13 Tiger Adventure Read Online Free PDF Page A

headman they spread the net some five feet above the ground.
    Hal showed it to Vic. ‘Jump.’
    But Vic would not jump. ‘Don’t kid me. I’d break my neck.’
    ‘Jump. We’ll catch you. Or do you want to stay there till morning?’ It was getting darker. Soon Vic would not be able to see the net. He finally summoned up what little courage he had and jumped. He hit the net, and bounced up so far that he thought he was going back up to the top of the tree. Then he fell again into the net. It was comfortable there - as good as a bed.
    But the leopard was coming down the tree.
    Hal had disappeared. He came back with Sam just as the leopard touched the ground. Sam at once did what sambars always do when bothered by any member of the cat tribe. He kicked the leopard with one powerful heel and the beast doubled up in pain. Sam delivered his second blow with the other heel and the big cat tumbled over and lay as if dead.
    ‘Quick,’ Hal said. ‘Wrap him up in the net and we’ll stuff him into the back of the Land-Rover.’
    Thanks for killing him,’ said the headman.
    ‘He’s not dead,’ said Hal. ‘He’ll be as lively as ever after we get him into his cage.’
    The news that the leopard had been captured passed rapidly from house to house and people swarmed out to thank the boys for what they had done. Vic especially enjoyed all the congratulations.
    ‘It was nothing,’ he said, ‘nothing at all. Any time you want us to help you just let us know.’
    Hal cut short his speech. ‘No more time for talk. We’ve got to get this cat into a cage before he wakes up.’
    The leopard was still asleep when they got home. The net was removed and the big body was pushed into a cage. When the cat woke up it went crazy trying to break the bars of the cage but it was no use.
    The cat settled down over the meat that had been thrown to him. Cold meat! He preferred live meat, warm and juicy. His luck had changed. No longer could he kill, and kill, and laugh his sarcastic ‘Har-har-har’.
    When morning came, Hal and Roger popped out before breakfast to see their new cat.
    The leopard and the tiger in the next cage were talking together in low grunts. It was not a love grunt. These two animals do not care for each other.
    The tiger had reason to be proud of his fine black stripes on yellow hide. But the leopard was covered with flowers -at least they looked like flowers. Naturalists called them rosettes, meaning that they were as lovely as roses. Behind them was a soft light-brown skin’
    ‘What a beautiful animal,’ Roger said.
    ‘And as brave and strong as he is beautiful,’ Hal added. ‘Hunters say the leopard is the most handsome cat in all the Indian jungles.’
    ‘But he has a bad temper.’ said Roger.
    ‘I think we can take care of that when we get him in pleasant surroundings on Dad’s farm. And any zoo will be glad to give him the care such a beauty deserves.’
    ‘Okay,’ Roger said, ‘if we can just get him on a ship before
    Vic steals him,’ Hal laughed. To make off with a leopard is not so easy as
    to pick up a mouse-deer.’

Chapter 6
The Playful Panda
    It was a great day when they found a panda.
    ‘Look!’ said Roger. ‘Away up in that tree. What is it?’ Hal took out his binoculars and studied the strange ball of fur.
    ‘My boy,’ he said, ‘Columbus discovered America. And you have just discovered something that any zoo would give its eye-teeth to have. That’s a panda. Dad wanted one. But I never expected to be able to give him one.’
    ‘Okay,’ said Roger. ‘If it’s so great why don’t you go up and get it?’
    ‘I wouldn’t think of doing such a thing. You discovered it, my dear Columbus. You are entitled to the honour of bringing it down.’
    Roger grinned. ‘How generous of you! What’s the reason you don’t want to touch it? Will it bite?’
    ‘You guessed it. The panda’s teeth are like razors.’ Hal pulled out some twine from his pocket. ‘Tie this around his jaws.