 Deserted by their safari, lost in the jungle, Major Burton Ashley, Jeanette Burton, Karence O'Rourke and Dr. Wong Tai are camped in a clearing near a waterhole. O'Rourke is rescued from the double attack of a lion and a leopard by Tarzan, who with Darno is passing nearby. On learning of the predicament of Major Burton Ashley and his friends, the ape man agrees to lead them to a native village. The little group is seated around the campfire discussing plans, when from the corners of his eyes, Dr. Wong catches a flash of movement at the edge of the clearing. Tarzan, behind you at the edge of the clearing. Uncle Jim, what an awful creature! Look! Leaping to their feet, the men turn to the spot indicated by Wong and Jeanette. Into the circle of firelight, advancing slowly, cautiously, is a monstrous, yellow-skinned, half-human figure. Its huge, heavily muscled body, hairless and naked except for a hide loincloth, sways from side to side as it moves forward. Its feet, terminating in two talon-like claws, make no sound as they grip the ground. Its wicked red eyes, glaring evil-y, are fixed on Jeanette. The creature's right hand grasps a heavy, copper-bladed spear. It's left a great, twisted cudgel. I eat a ghost of Saint Patrick. It's the devil himself. At the sound of O'Rourke's soft exclamation, the repulsive yellow-skinned creature pauses. It glares savagely at Tarzan as the ape man moves quickly toward it. Your gun, Terry. No, no, no. Do not shoot. Leave this to Tarzan. Bring it down, Tarzan. The spear... Before the Frenchman can complete his warning, the half-human thing bounds forward with a blood-curdling shriek and hurls the heavy spear straight at the ape man. Simultaneously with his answering challenge, Tarzan drops to the ground as though struck down by an invisible titanic fist. The deadly spear flashes harmlessly over his shoulder. Without halting its blind rush, the gigantic creature swings the cudgel at the ape man's head. Swift as thought, Tarzan rolls aside. His hand darts out to grasp the monster's talon foot. With a howl of savage rage, the half-human brute crashes to its knees. Before it has time to regain its feet, Tarzan leaps upon its back. A bronze muscular arm encircles the yellow neck. The great hairless head is pulled backward. The ape man's knife flashes, buries itself deep in the heavy throat. With a strangled scream, the yellow monstrosity falls forward. Sags to the ground, dead. Good gem study, old girl. It's all over the cushion. Incredible. The creature twice the size of Tarzan. But you are hurt, Munami. There is blood on your shoulder. Not mine. I'm going to the water hole to wash it off. Big gory. That's the way he killed the lion that had me marked for its supper. There was blood. Your friend, Lieutenant. He was hurt. The rest they trunquee him and was held. Tarzan was not even scratched. He will return presently. Gad, what a sight. I thought that spear had passed completely through him when he fell. And the frightful shriek he gave when he killed that thing. It was the same cry he gave when he killed the lion that had me treed. What does it mean, Lieutenant? It is the victory cry of the great apes. The great apes? What do you mean? Just that, Monsieur le docteur. You see, and possible as it sounds, Tarzan was taken by the apes when he was an infant. Raised by a she-ape who had lost her own baby. Through living his entire life in the jungle, he has learned by experience how to cope with it and its inhabitants. You mean, he was brought up by the apes? He lived with them? Oui, m'amuselle, juste mon ça. He has learned to live and protect himself as do the wild beasts of the jungle. Unbelievable. They won an utterly amazing example of the influence of the environment. And yet, one of the handsomest men I've ever seen. Oui, m'amuselle. He is a perfect type of the strongly masculine actually. A creature unmarred by dissipation or brutal or degrading passion. But Lieutenant, he speaks rather good English. How did he learn it? It was not until he had grown to young manhood that he saw his first white man or woman. He found a little party of whites, shipwrecked on a desolate part of the African coast. I joined the party later. It was from them that he first learned to speak English. And he's never been out of the jungle, knows nothing of our civilization. Oh, contraire, Monsieur Major. Yes, in Paris, London, New York, many places. But it does not appreciate our so-called synthesis of civilization. He much prefer his jungle and its savage denizens. His ancestors, his father and mother, does he not know who they were? Oui, his parents were Lord and Lady Grey Stokes. What's that? The Grey Stokes? A Grey Stoke manor. They were British. Oui, monsieur, c'est ça? Tarzan is Lord Grey Stokes. However, he refuses to be known by any other name than Tarzan. That's the most amazing thing I've ever heard. The Grey Stokes dropped out of sight years ago. If I remember rightly, Grey Stokes had been commissioned by the Foreign Office to investigate slave trading in a British West Coast African colony. They disappeared. Here he comes. May I suggest that the discretion be dropped, at least in his presence? He does not care to speak of it, nor of his past life in the jungle. And bien Tarzan, where have you been? Circling the clearing. There's nothing more to fear from those fellows. He is the only one who was near the waterhole. Jeanette, my dear, does this creature look anything like the one you saw this afternoon? Yes, although I only caught a glimpse of its face watching me through the fringe of underbrush. I'm sure it's the same. Ashley, did you happen to notice the feet of this? I suppose it might be called a man, the heel and instep of a human being. The toes? Well, of an animal. The garrison claw feet would fit the footprints I followed. You saw them, Tarzan. What do you make of them? I'd say you were right. The prints you showed Darno and me were probably made by this man or another like him. In your jungle experience, Tarzan, have you ever come across other beings such as this? No. Have you ever seen a leopard man? Yes, once or twice. You're backing up the wrong tree, doctor, if you're trying to put this fella among the leopard men. Yet those talon-like claws. Them leopard fellows are blacks, cannibals, but they're human beings. The leopard is neither human nor animal. He has the body of a man, the toes of a vulture. Look at them talons. He never saw a fur-bearing animal with toes like that. Well, whatever it is, you're not going to leave it here in camp for us to look at. If it's anything but a pretty sight, I'll be burying it. That's not necessary, O'Rourke. Leave it to me. I'll return it to the jungle. My morning dango will have taken care of it. Dango? Who's that? Listen. Yes. Dango. He and his brothers are already gathering for the feast. Ah, yes. I can't play hand. You don't mean they'll eat it? Yes. Oh. I'll give you a hand, Tarzan. Oh, stay here. I'll take care of it. Yes, and did you see how easy he picked the thing up? And he'd weigh in again as much as his own self. Oh, big guy, that fella has the strength of ten good men. May I suggest, Memois-Hilbertin, that if we are to get an early start in the morning, you get what sleep you can. Oh, I can sleep, Lieutenant. Not after all that's happened. Come, come, my dear. Lieutenant Dango is right. You've had a rather eventful day of it. You need rest. Terry and Wong and I will stand guard with Tarzan. There will be no need for that, Major. Tarzan and I shall relieve you of that duty tonight. It is easy to see that you are all exhausted and in need of sleep. Tarzan sleeps like an animal machine, Dr. Wong, with one eye open, so to speak. And more, I am not fatigued. We are traveled by easy stances. We have not tired ourselves by cutting our way through the forest. He'll be sleeping like a baby, no time, of course, sir. Here, I'll fix your blanket. Oh, very well, then. But for those lions and things roaring and shrieking out there, I certainly don't expect to get much sleep. So long as Tarzan is watching over the camp, Memoiselle, you need not worry about the animals. None will disturb you. Well, good night, then. Good night, Lieutenant. When Tarzan said that we might reach a native village in three days, Lieutenant, did he have any particular one in mind? The mayota of an acquaintance of ours, Dr. Wong Ashmed, a trader in, shall I say, ivory? He will find you with guides. Then Tarzan must be familiar with this section. Strange he's never heard of the city of Thor. Memoiselle, Africa is filled with legends of lost and ancient cities. Tarzan and I have seen several. Ashmed's village is beyond this section of the country, and Tarzan is not familiar with this particular district. Then how in heaven's name does he know where he is any more than we do? How did he find his way? He calls it his animal instinct. He has an uncanny sense of direction, and I have never seen him hesitate for a single instant in going directly to the place he wishes to reach. I wonder what's keeping him out there. He's been gone a long time. He will return when it... Ah, voyer, there he is, up there, in the tree. Big hurry, will he look at that? He swings down through them branches like a young eep. Well, Tarzan, you had us worried. We were just about to... Is she asleep? Yes. Why? Listen, drums by Joe. Wake, Miss Burton. Nebouk, what does that? No time to explain now. Wake her up. What? Shannet. Shannet. Wake up. What? What is it? Don't be frightened, child. We're breaking camp, I believe. Is that it, Tarzan? Yes. We're taking to the trees. I fixed a place. That's what kept me so long. Break camp and leave nothing lying around. Put out that fire, Darno, and come, all of you. Here, Miss Burton, with me. Now, stay close together. Followed by the others, Tarzan strides off into the impenetrable gloom of the jungle. Five hundred paces from the tiering, he pauses beneath the giant podocartless tree. Here, these vines are twisted together. Easy to climb. I'll go first with Miss Burton. Climb slowly and make as little noise as possible. Come on. Slowly, easily, carrying Jannet and his left arm, Tarzan mounts the twisted vines. Awkwardly, but steadily, the four men follow. Fifty feet above the ground, the ape man breaks through a mass of dense foliage and steps onto a platform constructed of interwoven limbs and branches. He puts Jannet down and turns to help the others. Presently all are gathered together. About them, a thick wall of tangled leaves and matted vegetation. Above the jungle chorus of the night and beneath the crystal stars comes the distant thudding of dr...