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...

Jim Corbett, ace hunter and inimitable raconteur, was also a gifted observer, not just of the jungle but also of the people around him. In the seventeen sketches included in 'The Hunter's Friends', readers will meet the men and women Corbett lived, hunted and worked with, both in Kumaon-Corbett's stomping grounds for most of his life- and in Mokameh Ghat, where he was employed by the Railways. 'Kunwar Singh', intrepid poacher of the Kaladhungi jungles, tells young Corbett the cautionary tale of his friend, who was taught a harsh lesson by a tiger because he couldn't climb trees; in 'Putli and...