THE MAN-EATER OF CHAMPAWAT (PT 2) CONCLUSION

There are adventure stories, and then there are stories in which one wrong step can mean you never come home.

In "The Man-Eater of Champawat," legendary hunter, naturalist, and author Jim Corbett recounts one of the most famous episodes of his extraordinary life: his pursuit of the fearsome Champawat tigress through the rugged forests and hills of northern India.

The tigress had originally terrorized communities in Nepal before being driven across the border into India. By the time Corbett entered the story, entire villages were living under the shadow of a predator that had learned to hunt human beings. Historical accounts credit the Champawat tigress with an astonishing 436 victims, making her one of history's most notorious documented man-eaters.

But what makes Corbett's account so compelling isn't simply the danger. It is the hunt itself.

Corbett must read the jungle like a detective reads a crime scene. A track in the earth, an alarm call from an animal, a disturbed patch of vegetation, the behavior of frightened villagers, or an unnatural silence in the forest can all mean the difference between finding the tiger and having the tiger find him first.

And Corbett never portrays the tiger as some supernatural monster. After the Champawat tigress was killed, examination revealed damaged canine teeth, helping explain why an animal designed to pursue powerful natural prey may have turned instead to humans.

The Champawat hunt took place in 1907 and became an early chapter in the remarkable career that Corbett later chronicled in his celebrated Man-Eaters of Kumaon. Corbett would become famous for tracking dangerous man-eating tigers and leopards, yet later in life he was also known as an advocate for wildlife conservation and photography rather than indiscriminate hunting.

That combination is what makes Jim Corbett such a perfect storyteller for 1001 Outdoor Adventure Stories.

This isn't trophy hunting. It is tracking, woodcraft, courage and survival in wild country, told by a man who possessed an extraordinary ability to observe the natural world around him.

So step quietly into the forests of Kumaon, keep your eyes on the trail, and remember: somewhere ahead of Jim Corbett is the Man-Eater of Champawat.

Enjoy THE MAN-EATER OF CHAMPAWAT by Jim Corbett, here at 1001 Outdoor Adventure Stories