Call of the Wild Chapter 4

Buck trotted up to the place Spitz would have occupied as leader; but Francois, not noticing him, brought Sol-leks to the coveted position.

Francois was obdurate, but when he turned his back, Buck again displaced Sol-leks, who was not at all unwilling to go.

Francois was obdurate, but when he turned his back, Buck again displaced Sol-leks, who was not at all unwilling to go.

But he circled just beyond the range of the club, snarling with bitterness and rage; and while he circled he watched the club so as to dodge it if thrown by Francois, for he was become wise in the way of clubs.

But Buck was in open revolt.

He had earned it, and he would not be content with less.

They cursed him, and his fathers and mothers before him, and all his seed to come after him down to the remotest generation, and every hair on his body and drop of blood in his veins; and he answered curse with snarl and kept out of their reach.

Francois unfastened Sol-leks's traces and put him back in his old place.

Francois complied, whereupon Buck trotted in, laughing triumphantly, and swung around into position at the head of the team.

But it was in giving the law and making his mates live up to it, that Buck excelled.

The rest of the team, however, had grown unruly during the last days of Spitz, and their surprise was great now that Buck proceeded to lick them into shape.

Buck simply smothered him by virtue of superior weight, and cut him up till he ceased snapping and began to whine for mercy.

Buck simply smothered him by virtue of superior weight, and cut him up till he ceased snapping and began to whine for mercy.

Buck simply smothered him by virtue of superior weight, and cut him up till he ceased snapping and began to whine for mercy.

Buck simply smothered him by virtue of superior weight, and cut him up till he ceased snapping and began to whine for mercy.

At the Rink Rapids two native huskies, Teek and Koona, were added; and the celerity with which Buck broke them in took away Francois's breath.

At the Rink Rapids two native huskies, Teek and Koona, were added; and the celerity with which Buck broke them in took away Francois's breath.

For three days Perrault and Francois threw chests up and down the main street of Skaguay and were deluged with invitations to drink, while the team was the constant center of a worshipful crowd of dogbusters and mushers.

Then three or four western bad men aspired to clean out the town, were riddled like pepperboxes for their pains, and public interest turned to other idols.

It was a monotonous life, operating with machine-like regularity.

Some pitched the tents, others cut firewood and pine boughs for the beds, and still others carried water or ice for the cooks.

Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and became alive again.

Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and became alive again.

Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and became alive again.

Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and became alive again.

About his body there was a peculiar springiness, or resiliency, almost catlike, and a quick alertness as of one who lived in perpetual fear of things seen and unseen.

About his body there was a peculiar springiness, or resiliency, almost catlike, and a quick alertness as of one who lived in perpetual fear of things seen and unseen.

And dreaming there by the Yukon bank, with lazy eyes blinking at the fire, these sounds and sights of another world would make the hair to rise along his back and stand on end across his shoulders and up his neck, till he whimpered low and suppressedly, or growled softly, and the half-breed cook shouted at him, "Hey, you Buck, wake up!"

Whereupon the other world would vanish and the real world come into his eyes, and he would get up and yawn and stretch as though he had been asleep.

He was brought from his nest to the fire and was pressed and prodded till he cried out many times.

Sick as he was, Dave resented being taken out, grunting and growling while the traces were unfastened, and whimpering broken-heartedly when he saw Sol-leks in the position he had held and served so long.

When the sled started, he floundered in the soft snow alongside the beaten trail, attacking Sol-leks with his teeth, rushing against him and trying to thrust him off into the soft snow on the other side, striving to leap inside his traces and get between him and the sled, and all the while whining and yelping and crying with grief and pain.

With the last remnant of his strength he managed to stagger along behind till the train made another stop, when he floundered past the sleds to his own, where he stood alongside Sol-leks.

His driver lingered a moment to get a light for his pipe from the man behind.

He called his comrades to witness the sight.

He pleaded with his eyes to remain there.

The driver was perplexed.

His strength left him, and the last his mates saw of him he lay gasping in the snow and yearning toward them.

But they could hear him mournfully howling till they passed out of sight behind a belt of river timber.

The trail was in excellent condition, well packed and hard, and there was no new-fallen snow with which to contend.

Across Marsh, Tagish, and Bennett (seventy miles of lakes), they flew so fast that the man whose turn it was to run towed behind the sled at the end of a rope.

Some pitched the tents, others cut firewood and pine boughs for the beds, and still others carried water or ice for the cooks.

Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and became alive again.

This other man was shorter of leg and longer of arm, with muscles that were stringy and knotty rather than rounded and swelling.

He uttered strange sounds, and seemed very much afraid of the darkness, into which he peered continually, clutching in his hand, which hung midway between knee and foot, a stick with a heavy stone made fast to the end.

On such occasions his elbows were on his knees, his hands clasped above his head as though to shed rain by the hairy arms.

And beyond that fire, in the circling darkness, Buck could see many gleaming coals, two by two, always two by two, which he knew to be the eyes of great beasts of prey.

This meant a soft trail, greater friction on the runners, and heavier pulling for the dogs; yet the drivers were fair through it all, and did their best for the animals.

Buck stood it, keeping his mates up to their work and maintaining discipline, though he too was very tired.

The Scotch half-breed called a halt and took him out of the team, making the next dog, Sol-leks, fast to the sled.