Maxim Gunn and the Leopard Legion by Nicholas Boving

Author:Nicholas Boving
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, leopard, maxim gunn, young adult books, fantasy books, adventure books, leopard legion, actionadventure, black leopard, nigeria
Publisher: Nicholas Boving

Gunn stood in the moon-shadow of a buttress on the northern side of Waziri Rock, looking up at the dangling end of a hinged steel ladder not unlike an apartment fire escape. It was about eight feet off the ground, partly obscured from casual view by an artfully arranged screen of dead vines. The fresh paintwork told him it was exactly what he’d hoped to find. He was looking at the Jacob’s ladder, the route by which the Leopard Men came and went in their nocturnal terrorism of the local countryside. There were also the tracks of four-wheel vehicles in the soft sand, and he knew if he had time to make a thorough search he’d find the truck stashed in some well-concealed spot. He thought he’d leave that bit to Arcoll’s men as he had neither the time nor inclination to go traipsing around. There was work to do. First things first. He thought he could probably come up with a few more fatuous platitudes if he gave his mind to it. There was a soft crunch of boots on sand and a moment later the Emir padded round the buttress and almost bumped into him. Wordlessly Gunn pointed to the ladder. The Emir grinned whitely and whispered. “What now?”

“We take the stairway to the stars,” Gunn said.

Dan’s grin vanished and he suddenly looked acutely unhappy. “Shouldn’t we wait for Alex and his men?”

Gunn shook his head. “And let everyone for twenty miles around know we’ve found the way up? Not a chance.”

The young Emir nodded and reached up to grab the bottom rung. Gunn stopped him.

“Me first. We don’t know what’s up there. I’ll drop you the rope when I’ve got it fixed.”

He tensed himself, and with a light jump caught the ladder and swung himself up with the agility of a trained gymnast. He looked down at Dan. “Isn’t this fun?”

Seconds later he disappeared and Dan was left in the eerie, moonlit night with nothing but the thin sigh of the wind for company.

He shivered as ghost fingers tickled down his spine, wondering what he’d got himself into, and starting to regret his impetuousness. He thought Dalida was probably right: it had been a matter of stubborn pride. He swore softly: it was too late for second guesses. And then there came a soft whistle and the rope snaked down. He gripped the dangling end and started up the ladder.

The ladder had been bolted to the solid rock with deep-sunk rock anchors. Dan made his way cautiously up about fifty feet and found Gunn standing on a small ledge, the other end of the rope across his shoulders. He grinned as Dan clawed round a small overhand. “Nothing to it,” he said, “though it may get a bit tricky later on.”

Dan looked up and swallowed nervously. About the highest thing he’d ever climbed before had been the huge Poinciana that grew in the Palace grounds because Inuwa had dared him, and that had scared the pants off him.

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