Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar · Chapter
The Fight for the Treasure explained
Tarzan tracks Werper and the Abyssinians to the ruins of his bungalow, where they unearth the golden ingots of Opar.
What happens
Tarzan tracks Werper and the Abyssinians to the ruins of his bungalow, where they unearth the golden ingots of Opar. Achmet Zek and his raiders attack, leading to a chaotic battle for the treasure. Werper flees, pursued by Achmet Zek, while Tarzan observes from concealment, his memory stirred by the gold. The chapter ends with a duel between Werper and Achmet Zek in the forest.
Themes in this chapter
Greed and Betrayal
The treasure of Opar drives Werper, Abdul Mourak, and Achmet Zek into violent conflict, with each willing to betray and kill for the gold.
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan hunts and adapts to the jungle, using his cunning to follow the horsemen and observe the battle without being detected.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Hunts Bara, follows Werper and the Abyssinians, observes the battle for the gold, and recalls vague memories of the ingots.
- Albert Werper
Rides with the Abyssinians, helps unearth the gold, flees from Achmet Zek, and engages in a duel with him.
- Achmet Zek
Leads the raid on the Abyssinians, pursues Werper, and engages in a duel with him in the forest.
- Abdul Mourak
Commands the Abyssinians, fondles the gold, and leads his men against Achmet Zek's raiders.
Key passages
“None of them there but was familiar with the name and fame of Tarzan of the Apes, and the fact that they had recognized the white giant as the ferocious enemy of the wrongdoers of the jungle, added to their terror, for they had been assured that Tarzan was dead.”
The raiders were terrified because they recognized the white giant as the legendary Tarzan, whom they believed dead, and feared his ghostly vengeance.
Highlights the superstitious fear of the raiders and Tarzan's fearsome reputation.
“Something stirred in the ape-man’s mind as he looked long upon the golden ingots. Where had he seen such before? What were they? Why did these Tarmangani covet them so greatly?”
Tarzan felt a vague memory stir as he stared at the gold, wondering where he had seen it before and why the white men valued it so much.
Shows Tarzan's growing curiosity and half-forgotten connection to the gold of Opar.