“I think that this book is likely to become a Malayan classic. It deserves to attain that eminence. Colonel Locke is an undoubted authority on his intriguing subject. He has collected a vast quantity of information about Malayan tigers, which is a distinct contribution to local natural history, and he has set it down with admirable and most readable clarity. His mass of factual information is made vivid by his commentary upon it all, and by his accounts of personal experiences hunting the tigers of Trengganu.
“He never hunted for the sake of hunting, nor killed for the sake of killing. As District Officer in a remote, wild region of the State he played his part in protecting the local population from various enemies of their well-being. These included Communist terrorist gangs who infested the jungle, and cattle-destroying or man-eating tigers living in the same resort. Colonel Locke only sought to shoot tigers when they forsook their normal diet of wild game in the forest, and took to dining off domestic animals or human beings in the kampongs. Otherwise he felt the admiration for those lordly beasts which their character and beauty must command, and left them free to roam at will their kingdom.
“One merit of his writing lies in its simplicity. In all his pages there is scarcely a superfluous word. His statements of facts, his accounts of experiences and his personal comments on the subject of tigers are made with an economy of language which is almost austere. He recognizes that his tale is so enthralling in itself that it needs no literary tricks or embroidery to enhance it; and so he never over-states his case. On the contrary, in many instances his modest under-statements heighten the dramatic effect of the tale.
“I do not know, for example, any more effective piece of writing in sporting literature than his unadorned, bare and yet thrillingly exciting description of his encounter with the Jerangau Man-eater. His performance with a camera is also impressive and has provided the volume with some good illustrations.”
Dustcover slightly damaged. Writing on the first page. Good Condition