15 – The Flight of Werper

After successfully sneaking out of his tent, Werper heads to Jane Clayton’s holding hut, only to find it empty and deduces she’s escaped through a cut opening in the hut’s wall. Concluding she attempted to flee the village, he doesn’t seek her but instead focuses on his own escape, contemplating his initial motive to rescue Jane to gain favor with the English and considering a future with her, envisioning himself as her savior from a deceased Tarzan. His journey out of the village utilizes poles against the palisade, mirroring Jane’s previous escape method.

In the jungle, Jane hides from a lion, illustrating her resourcefulness. Meanwhile, Werper encounters an Arab on his trail but escapes confrontation when a lion attacks the Arab, allowing Werper to flee on the Arab’s horse.

Simultaneously, Tarzan, unaware of Jane’s activities, seeks revenge for the theft Werper committed. He deals with a lion he encounters but finds no satisfaction as his target, believed to be dead from the lion’s attack, leaves no trail for him to follow.

Mugambi, loyal to Jane, ventures to find her but stumbles into an Abyssinian camp searching for Achmet Zek. Werper, captured by the same party, deceives them about his identity and intentions, mentioning Achmet Zek to shift blame and escape his crimes, misleading them about Zek’s location.

Both Werper and Mugambi are imprisoned, facing the prospect of being presented to Menelek of Abyssinia. Mugambi plans an escape, biding his time and gaining the soldiers’ trust, while Werper’s intentions remain cloaked in secrecy.

An accidental reveal of Werper’s possession of the Jewels of Opar to Mugambi hints at a potential turning point, showcasing both Werper’s desperation to retain the jewels and Mugambi’s intelligence and worldly experience, recognizing the value and significance of the spilled treasure.

This chapter weaves together the fates of Werper, Jane, Tarzan, and Mugambi, showing their struggles and plans, setting the stage for subsequent confrontations and revelations that further complicate their intertwined destinies in the wild and morally ambiguous landscape of early 20th-century colonial Africa.