“When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction.” Mark Twain freely gave away one path to his heart.[1]

By his own life’s habits, Twain clearly had more use for cats than for dogs, with perhaps one exception—his daughter Jean’s German shepherd. After Jean’s sad death, the dog and Twain were devoted to each other.

Yet, also by the tell-tales of his life, we know Mark Twain loved all animals with tenderness and passion—a trait likely inherited from his mother who never turned a stray animal from her door.[2]

In Bentari, animals are always in the background—until some of them leap or climb or attack a passage into brief but critical starring roles.

Some of the animals making appearances are: giraffes, wildebeests, springboks, a duiker, chimpanzees, secretary birds, a pharaoh’s eagle owl, weaver birds and the hawk-like kite, the elephant, hippos, a mole rat, and mangabey monkeys.

These animals are prominent stars: the hyrax, the leopard, the lioness, wild boars, a gorilla, plover birds and hammerkops—and, of course, the wise-old crocodiles.

Let me know your favorite animal star in Bentari. Send e-mails to Tim@Bentari.com.

Buy Bentari and Fly! Bentari is also available at Amazon.com and on Kindle.

Image: Mark Twain and kitten— "Photograph of Samuel L. Clemens posing with kitten on the billiard table, Redding, Conn. (PH 00598)." [3]

[1] See: http://www.twainquotes.com/Cats.html

[2] See: http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/twainver.htm Essay by Thomas S. Vernon (source: Edward Wagenknecht, Mark Twain: The Man and His Work, Third Edition. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1967.)

[3] See: http://www.marktwainproject.org/homepage.html (see images) Catalog entry. Mark Twain Project Online. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. 2012. Accessed 2014-04-12