Note "estates" not "estate".

 Abdul Kamak & General Armand Jacot

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Over the past forty-five years, Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There, the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory) instead of the more accepted date, May 1888.

James Michael Moody also authorizes the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and, Swordsman On Unium, published July 15, 2024.