The helicopter was getting into a position where it could hit the big cat without hitting Johnny. In a few seconds the courageous animal would be dead.
"Run, friend-pet!" he clicked loudly. "Run! They won't hurt me. Run!" She looked down at him and growled in a questioning way. Her muscles tensed, and, with a great spring, she was gone. The guns roared, but the leopard's last bound carried her safely into the brush.
Before Johnny could get to his feet the 'copter was beside him. Two men in armor and headglobes jumped out.
"Hurry," yelled the pilot from inside. "You just grazed the leopard."
One man grabbed Johnny by the heels, the other by his shoulders. With one swing he was tossed heavily onto the floor of the 'copter. The two men jumped in after him. The armored door clanged closed. The motors roared and they were going straight up into the sky.
Johnny lay quietly on the floor for some moments; he was still dazed by his fall—and by the sudden turn of events.
"That leopard was crazy," one of the men was saying. "I never saw one come back like that, except for a cub!"