ThefabulouswealthofthefabledcityhadbeenalmostconstantlyinhismindsinceWazirihadrecountedthestrangeadventuresoftheformerexpeditionwhichhadstumbleduponthevastruinsbychance。ThelureofadventuremayhavebeenquiteaspowerfulafactorinurgingTarzanoftheApestoundertakethejourneyasthelureofgold，butthelureofgoldwasthere，too，forhehadlearnedamongcivilizedmensomethingofthemiraclesthatmaybewroughtbythepossessorofthemagicyellowmetal。WhathewoulddowithagoldenfortuneintheheartofsavageAfricaithadnotoccurredtohimtoconsider——itwouldbeenoughtopossessthepowertoworkwonders，eventhoughheneverhadanopportunitytoemployit。
SooneglorioustropicalmorningWaziri，chiefoftheWaziri，setoutattheheadoffiftyclean—limbedebonwarriorsinquestofadventureandofriches。TheyfollowedthecoursewhicholdWazirihaddescribedtoTarzan。Fordaystheymarched——uponeriver，acrossalowdivide;downanotherriver;upathird，untilattheendofthetwenty—fifthdaytheycampeduponamountainside，fromthesummitofwhichtheyhopedtocatchtheirfirstviewofthemarvelouscityoftreasure。
Earlythenextmorningtheywereclimbingthealmostperpendicularcragswhichformedthelast，butgreatest，naturalbarrierbetweenthemandtheirdestination。
ItwasnearlynoonbeforeTarzan，whoheadedthethinlineofclimbingwarriors，scrambledoverthetopofthelastcliffandstooduponthelittleflattable—landofthemountaintop。
Oneitherhandtoweredmightypeaksthousandsoffeethigherthanthepassthroughwhichtheywereenteringtheforbiddenvalley。Behindhimstretchedthewoodedvalleyacrosswhichtheyhadmarchedformanydays，andattheoppositesidethelowrangewhichmarkedtheboundaryoftheirowncountry。