The Fight Between Leopards by Jim Corbett

Summary

The script recounts Jim Corbett's tale of tracking a man-eating leopard in the Himalayan regions of India. Corbett, a skilled hunter in the British Indian Army, was called upon to protect a village from the leopard that had terrorized it for eight years. The narrative details his observations, the leopard's cunning tactics, and a dramatic encounter between the man-eater and a local leopard. Despite the intense battle, the man-eating leopard survived, leaving Corbett to contemplate the creature's likely return to prey on humans once it recovered from its injuries.

Takeaways

• 📚 The class discusses a story by Jim Corbett, a hunter and writer in the British Indian Army, known for his encounters with man-eating leopards.
• 🐆 Jim Corbett was tasked with dealing with a man-eating leopard in the Rudra Prayag area, which had been terrorizing the local population for eight years.
• 🏡 Corbett arrived at Swara, the village where the leopard had recently killed a boy, and examined the scene of the attack.
• 😢 The mother of the boy killed by the leopard expressed her grief and anger, blaming the village head for not rescuing her son.
• 🤔 Corbett was surprised by the leopard's boldness and the mystery of how it managed to carry off the boy without being detected by the villagers or their dogs.
• 🏠 The leopard had jumped over an eight-foot wall, killed the boy, and dragged his body across a yam field, eventually leaving the body after being disturbed by villagers.
• 🔍 Corbett deduced the leopard's movements and decided to wait for it to return to the body, but faced challenges in finding a suitable place to hide and protect himself.
• 🔗 To lure the leopard, Corbett chained the boy's body to a peg in the middle of the courtyard and hid behind bundles of straw, hoping to ambush the leopard.
• 🌩️ A storm during the night reduced visibility, making it difficult for Corbett to see or hear the leopard's approach.
• 🐱 A terrifying moment occurred when Corbett felt something crawling on his straw bed, only to discover it was a wet kitten seeking shelter.
• 🐅 The leopard did not return to the body as expected, and instead, Corbett heard a fight between the man-eating leopard and a local leopard, indicating a territorial dispute.

Q & A

Who was Jim Corbett and what was his role in the British Indian Army?

Jim Corbett was a hunter and writer who worked for the British Indian Army during the British rule in India. He was known for killing man-eating leopards in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of the Himalayas.

Why was Jim Corbett invited to Rudra Prayag?

Jim Corbett was invited to Rudra Prayag because a man-eating leopard had been killing local people near the area for eight years, and his services were required to help save the local people from the leopard.

What was the unusual behavior of the leopard that intrigued Corbett?

The unusual behavior of the leopard that intrigued Corbett was that it attacked and carried away a boy in the middle of the day, which was unexpected as leopards typically hunt at night.

How did the leopard manage to enter the courtyard of the boy's house, which was surrounded by an eight-foot high wall?

The script does not provide specific details on how the leopard entered the courtyard, but it implies that the leopard's ability to jump such a height was surprising and a key point of intrigue for Corbett.

What was the woman's complaint about the village headman after her son was killed by the leopard?

The woman was angry with the village headman, accusing him of not coming to the rescue of her son. She believed that if the headman and villagers had intervened, they might have saved her son from the leopard.

How did Corbett explain the boy's death to the grieving mother?

Corbett explained that when the leopard clamped its teeth around the boy's throat, it must have held it very tightly, causing the connectors between the neck and head to break, leading to the boy's instantaneous death.

What was Corbett's strategy for dealing with the leopard after he arrived at the village?

Corbett decided not to wait by the dead body where the leopard had left it the previous night. Instead, he had the body moved to a peg in the middle of the courtyard and chained it there, planning to hide and observe from behind bundles of straw.

What were the two difficulties that prevented Corbett from sitting close to the dead body?

The two difficulties were the absence of a suitable place to sit, as it was a vast open area with no nearby trees, and his lack of confidence in sitting on the ground with nothing to protect him from a potential leopard attack.

What was the terrifying incident that happened to Corbett while he was waiting for the leopard?

While waiting for the leopard, Corbett felt something with a hairy coat walking on the straw over him, which he initially thought was the leopard. However, it turned out to be a soaking wet kitten seeking shelter.

Why did Corbett believe he lost the chance to kill the leopard after hearing the growling sounds from a distance?

Corbett believed he lost the chance because the man-eating leopard had encountered a local leopard and they were fighting. If the man-eater was injured or killed in the fight, it would no longer be interested in the dead body or be a threat to the villagers.

What was the conclusion Corbett came to after hearing the leopards' fight and the subsequent growling sounds?

Corbett concluded that the man-eating leopard had been driven away from the area by the local leopard, as evidenced by the growling sounds coming from a distant hill. However, he also surmised that the man-eater might return after recovering from any injuries sustained in the fight.