‘The Tiger Smiled’ - by James Edward ‘Jim’ Corbett

‘The Tiger Smiled’

-      By James Edward ‘Jim’ Corbett

        James Edward ‘Jim’ Corbett was a British Indian Hunter and naturalist. He was famous for hunting a large number of men – eating tigers and leopard in India. He is the author of ‘Man-Eaters of Kumaon’ which includes his hunting experiences.

   

     I have studied this story in my graduation. “The Tiger Smiled” is also a part of the adventurous journey of Jim Corbett. As a writer he has described this event beautifully.

      

         This story starts with the description of a beauty of ravine and the narrator (Jim Corbett) narrates his journey from that valley with two other men. He was enjoying his journey but due to water rocks were slippery and he was feeling quite difficult to pass the path. He also found eggs of nightjar and the unusual shape of it was attracted him for a while, but his journey was for killing the men-eater tigress. This shows that in our journey there will be so many things which will attract us and stop us and jungle itself is with many mysteries and attractions. He added those eggs into his collections.

 

      The two men heard the voice of Tigress and informed Jim. Jim Corbett here told an important fact about tigress that,

“Tigers do not betray their presence by growling when looking for their dinner”

     Finally, there was an encounter of Corbett with Tigress. He has taken his position with his rifle. He said that,

“She has selected him for her dinner”

        Jim Corbett has given the description of Tigress and also described it smile, which was like a dog welcoming his master. He shot. The bullet has injured the spine of tigress and she was dead. Jim Corbett come to know that she was “The Chowgarh tigress”. She has killed susty-four humans and now Corbett has killed him. The journey was good but the situation of Corbett after hunting the tigress was very bad, he was not able to stand. To kill a murderer is also not easy. Animals have no humanity but humans kill animals if they harm them. Corbett also did that. There was a time when Corbett looked towards the tigress as she was her pet. The connection he was able to feel and he felt.