Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar · Chapter
The Deadly Peril of Jane Clayton explained
Jane Clayton is rescued from the Arab raiders by a giant ape, mistaking him for Tarzan until she discovers his true nature and faints.
What happens
Jane Clayton is rescued from the Arab raiders by a giant ape, mistaking him for Tarzan until she discovers his true nature and faints. Tarzan searches Achmet Zek's tent for his stolen pouch and then the hut where Jane was held, finding it empty. He escapes the aroused village and roams the jungle, missing Jane by a narrow margin due to a shift in the wind. Meanwhile, Albert Werper bargains with Abdul Mourak for his freedom by promising to lead him to a hidden cache of gold, diverting the Abyssinian force southward. Achmet Zek plans to retrieve the buried fortune from the Englishman's douar.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan adapts to the chaos of the Arab camp, using stealth and brute force to search for his belongings and escape, while Jane's survival hinges on mistaken identity and the jungle's dangers.
Greed and Betrayal
Werper's avarice drives him to bargain with Abdul Mourak using false promises of gold, while Achmet Zek's greed motivates his raid on the Englishman's douar.
Characters to notice
- Jane Clayton
Rescued by a giant ape who she initially mistakes for Tarzan; faints upon discovering the ape's true identity.
- Tarzan
Searches Achmet Zek's tent for his stolen pouch, then the hut for Jane; escapes the village and roams the jungle, missing Jane due to a wind shift.
- Albert Werper
Bargains with Abdul Mourak for freedom by promising to lead him to a hidden gold cache, diverting the Abyssinians southward.
- Achmet Zek
Orders his lieutenants to prepare a force to retrieve the buried fortune from the Englishman's douar.
- Chulk
Accompanies Tarzan but flees in terror when the Arabs are aroused, tearing his burnoose as he escapes over the palisade.
- Taglat
Previously awaited Tarzan but is absent; his scent spoor is discovered in the empty hut, suggesting he entered through the roof.
Key passages
“he charged straight for the two sentries who blocked the doorway. The impact of his mighty shoulders bowled them over upon their backs, and before they could scramble to their feet, the ape was gone, darting in the shadows of the huts toward the palisade at the far end of the village.”
The ape burst through the doorway, knocking the two guards flat, and fled through the village shadows toward the far palisade.
Describes the ape's forceful escape with Jane.
“Tarzan of the Apes in all his savage life had never been accustomed to pause in argument with an antagonist. The primitive instinct of self-preservation acknowledges many arts and wiles; but argument is not one of them, nor did he now waste precious time in an attempt to convince the raiders that he was not a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Tarzan, true to his savage nature, did not argue when discovered; he immediately attacked his unmasker.
Highlights Tarzan's instinctive, non-verbal response to threat.
“If I can give you as much gold as ten men may carry will you promise that I shall be conducted in safety to the nearest English commissioner?”
Werper offered Abdul Mourak a huge amount of gold in exchange for safe passage to an English official.
Werper's bribe to secure his freedom.