‘As you know the diamond market is in a very serious depression at the moment – stones selling for seventy thousand dollars two years ago are fetching only twenty thousand—’
‘Come on, Sam, don’t tease us!’
‘All right, Winston’s have valued the collection at six hundred million dollars—’
Everybody spoke at once and it took a while for Tungata to regain the floor.
‘As we all agreed from the beginning, the diamonds are to be placed in a trust fund, and I am going to ask Craig to be one of the trustees.’
‘I accept.’
‘However, fourteen of the stones have already been sold. I authorized the deal and the proceeds from it were five million dollars. The entire amount has been handed over to the World Bank in complete discharge of capital and interest on the loan made to Craig.’ Tungata drew an envelope from his inside pocket. ‘Here is the receipt, Pupho, your share of Lobengula’s Fire. You are free and clear of all debt, now. King’s Lynn and Zambezi Waters are yours.’
Craig turned the envelope between his fingers, staring at Tungata, struck dumb, and Tungata’s smile faded as he leaned towards him and spoke seriously. ‘In return, there is one thing I would ask from you, Pupho.’
‘Ask it,’ said Craig. ‘Anything.’
‘Your promise that you will return to Africa. We need men like you to help stave off these new dark ages that threaten to overwhelm the land we both love.’
Craig reached across the table and took Sally-Anne’s hand.
‘You tell him,’ he said.
‘Yes, Sam, we are coming home with you,’ she said softly. ‘That’s a promise.’
Sally-Anne and Craig drove up the hills of King’s Lynn in the old Land-Rover. The late afternoon had turned the grasslands to cloth-of-gold, and the trees on the crest of the hills wove delicate lacework against the high serene blue of the African summer sky.
They were waiting for them on the lawns under the jacaranda trees – all the house servants and herders from King’s Lynn. When Craig embraced Shadrach, the old man’s empty sleeve flapped against his skinny chest.
‘Do not worry, Nkosi, I can work better with one arm than any of these puppies can with two.’
‘I will make you a bargain,’ Craig suggested, so that all could hear. ‘I will lend you an arm, if you will lend me a leg.’ And Shadrach laughed until the tears dripped onto his shirt and his newest and youngest wife had to lead him away.
Joseph waited on the wide veranda, aloof from the common throng, resplendent in snowy white kanza and with the tall chief’s cap on his head.
‘I see you, Nkosikazi,’ he greeted Sally-Anne gravely, as she reached the top of the stairs, but he could not disguise the sparkle of pleasure in his eyes.
‘I see you also, Joseph. And I have decided we will have two hundred guests at the wedding,’ she answered him in fluent Sindebele, and Joseph covered his mouth with both hands in astonishment, the first time she had ever seen him off balance.
‘Hau!’ he said, and then turned to his underlings.
‘Now we have a truly great lady at Kingi Lingi who understands all your monkey chatter,’ he told them sternly. ‘So woe unto any of you who lie or cheat or steal!’
Craig and Sally-Anne stood at the top of the stairs, holding hands while the people of King’s Lynn sang the song that welcomes the traveller home after a long and dangerous journey, and when it was ended, Craig looked down at her.
‘Welcome home, my darling,’ he said.
And while the women ululated and danced so that the heads of the infants strapped to their backs jerked like little black puppets and the men roared approval, Craig kissed her on the mouth.
Also by WILBUR SMITH
THE COURTNEYS
When the Lion Feeds
The Sound of Thunder
A Sparrow Falls
Birds of Prey
Monsoon
Blue Horizon
THE COURTNEYS OF AFRICA
The Burning Shore
Power of the Sword
Rage
A Time to Die
Golden Fox
THE BALLANTYNE NOVELS
A Falcon Flies
Men of Men
The Angels Weep
The Leopard Hunts in Darkness
ALSO
Gold Mine
The Dark of the Sun
Shout at the Devil
The Diamond Hunters
The Sunbird
Eagle in the Sky
The Eye of the Tiger
Cry Wolf
Hungry as the Sea
Wild Justice
Elephant Song
River God
The Seventh Scroll
Warlock
The Triumph of the Sun
OUTSTANDING PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF WILBUR SMITH
THE TRIUMPH OF THE SUN
“Fans will not be disappointed.”
—Booklist
“Triumph of the Sun is everything [Smith’s] fans have come to expect: masterful storytelling and breathtaking adventure … chalk up another winner.”
—Times Record News (Wichita Falls, TX)
“Espionage, disguise, stabbings in the dark …a story that is—like the Nile itself—swift and powerful.”
—Booklist
“Nobody does it better.”
—Kirkus Review
“Wildly entertaining, compulsively readable.”
—Sunday Telegraph (UK)
BLUE HORIZON
“The eleventh volume in Smith’s saga of the Courtney clan is every bit as riveting as its predecessors. Brimming with bravado, greed, and romance.”
—Booklist
“Really big retro-fun.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A swashbuckling, brawling, sprawling historical epic. Rich, exciting, and fascinating.”
—Library Journal
More …
“Adventure and danger at every turn.”
—New York Daily News
“Gripping. The writer’s fans will enjoy the ride.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Master storyteller Smith takes his story into another generation of adventurers battling on the sea and on land in the settling of South Africa.”
—Tulsa World
“Everything Smith’s fans have come to expect from his epic adventure novels. His consummate skill at crafting vast battle scenes, passionate and wildly romantic characters, cruel and bloodthirsty villains, and larger-than-life heroes make Blue Horizon irresistible.”
—Journal (Flint, MI)
WARLOCK
“When it comes to historical fiction, Smith is without rival. He is a warlock of writers.”
—Tulsa World
“Filled with enough action, adventure, battles, betrayals, and actual cliffhangers to satisfy Indiana Jones, Wilbur Smith’s new novel Warlock is a rousing and worthy sequel to River God.”
—The Plain Dealer
“Seamlessly composed, this epic historical drama by veteran author Smith tracks a power struggle in ancient Egypt between false pharaohs and a true royal heir, evoking the cruel glories and terrible torments of the era. Those willing to brave the blood and gore will be carried away by the sweep and pace of Smith’s tale.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Each time I read a new Wilbur Smith I say it is the best book I have ever read—until the next one. It’s the same with Warlock. Brilliant … irresistible and impossible to put down.”
—Times Record News (Wichita Falls, TX)
“Those of you familiar with Smith’s writing …can expect more of his signature brand of pulse-pounding, ‘Perils of Pauline’ – style of adventure and excitement, with more blood and guts than a slaughterhouse.”
—Tampa Tribune Times
“This summer’s most entertaining read … another full-blown tale of war, intrigue, murder, lust, and true love set in ancient Egypt. [This] is really the book Taita fans have been waiting
for.”
—Flint Journal
“Smith is at the top of his game in weaving exotic adventures in this work. Very highly recommended.”
—Library Journal
“Smith …returns to the genre with this epic action tale of intrigue, suspense, and adventure set in ancient Egypt. His many fans will be clamoring for copies of this one.”
—Booklist
“A stirring tale, full of chariot battles …Smith has whipped up a heady brew …and undoubtedly deserves his immense popularity far more than most of his rivals.”
—Evening Standard (UK)
“You can almost feel the heat and taste the dust as the narrative builds to a cracking pace … [Warlock] is a ripping yarn and a classic adventure story.”
—Irish News
RIVER GOD
“A grand tale of intrigue, deception, true love, and exile.”
—The Denver Post
“Vivid and fascinating … packed with passion, war, intrigue and revenge … sprawling and absorbing … gripping … A racy rampage through ancient Egypt that puts the reader right there with details that are intimate, inspiring, horrifying … . The author makes you see it, hear it—even smell it …Fans will be happy to know Smith hasn’t lost his touch for the dramatic, exotic adventure story.”
—The Orlando Sentinel
“A page-turner … few novelists can write action scenes that all but leap off the page the way Smith can …his detailed portrait of ancient Egypt is fascinating.”
—Anniston Star (TX)
“Smith tackles the elevated literary fields of ancient Egypt, and comes up with a full-blooded epic.”
—The London Times
“Like a good action movie, the book ends with a showdown between the good guys and bad guys on the battlefield … well-written and entertaining.”
—Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
“Compulsively readable …contains intrigue, romance, greed, cruelty, and furious action …rewarding and satisfying.”
—El Paso Herald-Post (TX)
“An epic …Smith joins the ranks of one of the grand masters of twentieth-century novels.”
—Tulsa World
“An epic novel of ancient Egypt, a great adventure with all the right ingredients: victories and defeats, secrets and revelations, life and death, reverence and godlessness, hate and love.”
—The Des Moines Register
“It’s clear Smith knows his subject: his graphic depiction of lust, bloodletting, politics, and, in Taita’s case, honor is firmly grounded in rich details that evoke the period.”
—Booklist
“[River God] gallops swiftly through the action and flying blood his fans have come to relish …Brightly colored, sweeping escapism.”
—Kirkus Reviews
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE LEOPARD HUNTS IN DARKNESS
Copyright © Wilbur Smith 1984.
Cover photo © Winfried Wisniewski / zefa / Corbis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
First published in Great Britain 1984 by William Heinemann Ltd
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
eISBN 9781429997737
First eBook Edition : April 2011
Pan Books edition published in 1998
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / December 2006
Wilbur Smith, The Leopard Hunts in Darkness
(Series: # )
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