Tarzan the Untamed · Chapter
X: In the Hands of Savages explained
Tarzan, while hunting for game to feed Bertha Kircher, is captured by the Wamabo savages after a branch breaks beneath him.
What happens
Tarzan, while hunting for game to feed Bertha Kircher, is captured by the Wamabo savages after a branch breaks beneath him. He is taken to the hut where Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick is also held prisoner. As the Wamabo prepare a cannibal feast, Bertha Kircher, guided by the ape Zu-tag, leads a group of apes to rescue Tarzan and the Englishman. Tarzan uses boiling water to rout the warriors, and the group escapes into the jungle. Tarzan is conflicted, feeling indebted to Bertha Kircher, whom he hates.
Themes in this chapter
Savagery vs. Civilization
The Wamabo's cannibalistic feast and the brutal rescue contrast with Tarzan's strategic use of boiling water and the Englishman's civilized demeanor.
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan, Bertha, and Smith-Oldwick adapt to their capture and rescue, using the environment and allies (apes) to survive.
Loyalty and Betrayal
Zu-tag's loyalty to Tarzan drives the rescue, while Tarzan's internal conflict about owing his life to Bertha Kircher, whom he hates, explores themes of loyalty and enmity.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Captured by Wamabo after falling from a tree; rescued by Bertha Kircher and Zu-tag; feels conflicted about owing his life to Bertha.
- Fräulein Bertha Kircher
Leads the apes to rescue Tarzan; cuts his bonds; rides on Zu-tag's back through the jungle.
- Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick
Fellow prisoner of the Wamabo; bound hand and foot; freed by Bertha Kircher after Tarzan's rescue.
- Zu-tag
Leads the apes to rescue Tarzan; carries Bertha Kircher on his back through the trees; communicates with Bertha to get her help.
- Usanga
Chief of the Wamabo; orders Tarzan bound for the feast; leads warriors against the apes but is routed by boiling water.
Key passages
“One of Tarzan’s chief divertissements was the baiting of the blacks. He realized more keen enjoyment through annoying and terrifying them than from any other source of amusement the grim jungle offered.”
Tarzan found great pleasure in tormenting and frightening the black natives, more than any other jungle pastime.
Highlights Tarzan's antagonistic relationship with the Wamabo and his savage nature.
“Tonight the greatest of all obligations had been placed upon him—his life had been saved by another and Tarzan shook his head and growled, for it had been saved by one whom he hated above all others.”
Tarzan was deeply troubled because his life was saved by Bertha Kircher, a person he despised more than anyone.
Reveals Tarzan's internal conflict and the irony of being indebted to an enemy.