'you are judging her according to your own standards , gentlewomen , ' said jan. 'an ordinary white woman such as any of you -- pardon me , i did not mean just that -- rather , a white woman above the ordinary in physique and intelligence could never , i grant you , have lived a year alone and naked in this tropical jungle ; but this woman not only surpasses the average white woman in strength and agility , but as far transcends our trained athletes and `strong men ' as they surpass a day-old babe ; and her courage and ferocity in battle are those of the wild beast . '