Author Description

Sabor, the lioness, is killed by a black warrior leaving a orphan cub, a single male lion. Tarzan, Jane, and Korak returning from Pal-ul-don in Tarzan the Terrible find the cub, and Tarzan adopts him. He has a kinship with the animals that he playfully suggests to Jane comes from having a real ape father. The cub is suckled by a cur bitch, who had lost her pups to a great snake, in the village of Umaga. Her name is Za, meaning girl. They name the lion Jad-bal-ja, which means the Golden Lion in the language of the pithecanthropi of Pal-ul-don. When they finally reach home, they find their bungalow and some of the outbuildings have been rebuilt, and the fields are already being cultivated by the Waziri Old Muviro, father of Wasimbu, greets them, and there is rejoicing for many nights. Tarzan's English foreman, Jervis, has completely restored everything so that it was precisely as it had been before the raid of the Germans. Tarzan raises the lion cub to hunt with him and to stalk and kill human beings by employing a man-dummy with meat tied at its throat as his sole means of feeding. He is also taught to "fetch" the meat and return it to his master. Korak bets Tarzan 100 pounds that he has created a man-killer. Tarzan disagrees. Jad-bal-ja kills an antelope and returns it faithfully to Tarzan, but when he snaps at the ape-man he is quickly thrown on his back. "Quick is Numa, quick is Bara, the deer, but Tarzan of the Apes is lightning." Jad then obeys the orders, "Lie down and Heel." Korak loses the bet. Tarzan has created the perfect companion, a Numa who follows his commands like a well-trained hunting dog. Flora Hawkes and Esteban Miranda (a Spanish-born silent film actor and Tarzan look-alike) plan to rob the treasure vaults of Opar by substituting Miranda for Tarzan. Flora has been the maid in Tarzan's London townhouse for years and has learned the location of Opar. Miranda loves Flora, but she will hear no talk of love when it interferes with business