The Return of Tarzan · Chapter
XXII: The Treasure Vaults of Opar explained
Tarzan reunites with his Waziri warriors and leads them back to Opar to retrieve gold ingots from the treasure vaults.
What happens
Tarzan reunites with his Waziri warriors and leads them back to Opar to retrieve gold ingots from the treasure vaults. After transporting the gold to a hidden jungle amphitheater, he buries it. Later, while hunting, he witnesses a woman praying and a man about to be attacked by a lion. Tarzan kills the lion with a spear, only to discover the woman is Jane Porter and the man is William Cecil Clayton. Overcome with jealousy, he initially aims a poisoned arrow at Clayton but ultimately spares him and retreats into the jungle.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Physical Prowess
Tarzan's physical strength and jungle skills are central: he scales the boulder, transports heavy gold ingots, and kills a lion with a spear to save Jane and Clayton.
Love and Sacrifice
Tarzan's love for Jane leads him to spare Clayton despite intense jealousy, sacrificing his own desire for revenge.
Colonialism and Otherness
The Waziri are portrayed as noble but subordinate porters, and Opar is depicted as a mysterious, primitive civilization with grotesque customs.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Leads the Waziri to retrieve gold from Opar, buries it in the jungle amphitheater, then saves Jane and Clayton from a lion, but refrains from killing Clayton out of jealousy.
- Busuli
Waziri warrior who reports seeing the fifty frightful men and helps Tarzan retrieve the gold.
- Jane Porter
Seen praying in the jungle; she is the woman Tarzan saves from the lion, and is embraced by Clayton afterward.
- William Cecil Clayton
The man with Jane Porter; Tarzan nearly kills him with an arrow but spares him.
- La
High priestess of Opar who helps Tarzan hide in the Chamber of the Dead and provides food, though she is not directly mentioned in the main excerpt.
Key passages
“When they realized that it was indeed their chief in the flesh, and no materialized spirit, they went mad with joy.”
The Waziri were overjoyed to find Tarzan alive, having feared he was a ghost.
Highlights the Waziri's loyalty and relief at Tarzan's return.
“For an instant he glanced along the polished shaft, drawing the bowstring far back, that the arrow might pierce through the heart for which it was aimed. But he did not release the fatal messenger.”
Tarzan aimed his arrow at Clayton's heart but chose not to shoot.
Shows Tarzan's internal struggle and ultimate restraint.