Item Biography
"Origin of the Ape-Man, Book 4: Civilization"
Concluding the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel "Tarzan of the Apes."
After Tarzan rescues Jane, they rest in a quiet clearing. Meanwhile, William Clayton flags down a passing French ship, where he meets Lieutenant D'Arnot. D'Arnot is aware of their situation, having captured the mutineers who had marooned them. Clayton tells him Jane is missing, and D'Arnot charges off through the jungle to find her, but gets captured by M'Bongo's tribe.
Tarzan returns Jane to the cabin and leaves to rescue D'Arnot, but while he is recovering, the others think him dead and sail off. Returning to the cabin with D'Arnot several days later, Tarzan is dismayed to find Jane is gone, though she left a letter for him. D'Arnot translates the letter, revealing that she has returned home to Baltimore. D'Arnot also looks at John Clayton's diary, and realizes Tarzan may be Clayton's long-lost son, the true Lord Greystoke. He pays the passage to send Tarzan to America to reunite with Jane, but upon arriving, he finds that Jane is engaged to William Clayton, who has also adopted his Greystoke title. A telegram from D'Arnot confirms his heritage, but Tarzan decides not to share this information, putting Jane's happiness before his own.
In the bookend story, as Klaxton finishes telling Tarzan's origin, the young woman he's been guiding demands they seek out Tarzan to find her missing father. At that moment, Tarzan swings in, carrying the missing man. Accepting their thanks, he refuses their offer to take him from the jungle, opting instead to remain in the only home he has known.