After losing his family and love to ruthless cattle thieves, young Leon transforms into the fearsome "Black Panther," wielding his cunning and a leopard mask to seek vengeance and deliver justice in the untamed Transvaal.
Keywords1. THE BLACK PANTHER SERIES - MASKED MURDERERS
Leon had to learn early to throw a bag of mealies over his shoulder and walk away with it. He was barely fourteen years old when he so skillfully handled a bow and arrow that any Bushman's mouth would have watered. Because he was the only son and child of his parents, he found his amusement in the field, where he hunted jackals and stuck leopards under the arrow. His hands learned early to twist a young ox's horns so that the animal fell powerless to the ground.
Leon's mother died early, just before the First War of Freedom, when the Basothos attacked a few remote farms. From then on, Leon's father became an adventurer. Together, they moved into the unknown, always deeper into the unknown Transvaal. And Lettie? Leon and she grew up together. Both her parents were killed by the Basothos and Leon's father then took care of her. Lettie with her soft, wavy, blonde hair and blue eyes, blue as the cloudless sky of the Lowveld. And now she is already a sixteen-year-old boer girl.
One night, a couple of cattle thieves steal all of Leon's cattle, kill his father and kidnap Lettie in the process. Leon swears revenge on the murderers and cattle thieves. With a leopard, he had to kill for survival, he then made a mask out of it, and thus the legend of the Black Panther was born. The appearance of the Panther man scares anyone who sees it, and Leon uses it very skillfully to instill fear and authority among the thieves. But it was by no means easy, and Leon had to endure certain hardships to ensure that justice was done.
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Braam le Roux (Abraham le Roux Botha) and Meiring Fouché (F.A. Venter): Writers of the Black Panther Series Abraham le Roux Botha (28 August, 1918 – 31 December, 1956) wrote nearly all his books under the pseudonym Braam le Roux. Tragically, he passed away at the young age of 38. After his untimely death, Meiring Fouché was approached to take over and complete the series due to its immense popularity upon its initial release. The series ultimately concluded with seventy books. When the Swart Luiperd (Black Panther) series was first published in the early 1950s, it sold exceptionally well, particularly among young readers. Its success was so significant that publishers reissued the series more than five times in less than ten years. Apart from the Swart Luiperd series, Braam le Roux also wrote several other pulp fiction stories in popular series such as the Temmers van die Woestyn, SA Polisie series, and the Swerwer Speurder series. While his hardcover books were less popular, they are still read and appreciated today. Braam le Roux is widely regarded as one of the greatest Afrikaans storytellers the country has ever produced. In his short lifetime, he wrote more than 100 pulp fiction books and over ten hardcover titles, a feat comparable to other great authors like Meiring Fouché, Gerrie Radlof, and Casper H. Marais (all pseudonyms), who took a lifetime to achieve similar outputs. Had Braam le Roux been able to continue writing, he would undoubtedly have been recognized as the greatest Afrikaans fiction writer in South African history. Both Braam le Roux and Meiring Fouché were renowned for their ability to create gripping action and suspense. The Swart Luiperd series is no exception, with each book being a thrilling action-adventure story set primarily in the forests and plains of Africa, but also in other parts of the world. Main Characters and Themes. The main characters include Leon Fouché, also known as the Swart Luiperd, his wife Sonet, their son Bennie (introduced later in the series), his horse Donker, and two leopards, Simson and Spikkels. Interestingly, the leopards are sometimes described as cheetahs in the books, though most readers agree they are leopards, as cheetahs would not have been suited to many of the situations depicted. In most of the stories, the Swart Luiperd travels the world with his horse and leopards in search of action and adventure. He is opposed to firearms, relying instead on a hunting knife, a bow, and arrows. Like a classic Tarzan figure, he moves swiftly through the jungle, swinging from branch to branch on vines. The Swart Luiperd encounters various challenges, including secret civilizations, ruthless animal smugglers, obsessive gold thieves, reckless cattle rustlers, terrifying prehistoric creatures, and strange tribes. Legacy. The Swart Luiperd series remains highly sought after by readers of all ages, even though fewer people today are aware of the series that was immensely popular decades ago. Its consistent action, suspense, and adventure make it a unique and unforgettable collection that often leaves readers wishing they could join the Swart Luiperd in his quest for new adventures in Africa's dense forests, rugged mountains, and vast plains.
