Summaries

Synopsis

Akbar, India. Jean Preston ('Patricia Morison' (qv)) heads an expedition to find her missing fiancee, Greg Jones. There are political parades on the streets and general unrest, but she is a brave girl, and she is escorted to the hotel where Greg last stayed, by her future father-in-law Colonel Jones ('John Miljan' (qv)) and an enthomologist Professor ('Wilson Benge' (qv)) slightly earing-impaired. An Indian girl in hiding listens to her talk with the hotel's concierge, then she disappears, only to reappear at Jean's room as soon the girl unpacks. Tundra ('Vida Aldana' (qv)) tells her name, and her story: her husband had been part of an expedition into the jungle a month before, and they had been attacked by a tiger, and two men had died. Mysteriously, she says that her husband refuses to speak for himself about the event because it was too dangerous.

Meanwhile, from the hotel's veranda over a park, the two men are enjoying sportive events promoted by the government to calm down the people: separated by a low wall, two elephants engage in a tug-of-war under the instruction of their handlers.

As Jean had shown her generosity with Tundra, the girl came back with her husband, Moya ('Hassam Kayyam' (qv)), and he promptly identifies the photo of the missing man, and starts to tell the itinerary they had taken. There is a hand holding a Luger from behind the baywindow's curtain, then a shot, and then Moya is dead. A mysterious man tells the reception desk there has been was a murder in room 207, and advises him to call the police at once. At the same minute. a man - Wayne Monroe ('Keith Richards' (qv)) - rushes into the hotel, and then the girl's room. He is with the party, and the way he holds Jean's arms may indicate that he has some protective feelings for her. They all decide to escape before the police inquest starts and the violence in the streets gets worse, so that their search for the missing Greg does not suffer a delay. They take an hydroplane to Kybo, Africa, as that was the last place Moya had mentioned before dying.

The older men occupy themselves playing chess on a river boat, while Wayne complains about the tiresome wildlife views and the improbable results of their mission. Jean shows her determination to be strong.

At Kybo, the Commissioner ('Jack George' (qv)) recruits Gary Lambert ('Robert Lowery' (qv)) as a guide for the expedition, but the sharp-shooter is reluctant to accept, as he considers that women are nuisances in a jungle safari. As they talk, Jean, forwarned by the Colonel about the young man's ideas about women, makes a surprise appearance at the target range, and puts 10 out of 10 bullets on the targets - thus winning the guide's attention.She's also able to convince Gabby ('J. Edward Bromberg' (qv)), a cook and a funny poet, to accompany them.

Gary and Gabby take the expedition to an uncharted territory. Before starting the safari, they enjoy a folk dance played on the river bank by a group of male natives - some of whom then pose for the camera, showing peculiar apendages under their chins. By riverboat again, the expedition reaches "the great falls of Africa".

Gary meets a Native Chief ('Darby Jones' (qv) in order to get forty men to carry their luggage, but the chief wants to show them some music and folk dance first. The Professor needs eye-glasses - but his eyes are keen on a beautiful native girl seating under a tree shade. They go the local market, to buy provisions. A couple of bags are conspicuously marked with the swastica cross.

The local head-boy enslisted to carry supplies says the men are scared of voodoo, and further explains that the white woman - meaning Jean - is like the queen of the amazons, she-devils. At night, a fire-dance is done to dispell the men's fear of the white amazons - supposedly the only survivors of a safari twenty years ago, in which all men were killed. The children girls survived and came to dominate an isolated tribe.

A gold coin is brought to them by a native, and Jean recognizes it as a gift she had given to her boyfriend; therefore, her hope of finding him alive is incenced. In the evening, Gary is attacked by a lion, wrestles with it, and after Wayne scares the lion way with a torch, Jean tends to his wounds. Gary tells her the lion had a collar around his neck - which is not usual with lions in the jungle. Gary suspects the killings may be about some ivory trafficking, and Jean starts to have tender feelings for him.

Next morning, Wayne is found dead with an arrow through his back. Gary analyses a footprint and says that it was made to look like a native's, but that he thinks it was made by a white man used to wear shoes, and therefore one of the white people in the group should be the murderer. Shortly after, the lion attacks and mangles Bambo, the black boy that had brought them the gold coin, and the only who knew the location of the amazons. The men arrive too late to save Bambo's life, but put a bullet in the lion, who escapes and goes to his handler. The lion is petted by Zita, the Amazon Queen ('Amira Moustafa' (qv)) stops her love talk with Greg Jones ('Bruce Edwards' (qv)). Without his knowledge, she sends a message to the expedition, accepting to receive three, but only three of them. She is preparing them a reception with her blonde handmaid Suqi ('Cay Forester' (qv)).

There are four men and the woman, and Gary - who seems to have taken the lead since Wayne's death - declares that he is in, followed by the Colonel, and Jean. Gary refuses to accept her in the smaller party, under the pretext that it may be dangerous, but she imposes her presence anyway.At last, the three arrive at the presence of the queen - who's got rid of Greg for the day - who puts it straight for them in simple words: no foreigner can be on her lands, she would have spared the lives of the other expeditionaries if she had known of their coming, and the man she saved is no prisoner, he's there on his own will. Jean counters that's well, so they can hear it from his own lips. "Certainly, come with me!" Zita offers, leading the way into her modest but solid house. Suqi brings in some refreshments, and Zita serves them the drinks along with her life history, and a couple of lies about Greg's absence. Then, alone with Jean, she tells her further that Greg is in love with her. Jean hears that stoically.

Next, Gary manages to have a talk with Zita alone, too, and tells her that she does look like a friendly person, but that he actually came there to hear from her the name of the leader of the organization behind the ilegal ivory traffick. Zita seems about to reveal it, when Gabby makes a surprise appearance in the queen's house, preceded by his Luger. He is in command of the male natives, makes the men his prisoners, and orders them to be escorted outside.

While Gabby stays with the women alone, Greg arrives at the head of a native force, and they fight Gabby's warriors. Greg enters the queen's house just in time to fight Gabby hand to hand just when he was about to kill the two women. Gabby had thrown a spear at Zita's belly, but missed by an inch, and also failed his sword thrust at Jean's head... After a long fistfight, the two men come apart and Gabby finally pulls his gun on Greg. Sugi, the queen's handmaid, shoots Gabby with a curare arrow, and he slides down to the floor, dying, and repeating the last verses of his poem about the men and women roles on earth.

The Commissioner arrives late in the evening at the head of the soldiers, and so next morning he is presiding a double marriage: Gary and Zita, and Greg and Jean. The Professor is also happy, that he has found a rare specimen of a spider.