102 ELECTRONIC RETROSCOPE
The terrified shrieks grew louder as he fought his way through the tangled ferns and underbrush. A moment later, at a spot hemmed in by dense growth and rocks, Tom burst upon a frightening scene. A man lay unconscious on the ground. Over him reared a huge jaguar, its claws ready for the kill. The man had evidently cornered the jaguar and infuriated it.
Tom had no choice but to shoot the animal. He had to save the man.
Whipping his rifle to his shoulder, he fired at the beast.
It leaped into the air and came down whirling to face its new enemy. Though wounded, the jaguar was snarling with fury-still full of fight! It charged straight at Tom!
The young inventor’s heart was hammering, but he kept cool. Dropping on one knee, he took aim and fired again, point-blank.
It was a clean hit! But the enraged animal refused to go down. Instead, the jaguar seemed to gain strength from its added fury at being wounded a second time. The beast charged again.
With sweating hands, Tom leveled the rifle for another shot. But the hammer merely clicked on an empty chamber. His gun was empty!
CHAPTER XII
THE WRESTLER’S CAVE
TOM gave way to an instant of blind panic. But it was gone in a flash as he realized that his life depended on split-second action!
Flinging his rifle aside, Tom dashed for the nearest tree-a towering Spanish cedar. He grabbed the trunk in a flying leap and hauled himself clear of the ground not a second too soon!
As Tom shinned upward, the maddened jaguar almost grazed his leg with a lightning sweep of one paw. Tom shuddered-those terrible claws would have ripped his flesh to the bone!