Call of the Wild (Saddleback Classics)

THECALL

OF THEWILD

JACK LONDON

THECALL

OF THEWILD

JACK LONDON

The memorable story of an amazing dog caught up in

the Alaskan Gold Rush

“The sled dogs were dead tired. Theyhad traveled 1,800 miles since the beginning of winter. Buck’s weight haddropped 25 pounds . . .”

Buck is much bigger and stronger thanthe other dogs. But he wasn’t born to thesavage life of the Alaskan frontier. Is it toolate for him to learn the “law of club andfang”? Can he survive the bitter weather, avicious rival, and the deadly mistakes of hisbungling owners?

Saddleback E-Book

CallOfTheWild 09/13/06 9:13 PM Page 1

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Leader of the Pack • 6

ADAPTED BY

Stephen Feinstein

CALLWILD

JACK LONDON

OF THE

THE

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THE CALL OF THE WILD

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Call of the Wild

A Christmas Carol

Frankenstein

The Red Badge of Courage

The Scarlet Letter

A Tale of Two Cities

Treasure Island

Development and Production: Laurel Associates, Inc.Cover and Interior Art: Black Eagle Productions

Three WatsonIrvine, CA 92618-2767E-Mail: [email protected]: www.sdlback.com

ISBN 1-56254-254-0

Printed in the United States of America

09 08 07 06 05 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronicor mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informationstorage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Copyright © 1999 by Saddleback Educational Publishing. All rights reserved.

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Trouble Ahead • 1

1 Trouble Ahead ........................ 5

2 A Kidnapped King .................. 10

3 The Journey North ................ 20

4 The Law of Club and Fang .... 24

5 Fight to the Death ................. 32

6 Leader of the Pack ................ 43

7 The Toil of Trace and Trail.... 50

8 For the Love of a Man ........... 61

9 The Sounding of the Call ...... 71

CONTENTS

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Trouble Ahead

Buck did not read the newspapers. If hedid, he would have seen some bad news.Trouble was coming. Not just for himself,but for every dog with strong muscles,from Puget Sound to San Diego. This wasbecause, in the Arctic darkness, a preciousyellow metal—gold—had been found.

Thousands of men were rushing to thefrozen Northland. These men needed dogs.They wanted heavy dogs wi th s t rongmuscles and furry coats. Big dogs would beable to work hard. And their furry coatswould protect them from the cold.

Buck lived on a large estate in the sunnySanta Clara Valley. Judge Miller’s place, itwas called. The house stood back from theroad. It was half-hidden among the trees. Awide porch ran around its four sides. At the

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Trouble Ahead • 1

rear of the house were stables, where adozen grooms worked. There were rows ofservants’ cottages. And there were longgrape arbors, green pastures, orchards, andberry patches. There was also a water pumpfor the well and for a big cement swimmingtank. Judge Miller’s sons took a dip in thetank every morning.

Buck ruled over this great estate. Herehe was born. Here he had lived all four yearsof his life. There were other dogs here, butthey did not count. They came and went.Many of them lived in the kennels. Some,such as Toots and Ysabel, lived in hiddencorners of the house. On the other hand therewere the fox terriers. These dogs would yelpat Toots and Ysabel looking out the windowsat them.

But Buck was neither house dog norkennel dog. The whole place was his. Hewent into the swimming tank or wenthunting with the Judge’s sons. He would gowith Mol l ie and Al ice, the Judge’sdaughters, on early morning walks. Onwinter nights he would lie at the Judge’s feet

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by the fire in the library. He carried theJudge’s grandsons on his back, or rolledthem in the grass. He roamed wherever hepleased. For he was king over al l thecreeping, crawling, flying things of JudgeMiller’s place, humans included.

Buck’s father was Elmo, a huge St.Bernard . Elmo had been the Judge’sconstant companion. It seemed that Buckwas going to be very much like his father.Buck was smaller, though—he weighed only140 pounds. His mother, Shep, had been aScotch shepherd dog. Buck took great pridein himself and carried himself like a king.Hunting and other outdoor activity had keptdown the fat and hardened his muscles.

This was the kind of dog Buck was inthe fall of 1897. But because Buck did notread the newspapers, he did not know thatgold had been discovered in the Klondike.And he did not know that one man at JudgeMiller’s place was about to change his lifeforever.

Manuel, one of the gardener’s helpers,had a terr ible weakness—he loved to

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Trouble Ahead • 1

gamble. And in order to gamble, he neededmoney. But the wages of a gardener’s helperare barely enough to support a wife andchildren, let alone to gamble.

One night the Judge was at a meeting ofthe Raisin Growers’ Association. His sonswere busy planning a sports event. No onesaw Manuel and Buck go off through theorchard. Buck thought they were just out foran evening walk. No one saw them arrive atthe little train station known as CollegePark—nobody except the man who waswaiting there for them. When this man talkedwith Manuel, money passed between them.

“You might wrap up the goods before youdeliver them,” the stranger said gruffly.Manuel doubled a piece of thick rope underthe collar around Buck’s neck.

“Twist it, and you’ll choke him plenty,”said Manuel . The s t ranger grunted inagreement.

Buck had accepted the rope with quietdignity. He had learned to trust people heknew. He gave them credit for a wisdombeyond his own. But when the ends of the

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rope were placed in the stranger’s hands,Buck growled. He did this to show the menhe didn’t like what was happening. His prideled him to think that this was all he neededto do. Once the men saw he wasn’t happy,they would remove the rope.

But to Buck’s surprise the rope tightenedaround his neck, shutting off his breath. Inquick rage he sprang at the stranger, whowas ready for him. The man grabbed himby the throat, and with a twist, threw Buckover on his back. Then the rope grew eventighter. Buck struggled in a fury, his tonguehanging out of his mouth, his big chestheaving. Never in his life had he been sobadly treated! And never in his life had hebeen so angry. But as the rope tightened, hisstrength left him. Soon his eyes glazed over.He knew nothing when the train stopped andthe two men threw him into the baggage car.

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A Kidnapped King • 2

A KidnappedKing

The next thing Buck knew was that histongue hurt. He was being jolted along insome kind of car. Then the loud shriek ofthe train whistle told him where he was. Hehad traveled too often with the Judge not toknow the feeling of riding in a baggage car.He opened his eyes.

The stranger sitting beside him sprangfor Buck’s throat. But Buck was too quickfor him. His jaws closed on the man’s hand.And they didn’t relax until Buck’s senseswere choked out of him once more.

“Yep, has fits,” the stranger said, hidinghis torn hand. He was speaking to thebaggageman, who had heard the soundsof struggle. “I’m taking him up to SanFrancisco for the boss. A dog doctor therethinks he can cure him.”

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Later that night, the man told a bartenderwhat had happened. By then he was in alittle shed in back of a bar on the SanFrancisco waterfront.

“All I got is fifty for this job,” thestranger said, “and I wouldn’t do it againfor a thousand, cold cash.”

His hand was wrapped in a bloody cloth.The right leg of his pants was torn from kneeto ankle.

“How much did the other man get?” thebartender asked.

“A hundred,” was the reply. “He wouldn’ttake a penny less, so help me.”

“That makes a hundred and fifty,” thebartender said. “And he’s worth it, for sure.”

The kidnapper removed the bloody clothand looked at his torn hand. “If I don’t getrabies from this—”

“It’ll be because you were born to hang,”laughed the bartender. “Here, lend me ahand,” he added.

Buck was dazed and suffering terriblepain in his throat. But now he tried to facethe men. Half the life had been choked out

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of him. Yet again and again he was throwndown and choked. Finally the men were ableto file the heavy brass collar from his neck.Then the rope was removed, and Buck wasflung into a crate that was like a cage.

There he lay for the rest of the night,nursing his anger and wounded pride. Buckcould not understand what it all meant. Whatdid they want with him, these strange men?Why were they keeping him locked up inthis narrow crate? He did not know why. Buthe had the feeling that something terriblewas going to happen to him.

Several times during the night he sprangto his feet when the shed door rattled open.He was expecting to see the Judge, or theboys at least. But each time it was the uglyface of the bartender looking in at him bythe light of a candle. And each time thehappy bark that had welled up in Buck’sthroat was twisted into a growl.

Soon the bartender left him alone. In themorning, four men came and picked up thecra te. This meant more trouble, Buckdecided, for the men were evil-looking.

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When Buck raged at them through thebars, they laughed and poked sticks at him.At first Buck attacked the sticks with histeeth. Then he saw that this was what themen wanted. So he lay down silently andallowed the crate to be lifted into a wagon.

Then Buck, in his crate, began a passagethrough many hands. Clerks in the expressoffice took charge of him. Then he was putin another wagon. Next, a truck carried him,along with many other boxes, onto a ferryboat. After he was moved off the ferry into

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a railroad station, he was finally put in anexpress railroad car.

For two days and nights in the expresscar, Buck neither ate nor drank. When theexpress men tried to come near him, hegrowled at them. The men got back at Buckby teasing him. When Buck flung himselfagainst the bars, they laughed at him andcontinued to tease him. They growled andbarked like mad dogs, flapping their armsand crowing. Buck knew this was all verysilly. But for this reason it was all the moreoutrage to his dignity.

Buck’s anger grew and grew. He did notmind the hunger so much. But the lack ofwater caused him great suffering. In fact,the ill treatment had given him a fever.

Buck was glad for one thing, though. Therope was off his neck. That had given themen the upper hand. But now that it was off,he would show them. They would never getanother rope around his neck. His mind wasmade up about that.

During his two days and nights in theexpress car, Buck had turned into a raging

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beast. His large eyes had become red andmenacing. So changed was Buck that theJudge himself would not have recognizedhim. The express men breathed easier whenthey put him off the train at Seattle.

Four men carefully carried the cratefrom the wagon into a small back yard.There were high walls around the yard.A big man wearing a red sweater came outand signed the order for the driver. Thatman, Buck knew, would be the next one tomistreat him. Buck threw himself at thebars. The man smiled grimly, and broughtout a hatchet and a club.

“You ain’t going to take him out now?”the driver asked.

“Sure,” the man said, driving the hatchetinto one end of the crate.

The four men who had carried in the cratequickly scattered. From safe spots on top ofthe wall, they got ready to watch the show.

Buck rushed at the splintering wood,sinking his teeth into it . Wherever thehatchet fell on the outside, he was there onthe inside, snarling and growling. Buck was

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as eager to get out as the man in the redsweater was to get him out.

“Now, you red-eyed devil,” the man said.He had made an opening big enough forBuck’s body to fit through. At the same timehe dropped the hatchet and shifted the clubto his right hand.

Buck truly looked like a red-eyed devilas he readied himself to spring. His hair wasbristling and his mouth foaming. There wasa mad glitter in his bloodshot eyes. Straightat the man he threw his 140 pounds of fury,powered by the anger of two days andnights. But in midair, just as his jaws wereabout to close on the man, he got a shock. Itstopped his body and snapped his jawclosed. He turned over, hitting the groundon his back and side.

Buck had never been struck by a clubbefore—and he did not understand. With asnarl that was part bark and part scream, heleaped to his feet and then into the air. Againthe shock came and brought him crashingto the ground. This time he was aware ofthe club, but he was too mad to stop. A dozen

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times he charged, and a dozen times the clubbroke the charge and smashed him down.

After one real ly strong blow, Buckcrawled to his feet, too dazed to rush. Hemoved weakly about, blood flowing fromhis nose, mouth, and ears. His beautiful coatwas splattered with spots of blood.

The man in the red sweater then gave hima frightful blow on the nose. All the painBuck had fel t up to now was nothingcompared to this. With a roar almost like alion’s, he threw himself at the man. But theman, shifting the club from right to left,caught Buck under the jaw. The blowtwisted Buck upward and backward. The bigdog went through a complete circle in theair, and half of another. Finally he crashedto the ground on his head and chest.

For the last time Buck rushed. Then theman struck another mighty blow, and Buckwent down for good.

Buck’s senses slowly came back to him,but not his strength. For a long time he laywhere he had fallen. From there he studiedthe man in the red sweater.

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“Answers to the name of Buck,” the mansaid to himself. He was reading from thebartender’s letter, which described the crateand its contents. “Well, Buck, my boy,” hesaid in a friendly voice, “we’ve had our littlerun-in. The best thing we can do now is tolet it go at that. You’ve learned your place,and I know mine. Be a good dog and all willgo well. Be a bad dog, and I’ll knock thestuffing out of you. Understand?”

As he spoke, he patted the head he hadso cruelly pounded. Although Buck’s hairbristled at the touch of the man’s hand, hedidn’t complain. When the man brought himwater, he drank eagerly. Later, he ate a largemeal of raw meat, chunk by chunk, from theman’s hand.

Buck was beaten, he knew that. But hewas not broken. He saw, once and for all,that he stood no chance against a man witha club. He had learned a lesson—one thathe would not forget for the rest of his life.That club was Buck’s introduction to therule of primitive law, and he had met thatlaw halfway. But the facts of life had taken

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on a meaner look. Buck was determined toface that look unafraid, and with all of hiscunning.

As the days went by, more dogs arrived,in crates and at the ends of ropes. Somecame quietly, and some came raging androaring, just as he had come.

One and all, Buck watched them fall intothe hands of the man with the red sweater.Again and again, as he saw what happenedto each dog, the lesson was driven home toBuck. A man with a club was a lawgiver.Yet, although man was a master to beobeyed, it was not necessary to cower beforehim. Of this Buck would never be guilty.

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The Journey North • 3

The JourneyNorth

Now and again men came by to talk tothe man in the red sweater. Whenever moneypassed between them, the strangers tookone or more of the dogs away with them.Buck wondered where they went, for theynever came back. All of this made Buck feelfearful about the future. He was glad eachtime he was not chosen.

Yet Buck’s turn finally came. One day ascrawny little man came to see the man inthe red sweater. The man spoke brokenEnglish and used many strange words whichBuck could not understand.

“Sacredam!” the little man cried, whenhis eyes lit upon Buck. “That one bully dog,eh? How much?”

“Three hundred—and a present at that,”replied the man in the red sweater.

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Perrault grinned. The price of dogs hadbeen shooting up because of the demand. Heknew this was not an unfair sum for so finean animal. The messages of the Canadiangovernment would not travel slower becauseof this animal. Perrault knew dogs. Whenhe looked at Buck, he recognized that thisdog was one in a thousand. “Or maybe onein ten thousand,” he said to himself.

Buck saw the scrawny man give moneyto the man in the red sweater. He was notsurprised when he and Curly, a good-naturedNewfoundland, were led away by thestrange little man. That was the last Buckever saw of the man in the red sweater.

Soon the two dogs were loaded on a ship.As Curly and Buck looked back at Seattlefrom the deck of the Narwhal, it was the lasttime they would see the warm Southland.

After Perrault took the dogs below, heturned them over to a giant called François.While Buck developed no love for theseFrench-Canadians, he did grow to respectthem. He quickly learned that Perrault andFrançois were fair men. They were calm and

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The Journey North • 3

evenhanded. And they were too wise in theway of dogs to be fooled by them.

Buck and Curly joined two other dogs onthe Narwhal. One of them was a big, snow-white dog from Spitzbergen. He had beenbought from a whaling captain. Spitz wasfriendly—in a sly sort of way. He wouldsmile into one’s face while thinking up somesneaky trick. For example, he stole fromBuck’s food at the first meal. As Bucksprang to punish him, the lash of François’swhip sang through the air. The whip reachedthe white dog’s back. There was nothing forBuck to do but to take back the bone. Thatwas fair of the giant, Buck decided. Hisopinion of François improved.

The other dog showed no interest in thenewcomers, nor did he try to steal fromthem. Dave was a gloomy beast. He quicklyshowed Curly that all he wanted was to beleft alone. In fact, he made it clear that therewould be trouble if he were not left alone.Beyond eating and sleeping, he took interestin nothing.

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When the Narwhal crossed QueenCharlotte Sound, the ship rolled and buckedlike a wild animal. Buck and Curly grewexcited, half wild with fear. But Dave justraised his head and looked at them. Then heyawned and went to sleep again.

As the ship headed north, one day wasvery much like another. But it was clear toBuck that the weather was growing steadilycolder. At last, one morning, the ship’spropeller was quiet. Buck knew that achange was at hand.

François leashed the dogs and broughtthem on deck. At his first step upon the colddeck, Buck saw white stuff falling throughthe air. Sniffing it, he licked some up on histongue. It bit like fire, and was gone in thenext instant. This puzzled him. He tried itagain, with the same result. The peoplearound him laughed. Buck felt ashamed; heknew not why. For it was his first snow.

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The Law of Club and Fang • 4

The Law ofClub and Fang

Buck’s first day in the wild Northlandwas like a nightmare. Every hour was filledwith shock and surprise. After all, he hadbeen suddenly jerked from the heart ofcivilization and flung into the very heart ofwildness.

The place was called Dyea Beach, andhere there was neither peace, nor rest, nor amoment’s safety. All was confusion andaction. Every moment life and limb were inperil. One needed to be constantly alert, forthese dogs and men were not town dogs andmen. They were truly savages, all of them—creatures who knew no rule but the law ofclub and fang.

Buck had never seen dogs fight as thesewolfish creatures fought. He was soon tolearn an unforgettable lesson. Curly, in her

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friendly way, had approached a husky dogthe size of a wolf. With no warning, therehad been a flash of teeth, and Curly’s facewas ripped open from eye to jaw.

It was the wolf manner of fighting—tostrike and leap away. Thirty or forty huskiesquickly surrounded the two fighting dogs,eagerly licking their chops. As Curly rushedat her attacker, he knocked her off her feet.This was what the other huskies werewaiting for. They quickly closed in upon her,snarling and yelping. Curly was soon buriedbeneath them, screaming with agony.

Buck was shocked by the sudden attack.He saw François, swinging an axe, springinto the mess of dogs. Three men with clubswere helping him to scatter them. It did nottake long. Curly lay in the bloody snow,limp and lifeless, torn almost to pieces.

That scene often came back to troubleBuck in his sleep. So that was the way itwas. No fair play. Once down, that was theend of you. Well, he would see to it that henever went down. And when Curly wentdown, Buck saw Spitz run out his tongue in

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a way he had of laughing. From that momenton Buck hated him.

Now Buck received another shock.François fastened a harness on him, just asthe grooms had harnessed the horses athome. Buck was put to work with the otherdogs, pulling François on a sled. They wentto the forest at the edge of the valley, andreturned with a load of firewood. Thoughthis work was all new and strange to Buck,he did his best.

François used a whip to make sure hisdogs obeyed him. Spitz was the lead dog.He and Dave, by jerking and nipping atBuck, showed the new dog the proper wayto pull a sled. Buck learned easily and maderapid progress. Before they returned tocamp, he knew enough to stop at “ho,” andto go ahead at “mush.” He learned to swingwide on the bends. And he learned to keepclear of the wheeler when the loaded sledshot downhill at the dogs’ heels.

“Three very good dogs,” François toldPerrault. “That Buck, him pull like allhell. I teach him quick as anything.” By

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afternoon, Perrault returned with two morehuskies, Billee and Joe. Billee was goodnatured, but Joe was always snarling. Buckgreeted them in a friendly way, while Daveignored them. Spitz attempted to show themwho was boss.

By evening, Perrault brought alonganother dog—an old husky with a battle-scarred face and a single eye. He was calledSol-leks, which means Angry One. He askednothing, gave nothing, expected nothing.Even Spitz left him alone. Buck made themistake of approaching Sol-leks on his blindside. The old husky whirled upon Buck andslashed his shoulder to the bone.

That night Buck faced the great problemof sleeping. The tent, lit by a candle, glowedwarmly in the midst of the white plain. Butwhen Buck entered it, Perrault and Françoischased him back out into the cold. Buck laydown on the snow to sleep. But the frostsoon drove him, shivering, to his feet. Hewandered among the tents, but one placewas as cold as another.

Final ly he decided to see how his

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teammates were making out. But he couldn’tfind them—they had disappeared. He lookedall over the camp, but there was no trace ofthem. As he circled the tent, the snowsuddenly gave way beneath him. Bucksprang away, but when he heard a friendlylittle yelp, he went back to investigate.Curled up under the snow in a snug balllay Billee.

Another lesson. So that was the waythey did it! Buck picked a spot and dug ahole for himself in the snow. The heat fromhis body quickly filled the space and he fellinto a sound sleep.

In the morning Buck was awakened bythe noises of the camp. At first he did notknow where he was. It had snowed duringthe night, and he was completely buried.With the snow pressing in on him on everyside, a wave of fear swept through him. Itwas a wild thing’s fear of the trap. With aloud snarl, Buck leaped out of the snow.When he saw the white camp spread outbefore him, he knew where he was. Heremembered everything that had happened

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to him from the time he went for a walkwith Manuel.

A shout from François greeted Buck.“See, what I say?” the dog-driver cried toPerrault. “That Buck for sure learn quick asanything.”

Perrault nodded. Because his job was tocarry important messages for the Canadiangovernment, he was anxious to get the bestdogs. And he was very pleased with Buck.

Three more huskies were added to theteam, making a total of nine. Soon they werein harness and swinging up the trail towardthe Dyea Canyon. Buck was glad to bemoving. He was surprised by the eagernessof the whole team, and especially by thechange in Dave and Sol-leks. They seemedlike new dogs now, alert and active. It wasas if the toil of the traces—the work ofpulling the sled—was all that they lived for.

Dave was wheeler, the dog just in frontof the sled. Pulling in front of him wasBuck; then came Sol-leks. The rest of theteam was strung out ahead, single file, tothe leader. That position was filled by Spitz.

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It was a hard day’s run, up the Canyon,past the timberline, across glaciers andsnowdrifts hundreds of feet deep, and overthe great Chilcoot Divide. Late that nightthey pulled into the huge camp at LakeBennett. There, thousands of gold-seekerswere building boats to be ready for thebreakup of ice in the spring.

That day they had made forty miles, thetrail being packed. But in the followingdays, they had to break their own trail. Theyhad to work harder, and they made poorertime. While François rode on the sled,guiding it at the gee-pole, Perrault usuallywent ahead of the team. He packed the snowwith webbed shoes to make it easier for them.

Day after day, Buck toiled at the traces.Always, they pitched camp after dark, eatingtheir bit of fish and crawling to sleep in thesnow. Buck was always hungry. He wasgiven a pound and a half of salmon each day.But that was never enough to fill him, andhe suffered constant hunger pangs.

Buck learned that unless he ate veryquickly, his mates would steal part of his

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food. He also learned to take what did notbelong to him—if he could get away withit. One day he saw Pike, one of the newdogs, steal a slice of bacon when Perrault’sback was turned. The next day, Buck stole awhole chunk of bacon. Another dog, Dub,was punished for it.

This first theft showed that Buck couldsurvive in the Northland, under the law ofclub and fang. It showed that he was able toadapt to changing conditions. Not being ableto do so would have meant swift and terribledeath. Buck learned to eat anything. Hismuscles became hard as iron. And his senseof sight, smell, and hearing became very sharp.

Not only did Buck learn by experience,but instincts long dead came alive again.Something inside him seemed to remembera time when wild dogs ran in packs throughthe ancient forests. On still, cold nights,he pointed his nose at a star and howledlong and wolflike. It was as if, through him,his ancestors were howling down throughthe centuries.

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Fight tothe Death

The spirit of the wild beast becamestronger in Buck. It grew and grew underthe fierce conditions of trail life. Buck wastoo busy getting used to his new life to feelat ease. So not only did he not pick fights,but he avoided them whenever possible. Andalthough he continued to feel bitter hatredtoward Spitz, he kept his feelings to himself.

Spitz, however, must have felt that Buckwas a dangerous rival. He never missed achance to show his teeth. He even went outof his way to bully Buck. And he wouldalways try to start a fight that could end onlyin the death of one or the other.

This might have taken place early in thetrip had it not been for an unexpected event.At the end of this day they made camp onthe shore of Lake Le Barge. In the driving

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snow, freezing wind, and darkness, theycould hardly have picked a worse place.At their backs rose a wall of rock. Perraultand François had to make their fire andspread their sleeping robes on the ice of thelake itself. In order to travel light, they hadgotten rid of their tent at Dyea.

Close in under the sheltering rock, Buckmade his nest. It was so warm he hated toleave it when François handed out the fish.But when Buck finished eating and returned,he found his nest was occupied by Spitz.Outraged, he sprang at Spitz with a fury thatsurprised them both.

François was surprised, too, when theyshot out of the nest. He saw the cause of thetrouble. “Ah!” he cried to Buck. “Give it tohim, the dirty thief!”

Spitz was crying with eagerness as hecircled back and forth. Buck was no lesseager, and no less cautious. But it was thenthat the unexpected happened.

The camp was suddenly al ive withstarving huskies, a huge pack of them. Theymust have smelled the camp from some

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Indian village. They had crept in while Buckand Spitz were fighting. When the two mensprang among them with their clubs, thehuskies showed their teeth and fought back.They were crazed by the smell of food. Theyoverturned the food box and scrambled forthe bread and bacon. They yelped andhowled under the blows of the clubs, butthey struggled until the last crumb was gone.

In the meantime, the team dogs had burstout of their nests only to be set upon by thefierce invaders. Never had Buck seen suchdogs. It seemed as though their bones wouldburst through their skins. But their hungermadness made them terrifying. The teamdogs were swept back against the cliff.Buck was attacked by three huskies. Hishead and shoulders were soon ripped andslashed. Billee was crying as usual. Daveand Sol-leks, dripping blood from a dozenwounds, were fighting bravely side by side.

Perrault and François, having cleaned outtheir part of the camp, hurried to save theirsled dogs. The wild wave of starving beastsrolled back before them, and Buck shook

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himself free. But it was only for a moment.The two men had to rush back to save whatwas left of their food. The huskies returnedto the attack on the team. Billee, terrifiedinto bravery, sprang through the savagecircle and fled away over the ice. Pike andDub followed on his heels, the rest of theteam trailing behind.

Later, the nine team dogs gatheredtogether and looked for shelter in the forest.There was not one who was not wounded inseveral places, some seriously. At daybreakthey limped back to camp. The invaderswere gone, and both men were in a badtemper. Half their food supply was gone.François looked over his wounded dogs.

“Ah, my friends,” he said softly, “maybeit make you mad dog, those many bites.Maybe all mad dog, sacredam! What youthink, eh, Perrault?”

The messenger shook his head. Therewere still 400 miles of trail between hereand Dawson. He could not afford to havemadness break out among his dogs. It tooktwo hours to get the harnesses in shape and

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get the team under way.The next s ix days were f i l led with

hardship and danger as they traveled upThirty Mile River. There was a cold snap,and the temperature was 50 degrees belowzero. But the river’s wild water held off thefrost. A dozen times Perrault fell through theice near the edge. Each time this forced himto build a fire and dry his clothes.

Once, the sled broke through the icealong with Dave and Buck. They werehalf-frozen and all but drowned by the timethey were dragged out. Again, a fire wasnecessary to save them because they werecoated with ice. Then the two men ran themaround the fire until they thawed out.

By the time they made the Hootalinquaand good ice, the dogs were played out. ButPerrault, to make up for lost time, pushedthem late and early. Buck’s feet were not ashard as the feet of the huskies. All day longhe limped in agony. Once camp was made,he lay down like a dead dog. François hadto bring him his ration of fish. He rubbedBuck’s feet for half an hour each night after

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supper. He also made Buck four l i t t lemoccasins. Later, when Buck’s feet grewhard on the trail, the worn-out moccasinswere thrown away.

At the Pelly one morning, Dolly suddenlywent mad and sprang straight for Buck.He had never seen a dog go mad. But hesensed that there was good reason to fearmadness. Buck fled, with Dolly chasingr ight behind him, snar l ing. François ,carrying an axe, called out to him. As Buckshot toward him, the axe crashed down uponmad Dolly’s head.

Surprised, Buck staggered against thesled. This was Spitz’s chance. He sprangupon Buck, sinking in his teeth and tearinghis flesh to the bone. Then François got outhis lash and gave Spitz a severe whipping.

“One devil, that Spitz,” said Perrault.“Some day him kill that Buck.”

“That Buck two devils,” François replied.“All the time I watch that Buck I know forsure. Listen, some fine day him get mad likehell. Then him chew that Spitz all up andspit him out on the snow. Sure. I know.”

37


From then on it was war between them.Spitz, as lead dog of the team, felt his rulethreatened by this strange dog from theSouthland. It was his pride that made himfear Buck as a possible rival for lead dog.And Buck, because of his own pride, waslooking forward to the clash. He began toopenly challenge Spitz’s leadership.

One night there was a heavy snowfall. Inthe morning, Pike did not appear. He washidden in his nest under a foot of snow.François couldn’t find him. Spitz ran aroundthe camp, snarling so loudly that Pike heardhim in his hiding place. When Pike wasdiscovered, Spitz flew at him to punish him.But Buck, with equal rage, jumped inbetween. So unexpected was the attack thatSpitz was thrown backward in the snow.Pike, taking heart at this open mutiny,sprang upon Spitz. Buck did the same. ButFrançois saw what had happened and droveBuck off with his lash.

In the days that followed, as they gotcloser to Dawson, Buck cont inued tointerfere between Spitz and other dogs. But

38


he only did it when François was not around.Things no longer went smoothly with thedog team. There was constant trouble, andBuck was at the bottom of it.

After resting up in Dawson for sevendays, they were back on the Yukon Trail.Now Perrault was carrying messages thatwere even more urgent than those he hadbrought in. He planned to make the trip toDyea in record time. The snow on the trailwas now packed hard. And because thepolice had arranged to leave food for themin several places, they were traveling light.

They made Sixty Mile in one day. Butsuch good time had not been easy to achieve.The revolt led by Buck had destroyed theteam spirit. No more was Spitz a leader tobe feared. The dogs constantly fought.François’s lash was always singing amongthe dogs, but it was of little use.

One night after supper, Dub came upona snowshoe rabbit. But the quick rabbit gotaway, speeding down the frozen river. In asecond the whole team was in full cry,chasing after the rabbit. Buck led the pack,

39


his body streaking forward, leap by leap,in the moonlight.

Spitz left the pack and cut across anarrow neck of land where the river made along bend. As the rabbit rounded the bend,Spitz leaped from the bank, his teethbreaking the rabbit’s back in midair. Whenthe rabbit shrieked in agony, Buck drove inon Spitz, shoulder to shoulder. They rolledover and over in the powdery snow. ThenSpitz gained his feet, slashing Buck downthe shoulder and leaping clear.

In a flash, Buck knew that the time hadcome. This time it would be to the death.They circled about, snarling, ears laid back.The other dogs drew up in a silent circle,their eyes gleaming. Spitz was a practicedfighter. Bitter rage was his—but never blindrage. He never rushed until he was preparedto receive a rush. He never attacked untilhe had first defended himself from attack.

In vain Buck tried to sink his teeth intothe neck of the big white dog. Wherever hisfangs struck for the softer flesh, they weremet by Spitz’s fangs. Fang clashed fang,

40


their lips cut and bleeding, but Buck couldnot get through his enemy’s guard. Time andtime again he tried for the snow-whitethroat. Yet each time, Spitz slashed back andgot away.

Spitz was untouched, while Buck wasstreaming with blood and panting hard.The fight was growing desperate. And allthe while the silent and wolfish circle waitedpatiently for their part in this drama—tofinish off whichever dog went down.

Buck now showed a quality that made for

41


greatness—imagination. He rushed in, butat the last instant, swept low to the snowand up. His teeth closed on Spitz’s leftforeleg. There was a crunch of breakingbone, and the white dog faced him on threelegs. Buck then repeated the trick and brokethe right foreleg. Despite the pain, Spitztried to struggle on. He saw the silent circleclosing in on him.

There was no hope for Spitz. Mercy wasa thing for gentler climates. Making his finalrush, Buck sprang in and brought Spitzdown. The dark circle became a dot on themoonlit snow as Spitz disappeared fromview. Buck stood and looked on. He was thechampion—the wild beast who had made hiskill and found it good.

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Leader ofthe Pack

“Eh? What I say? I speak true when I saythat Buck two devils.”

This was François’s speech the nextmorning when he discovered Spitz missingand Buck covered with wounds.

“That Spitz fight like hell,” said Perraultas he looked over Buck’s rips and cuts.

“And that Buck fight like two hells,”François answered. “So now we make goodtime. No more Spitz, no more trouble.”

While Perrault packed up and loaded thesled, François harnessed the dogs. Bucktrotted up to the place Spitz would havetaken as leader. But François, not noticinghim, brought Sol-leks to this position. In hisjudgment, Sol-leks was the best lead dogleft. Buck sprang upon Sol-leks in a fury,driving him back and taking his place.

6

43


“Eh? eh?” François cried. “Look at thatBuck. Him kill that Spitz, him think he takethe job.”

“Go away!” he cried, but Buck stood fastand refused to move.

François dragged Buck to one side andput Sol-leks in place. The old dog did notlike showing it, but he was afraid of Buck.When François turned his back, Buck againpushed Sol-leks from his place.

François became angry. “Now I fix you!”he cried, coming toward Buck with a heavyclub in his hand.

Buck remembered the man in the redsweater. He stepped back, circling justbeyond the range of the club, snarling withrage. François went about his work. Hecalled to Buck when he was ready to put himin his old place in front of Dave. Buckretrea ted a few steps . When Françoisfollowed after him, he retreated a few moresteps. Then François threw down his club.He thought that Buck was afraid of abeating. But Buck was in open revolt. Hehad decided that leadership was his by right.

44


Having earned it, he would not be happywith anything less.

François, with Perrault’s help, ran Buckaround for almost an hour. They threw clubsat him. He dodged. When they cursed him,Buck answered with a snarl, keeping out oftheir reach. He did not try to run away, butretreated around and around the camp. Hemade it clear that when they gave him whathe wanted, he would be good.

François sat down and scratched hishead. Perrault looked at his watch andswore. Time was flying. They should havebeen on the trail already. François lookedat Perrault, who shrugged his shoulders toshow that they were beaten. Then Françoisput Sol-leks back in his old place. Now therewas no place for Buck except at the front.

François called out, and Buck came totake his position at the head of the team.His traces were fastened. Soon they were offand running, out onto the river trail.

At once Buck took up the duties ofleadership. He was quick thinking and quickacting where judgment was needed. He

45


proved to be a better leader even than Spitz.Dave and Sol-leks did not mind the changein leadership. As long as they could do theirwork, they did not care what happened. Butthe rest of the team had grown unruly duringSpitz’s last days. They were in for a surpriseas Buck began to lick them into shape.

Pike had never worked an ounce morethan he had to. Now he was shaken againand again for loafing. Before the first daywas done, he was pulling more than everbefore in his life. The first night in camp,Buck punished Joe, the sour one—a thingthat Spitz had never been able to do. Buckcut him up until he stopped snapping andbegan to whine for mercy.

The mood of the team picked upimmediately. Once more the dogs leaped asone dog in the traces. At the Rink Rapidstwo huskies, Teek and Koona, were addedto the team. Buck broke them in so quicklythat it took François’s breath away.

“Never such a dog as that Buck!” hecried. “No, never! Him worth one thousanddollars, eh? What you say, Perrault?”

46


Perrault nodded. He was very pleasedwith the team. They were making excellenttime. The Thirty Mile River was coatedwith ice. What had taken them ten days onthe last trip they now covered in one day.They were averaging 40 miles a day. At theend of the 14th day they arr ived a tSkagway—in record time.

On their third day in Skagway, Perraultand François received official orders fromthe Canadian government. François calledBuck to him. He threw his arms around thebig dog and wept over him. That was thelast Buck saw of François and Perrault. Likeall the other men, they passed out of his lifefor good.

A Scotchman then took charge of Buckand his mates. In company with a dozenother dog teams, he started back over theweary trail to Dawson. This trip was notrun in record time, for this was the mailtrain. They were carrying word from theworld to the men who were seeking gold.It was a hard trip, with the big mailbags onboard. The heavy work wore them down.

47


They were in poor condition when theyfinally made Dawson.

The team should have had at least aweek’s rest in Dawson. But in two days theywere back on the trail, loaded with lettersfor the outside. The dogs were tired and thedrivers grumbled. To make matters worse,it snowed every day. This meant a softertrail, and heavier pulling for the dogs. Butthe drivers treated them fairly and did theirbest for the weary animals.

Each night the dogs were fed before thedrivers ate. And no man went to sleep beforetaking care of the dogs’ feet. Still, the dogswere losing strength. Since the beginningof the winter they had traveled 1,800 miles.And they had dragged sleds the whole wearydistance. Buck stood it, keeping his matesup to their work. But he, too, was very tired.

It was Dave who suffered most of all.Something had gone wrong with him. Hebecame very moody. When he had to startpulling the sled, he would cry out in pain.One night the drivers brought him near thefire and examined him. But they couldn’t

48


seem to find out what was wrong with him.By the time they reached Cassiar Bar,

Dave was so weak that he kept falling in thetraces. The Scotchman called a halt and tookDave out of the team. He wanted to giveDave a rest by letting him run free behindthe sled. But Dave didn’t like being takenout. His pride was hurt. He could not bearfor another dog to do his work.

When the sled started, Dave refused torun quietly behind it. He kept trying to leapback inside the traces. Finally, weakened bythis effort, he fell—and lay where he fell.The last his mates saw of him, Dave laygasping in the snow. They could hear himhowling sadly as they moved away.

Then the sled train was halted. TheScotchman walked slowly back to the camp.A gunshot rang out. The man came back ina hurry. The whips snapped, the bellstinkled, and the sleds sped along the trail.But Buck knew, and every dog knew, whathad taken place back at the camp.

49

The Toil of Trace and Trail • 7

The Toil ofTrace and Trail

Thirty days after leaving Dawson, theScotchman and his team arrived at Skagway.The dogs were dead tired, worn out and worndown. Buck’s 140 pounds had dropped to 115.Sol-leks and Pike were limping. Dub wassuffering from injuries to his shoulderblade.

The drivers had expected a long stay inSkagway. They felt entitled to a rest. Buthuge piles of mail were waiting for deliveryin both directions. Then official ordersarrived—sell the dogs and replace them withfresh ones.

On the fourth day, two men from theStates came by. They bought the dog team,harness and all, for a song. Charles was amiddle-aged man with watery eyes and a bigmustache. Hal was around 19 or 20. He hada big Colt revolver and a hunting knife

7

50


strapped on his belt. Both men seemed outof place in the Northland.

When Buck saw money exchange hands,he knew that the Scotchman was passing outof his life—just like Perrault and Françoisand the others all had. Then his new ownersbrought the team to their camp. A woman,Mercedes, was there. She was Charles’s wifeand Hal’s sister.

Buck watched as they took down theirtent and loaded the sled. They rolled up theirtent in a clumsy manner. Their tin disheswere packed away unwashed. Mercedesgave lots of advice about where to put thingson the sled.

Three men from a nearby tent came outto watch. They were grinning and winkingat one another.

“I wouldn’t take that tent along if I wasyou,” one of them said.

“How in the world could I managewithout a tent?” cried Mercedes.

“It’s springtime. You won’t get any morecold weather,” the man explained.

She shook her head. Charles and Hal

51


piled the last odds and ends on top of theirhuge load.

“It looks a bit top-heavy,” said the man.“Do you think the dogs can run all day withthat heavy load behind them?”

“Certainly,” said Hal, taking hold of thegee-pole with one hand and swinging hiswhip with the other. “Mush!” he shouted.“Mush on there!”

The dogs sprang against their harnessbands. For a few moments they strainedhard, then stopped. They were unable tomove the sled.

“The lazy brutes! I’ll show them!” Halcried angrily. He got ready to lash out atthem with the whip.

But Mercedes cried, “Oh, no, Hal, youmustn’t!” She caught hold of the whip andtook it from him. “The poor dears! Now youmust promise that you won’t be harsh withthem for the rest of the trip.”

“A lot you know about dogs!” her brothersneered. “They’re lazy, I tell you. You’vegot to whip them to get anything out ofthem. Just ask one of those men.”

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“The dogs are weak as water,” came thereply from one of the men. “They need a rest.”

“Never mind that man,” Mercedes saidto her brother. “You’re driving our dogs. Youdo what you think is best with them.”

Again Hal’s whip fell upon the dogs.They pulled with all their strength. But thesled held as if it were anchored. Mercedesdropped to her knees before Buck. Therewere tears in her eyes as she put her armsaround his neck.

“You poor, poor dears,” she cried. “Whydon’t you pull harder? Then you won’t haveto be whipped.”

The dogs inched forward. A hundredyards ahead the path turned and slopedsteeply into the main street. As they swungon the turn, the sled went over, spilling halfits load. The dogs never stopped. They wereangry because of their ill treatment and theheavy load. Buck was raging. He broke intoa run, the team following his lead. Hal cried,“Whoa! Whoa!” But they didn’t listen. ThenHal tripped and was pulled off his feet. Thesled ground over him, and the dogs dashed

53


ahead. The rest of the load was scatteredalong Skagway’s main street.

Kind people on the street caught the dogsand gathered up the scattered belongings.They also gave advice: Half the load andtwice the dogs. That is, if they ever expectedto reach Dawson. Hal and Charles andMercedes went through their belongings.They got r id of ar t ic le af ter ar t ic le .Mercedes cried over each thing that wasthrown out.

Charles and Hal bought six outside dogs.

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These, added to the original six, plus Teekand Koona, brought the team up to 14 dogs.But the outside dogs did not seem to knowanything. Buck quickly taught them theirplaces, and what not to do. But he could notteach them what to do. They did not takekindly to trace and trail.

Hal and Charles felt proud. They hadnever seen a sled with as many as 14 dogs.They felt that they were doing things instyle. Of course, there was a reason why 14dogs should not be used to pull a sled in theArctic. One sled simply cannot carry enoughfood for 14 dogs. But Charles and Hal didnot know this.

Late the next morning Buck led the teamup the street. They were starting out deadweary. Having to face the long trail toDawson again made Buck feel bitter. Hisheart was not in the work, nor was the heartof any dog. The outsider dogs were timidand frightened. The other dogs on the teamhad lost all confidence in their masters.

Buck felt that he could not depend uponthese people. They did not know how to do

55


anything. And it became clear that theywould not learn. They did not know how towork the dogs. And they did not know howto work themselves. It took them half thenight to pitch camp, and half the morningto break the camp and load the sled. Somedays they were unable to get started at all.When they did travel, they had to stop oftento rearrange the load.

One day Hal noticed that his dog foodwas half gone, but they had only coveredone quarter of their route. He decided to givethe dogs less food and try to increase theday’s travel. But the dogs needed rest evenmore than food. It was impossible to makethe dogs travel faster in their weakenedcondition. Some of the dogs might not haveenough strength to keep on going.

The first to go was Dub. His wrenchedshoulderblade, untreated and unrested, wentfrom bad to worse. Finally, Hal shot Dubwith the big Colt revolver. It is said that anoutside dog starves to death on the ration ofthe husky. So the six outside dogs, who weregetting only half the ration the huskies

56


normally got, died off one by one.As in a nightmare, Buck staggered along

at the head of the team. He pulled when hecould. When he could no longer pull, he felldown. And he remained down until blowsfrom a whip or club drove him to his feetagain . Soon Buck and the other s ixremaining dogs looked like bags of bones.

There came a day when Billee fell andcould not rise. Hal knocked Billee on thehead with his axe, and dragged his body outof the harness. On the next day, Koona went.Only five remained: Joe, Pike, Sol-leks,Teek, and Buck, still at the head of the team.

It was beautiful spring weather, butneither dogs nor humans were aware of it.The days were growing longer. Under theblaze of sunshine, all things were thawing.

With the dogs falling, Mercedes weeping,Hal swearing, and Charles’s eyes watering,they staggered into John Thornton’s campat the mouth of White River. When theyhalted, the dogs dropped as though they hadall been struck dead at once.

Hal did the talking. John Thornton

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listened, and gave advice when it was asked.Hal boasted about their luck at making it

to White River, in spite of the melting ice.John Thornton said, “Only fools, with theblind luck of fools, could have made it. Thebottom’s likely to drop out at any moment.I tell you straight—I wouldn’t risk my lifeon that ice for all the gold in Alaska.”

“And that’s because you’re not a fool, Isuppose,” sneered Hal. “All the same, we’llgo on to Dawson.” He raised his whip. “Getup there, Buck! Mush on!”

But the team did not get up at hiscommand. The whip flashed out, here andthere. All the dogs except Buck slowlycrawled to their feet. Buck made no effort.The lash bit him again and again. Watching,Thornton started to say something, butchanged his mind. He got up and walkedback and forth.

This was the first time Buck had failed.Hal, in a rage, exchanged his whip for theclub. But Buck still refused to move. Likehis mates, he was barely able to move. Butunlike them, he had made up his mind not

58


to get up. Buck had felt the thin and rottenice under his feet all day. He seemed to sensedisaster ahead, and so he refused to stir. Nolonger could he feel pain from the blows thatcontinued to fall upon him. He felt numball over. He was barely alive.

Suddenly, without any warning, JohnThornton cried out and sprang upon the manwith the club. Hal was hurled backward.Mercedes screamed. Charles watched butdidn’t get up.

John Thornton stood over Buck, tryingto control himself. “If you strike that dogagain, I’ll kill you,” he said.

“It’s my dog,” Hal said, wiping the bloodfrom his mouth. “Get out of my way. I’mgoing to Dawson.”

Thornton stood between Hal and Buck.Hal drew his long hunting knife. Mercedeswas screaming. Thornton hit Hal’s knuckleswith the axe handle, knocking the knife tothe ground. Then Thornton picked up theknife and cut Buck’s traces.

Hal had no fight left in him. Besides,Buck was too near dead to be of further use

59


in hauling the sled. A few minutes later thesled pulled away from the bank and downthe river. Buck raised his head to watch.Pike was leading, followed by Sol-leks, Joe,and Teek. All four dogs were limping andstaggering.

As Buck looked on, Thornton kneltbeside him and searched his body for brokenbones. He found nothing more than manybruises and a state of starvation. By this timethe sled was a quarter of a mile away. Dogand man watched it crawling along the ice.

Suddenly, they saw the sled’s back enddrop down, as into a rut. Then a wholesection of ice gave way, and the dogs andhumans disappeared! A hole in the ice wasall that was to be seen. The bottom haddropped out of the trail.

“You poor devil,” said John Thornton,and Buck licked his hand.

60


For the Loveof a Man

John Thornton’s feet had gotten frozenthe previous December. His partners madehim comfortable and left him to get well.They had headed up the river to get a raft ofsaw-logs to Dawson. At the time he rescuedBuck, Thornton was still limping slightly.But with the continued warm weather, thelimp finally left him. Now Thornton andBuck spent the long spring days lying bythe r iverbank. And here, watching therunning water and listening to the songs ofbirds and the hum of nature, Buck won backhis strength.

A rest is very welcome after one hastraveled 3,000 miles. Buck grew lazy ashis wounds healed. His muscles swelledout, and the flesh came back to cover hisbones. They were all loafing—Buck, John

8

61

For the Love of a Man • 8

Thornton, and his dogs, Skeet and Blackie.They were waiting for the raft that was tocarry them down to Dawson.

Skeet was a little Irish setter who madefriends with Buck early on. Just as a mothercat tenderly washes her kittens, so shewashed and cleaned Buck’s wounds. Blackiewas a huge, good-natured black dog witheyes that laughed.

To Buck’s surprise these dogs showed nojealousy toward him. They seemed to shareJohn Thornton’s kindness. As Buck grewstronger, he played all kinds of silly gameswith them. Buck was happy. And for thefirst time in his life he felt love. Back inCalifornia, he had experienced feelings ofwarm friendship toward Judge Miller. Buti t had taken John Thornton to arousefeelings of real love.

Not only had this man saved his life, buthe was the ideal master. He took care of hisdogs as if they were his children, not froma sense of duty. He had a way of takingBuck’s head between his hands, and restinghis own head upon Buck’s. He would shake

62


the big dog back and forth, calling himnames that Buck took for love names.

Buck went wild with happiness whenThornton touched him or spoke to him. Hewould lie for hours at Thornton’s feet,studying each expression on the man’s face.When they caught each other’s gaze, thelook in their eyes expressed their love foreach other.

For a long time after his rescue, Buck didnot like Thornton to get out of his sight. Hewould follow at the man’s heels all day long.

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Buck was afraid that Thornton would passout of his life as Perrault and François andthe Scotchman had.

But despite his great love for Thornton,the wild instincts that the Northland hadaroused in Buck remained alive. He was athing of the wild—come in from the wild tosit by John Thornton’s fire. Buck was nolonger a dog of the soft Southland. He hadlearned well the harsh law of club and fang:Kill or be killed; eat or be eaten.

From the forest a mysterious call oftensounded. Whenever Buck heard it, he wasdrawn to turn his back on the fire and plungeinto the forest. But once inside the forest,his love for John Thornton drew him backto the fire again. Thornton alone held him.The rest of mankind was as nothing to Buck.

One day, Thornton’s partners, Hans andPete, arrived on the raft. Buck refused tonotice them until he learned they were closeto Thornton. After that he tolerated them.

Thornton, his partners, and the dogstraveled to Dawson on the raft. When theygot there, they sold the raft and bought

64


supplies. They then traveled to the head-waters of the Tanana. By then, Hans andPete had become aware of Buck’s amazingdevotion to Thornton. One day Pete said,“I’d hate to be the man who lays hands onyou when Buck’s around.”

Later that year, at Circle City, Pete’swarning came true. A man called Burtonhad been picking a quarrel with anotherman at the bar. Thornton stepped betweenthem. Buck was lying in a corner, watchinghis master’s every action. Then, withoutwarning, Bur ton s t ruck out and sentThornton spinning.

Those who were looking on heard neitherbark nor yelp, but a roar. They saw Buck’sbody rise up in the air as he plunged forBurton’s throat. The man saved his life bythrowing out his arm. But he was slammedto the floor with Buck on top of him. Andhis throat was torn open. A doctor was ableto stop the bleeding. The people decided thatBuck had been provoked and let him go.From that day on, Buck’s name spreadthrough every mining camp in Alaska.

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In the fall of that year, Buck savedThornton’s life in a different way. The threepartners were trying to bring their narrowpole-boat down a bad stretch of rapids onForty Mile Creek. At a certain bad spot,where a ledge of rock jutted out into theriver, the boat turned over. Thornton, flungout of it, was carried downstream towardthe worst part of the rapids. Ahead was astretch of wild water in which no swimmercould survive.

In an instant Buck jumped into the madswirl of water. When he felt Thornton grasphis tail, Buck headed for the bank, pullingwith al l his strength. Striking a rock,Thornton grabbed the slippery top with bothhands, letting go of Buck. Above the water’sroar, he yelled, “Go, Buck! Go!”

Sweeping downstream, Buck was finallyable to fight his way to the bank. Pete andHans t ied a rope around his neck andshoulders. Then Buck jumped back into thewater and swam toward Thornton. As Buckswept past him, Thornton reached out andthrew both arms around the shaggy neck.

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Then Pete and Hans pulled them in towardthe bank. Safely on shore, Thornton wentover Buck’s body and found three broken ribs.

“That settles it,” said Thornton. “Wecamp right here ’til Buck is able to travel.”

That winter, at Dawson, Buck becamefamous because of another incident. Thethree partners wanted to go to an area calledthe East, in search of a lost mine. But theydidn’t have the money to outfit themselvesfor such a trip.

Then, in the Eldorado Saloon, they got intoa conversation. The other miners wereboasting about their best dogs. One man saidthat his dog could start a sled with 500pounds and walk off with it. A second saidhis dog could pull 600 pounds, and a third, 700.

John Thornton said, “Buck can start1,000 pounds, break it out, and walk off withit for 100 yards.”

A man named Matthewson said, “Ha!Well, I’ve got $1,000 that says he can’t.”He slammed down a small sack of gold dustupon the bar.

Nobody spoke. Thornton’s bluff, if bluff

67


it was, had been called. He didn’t know ifBuck could start 1,000 pounds—half a ton!Further, he did not have $1,000, nor didHans or Pete.

“I’ve got a sled outside that’s loaded with20 50-pound sacks of flour,” Matthewsonwent on. “So don’t let that stop you.”

Thornton did not reply. He did not knowwhat to say. Then he saw a familiar face inthe crowd, his old friend Jim O’Brien.

“Can you lend me $1,000?” he asked,almost in a whisper.

“Sure,” answered O’Brien. “But I’ve gotlittle faith, John, that any beast can dosuch a trick.”

Then Matthewson, sensing there wasmore easy money to be made, said, “Threeto one for any other money you’d care tobet. What do you say?”

Thornton, Hans, and Pete could come upwith only another $200 between them. Theylaid it down against Matthewson’s $600.

The crowd in the Eldorado flowed outinto the street. Several hundred men stoodaround Matthewson’s sled. Loaded with

68


1,000 pounds of flour, the sled had beenstanding for a couple of hours. In the60 degrees below zero cold, its runners hadfrozen fast to the hard-packed snow.

The team of 10 dogs was unhitched.Buck, with his own harness, was put in theirplace. He had caught the excitement. Insome way he knew that he must now do agreat thing for John Thornton.

The crowd grew silent as Thornton kneltby Buck’s side. He took his head betweenboth hands and rested cheek on cheek. Hewhispered in Buck’s ear, “As you love me,Buck.” Buck whined with eagerness.

Then Thornton stepped back and said,“NOW, Buck!”

Buck tightened the traces, then let themout for several inches. It was the way he hadlearned.

“GEE!” Thornton’s voice rang out.Buck swung to the right and then stopped

with a sudden jerk. The load shook.“HAW!” Thornton shouted.Buck made the same move, but to the left.

The sled’s runners slipped several inches to

69


the side. The sled was broken out! The menin the crowd were holding their breath.

“Now, MUSH!”Thornton’s command cracked out like a

pistol shot. Buck threw himself forward,tightening the traces. His great chest waslow to the ground, his head forward anddown. All his muscles were straining. Hisfeet were flying like mad, his claws makinggrooves in the hard-packed snow.

The sled swayed. Then it moved forward,ever so slowly, in a series of jerks—half aninch . . . an inch . . . two inches. Graduallyit gained speed and moved steadily along.

Men gasped and began to breathe again.Thornton was running behind, cheeringBuck on. Soon Buck passed the pile offirewood that marked the end of the 100yards. He halted on command. Cheers grewinto a roar. Hats and mittens flew into the air.Even Matthewson was cheering. Men wereshaking hands; it did not matter with whom.

Thornton fell on his knees beside Buckand hugged him. Thornton’s eyes were wet,and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

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The Soundingof the Call

In five minutes Buck had earned $1,600for John Thornton. That made it possiblefor his master and his partners to journeyinto the East. Many had already gone insearch of the lost gold mine, but few hadreturned. Those who did brought backnuggets of gold that were unlike any othergold in the Northland.

Months of searching went by. Theysledded 70 miles up the Yukon. Then theyfollowed the Stewart River until it becamea narrow stream. At the end of all theirwandering, they found not the lost goldmine, but a rich deposit of gold down at thebottom of the river valley. The three mensearched no farther. Each day they workedearned them thousands of dollars in golddust and nuggets. They stored the gold in

9

71

The Sounding of the Call • 9

moosehide bags, each bag holding 50 pounds.There was nothing for the dogs to do,

except haul in meat that Thornton hadhunted now and then. Buck often grewrestless. Something was calling him, but hedid not know what it was. He would be lyingin camp, dozing lazily. Then his head wouldsuddenly lift and his ears cock up. He wouldspring to his feet and dash away into theforest. He would then spend hours exploringthe hidden corners of the forest. AlwaysBuck was seeking the mysterious somethingthat called. It called, waking or sleeping, atall times, for him to come.

One night he sprang from sleep with astart. From the forest came the familiarcall—a long-drawn howl. It was the samesound Buck had heard before. He ranthrough the sleeping camp and dashed intothe woods in the direction of the cry. WhenBuck came to an open place among the trees,he stopped short. There he saw, sitting tallwith its nose pointed to the sky, a long, leantimber wolf.

Buck had made no noise, but the wolf

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fled at sight of him. Buck followed, leapingthrough the woods. Finally, he caught upwith the wolf and cornered him in a creekbed. The wolf snarled and snapped. Buckdid not attack, but circled around him. Thewolf was afraid. Buck weighed three timesas much and the wolf’s head barely reachedBuck’s shoulder. As soon as he had a chance,the wolf ran away and the chase continued.

Buck felt wild happiness. At last he wasanswering the wild and mysterious call.He was running by the side of his wood

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brother toward the place from where thecall surely came.

When they stopped by a running streamto drink, Buck remembered John Thornton.After a moment, he slowly started back theway they had come. The wild brother ranby his side, whining softly. Then the wolfsat down, pointed his nose upward, andhowled. It was a sad howl. As Buck kept onhis way, he heard it growing fainter until itwas lost in the distance.

John Thornton was eating dinner whenBuck dashed into camp. Springing uponThornton, he felt great joy at seeing himagain. For two days and nights Buck neverleft camp. But then the call in the forestbegan to sound again, stronger than ever.Buck became rest less . Once again heroamed through the woods in search of hiswild brother. He began to sleep out at night,staying away from camp for days at a time.

Whenever Buck left the camp, he becamea thing of the wild. He became an experthunter who killed to eat. His usual preyincluded small animals, birds, and fish.

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One day he was starting back towardcamp and John Thornton. But as he gotcloser, he sensed that something was wrong.Soon he came upon Blackie. The huge dogwas lying on his side, dead. An arrow wassticking out of his body.

Then the faint sound of many voices,rising and falling in a singsong chant, camefrom the camp. Creeping forward to the edgeof the clearing, Buck found Hans. He waslying on his face. The many arrows in hisback made him look like a porcupine.

At that instant, Buck looked toward thecenter of their camp. What he saw filled himwith rage. Because of his great love for JohnThornton, he lost his head.

Yeehat Indians were dancing about theruins of the camp! Buck hurled himself atthem in a frenzy to destroy. First he sprangat the chief of the Yeehats, ripping his throatwide open. Not stopping for an instant, heleaped at a second man, tearing wide histhroat. So rapid were Buck’s movementsthat the Indians were shooting one anotherwith their arrows. Then, in a wild panic, the

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Yeehats fled screaming into the woods.Buck raged at their heels, dragging them

down like deer as they raced through thetrees. The Yeehats scattered far and wideover the country. It was not until a weeklater that the last of the survivors gatheredtogether and counted their losses.

Buck returned to the ruined camp. Hefound Pete where he had been killed in hisblankets at the first moment of surprise. Atthe edge of a deep pool lay Skeet, faithfulto the last. And in the pool, Buck found thebody of John Thornton.

All day Buck stayed by the pool orroamed around the camp. He knew that JohnThornton was dead. This gave Buck a cold,empty feeling inside—an emptiness thatfood could not fill.

Night came on, and a full moon rose highover the trees. Buck stood up, listening.From far away came a faint, sharp yelp,followed by a chorus of yelps. It was thecall, sounding more appealing now than everbefore. And as never before, he was readyto obey. John Thornton was dead. The last

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tie was broken. Man and the claims of manno longer bound him.

Hunting their prey, the wolf pack had atlast invaded Buck’s valley. Into the moonlitclearing they came in a silvery flood. In thecenter of the clearing stood Buck, as still asa statue, waiting for them. The boldest wolfleaped straight at him. Like a flash Buckstruck, breaking its neck. Three others tried.One after the other they drew back, bloodstreaming from their wounds.

Then the whole pack attacked, eagerto pull down the prey. But Buck was soquick, he seemed to be everywhere at once.Whirling and leaping from side to side,Buck kept snapping and gashing. At the endof half an hour the wolves drew back. Theirtongues were hanging out, and their fangsshone white in the moonlight.

One wolf came up to Buck in a friendlymanner. Buck recognized the wild brotherwith whom he had run for a night and a day.He was whining softly. As Buck whined inanswer, they touched noses. Then the restof the pack came forward. Buck sniffed

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noses with them, too. Then the entire wolfpack sat down and began to howl.

Now the call came to Buck. He, too, satdown and howled. After a few minutes, thepack crowded around him, sniffing in ahalf-friendly, half-savage manner. Thenthe pack sprang away into the woods,yelping in chorus. And this time Buck ranalong with them, side by side with his wildbrothers, yelping as he ran.

The Yeehats tell of a Ghost Dog that runsat the head of the wolf pack. They are afraidof this Ghost Dog. It steals from their campsand traps, kills their dogs, and is unafraidof their bravest hunters. Some of the besthunters fail to return to the camp. They arefound with their throats slashed. In the snowthe Yeehats see wolf prints that are largerthan the prints of any wolf.

Each fall, when the Yeehats follow themoose, there is a certain valley they neverenter. In the summer, there is one visitor tothe valley. It is a great wolf, like—and yetunlike—all other wolves. He comes down

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into an open space among the trees. TheYeehats say that he sits there for a while.Before he leaves, he howls but once, longand sadly.

He is not always alone. When the longwinter nights come on, the Yeehats haveseen the Ghost Dog in the pale moonlight,running at the head of the pack. Leapinggigantic above the other wolves, he can beheard singing the song of his world, whichwas the song of the pack.

THECALL

OF THEWILD

JACK LONDON

THECALL

OF THEWILD

JACK LONDON

The memorable story of an amazing dog caught up in

the Alaskan Gold Rush

“The sled dogs were dead tired. Theyhad traveled 1,800 miles since the beginning of winter. Buck’s weight haddropped 25 pounds . . .”

Buck is much bigger and stronger thanthe other dogs. But he wasn’t born to thesavage life of the Alaskan frontier. Is it toolate for him to learn the “law of club andfang”? Can he survive the bitter weather, avicious rival, and the deadly mistakes of hisbungling owners?

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