Shivering with relief and drenched in cold perspiration, Tom lodged himself on a tree branch and waited for his heart to stop pounding. “I hope that cat will die soon,” he thought sympathetically, “but I’m sure not coming down while it’s still alive!”
Tom had only a few seconds to wait. The jaguar sank to the ground and flopped over on one side.
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Cautiously Tom climbed down for a closer look. There was no doubt but that the beast was dead. “He’s a beauty. I wish I hadn’t had to kill him.”
Picking up his empty rifle, Tom hurried toward the unconscious man on the ground. “It’s Magnificent Max!” the young inventor realized with concern.
The longhaired giant lay sprawled in a clumsy heap. As Tom reached his side, the ex-wrestler stirred and moaned, then sat up and looked at his rescuer.
“Where am I?” Max mumbled. As his brain cleared, his eyes fell on the dead jaguar. “Oh, yeah … I remember now. I was having a fight with that man-killerl”
Heaving himself to his feet, with Tom’s help, the giant threw out his chest proudly. “Man, what a terrific strugglel” he gasped. “That jaguar went straight for my throat! But I finally killed him, with nothing but my bare hands I”
“Now just a minute, fellow,” Tom said quietly. “Don’t you think this cave-man bit has gone far enough? I killed that jaguar with a couple of shots. You were out cold.”
Max’s face fell sheepishly. “Okay, so I like to talk big,” he muttered. “Guess I’m just trying to build myself up… . You’ve got to admit, though, that man-killer never hurt me a bit!”