Tarzan and the Golden Lion · Chapter
XI: Strange Incense Burns explained
Tarzan, having left La in a Gomangani village, returns to find the village deserted and La taken by the Bolgani.
What happens
Tarzan, having left La in a Gomangani village, returns to find the village deserted and La taken by the Bolgani. He learns from a hidden woman that the Bolgani captured the villagers and La after discovering the body of one of their own. Despite the danger, Tarzan resolves to rescue La, driven by loyalty and gratitude for her past sacrifices. He reconnoiters the Bolgani's palace, a bizarre and richly ornamented structure guarded by gorilla-men, and plans to enter under cover of darkness to find La.
Themes in this chapter
Loyalty and Betrayal
Tarzan's unwavering loyalty to La, who saved him at great personal cost, drives him to risk his life to rescue her from the Bolgani.
Courage and Sacrifice
Tarzan demonstrates courage by infiltrating the Bolgani palace alone, and La's earlier sacrifice for Tarzan is recalled as motivation.
Savagery and Civilization
The Bolgani's brutal rule over the Gomangani and the opulent yet barbaric Palace of Diamonds highlight the tension between primitive savagery and civilized ornamentation.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Returns to the Gomangani village to find it deserted and La missing; resolves to rescue her despite the risks.
- La
Captured by the Bolgani and taken from the Gomangani village; Tarzan is determined to free her.
- Bolgani
The gorilla-men who rule the valley, capture La and the villagers, and guard the Palace of Diamonds.
Key passages
“She had jeopardized her life for him, and become an exile from her own country. The mere fact then that the Bolgani had taken her with the possible intention of slaying her, was not sufficient for the ape-man. He must know whether or not she lived, and if she lived he must devote his every energy to winning her release and her eventual escape from the dangers of this valley.”
Tarzan felt a deep obligation to La because she had risked everything for him, leaving her homeland. Even though the Bolgani might kill her, he couldn't abandon her; he had to find out if she was alive and, if so, do everything possible to free her and get her to safety.
Highlights Tarzan's sense of loyalty and duty toward La.
“To search this great tower alone, without any assistance whatever from his keen sense of scent, seemed impossible of accomplishment, if he were to take even the most ordinary precautions”
The heavy incense in the tower blocked Tarzan's ability to track by smell, making his search for La extremely difficult and risky.
Illustrates the challenge posed by the incense, which neutralizes Tarzan's primary hunting sense.