The Fortunate Tiger and Other Close Encounters

Book excerpt: The Fortunate Tiger and Other Close Encounters selects the most thrilling adventures of Jim Corbett of Kumaon, legendary hunter and author. Corbett, who bagged his first leopard at ten, with a rifle won in a marksmanship competition, ranged far and wide across Kumaon and Garhwal for much of his life, rescuing villages terrorized by man-eating felines. And, in the stories of his exploits-'The Fortunate Tiger', which seemed to enjoy divine protection from his bullets; 'The Man- eating Tigress of Chowgarh', who stalked Corbett even as he went looking for her; 'The Talla Des Killer', which he was forced to track while nursing a burst eardrum; and 'The Final Man-eater' of Corbett's career, a tigress which he lured and shot using himself as bait-Corbett gives us some of the greatest shikar tales ever told. Nature and adventure writing at its very best, The Fortunate Tiger and Other Close Encounters is a classic for all time.