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                                       Tarzan, the Tiger
                           Chapter 12 - The Jewels of Opar!
 

 

 

Lady Jane spots the two intruders and begins to climb out on a log that has fallen over a river, which is now being circled by a swarm of crocodiles.  In her meager attempt to escape from La's buffoons, the log breaks in two as she reaches the halfway point.  She falls into the river with a splash and somehow gets her foot caught in a branch protruding from the log.  Tarzan finally hears her screams and with quick scans of the area, spies her trapped by a log in the river.  He swings over the river, drops himself close to her, and immediately makes an attempt to remove her foot from the trap.  All of a sudden, a huge crocodile is upon him and Tarzan says to himself, "What a crock this is!"  He grabs his knife from his garb and begins to wrestle the crocodile.  Jane somehow manages to remove her entrapped foot and makes her way to the bank of the river.  Tarzan, tiring from the physical exercise, stabs the crocodile to death causing the river to run red with its blood.  He swims back to the bank and joins Jane for a happy reunion.  La's grunts make a hasty retreat into the jungle.  Jane convinces Tarzan to head for Opar in a hurry, so they immediately set out on their journey. 
La tells Al that Jane must not escape but at the same moment, the two spies approach to relay the news to them.  La has expectations that Tarzan will fulfill a prophecy by finding the jewels and becoming her lifelong mate.
Back at the Greystokes home in England, Sir Henry Beardsley, a friend and advisor to the Greystokes discusses the situation with Philip Annersley.  They wonder why they haven't heard from Lord Greystoke or why they haven't received the expected money from the jewels by now.  Philip Annersley is Lord Greystokes cousin and next in line to suceed to the title of Lord and to the Greystoke estate.  Annersley relates to Sir Beardsley, that he should go to Africa to find Lord Greystoke and Lady Jane for fear that something terrible has happened to them.  When Beardsley leaves, Annersley goes over to the desk and rummages through some letters until he finally finds the one he is looking for and begins to read its contents.  The letter addressed to Annersley from Al Werper states that Lord Greystoke and Lady Jane have fallen into his trap and he hopes to find the treasure soon.  It also says to come at once and is signed by Al Werper.  Annersley reaches into his pocket and pulls out a match, which he lights and sets fire to the message. 
Meanwhile, back in the jungle, (Ed. Note: sounds like an old 1950's song title), Lady Jane and Tarzan arrive at Opar not knowing of the trap being laid for them.  As they near the temple, Jane tells Tarzan to be careful of being seen by La's cohorts.  Tarzan agrees to look around but finding no tree to gain a vantagepoint pulls out a rope and lassos a limb high up in a tree.  He climbs the rope, hand over hand, and swings to another tree.  From there he spots the temple and climbs back down to tell Jane.  He begins to have pain in his brain and starts to remember being here before.  It didn't look quite like this, with the main entrance being blocked by three, ancient, and broken pillars.   Jane asks him to think about how it was back then.  As he ponders the thought for 10 agonizing minutes, Jane is just about ready to give up on him.  She asks, "Was it here that the pillars fell and you lost your memory?"  He thinks about it again for a moment but says nothing.  Approaching the entrance, they are seen by a temple guard.  Tarzan goes to the pillars to perform some physical grunt work and immediately tosses aside the three, huge columns.
As we peer into the Alter Chamber, it is busy with women dancing to the ceremonial rites.  La and Al have apparently beaten their foes back to the temple.  The temple guard scurries in to tell them that he has spotted them outside the entrance.  La orders the maidens into the inner chamber.  La, with her band of misfits, sneak out a side cave entrance and watch just as Tarzan and Jane enter the main entrance.  Tarzan starts to remember more and tells Jane that he will show her where he first found the pretty 'pebbles'.  Tarzan locates the entrance to the secret room.  They go inside and he opens a large chest that contains the Jewels of Opar.  Jane examines the jewels and is overwhelmed by their beauty.  With only a pure thought in her head, she tells Tarzan that the jewels are only precious if it brings back his memory and his love for her. 
Al and La's bunglers just happen to stumble upon the doorway to the secret room.  Al enters with a knife in his hand and begins a life and death struggle with his old enemy Tarzan.  The big man hoists Al into the air, gives him an airplane spin and tosses him to the ground like so much trash.  While all this was happening, Jane faints and falls to the ground in a heap.  Although dazed, Al continues to fight Tarzan and they both move out to a narrow ledge high on the cave wall where they both slip and fall to ...
 
Will Tarzan and Al both fall to their doom? 
Will Jane be captured by the natives and turned over to La for a sacrifice?
Will Al somehow save himself only to run off with the Jewels of Opar?
Will Tarzan's amnesia continue to plague him only to live out his life in the jungle?
Will La and her tribe kill all but Tarzan and make him her King of Opar?
Will Philip Annersley find Al, split the jewels and take over the Greystoke estate?

                                                 END OF CHAPTER 12

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