Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, generally considered the eleventh in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. The book begins with Tarzan having a relaxing afternoon sunbathing on the back of the mighty Tantor, but when Arab raiders try and shoot the elephant, not having spotted the Ape Man resting on his back, the elephant is spooked and Tarzan is knocked off by a passing branch as the beast charges away. This novel marks the change in plot lines from Tarzan's life and family to his adventures as a seemingly itinerant adventurer who functions as a protector of a host of different characters in each succeeding book. In this story, Tarzan finds an outpost of European knights and crusaders from a forbidden valley hidden in the mountains of Africa.