Plot Summary
In Chapter Four, titled "My Father Finds the River," Elmer Elevator arrives on Wild Island and faces the challenge of locating the river where the baby dragon is held captive. He crawls under a wahoo bush at the jungle’s edge to plan his next move, eating eight tangerines to sustain himself. Reasoning that the river must flow into the ocean, he decides to walk along the beach until he finds it. He walks until sunrise, then hides in tall grass to sleep through the day, conserving his tangerine supply since the fruit does not grow on this island.
When Elmer wakes in the late afternoon, a mouse discovers his knapsack and hurries off to report the strange "rock" to someone. Alarmed, Elmer sets out again at dusk. During his nighttime walk, he has two close encounters. First, he stumbles upon a pair of tortoises in the dark and, when questioned, pretends to be a monkey carrying his sick grandmother to the doctor. Second, he nearly walks between two wild boars who are gravely discussing evidence of an invasion—fresh tangerine peels and the mouse’s report of a mysterious rock that vanished. The second boar dismisses the evidence, and they both return to the jungle. Elmer learns from this close call and begins saving his tangerine peels. By morning, he finally reaches the river, but the narrator warns that his troubles are only beginning.
Character Development
Elmer demonstrates growing resourcefulness and quick thinking throughout the chapter. He reasons logically about geography to find the river, rations his food supply wisely, and thinks on his feet when confronted by the tortoises—answering their questions with simple agreement to avoid suspicion. His ability to stay calm under pressure and adapt to unexpected dangers shows a boy maturing through his adventure. The chapter also reveals Elmer’s capacity to learn from mistakes: after overhearing the boars discuss the tangerine peels as evidence, he immediately changes his behavior.
Themes and Motifs
The chapter develops the theme of cleverness versus brute strength. Elmer survives not through physical power but through quick wits and careful planning. The motif of food as both sustenance and liability appears prominently—tangerines keep Elmer nourished but their peels become incriminating evidence. The jungle setting reinforces themes of danger and the unknown, while the animals’ organized surveillance suggests a society that views outsiders with suspicion, paralleling real-world themes of territorial protection and xenophobia.
Literary Devices
Gannett employs dramatic irony throughout the chapter, as readers know more about Elmer’s situation than the animals do. The mouse’s spoonerism—"Queer, queer, what a dear little dock! I mean, dear, dear, what a queer little rock!"—provides comic relief while building tension. The boars’ formal, detective-like analysis of the "invasion" evidence creates humor through its exaggerated seriousness. Foreshadowing appears in the chapter’s final line—"Then his troubles really began"—which builds suspense for the chapters ahead. The first-person retrospective narration ("my father") maintains a storytelling frame that adds warmth and distance to the adventure.