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    Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
    Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
    Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
    Ebook259 pages3 hours

    Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

    By Edgar Rice Burroughs

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    About this ebook

    Tarzan returns to a lost colony of Atlantis where he is targeted for sacrifice. Loaded with intrigue and counter intrigue.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWilder Publications, Inc.
    Release dateJun 10, 2015
    ISBN9781627558549
    Author

    Edgar Rice Burroughs

    American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875 - 1950) worked many odd jobs before professionally writing. Burroughs did not start writing until he was in his late 30s while working at a pencil-sharpener wholesaler. But after following his call to writing, Burroughs created one of America's most enduring adventure heroes: Tarzan. Along with his novels about Tarzan, Burroughs wrote the notable Barsoom series, which follows the Mars adventurer John Carter.

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    Reviews for Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

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    • 4/5
      This one was a bit of a let down at the beginning. I had just read the Son of Tarzan and found it amazing. So this one seemed to struggle a bit at the beginning. By the last 1/3 of the book, I could not put it down. Another great read from ERB.
    • 5/5
      Following Clayton as he grows up in the wild is a treat. You cannot go wrong with Burroughs, His characters are awesome.
    • 4/5
      Tarzan of the Apes - Edgar Rice Burrows ****I always knew Tarzan was based on a book, but I didn?t realize just how many were written, I always assumed it was just a one off publication and the films sort of took over. There were 24 original novels which spawned numerous other books after the death of the author.I think nearly everyone knows the story of the boy who is raised by jungle apes following the death of his family, how he rises to become their leader, falls in love with Jane and returns to civilization. But I wonder how many people have actually read the source material? Firstly I think most people may be shocked at the level of violence in the books, things aren?t all nice and the fight scenes are fairly graphic, especially when you consider this was written in 1912. Burroughs certainly wasn?t afraid to hold back and you really get a sense of adventure that can be missing from other books of this type. Of course, with the book being this old you have to view it from the times in which it was written and the outdated view of the world may cause an amount of offense in these times of often misplaced political correctness. If you are able to overlook these themes, swallow the numerous coincidences and unbelievable parts (in particular Tarzan teaching himself to write?.) and what you will be left with is a book that is very readable and contains enough content to make probably 3 or 4 full length films. Expect everything that makes a jungle adventure special and different: wild animals, rough terrain, cannibals and desolation. It is easy to see how Tarzan captured the imagination of the times and has remained an iconic figure ever since and is still in print over a century later.I really did enjoy reading the book, but not enough that I think I will actively seek out the next in the series. If it falls into my lap then I may well have a look, but that?s about it. Well worth a read, just to see when the Legend of Greystoke originated.
    • 4/5
      Lord Greystoke and his Lady Greystoke was going to Africa. On the ship they was an old angry captain that hated the crew except for the high ranked me. He would shoot or beat the men if they dare to say no to his order. Lady Greystoke died and then her husband was killed by the king ape leaving their son behind. He was raised by the apes in the jungle. He became known as Tarzan instead of using his name John. He does not know that he is human, yet he felt out of place in the tribe of apes because he was the only one that was hairless. He soon found his parents cabin and in this way he found out that he was a human being. He also wanted to be the leader of the apes and he challenge White Eyes to a fight. Tarzan won the fight and became the leader. He was bought back to England by D'Amot where he met his grandfather and fell in love with a girl name Jane. Jane taught him English, French and how to dance.This book is very adventurous. Tarzan is a great hunter with skills like no other. He is able to fight and teaches himself to read. Tarzan also killed a gorilla who attacked him. He mourned and screamed when his mother ape was killed. It is amazing that he also learn to speak english
    • 5/5
      A great, classic escapist adventure melodrama.
    • 5/5
      Well-written classic literature. Much better than his sci-fi.
    • 5/5
      Why did it take me so long to pick up this classic? This is your typical little adventure from a time when adventure series were very popular. Nothing complicated here, just good fun in the classic way. People who have seen various movie versions might be disappointed in the book because it won't be what they expect, but movies never follow a book exactly and I think most of us are aware of that by now. I have to say in most cases I enjoyed this book much better than the theatrical equivalents.
    • 4/5
      A surprisingly entertaining book -- far different from my preconceptions of what to expect. It makes me want to read the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      A very enjoyable adventure story though the colonial and class attitudes overwhelm the story at times.
    • 5/5
      The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the gorgeous Neil Adams cover. The next was the realization that I have never actually read the book! Another “it’s about timeâ€? moment! Although quite familiar with the legend and history of Tarzan, that knowledge had not come from the actual book. Instead, like many, it came from the movies, television serials, and comics.What really struck me about the novel was how well it read. Given that it was written almost 100 years ago (!) it was neither stale nor insipid. The characters were well defined and definitely of their time, but not so impossible to relate to. And, if you can accept how Tarzan was nourished from his 1st year onwards, there’s enough logical thought to explain how he not only survived, but thrived.All in all, I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, I may always have been partial to jungle tales and jungle living, but there’s something quite appealing about primordial and instinctive living and the power love has to expand our personal boundaries. After closing the book my first thought was to get my hands on more (or at least the sequel). 5 stars for this book. I couldn’t get enough of it.
    • 3/5
      You couldn’t find a finer collection of Tarzan cliches than in this tale - it’s got everything: lost cities dripping in treasure ruled by a beautiful priestess, gangs of marauding slave traders, duplicitous foreigners, an amnesiac Tarzan reverting to full on ape-man mode, Jane being a serial kidnap victim, and jungle treks and battles galore. It’s a mess of too many interwoven sub-plots and ridiculously implausible coincidences - yet it was still a fun summer read. Pure pulp adventure.
    • 4/5
      A very enjoyable adventure story though the colonial and class attitudes overwhelm the story at times.
    • 4/5
      A surprisingly quick read! I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would, and I feel that this would have been even more sensationally astounding at the beginning of the twentieth century. Tarzan is born on the coast of Africa to two loving English parents who have been dropped off ship by a mutinous crew. His parents die during his infancy and he is raised by Kala, a loving ape who just lost her own child. He is reared in ape fashion and lives as they do become "king of the jungle," when he stumbles upon his parents cabin he begins to teach himself to write in English from the books they left behind. When a ship arrives with a beautiful young girl he is enamoured and tries to woo her with actions and words since he cannot speak. Compelling, and exciting, this adventure story has something for everyone, even though the ending is a little lacking (this is the first in the series).
    • 5/5
      Really enjoyed this. Full of action and romance. Particularly enjoyable was Tarzan's childhood.
    • 5/5
      I first read this book some 40 odd years ago, and it became one of my favorites. Reading it again changed little, except maybe a deeper love of the story.John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke, are put ashore on the west coast of Africa after the crew of their vessel mutinees and kills the officers. Shortly thereafter, Alice gives birth to a bouncing baby boy. Over the course of a year, John builds a very sturdy cabin for their habitation and safety, but Alice could not cope and finally succumbed. So distraught was John that he neglected to latch the door to the cabin, allowing Kerchack, king of the great apes, easy access and spelled the end for John.Luckily for the baby, Kala had dropped her newborn, killing it. She rapidly traded her dead baby for the crying young Lord Greystoke and raised the human as her own and named him Tarzan. So begins the life and times of Tarzan of the apes, who used his superior intellect to become king of his tribe and the most feared Hunter in all of Africa.
    • 4/5
      A self-made noble beast, Tarzan's plight is every man's. Burroughs created a living myth and one that hints at how we might all be better off swinging from those vines.
    • 5/5
      What I love about Tarzan of the Apes is how so very different the book is from all the adaptations that came after it. Because of that, this book is full of wonderful unexpected surprises in plot and character.
    • 4/5
      The best part of the Tarzan books is Tarzan. Who wouldn't love a man who could do anything? He's like a super hero. Disappointingly, Tarzan doesn't get the girl in this first novel. But I have hopes for the next!
    • 4/5
      Most people hate cliffhangers. I absolutely love them. I love the anticipation(and even slight frustration) they can make you feel.

      But that was a devious, DEVIOUS ending. I guess I'm off to download book two...

      Full review to come.
    • 3/5
      Very strong first half - like a Jack London survival tale, but the second act gives way to social farce & plodding romance with a very rushed, sloppy ending.
    • 4/5
      " Jane her lithe, young form flattened against the trunk of a great tree, her hands tight pressed against her rising and falling bosom, and her eyes wide with mingles horror, fascination, fear, and admiration - watched the primordial ape battle with the primeval man for possession of a woman - for her. As the great muscles of the man's back and shoulders knotted beneath the tension of his efforts, and the huge biceps and forearm held at bay those mighty tusks, the veil of centuries of civilization and culture was swept from the blurred vision of the Baltimore girl."Edgar Rice Burroughs knew how to tell a good story; his prose carries the reader along effortlessly page after page. Pulp fiction it may be, but it is so well written and at times so convincing that he makes his fantastical stories seam real. I used to gobble these books up as a teenager, and re-reading Tarzan today I was soon under it's spell and could hardly put the book down. Burroughs was in love with his male characters especially his hero Tarzan and if his descriptions of that perfect body are going to put you off then perhaps it's not for you:She watched him from beneath half-closed lids, Tarzan crossed the little circular clearing toward the trees upon the further side. She noted the graceful majesty of his carriage, the perfect symmetry of his magnificent figure and the poise of his well-shaped head upon his broad shoulders. What a perfect creature! There could be naught of cruelty or baseness beneath that godlike exterior. Never, she thought had such a man strode the earth since God created the first man in his own image." Burroughs Tarzan is a savage creature, but he is also a noble savage and this is the hook that makes him so attractive. Episodes of the Tarzan story first appeared in 1912 and it was published in book form in 1914 and while the story is very much of it's time as regards attitudes to women and black people, I did not find it overtly racist or sexist; a black maid is singled out as a figure of fun, but then so are two English academics. The black natives are savage and cruel, but Burroughs points out that this is the result of even crueller barbarities practiced on them by white officers of Leopold II's of Belgium regime. Tarzan is still a rip roaring adventure yarn with a super hero who one could almost believe in and one you might want to believe in. If ever I am in a reading slump I shall just pick up one of these stories, hell I might pick one up if I am not in a slump especially as the Tarzan and Jane story in this first of the series ends in a cliff hanger. Great fun and a four star read.
    • 4/5
      Tarzan has never been my favourite character, be it the comics or the cartoons - now Mowgli was an entirely different story! And the irony strikes. In the last year or so, I have read both the Jungle Books, which were barely readable, the characters nowhere as snappy as I remembered them from my childhood cartoons.And so, it was with great skepticism that I started with Tarzan of the Apes, and was I surprised! The writing was very simple, the story captivating and the characters endearing, even if stereotypical - be it the pretty, pretty Jane, the absent minded Professor or the mighty Tarzan. The never ending victories of Tarzan were not dull, nor were the highly noticeable and distinct villains bothersome. The repetitive fainting of poor Esmeralda did get on my nerves a few time, but well, she had a character to play as well, did I mention stereotypical?The ending of the book didn't lack in flourish either and I am left wondering, whether to dare the sequel and risk getting my impression shattered or go the way of Dune and Ender's Game and leave the series on a high with fond memories and none of the regrets.4/5
    • 4/5
      The first and best book about Tarzan. The credibility of this kind of stories is questionable, but it reads well, and you do not see the flaws immediately. Simply a good and entertaining read.
    • 3/5
      A good read from an antiquated age.
    • 3/5
      Well, this is a simple childhood story, I don't really need to review it as we all are probably familiar with it. My generation grew up watching TV movies about the ape man. I liked them a lot back then. My granddaughters have sat in front of the TV watching Disney DVDs. Tarzan is the orphan child of Lord and Lady Graystoke who were put ashore after a mutiny on a ship they were sailing. Lady Greystoke dies when Tarzan is a baby and Lord Greystoke is killed by an ape leaving the infant boy in the crib. The female ape who's baby is dead exchanges it for Tarzan and thus Tarzan is raised as an ape. He teaches himself to read English. The story is one of survival, adventure, combat with nature and romance. It is surprising that the book has lasted because it also can be described as racist and sexist. On another level, the book idealizes man's relationship with nature verses civilization. You have the contrast of Tarzan and Clayton. Tarzan who ate by the laws of nature and Clayton who ate with the manners of society.
    • 3/5

      The trials and tribulations of Tarzan and his friends are, without doubt, interesting. It's actually surprising the story is as short as it is. I'm debating on reading the others, but then again most books in a series pale in comparison to the first book, so I'm still at a bit of a loss there. The cast of characters is quite wonderful, and diverse, in a way. I love how the author made Tarzan play on the superstitions of the native tribes. I feel as though it added a sort of authenticity to him somehow, though I truly can't explain why I feel this way.

      This was a lovely change from your traditional classic novel; it was short, sweet, & to the point. It was, however, mildly disappointing. I suppose that's because I have this lovely Disney image of the story in my head, but I was really hoping, after all the work he went through, that Tarzan would get the girl.
    • 5/5
      A classic. Burroughs knows how to write action. I had thought it would be trite and unbelievable. I was very wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and lost the sense that I was reading. I strongly recommend Tarzan of the Apes even though it appears archaic.
    • 4/5
      I was surprised at how interesting and well written this book still is.
    • 4/5
      It is necessary to get past the awkward dialogue, especially toward the beginning of the book, and the ridiculously offensive character of Jane's black maid, who spends most of the book in a faint. And there are a few more silly things along the way--but, nevertheless, the narrative, especially the growing infatuation of Tarzan with Jane, will grab you and hold you to the satisfying conclusion. I have only read Burroughs' science fiction before--and that was many years ago, but I'm glad I finally picked up Tarzan. For the most part, Burroughs does his best to give his far-fetched story the semblance of believability, such as his explanations of how Tarzan, orphaned as an infant, learns on his own how to read English--but not speak it. The characters are memorable, too, though they are hardly complex. I will definitely continue reading the series--especially since Burroughs ends this one on a cliffhanger!
    • 4/5
      This book is a tremendous story, full of excitement. The prose is purple and very enjoyable. Jane Porter's black maid is an offensive stereotype deployed for comic relief. The two academics are a slightly less offensive stereotype, also deployed for comic relief. Burroughs was aware of the scandal of the abuses in the Belgian Congo; Tarzan's father is marooned while on an investigative mission and the tribe of Mbongo that Tarzan persecutes is fleeing from treatment that Burroughs describes as even more cruel than that that they inflict on their captives. The cliff hanger ending leaves you wanting more. The last part of the book occurs in the north woods of Wisconsin.Burroughs was fairly confident about the innate superiority of well-bred Englishmen to everybody else, and civilized Europeans to everybody else. Uncivilized Europeans were not depicted so positively; the brutal captain of the ship on which Tarzan'a father sails is nothing like the courtly French officer who rescues Jane Porter's stranded party.The way Tarzan kills the tribesmen of Mbongo isn't all that different from the way he kills lions and he does it for much the same reason: he wants their poisoned arrows and their fancy clothes just as he wants the lion's skin. While Burroughs was certainly racist and probably felt correctly that his European readers would not be troubled by Tarzan killing native Africans for their clothes and equipment as much as they might be troubled by his killing Europeans, Tarzan's behavior is actually consistent and not inherently racist. Tarzan's apes are unknown to modern zoologists; they are far too big to be any of the other great apes but they consider gorillas their enemies.

    Book preview

    Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar - Edgar Rice Burroughs

    Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

    By Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ©2014 Wilder Publications

    All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations for review purposes only.

    Wilder Publications, Inc.

    PO Box 632

    Floyd VA 24091-0632

    ISBN 13: 978-1-62755-854-9

    First Edition

    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

    Table of Contents

    Belgian and Arab

    On the Road to Opar

    The Call of the Jungle

    Prophecy and Fulfillment

    The Altar of the Flaming God

    The Arab Raid

    The Jewel-room of Opar

    The Escape from Opar

    The Theft of the Jewels

    Achmet Zek Sees the Jewels

    Tarzan Becomes a Beast Again

    La Seeks Vengeance

    Condemned to Torture and Death

    A Priestess but Yet a Woman

    The Flight of Werper

    Tarzan Again Leads the Mangani

    The Deadly Peril of Jane Clayton

    The Fight for the Treasure

    Jane Clayton and the Beasts of the Jungle

    Jane Clayton Again a Prisoner

    The Flight to the Jungle

    Tarzan Recovers His Reason

    A Night of Terror

    Home

    Belgian and Arab

    Lieutenant Albert Werper had only the prestige of the name he had dishonored to thank for his narrow escape from being cashiered. At first he had been humbly thankful, too, that they had sent him to this Godforsaken Congo post instead of court-martialing him, as he had so justly deserved; but now six months of the monotony, the frightful isolation and the loneliness had wrought a change. The young man brooded continually over his fate. His days were filled with morbid self-pity, which eventually engendered in his weak and vacillating mind a hatred for those who had sent him here—for the very men he had at first inwardly thanked for saving him from the ignominy of degradation.

    He regretted the gay life of Brussels as he never had regretted the sins which had snatched him from that gayest of capitals, and as the days passed he came to center his resentment upon the representative in Congo land of the authority which had exiled him—his captain and immediate superior.

    This officer was a cold, taciturn man, inspiring little love in those directly beneath him, yet respected and feared by the black soldiers of his little command.

    Werper was accustomed to sit for hours glaring at his superior as the two sat upon the veranda of their common quarters, smoking their evening cigarets in a silence which neither seemed desirous of breaking. The senseless hatred of the lieutenant grew at last into a form of mania. The captain’s natural taciturnity he distorted into a studied attempt to insult him because of his past shortcomings. He imagined that his superior held him in contempt, and so he chafed and fumed inwardly until one evening his madness became suddenly homicidal. He fingered the butt of the revolver at his hip, his eyes narrowed and his brows contracted. At last he spoke.

    You have insulted me for the last time! he cried, springing to his feet. I am an officer and a gentleman, and I shall put up with it no longer without an accounting from you, you pig.

    The captain, an expression of surprise upon his features, turned toward his junior. He had seen men before with the jungle madness upon them—the madness of solitude and unrestrained brooding, and perhaps a touch of fever.

    He rose and extended his hand to lay it upon the other’s shoulder. Quiet words of counsel were upon his lips; but they were never spoken. Werper construed his superior’s action into an attempt to close with him. His revolver was on a level with the captain’s heart, and the latter had taken but a step when Werper pulled the trigger. Without a moan the man sank to the rough planking of the veranda, and as he fell the mists that had clouded Werper’s brain lifted, so that he saw himself and the deed that he had done in the same light that those who must judge him would see them.

    He heard excited exclamations from the quarters of the soldiers and he heard men running in his direction. They would seize him, and if they didn’t kill him they would take him down the Congo to a point where a properly ordered military tribunal would do so just as effectively, though in a more regular manner.

    Werper had no desire to die. Never before had he so yearned for life as in this moment that he had so effectively forfeited his right to live. The men were nearing him. What was he to do? He glanced about as though searching for the tangible form of a legitimate excuse for his crime; but he could find only the body of the man he had so causelessly shot down.

    In despair, he turned and fled from the oncoming soldiery. Across the compound he ran, his revolver still clutched tightly in his hand. At the gates a sentry halted him. Werper did not pause to parley or to exert the influence of his commission—he merely raised his weapon and shot down the innocent black. A moment later the fugitive had torn open the gates and vanished into the blackness of the jungle, but not before he had transferred the rifle and ammunition belts of the dead sentry to his own person.

    All that night Werper fled farther and farther into the heart of the wilderness. Now and again the voice of a lion brought him to a listening halt; but with cocked and ready rifle he pushed ahead again, more fearful of the human huntsmen in his rear than of the wild carnivora ahead.

    Dawn came at last, but still the man plodded on. All sense of hunger and fatigue were lost in the terrors of contemplated capture. He could think only of escape. He dared not pause to rest or eat until there was no further danger from pursuit, and so he staggered on until at last he fell and could rise no more. How long he had fled he did not know, or try to know. When he could flee no longer the knowledge that he had reached his limit was hidden from him in the unconsciousness of utter exhaustion.

    And thus it was that Achmet Zek, the Arab, found him. Achmet’s followers were for running a spear through the body of their hereditary enemy; but Achmet would have it otherwise. First he would question the Belgian. It were easier to question a man first and kill him afterward, than kill him first and then question him.

    So he had Lieutenant Albert Werper carried to his own tent, and there slaves administered wine and food in small quantities until at last the prisoner regained consciousness. As he opened his eyes he saw the faces of strange black men about him, and just outside the tent the figure of an Arab. Nowhere was the uniform of his soldiers to be seen.

    The Arab turned and seeing the open eyes of the prisoner upon him, entered the tent.

    I am Achmet Zek, he announced. Who are you, and what were you doing in my country? Where are your soldiers?

    Achmet Zek! Werper’s eyes went wide, and his heart sank. He was in the clutches of the most notorious of cut-throats—a hater of all Europeans, especially those who wore the uniform of Belgium. For years the military forces of Belgian Congo had waged a fruitless war upon this man and his followers—a war in which quarter had never been asked nor expected by either side.

    But presently in the very hatred of the man for Belgians, Werper saw a faint ray of hope for himself. He, too, was an outcast and an outlaw. So far, at least, they possessed a common interest, and Werper decided to play upon it for all that it might yield.

    I have heard of you, he replied, and was searching for you. My people have turned against me. I hate them. Even now their soldiers are searching for me, to kill me. I knew that you would protect me from them, for you, too, hate them. In return I will take service with you. I am a trained soldier. I can fight, and your enemies are my enemies.

    Achmet Zek eyed the European in silence. In his mind he revolved many thoughts, chief among which was that the unbeliever lied. Of course there was the chance that he did not lie, and if he told the truth then his proposition was one well worthy of consideration, since fighting men were never over plentiful—especially white men with the training and knowledge of military matters that a European officer must possess.

    Achmet Zek scowled and Werper’s heart sank; but Werper did not know Achmet Zek, who was quite apt to scowl where another would smile, and smile where another would scowl.

    And if you have lied to me, said Achmet Zek, I will kill you at any time. What return, other than your life, do you expect for your services?

    My keep only, at first, replied Werper. Later, if I am worth more, we can easily reach an understanding. Werper’s only desire at the moment was to preserve his life. And so the agreement was reached and Lieutenant Albert Werper became a member of the ivory and slave raiding band of the notorious Achmet Zek.

    For months the renegade Belgian rode with the savage raider. He fought with a savage abandon, and a vicious cruelty fully equal to that of his fellow desperadoes. Achmet Zek watched his recruit with eagle eye, and with a growing satisfaction which finally found expression in a greater confidence in the man, and resulted in an increased independence of action for Werper.

    Achmet Zek took the Belgian into his confidence to a great extent, and at last unfolded to him a pet scheme which the Arab had long fostered, but which he never had found an opportunity to effect. With the aid of a European, however, the thing might be easily accomplished. He sounded Werper.

    You have heard of the man men call Tarzan? he asked.

    Werper nodded. I have heard of him; but I do not know him.

    But for him we might carry on our ‘trading’ in safety and with great profit, continued the Arab. For years he has fought us, driving us from the richest part of the country, harassing us, and arming the natives that they may repel us when we come to ‘trade.’ He is very rich. If we could find some way to make him pay us many pieces of gold we should not only be avenged upon him; but repaid for much that he has prevented us from winning from the natives under his protection.

    Werper withdrew a cigaret from a jeweled case and lighted it.

    And you have a plan to make him pay? he asked.

    He has a wife, replied Achmet Zek, whom men say is very beautiful. She would bring a great price farther north, if we found it too difficult to collect ransom money from this Tarzan.

    Werper bent his head in thought. Achmet Zek stood awaiting his reply. What good remained in Albert Werper revolted at the thought of selling a white woman into the slavery and degradation of a Moslem harem. He looked up at Achmet Zek. He saw the Arab’s eyes narrow, and he guessed that the other had sensed his antagonism to the plan. What would it mean to Werper to refuse? His life lay in the hands of this semi-barbarian, who esteemed the life of an unbeliever less highly than that of a dog. Werper loved life. What was this woman to him, anyway? She was a European, doubtless, a member of organized society. He was an outcast. The hand of every white man was against him. She was his natural enemy, and if he refused to lend himself to her undoing, Achmet Zek would have him killed.

    You hesitate, murmured the Arab.

    I was but weighing the chances of success, lied Werper, and my reward. As a European I can gain admittance to their home and table. You have no other with you who could do so much. The risk will be great. I should be well paid, Achmet Zek.

    A smile of relief passed over the raider’s face.

    Well said, Werper, and Achmet Zek slapped his lieutenant upon the shoulder. You should be well paid and you shall. Now let us sit together and plan how best the thing may be done, and the two men squatted upon a soft rug beneath the faded silks of Achmet’s once gorgeous tent, and talked together in low voices well into the night. Both were tall and bearded, and the exposure to sun and wind had given an almost Arab hue to the European’s complexion. In every detail of dress, too, he copied the fashions of his chief, so that outwardly he was as much an Arab as the other. It was late when he arose and retired to his own tent.

    The following day Werper spent in overhauling his Belgian uniform, removing from it every vestige of evidence that might indicate its military purposes. From a heterogeneous collection of loot, Achmet Zek procured a pith helmet and a European saddle, and from his black slaves and followers a party of porters, askaris and tent boys to make up a modest safari for a big game hunter. At the head of this party Werper set out from camp.

    On the Road to Opar

    It was two weeks later that John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, riding in from a tour of inspection of his vast African estate, glimpsed the head of a column of men crossing the plain that lay between his bungalow and the forest to the north and west.

    He reined in his horse and watched the little party as it emerged from a concealing swale. His keen eyes caught the reflection of the sun upon the white helmet of a mounted man, and with the conviction that a wandering European hunter was seeking his hospitality, he wheeled his mount and rode slowly forward to meet the newcomer.

    A half hour later he was mounting the steps leading to the veranda of his bungalow, and introducing M. Jules Frecoult to Lady Greystoke.

    I was completely lost, M. Frecoult was explaining. My head man had never before been in this part of the country and the guides who were to have accompanied me from the last village we passed knew even less of the country than we. They finally deserted us two days since. I am very fortunate indeed to have stumbled so providentially upon succor. I do not know what I should have done, had I not found you.

    It was decided that Frecoult and his party should remain several days, or until they were thoroughly rested, when Lord Greystoke would furnish guides to lead them safely back into country with which Frecoult’s head man was supposedly familiar.

    In his guise of a French gentleman of leisure, Werper found little difficulty in deceiving his host and in ingratiating himself with both Tarzan and Jane Clayton; but the longer he remained the less hopeful he became of an easy accomplishment of his designs.

    Lady Greystoke never rode alone at any great distance from the bungalow, and the savage loyalty of the ferocious Waziri warriors who formed a great part of Tarzan’s followers seemed to preclude the possibility of a successful attempt at forcible abduction, or of the bribery of the Waziri themselves.

    A week passed, and Werper was no nearer the fulfillment of his plan, in so far as he could judge, than upon the day of his arrival, but at that very moment something occurred which gave him renewed hope and set his mind upon an even greater reward than a woman’s ransom.

    A runner had arrived at the bungalow with the weekly mail, and Lord Greystoke had spent the afternoon in his study reading and answering letters. At dinner he seemed distraught, and early in the evening he excused himself and retired, Lady Greystoke following him very soon after. Werper, sitting upon the veranda, could hear their voices in earnest discussion, and having realized that something of unusual moment was afoot, he quietly rose from his chair, and keeping well in the shadow of the shrubbery growing profusely about the bungalow, made his silent way to a point beneath the window of the room in which his host and hostess slept.

    Here he listened, and not without result, for almost the first words he overheard filled him with excitement. Lady Greystoke was speaking as Werper came within hearing.

    I always feared for the stability of the company, she was saying; but it seems incredible that they should have failed for so enormous a sum—unless there has been some dishonest manipulation.

    That is what I suspect, replied Tarzan; but whatever the cause, the fact remains that I have lost everything, and there is nothing for it but to return to Opar and get more.

    Oh, John, cried Lady Greystoke, and Werper could feel the shudder through her voice, is there no other way? I cannot bear to think of you returning to that frightful city. I would rather live in poverty always than to have you risk the hideous dangers of Opar.

    You need have no fear, replied Tarzan, laughing. I am pretty well able to take care of myself, and were I not, the Waziri who will accompany me will see that no harm befalls me.

    They ran away from Opar once, and left you to your fate, she reminded him.

    They will not do it again, he answered. They were very much ashamed of themselves, and were coming back when I met them.

    But there must be some other way, insisted the woman.

    There is no other way half so easy to obtain another fortune, as to go to the treasure vaults of Opar and bring it away, he replied. I shall be very careful, Jane, and the chances are that the inhabitants of Opar will never know that I have been there again and despoiled them of another portion of the treasure, the very existence of which they are as ignorant of as they would be of its value.

    The finality in his tone seemed to assure Lady Greystoke that further argument was futile, and so she abandoned the subject.

    Werper remained, listening, for a short time, and then, confident that he had overheard all that was necessary and fearing discovery, returned to the veranda, where he smoked numerous cigarets in rapid succession before retiring.

    The following morning at breakfast, Werper announced his intention of making an early departure, and asked Tarzan’s permission to hunt big game in the Waziri country on his way out—permission which Lord Greystoke readily granted.

    The Belgian consumed two days in completing his preparations, but finally got away with his safari, accompanied by a single Waziri guide whom Lord Greystoke had loaned him. The party made but a single short march when Werper simulated illness, and announced his intention of remaining where he was until he had fully recovered. As they had gone but a short distance from the Greystoke bungalow, Werper dismissed the Waziri guide, telling the warrior that he would send for him when he was able to proceed. The Waziri gone, the Belgian summoned one of Achmet Zek’s trusted blacks to his tent, and dispatched him to watch for the departure of Tarzan, returning immediately to advise Werper of the event and the direction taken by the Englishman.

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