第1章

Darkspruceforestfrownedoneithersidethefrozenwaterway。Thetreeshadbeenstrippedbyarecentwindoftheirwhitecoveringoffrost，andtheyseemedtoleantowardeachother，blackandominous，inthefadinglight。Avastsilencereignedovertheland。Thelanditselfwasadesolation，lifeless，withoutmovement，soloneandcoldthatthespiritofitwasnoteventhatofsadness。Therewasahintinitoflaughter，butofalaughtermoreterriblethananysadness——alaughterthatwasmirthlessasthesmileoftheSphinx，alaughtercoldasthefrostandpartakingofthegrimnessofinfallibility。Itwasthemasterfulandincommunicablewisdomofeternitylaughingatthefutilityoflifeandtheeffortoflife。

ItwastheWild，thesavage，frozen-heartedNorthlandWild。

Buttherewaslife，abroadinthelandanddefiant。Downthefrozenwaterwaytoiledastringofwolfishdogs。Theirbristlyfurwasrimedwithfrost。Theirbreathfrozeintheairasitlefttheirmouths，spoutingforthinspumesofvaporthatsettleduponthehairoftheirbodiesandformedintocrystalsoffrost。Leatherharnesswasonthedogs，andleathertracesattachedthemtoasledwhichdraggedalongbehind。Thesledwaswithoutrunners。Itwasmadeofstoutbirch-bark，anditsfullsurfacerestedonthesnow。Thefrontendofthesledwasturnedup，likeascroll，inordertoforcedownandundertheboreofsoftsnowthatsurgedlikeawavebeforeit。Onthesled，securelylashed，wasalongandnarrowoblongbox。Therewereotherthingsonthesled——blankets，anaxe，andacoffee-potandfrying-pan；butprominent，occupyingmostofthespace，wasthelongandnarrowoblongbox。

Inadvanceofthedogs，onwidesnowshoes，toiledaman。Attherearofthesledtoiledasecondman。Onthesled，inthebox，layathirdmanwhosetoilwasover，——amanwhomtheWildhadconqueredandbeatendownuntilhewouldnevermovenorstruggleagain。ItisnotthewayoftheWildtolikemovement。Lifeisanoffencetoit，forlifeismovement；

andtheWildaimsalwaystodestroymovement。Itfreezesthewatertopreventitrunningtothesea；itdrivesthesapoutofthetreestilltheyarefrozentotheirmightyhearts；andmostferociouslyandterriblyofalldoestheWildharryandcrushintosubmissionman——man，whoisthemostrestlessoflife，everinrevoltagainstthedictumthatallmovementmustintheendcometothecessationofmovement。

Butatfrontandrear，unawedandindomitable，toiledthetwomenwhowerenotyetdead。Theirbodieswerecoveredwithfurandsoft-tannedleather。

Eyelashesandcheeksandlipsweresocoatedwiththecrystalsfromtheirfrozenbreaththattheirfaceswerenotdiscernible。Thisgavethemtheseemingofghostlymasques，undertakersinaspectralworldatthefuneralofsomeghost。Butunderitalltheyweremen，penetratingthelandofdesolationandmockeryandsilence，punyadventurersbentoncolossaladventure，pittingthemselvesagainstthemightofaworldasremoteandalienandpulselessastheabyssesofspace。

Theytravelledonwithoutspeech，savingtheirbreathfortheworkoftheirbodies。Oneverysidewasthesilence，pressinguponthemwithatangiblepresence。Itaffectedtheirmindsasthemanyatmospheresofdeepwateraffectthebodyofthediver。Itcrushedthemwiththeweightofunendingvastnessandunalterabledecree。Itcrushedthemintotheremotestrecessesoftheirownminds，pressingoutofthem，likejuicesfromthegrape，allthefalseardorsandexaltationsandundueself-valuesofthehumansoul，untiltheyperceivedthemselvesfiniteandsmall，specksandmotes，movingwithweakcunningandlittlewisdomamidsttheplayandinterplayofthegreatblindelementsandforces。

Anhourwentby，andasecondhour。Thepalelightoftheshortsunlessdaywasbeginningtofade，whenafaintfarcryaroseonthestillair。

Itsoaredupwardwithaswiftrush，tillitreacheditstopmostnote，whereitpersisted，palpitantandtense，andthenslowlydiedaway。Itmighthavebeenalostsoulwailing，haditnotbeeninvestedwithacertainsadfiercenessandhungryeagerness。Thefrontmanturnedhisheaduntilhiseyesmettheeyesofthemanbehind。Andthen，acrossthenarrowoblongbox，eachnoddedtotheother。

Asecondcryarose，piercingthesilencewithneedlelikeshrillness。

Bothmenlocatedthesound。Itwastotherear，somewhereinthesnowexpansetheyhadjusttraversed。Athirdandansweringcryarose，alsototherearandtotheleftofthesecondcry。

"They\'reafterus，Bill，"saidthemanatthefront。

Hisvoicesoundedhoarseandunreal，andhehadspokenwithapparenteffort。

"Meatisscarce，"answeredhiscomrade。"Iain\'tseenarabbitsignfordays。"

Thereaftertheyspokenomore，thoughtheirearswerekeenforthehunting-criesthatcontinuedtorisebehindthem。

Atthefallofdarknesstheyswungthedogsintoaclusterofsprucetreesontheedgeofthewaterwayandmadeacamp。Thecoffin，atthesideofthefire，servedforseatandtable。Thewolf-dogs，clusteredonthefarsideofthefire，snarledandbickeredamongthemselves，butevincednoinclinationtostrayoffintothedarkness。

"Seemstome，Henry，they\'restayin\'remarkableclosetocamp，"Billcommented。

Henry，squattingoverthefireandsettlingthepotofcoffeewithapieceofice，nodded。Nordidhespeaktillhehadtakenhisseatonthecoffinandbeguntoeat。

"Theyknowwheretheirhidesissafe，"hesaid。"They\'dsoonereatgrubthanbegrub。They\'reprettywise，themdogs。"

Billshookhishead。"Oh，Idon\'tknow。"

Hiscomradelookedathimcuriously。"FirsttimeIeverheardyousayanythin\'abouttheirnotbein\'wise。"

"Henry，"saidtheother，munchingwithdeliberationthebeanshewaseating，"didyouhappentonoticethewaythemdogskickedupwhenIwasa-feedin\'\'em？""Theydidcutupmore\'nusual，"Henryacknowledged。

"Howmanydogs\'vewegot，Henry？"

"Six。"

"Well，Henry……"Billstoppedforamoment，inorderthathiswordsmightgaingreatersignificance。"AsIwassayin\'，Henry，we\'vegotsixdogs。Itooksixfishoutofthebag。Igaveonefishtoeachdog，an\'，Henry，Iwasonefishshort。"

"Youcountedwrong。"

"We\'vegotsixdogs，"theotherreiterateddispassionately。"tookoutsixfish。OneEardidn\'tgetnofish。Icomebacktothebagafterwardan\'got\'mhisfish。"

"We\'veonlygotsixdogs，"Henrysaid。

"Henry，"Billwenton，"Iwon\'tsaytheywasalldogs，buttherewassevenof\'mthatgotfish。"

Henrystoppedeatingtoglanceacrossthefireandcountthedogs。

"There\'sonlysixnow，"hesaid。

"Isawtheotheronerunoffacrossthesnow，"Billannouncedwithcoolpositiveness。"Isawseven。"

Hiscomradelookedathimcommiseratingly，andsaid，"I\'llbealmightygladwhenthistrip\'sover。"

"Whatd\'yemeanbythat？"Billdemanded。

"Imeanthatthisloadofournisgettin\'onyournerves，an\'thatyou\'rebeginnin\'toseethings。"

"Ithoughtofthat，"Billansweredgravely。"An\'so，whensawitrunoffacrossthesnow，Ilookedinthesnowan\'sawitstracks。ThenIcountedthedogsan\'therewasstillsixof\'em。Thetracksisthereinthesnownow。D\'yewanttolookat\'em？I\'llshow\'mtoyou。"

Henrydidnotreply，butmunchedoninsilence，until，themealfinished，hetoppeditwithafinalcupofcoffee。Hewipedhismouthwiththebackofhishandandsaid:

"Thenyou\'rethinkin\'asitwas——"

Alongwailingcry，fiercelysad，fromsomewhereinthedarkness，hadinterruptedhim。Hestoppedtolistentoit，thenhefinishedhissentencewithawaveofhishandtowardthesoundofthecry，"——oneofthem？"

Billnodded。"I\'dablamesightsoonerthinkthatthananythingelse。

Younoticedyourselftherowthedogsmade。"

Cryaftercry，andansweringcries，wereturningthesilenceintoabedlam。Fromeverysidethecriesarose，andthedogsbetrayedtheirfearbyhuddlingtogetherandsoclosetothefirethattheirhairwasscorchedbytheheat。Billthrewonmorewood，beforelightinghispipe。

"I\'mthinkin\'you\'redowninthemouthsome，"Henrysaid。"Henry……"Hesuckedmeditativelyathispipeforsometimebeforehewenton。

"Henry，Iwasa-thinkin\'whatablamesightluckierheisthanyouan\'

me\'lleverbe。"

Heindicatedthethirdpersonbyadownwardthrustofthethumbtotheboxonwhichtheysat。

"Youan\'me，Henry，whenwedie，we\'llbeluckyifwegetenoughstonesoverourcarcasestokeepthedogsoffofus。"

"Butweain\'tgotpeoplean\'moneyan\'alltherest，likehim，"Henryrejoined。"Long-distancefuneralsissomethin\'youan\'mecan\'texactlyafford。"

"Whatgetsme，Henry，iswhatachaplikethis，that\'salordorsomethinginhisowncountry，andthat\'sneverhadtobotheraboutgrubnorblankets，whyhecomesa-buttin\'roundtheGod-forsakenendsoftheearth——that\'swhatIcan\'texactlysee。"

"Hemighthavelivedtoaripeoldageifhe\'dstayedtohome，"Henryagreed。

Billopenedhismouthtospeak，butchangedhismind。Instead，hepointedtowardthewallofdarknessthatpressedaboutthemfromeveryside。Therewasnosuggestionofformintheutterblackness；onlycouldbeseenapairofeyesgleaminglikelivecoals。Henryindicatedwithhisheadasecondpair，andathird。Acircleofthegleamingeyeshaddrawnabouttheircamp。Nowandagainapairofeyesmoved，ordisappearedtoappearagainamomentlater。

Theunrestofthedogshadbeenincreasing，andtheystampeded，inasurgeofsuddenfear，tothenearsideofthefire，cringingandcrawlingaboutthelegsofthemen。Inthescrambleoneofthedogshadbeenoverturnedontheedgeofthefire，andithadyelpedwithpainandfrightasthesmellofitssingedcoatpossessedtheair。Thecommotioncausedthecircleofeyestoshiftrestlesslyforamomentandeventowithdrawabit，butitsettleddownagainasthedogsbecamequiet。

"Henry，it\'sablamemisfortunetobeoutofammunition。"

Billhadfinishedhispipeandwashelpinghiscompanionspreadthebedoffurandblanketuponthespruceboughswhichhehadlaidoverthesnowbeforesupper。Henrygrunted，andbeganunlacinghismoccasins。

"Howmanycartridgesdidyousayyouhadleft？"heasked。

"Three，"cametheanswer。"An\'Iwisht\'twasthreehundred。ThenI\'dshow\'emwhatfor，damn\'em!"

Heshookhisfistangrilyatthegleamingeyes，andbegansecurelytoprophismoccasinsbeforethefire。

"An\'Iwishtthiscoldsnap\'dbreak，"hewenton。"It\'sbenfiftybelowfortwoweeksnow。An\'IwishtI\'dneverstartedonthistrip，Henry。I

don\'tlikethelooksofit。Itdon\'tfeelright，somehow。An\'whileI\'mwishin\'，Iwishtthetripwasoveran\'donewith，an\'youan\'mea-sittin\'

bythefireinFortMcGurryjustaboutnowan\'playin\'cribbage——that\'swhatIwisht。"

Henrygruntedandcrawledintobed。Ashedozedoffhewasarousedbyhiscomrade\'svoice。

"Say，Henry，thatotheronethatcomeinan\'gotafish——whydidn\'tthedogspitchintoit？That\'swhat\'sbotherin\'me。"

"You\'rebotherin\'toomuch，Bill，"camethesleepyresponse。"Youwasneverlikethisbefore。Youjes\'shutupnow，an\'gotosleep，an\'you\'llbeallhunkydoryinthemornin\'。Yourstomach\'ssour，that\'swhat\'sbotherin\'

you。"

Themenslept，breathingheavily，sidebyside，undertheonecovering。

Thefiredieddown，andthegleamingeyesdrewcloserthecircletheyhadflungaboutthecamp。Thedogsclusteredtogetherinfear，nowandagainsnarlingmenacinglyasapairofeyesdrewclose。OncetheiruproarbecamesoloudthatBillwokeup。Hegotoutofbedcarefully，soasnottodisturbthesleepofhiscomrade，andthrewmorewoodonthefire。Asitbegantoflameup，thecircleofeyesdrewfartherback。Heglancedcasuallyatthehuddlingdogs。Herubbedhiseyesandlookedatthemmoresharply。

Thenhecrawledbackintotheblankets。

"Henry，"hesaid。"Oh，Henry。"

Henrygroanedashepassedfromsleeptowaking，anddemanded，"What\'swrongnow？"

"Nothin\'，"cametheanswer；"onlythere\'ssevenof\'emagain。Ijustcounted。"

Henryacknowledgedreceiptoftheinformationwithagruntthatslidintoasnoreashedriftedbackintosleep。

InthemorningitwasHenrywhoawokefirstandroutedhiscompanionoutofbed。Daylightwasyetthreehoursaway，thoughitwasalreadysixo\'clock；andinthedarknessHenrywentaboutpreparingbreakfast，whileBillrolledtheblanketsandmadethesledreadyforlashing。

"Say，Henry，"heaskedsuddenly，"howmanydogsdidyousaywehad？"

"Six。"

"Wrong，"Billproclaimedtriumphantly。

"Sevenagain？"Henryqueried。

"No，five；one\'sgone。"

"Thehell!"Henrycriedinwrath，leavingthecookingtocomeandcountthedogs。

"You\'reright，Bill，"heconcluded。"Fatty\'sgone。"

"An\'hewentlikegreasedlightnin\'oncehegotstarted。Couldn\'t\'veseen\'mforsmoke。"

"Nochanceatall，"Henryconcluded。"Theyjes\'swallowed\'malive。

Ibethewasyelpin\'ashewentdowntheirthroats，damn\'em!"

"Healwayswasafooldog，"saidBill。

"Butnofooldogoughttobefoolenoughtogooffan\'commitsuicidethatway。"Helookedovertheremainderoftheteamwithaspeculativeeyethatsummedupinstantlythesalienttraitsofeachanimal。"Ibetnoneoftheotherswoulddoit。"

"Couldn\'tdrive\'emawayfromthefirewithaclub，"Billagreed。"I

alwaysdidthinktherewassomethin\'wrongwithFatty，anyway。"

AndthiswastheepitaphofadeaddogontheNorthlandtrail——lessscantthantheepitaphofmanyanotherdog，ofmanyaman。WhiteFang:PartI:TheWild:Chapter2:TheShe-WolfPartI:TheWildChapter2

THESHE-WOLF

Breakfasteatenandtheslimcamp-outfitlashedtothesled，thementurnedtheirbacksonthecheeryfireandlaunchedoutintothedarkness。

Atoncebegantorisethecriesthatwerefiercelysad——criesthatcalledthroughthedarknessandcoldtooneanotherandansweredback。Conversationceased。Daylightcameatnineo\'clock。Atmiddaytheskytothesouthwarmedtorose-color，andmarkedwherethebulgeoftheearthintervenedbetweenthemeridiansunandthenorthernworld。Buttherose-colorswiftlyfaded。

Thegraylightofdaythatremainedlasteduntilthreeo\'clock，whenit，too，faded，andthepalloftheArcticnightdescendedupontheloneandsilentland。

Asdarknesscameon，thehunting-criestorightandleftandreardrewcloser——soclosethatmorethanoncetheysentsurgesoffearthroughthetoilingdogs，throwingthemintoshort-livedpanics。

Attheconclusionofonesuchpanic，whenheandHenryhadgotthedogsbackinthetraces，Billsaid:

"Iwishtthey\'dstrikegamesomewheres，an\'goawayan\'leaveusalone。"

"Theydogetonthenerveshorrible，"Henrysympathized。

Theyspokenomoreuntilcampwasmade。

Henrywasbendingoverandaddingicetothebubblingpotofbeanswhenhewasstartledbythesoundofablow，anexclamationfromBill，andasharpsnarlingcryofpainfromamongthedogs。Hestraightenedupintimetoseeadimformdisappearingacrossthesnowintotheshelterofthedark。ThenhesawBill，standingamidthedogs，halftriumphant，halfcrest-fallen，inonehandastoutclub，intheotherthetailandpartofthebodyofasun-curedsalmon。

"Itgothalfofit，"heannounced；"butIgotawhackatitjes\'thesame。D\'yehearitsqueal？"

"What\'ditlooklike？"Henryasked。

"Couldn\'tsee。Butithadfourlegsan\'amouthan\'hairan\'lookedlikeanydog。"

"Mustbeatamewolf，Ireckon。"

"It\'sdamnedtame，whateveritis，comin\'inhereatfeedin\'timean\'

gettin\'itswhackoffish。"

Thatnight，whensupperwasfinishedandtheysatontheoblongboxandpulledattheirpipes，thecircleofgleamingeyesdrewinevencloserthanbefore。

"Iwishtthey\'dspringupabunchofmooseorsomethin\'，an\'goawayan\'leaveusalone，"Billsaid。

Henrygruntedwithanintonationthatwasnotallsympathy，andforaquarterofanhourtheysatoninsilence，Henrystaringatthefire，andBillatthecircleofeyesthatburnedinthedarknessjustbeyondthefirelight。

"Iwishtwewaspullin\'intoMcGurryrightnow，"hebeganagain。

"Shutupyourwishin\'an\'yourcroakin\'，"Henryburstoutangrily。"Yourstomach\'ssour。That\'swhat\'sailin\'you。Swallowaspoonfulofsody，an\'

you\'llsweetenupwonderfulan\'bemorepleasantcompany。"

Inthemorning，HenrywasarousedbyfervidblasphemythatproceededfromthemouthofBill。Henryproppedhimselfuponanelbowandlookedtoseehiscomradestandingamongthedogsbesidethereplenishedfire，hisarmsraisedinobjurgation，hisfacedistortedwithpassion。

"Hello!"Henrycalled。"What\'supnow？"

"Frog\'sgone，"cametheanswer。

"No。"

"Itellyouyes。"

Henryleapedoutoftheblanketsandtothedogs。Hecountedthemwithcare，andthenjoinedhispartnerincursingthepowersoftheWildthathadrobbedthemofanotherdog。

"Frogwasthestrongestdogofthebunch，"Billpronouncedfinally。

"An\'hewasnofooldogneither，"Henryadded。

Andsowasrecordedthesecondepitaphintwodays。

Agloomybreakfastwaseaten，andthefourremainingdogswereharnessedtothesled。Thedaywasarepetitionofthedaysthathadgonebefore。

Thementoiledwithoutspeechacrossthefaceofthefrozenworld。Thesilencewasunbrokensavebythecriesoftheirpursuers，that，unseen，hungupontheirrear。Withthecomingofnightinthemid-afternoon，thecriessoundedcloserasthepursuersdrewinaccordingtotheircustom；

andthedogsgrewexcitedandfrightened，andwereguiltyofpanicsthattangledthetracesandfurtherdepressedthetwomen。

"There，that\'llfixyoufoolcritters，"Billsaidwithsatisfactionthatnight，standingerectatcompletionofhistask。

Henrylefthiscookingtocomeandsee。Notonlyhadhispartnertiedthedogsup，buthehadtiedthem，aftertheIndianfashion，withsticks。

Abouttheneckofeachdoghehadfastenedaleatherthong。Tothis，andsoclosetotheneckthatthedogcouldnotgethisteethtoit，hehadtiedastoutstickfourorfivefeetinlength。Theotherendofthestick，inturn，wasmadefasttoastakeinthegroundbymeansofaleatherthong。

Thedogwasunabletognawthroughtheleatherathisownendofthestick。

Thestickpreventedhimfromgettingattheleatherthatfastenedtheotherend。

Henrynoddedhisheadapprovingly。

"It\'stheonlycontraptionthat\'lleverholdOneEar，"hesaid。"Hecangnawthroughleatherascleanasaknifean\'jes\'abouthalfasquick。

Theyall\'llbehereinthemornin\'hunky-dory。""Youjes\'bettheywill，"

Billaffirmed。"Ifoneof\'emturnsupmissin\'，I\'llgowithoutmycoffee。"

"Theyjes\'knowweain\'tloadedtokill，"Henryremarkedatbedtime，indicatingthegleamingcirclethathemmedthemin。"Ifwecouldputacoupleofshotsinto\'em，they\'dbemorerespectful。Theycomeclosereverynight。Getthefirelightoutofyoureyesan\'lookhard——there!Didyouseethatone？"

Forsometimethetwomenamusedthemselveswithwatchingthemovementofvagueformsontheedgeofthefirelight。Bylookingcloselyandsteadilyatwhereapairofeyesburnedinthedarkness，theformoftheanimalwouldslowlytakeshape。Theycouldevenseetheseformsmoveattimes。

Asoundamongthedogsattractedthemen\'sattention。OneEarwasutteringquick，eagerwhines，lungingatthelengthofhissticktowardthedarkness，anddesistingnowandagaininordertomakefranticattacksonthestickwithhisteeth。

"Lookatthat，Bill，"Henrywhispered。

Fullintothefirelight，withastealthy，sidelongmovement，glidedadoglikeanimal。Itmovedwithcommingledmistrustanddaring，cautiouslyobservingthemen，itsattentionfixedonthedogs。OneEarstrainedthefulllengthofthesticktowardtheintruderandwhinedwitheagerness。

"ThatfoolOneEardon\'tseemscairtmuch，"Billsaidinalowtone。

"It\'sashe-wolf，"Henrywhisperedback，"an\'thataccountsforFattyan\'Frog。She\'sthedecoyforthepack。Shedrawsoutthedogan\'thenalltherestpitchesinan\'eats\'mup。"

Thefirecrackled。Alogfellapartwithaloudsplutteringnoise。Atthesoundofitthestrangeanimalleapedbackintothedarkness。

"Henry，I\'ma-thinkin\'，"Billannounced。

"Thinkin\'what？"

"I\'ma-thinkin\'thatwastheoneIlambastedwiththeclub。"

"Ain\'ttheslightestdoubtintheworld，"wasHenry\'sresponse。

"An\'righthereIwanttoremark，"Billwenton，"thatthatanimal\'sfamilyaritywithcampfiresissuspiciousan\'immoral。"

"Itknowsforcertainmore\'naself-respectin\'wolfoughttoknow，"

Henryagreed。"Awolfthatknowsenoughtocomeinwiththedogsatfeedin\'

timehashadexperiences。"

"Ol\'Villanhadadogoncethatrunawaywiththewolves，"Billcogitatedaloud。"Ioughttoknow。IshotitoutofthepackinamoosepastureoveronLittleStick。An\'Ol\'Villancriedlikeababy。Hadn\'tseenitforthreeyears，hesaid。Benwiththewolvesallthattime。"

"Ireckonyou\'vecalledtheturn，Bill。Thatwolf\'sadog，an\'it\'seatenfishmany\'sthetimefromthehandofman。"

"An\'ifIgetachanceatit，thatwolfthat\'sadog\'llbejes\'meat，"

Billdeclared。"Wecan\'taffordtolosenomoreanimals。""Butyou\'veonlygotthreecartridges，"Henryobjected。

"I\'llwaitforadeadsureshot，"wasthereply。

InthemorningHenryrenewedthefireandcookedbreakfasttotheaccompanimentofhispartner\'ssnoring。

"Youwassleepin\'jes\'toocomfortableforanythin\'，"Henrytoldhim，asheroutedhimoutforbreakfast。"Ihadn\'tthehearttorouseyou。"

Billbegantoeatsleepily。Henoticedthathiscupwasemptyandstartedtoreachforthepot。Butthepotwasbeyondarm\'slengthandbesideHenry。

"Say，Henry，"hechidedgently，"ain\'tyouforgotsomethin\'？"

Henrylookedaboutwithgreatcarefulnessandshookhishead。Billhelduptheemptycup。

"Youdon\'tgetnocoffee，"Henryannounced。

"Ain\'trunout？"Billaskedanxiously。

"Nope。"

"Ain\'tthinkin\'it\'llhurtmydigestion？"

"Nope。"

AflushofangrybloodpervadedBill\'sface。

"Thenit\'sjes\'warman\'anxiousIamtobehearin\'youexplainyourself，"

hesaid。

"Spanker\'sgone，"Henryanswered。

Withouthaste，withtheairofoneresignedtomisfortune，Billturnedhishead，andfromwherehesatcountedthedogs。

"How\'dithappen？"heaskedapathetically。

Henryshruggedhisshoulders。"Don\'tknow。UnlessOneEargnawed\'mloose。Hecouldn\'ta-doneithimself，that\'ssure。"

"Thedarnedcuss。"Billspokegravelyandslowly，withnohintoftheangerthatwasragingwithin。"Jes\'becausehecouldn\'tchewhimselfloose，hechewsSpankerloose。"

"Well，Spanker\'stroublesisover，anyway；Iguesshe\'sdigestedbythistimean\'cavortin\'overthelandscapeinthebelliesoftwentydifferentwolves，"wasHenry\'sepitaphonthis，thelatestlostdog。"Havesomecoffee，Bill。"

ButBillshookhishead。

"Goon，"Henrypleaded，elevatingthepot。

Billshovedhiscupaside。"I\'llbeding-dong-dangedifIdo。IsaidIwouldn\'tifarydogturnedupmissin\'，an\'Iwon\'t。"

"It\'sdarngoodcoffee，"Henrysaidenticingly。

ButBillwasstubborn，andheateadrybreakfast，washeddownwithmumbledcursesatOneEarforthetrickhehadplayed。

"I\'lltie\'emupoutofreachofeachotherto-night，"Billsaid，astheytookthetrail。

Theyhadtravelledlittlemorethanahundredyards，whenHenry，whowasinfront，bentdownandpickedupsomethingwithwhichhissnowshoehadcollided。Itwasdark，andhecouldnotseeit，butherecognizeditbythetouch。Heflungitback，sothatitstruckthesledandbouncedalonguntilitfetcheduponBill\'ssnowshoes。

"Mebbeyou\'llneedthatinyourbusiness，"Henrysaid。

Billutteredanexclamation。ItwasallthatwasleftofSpanker——

thestickwithwhichhehadbeentied。

"Theyate\'mhidean\'all，"Billannounced。"Thestick\'sascleanasawhistle。They\'veatetheleatheroffenbothends。They\'redamnhungry，Henry，an\'they\'llhaveyouan\'meguessin\'beforethistrip\'sover。"

Henrylaugheddefiantly。"Iain\'tbeentrailedthiswaybywolvesbefore，butI\'vegonethroughawholelotworsean\'keptmyhealth。Takesmore\'nahandfulofthempeskycritterstodoforyourstruly，Bill，myson。"

"Idon\'tknow，Idon\'tknow，"Billmutteredominously。

"Well，you\'llknowallrightwhenwepullintoMcGurry。"

"Iain\'tfeelin\'specialenthusiastic，"Billpersisted。

"You\'reoffcolor，that\'swhat\'sthematterwithyou，"Henrydogmatized。

"Whatyouneedisquinine，an\'I\'mgoin\'todoseyouupstiffassoonaswemakeMcGurry。"

Billgruntedhisdisagreementwiththediagnosis，andlapsedintosilence。

Thedaywaslikeallthedays。Lightcameatnineo\'clock。Attwelveo\'clockthesouthernhorizonwaswarmedbytheunseensun；andthenbeganthecoldgrayofafternoonthatwouldmerge，threehourslater，intonight。

Itwasjustafterthesun\'sfutileefforttoappear，thatBillslippedtheriflefromunderthesled-lashingsandsaid:

"Youkeeprighton，Henry，I\'mgoin\'toseewhatIcansee。"

"You\'dbetterstickbythesled，"hispartnerprotested。"You\'veonlygotthreecartridges，an\'there\'snotellin\'whatmighthappen。"

"Who\'scroakin\'now？"Billdemandedtriumphantly。

Henrymadenoreply，andploddedonalone，thoughoftenhecastanxiousglancesbackintothegraysolitudewherehispartnerhaddisappeared。

Anhourlater，takingadvantageofthecut-offsaroundwhichthesledhadtogo，Billarrived。

"They\'rescatteredan\'rangin\'alongwide，"hesaid；"keepin\'upwithusan\'lookin\'forgameatthesametime。Yousee，they\'resureofus，onlytheyknowthey\'vegottowaittogetus。Inthemeantimethey\'rewillin\'

topickupanythin\'eatablethatcomeshandy。"

"Youmeantheythinkthey\'resureofus，"Henryobjectedpointedly。

ButBillignoredhim。"Iseensomeofthem。They\'reprettythin。Theyain\'thadabiteinweeks，Ireckon，outsideofFattyan\'Frogan\'Spanker；an\'

there\'ssomanyof\'emthatthatdidn\'tgofar。They\'reremarkablethin。

Theirribsislikewashboards，an\'theirstomachsisrightupagainsttheirbackbones。They\'reprettydesperate，Icantellyou。They\'llbegoin\'mad，yet，an\'thenwatchout。"

Afewminuteslater，Henry，whowasnowtravellingbehindthesled，emittedalow，warningwhistle。Billturnedandlooked，thenquietlystoppedthedogs。Totherear，fromaroundthelastbendandplainlyintoview，ontheverytrailtheyhadjustcovered，trottedafurry，slinkingform。

Itsnosewastothetrail，andittrottedwithapeculiar，sliding，effortlessgait。Whentheyhalted，ithalted，throwingupitsheadandregardingthemsteadilywithnostrilsthattwitchedasitcaughtandstudiedthescentofthem。

"It\'stheshe-wolf，"Billwhispered。

Thedogshadlaindowninthesnow，andhewalkedpastthemtojoinhispartneratthesled。Togethertheywatchedthestrangeanimalthathadpursuedthemfordaysandthathadalreadyaccomplishedthedestructionofhalftheirdog-team。

Afterasearchingscrutiny，theanimaltrottedforwardafewsteps。

Thisitrepeatedseveraltimes，tillitwasashorthundredyardsaway。

Itpaused，headup，closebyaclumpofsprucetrees，andwithsightandscentstudiedtheoutfitofthewatchingmen。Itlookedattheminastrangelywistfulway，afterthemannerofadog；butinitswistfulnesstherewasnoneofthedogaffection。Itwasawistfulnessbredofhunger，ascruelasitsownfangs，asmercilessasthefrostitself。

Itwaslargeforawolf，itsgauntframeadvertisingthelinesofananimalthatwasamongthelargestofitskind。

"Standsprettyclosetotwofeetan\'ahalfattheshoulders，"Henrycommented。"An\'I\'llbetitain\'tfarfromfivefeetlong。"

"Kindofstrangecolorforawolf，"wasBill\'scriticism。"neverseenaredwolfbefore。Looksalmostcinnamontome。"

Theanimalwascertainlynotcinnamon-colored。Itscoatwasthetruewolf-coat。Thedominantcolorwasgray，andyettherewastoitafaintreddishhue——ahuethatwasbaffling，thatappearedanddisappeared，thatwasmorelikeanillusionofthevision，nowgray，distinctlygray，andagaingivinghintsandglintsofavaguerednessofcolornotclassifiableintermsofordinaryexperience。

"Looksforalltheworldlikeabighuskysled-dog，"Billsaid。"Iwouldn\'tbes\'prisedtoseeitwagitstail。

"Hello，youhusky!"hecalled。"Comehere，you，whatever-your-name-is。"

"Ain\'tabitscairtofyou，"Henrylaughed。

Billwavedhishandatitthreateninglyandshoutedloudly；buttheanimalbetrayednofear。Theonlychangeinitthattheycouldnoticewasanaccessionofalertness。Itstillregardedthemwiththemercilesswistfulnessofhunger。Theyweremeat，anditwashungry；anditwouldliketogoinandeatthemifitdared。

"Lookhere，Henry，"Billsaid，unconsciouslyloweringhisvoicetoawhisperbecauseofwhathemeditated。"We\'vegotthreecartridges。Butit\'sadeadshot。Couldn\'tmissit。It\'sgotawaywiththreeofourdogs，an\'weoughterputastoptoit。Whatd\'yesay？"

Henrynoddedhisconsent。Billcautiouslyslippedthegunfromunderthesled-lashing。Thegunwasonthewaytohisshoulder，butitnevergotthere。Forinthatinstanttheshe-wolfleapedsidewisefromthetrailintotheclumpofsprucetreesanddisappeared。

Thetwomenlookedateachother。Henrywhistledlongandcomprehendingly。

"Imighthaveknowedit，"Billchidedhimselfaloud，ashereplacedthegun。"Ofcourseawolfthatknowsenoughtocomeinwiththedogsatfeedin\'time，\'dknowallaboutshooting-irons。Itellyourightnow，Henry，thatcritter\'sthecauseofallourtrouble。We\'dhavesixdogsatthepresenttime，\'steadofthree，ifitwasn\'tforher。An\'Itellyourightnow，Henry，I\'mgoin\'together。She\'stoosmarttobeshotintheopen。

ButI\'mgoin\'tolayforher。I\'llbushwhackherassureasmynameisBill。"

"Youneedn\'tstrayofftoofarindoin\'it，"hispartneradmonished。

"Ifthatpackeverstartstojumpyou，themthreecartridges\'dbewuthnomore\'nthreewhoopsinhell。Themanimalsisdamnhungry，an\'oncetheystartin，they\'llsuregetyou，Bill。"

Theycampedearlythatnight。Threedogscouldnotdragthesledsofastnorforsolonghoursascouldsix，andtheywereshowingunmistakablesignsofplayingout。Andthemenwentearlytobed，Billfirstseeingtoitthatthedogsweretiedoutofgnawing-reachofoneanother。

Butthewolvesweregrowingbolder，andthemenwerearousedmorethanoncefromtheirsleep。Soneardidthewolvesapproach，thatthedogsbecamefranticwithterror，anditwasnecessarytoreplenishthefirefromtimetotimeinordertokeeptheadventurousmaraudersatsaferdistance。

"I\'vehearnsailorstalkofsharksfollowin\'aship，"Billremarked，ashecrawledbackintotheblanketsafteronesuchreplenishingofthefire。"Well，themwolvesislandsharks。Theyknowtheirbusinessbetter\'nwedo，an\'theyain\'ta-holdin\'ourtrailthiswayfortheirhealth。They\'regoin\'togetus。They\'resuregoin\'togetus，Henry。"

"They\'vehalfgotyoua\'ready，a-talkin\'likethat，"Henryretortedsharply。"Aman\'shalflickedwhenhesaysheis。An\'you\'rehalfeatenfromthewayyou\'regoin\'onaboutit。"

"They\'vegotawaywithbettermenthanyouan\'me，"Billanswered。

"Oh，shetupyourcroakin\'。Youmakemeall-firedtired。"

Henryrolledoverangrilyonhisside，butwassurprisedthatBillmadenosimilardisplayoftemper。ThiswasnotBill\'sway，forhewaseasilyangeredbysharpwords。Henrythoughtlongoveritbeforehewenttosleep，andashiseyelidsfluttereddownandhedozedoff，thethoughtinhismindwas:"There\'snomistakin\'it，Bill\'salmightyblue。I\'llhavetocheerhimupto-morrow。"WhiteFang:PartI:TheWild:Chapter3:TheHungerCryPartI:TheWildChapter3

THEHUNGERCRY

Thedaybeganauspiciously。Theyhadlostnodogsduringthenight，andtheyswungoutuponthetrailandintothesilence，thedarkness，andthecoldwithspiritsthatwerefairlylight。Billseemedtohaveforgottenhisforebodingsofthepreviousnight，andevenwaxedfacetiouswiththedogswhen，atmidday，theyoverturnedthesledonabadpieceoftrail。

Itwasanawkwardmix-up。Thesledwasupsidedownandjammedbetweenatree-trunkandahugerock，andtheywereforcedtounharnessthedogsinordertostraightenoutthetangle。Thetwomenwerebentoverthesledandtryingtorightit，whenHenryobservedOneEarsidlingaway。

"Here，you，OneEar!"hecried，straighteningupandturningaroundonthedog。

ButOneEarbrokeintoarunacrossthesnow，histracestrailingbehindhim。Andthere，outinthesnowoftheirback-track，wastheshe-wolfwaitingforhim。Ashenearedher，hebecamesuddenlycautious。Hesloweddowntoanalertandmincingwalkandthenstopped。Heregardedhercarefullyanddubiously，yetdesirefully。Sheseemedtosmileathim，showingherteethinaningratiatingratherthanamenacingway。Shemovedtowardhimafewsteps，playfully，andthenhalted。OneEardrewneartoher，stillalertandcautious，histailandearsintheair，hisheadheldhigh。

Hetriedtosniffnoseswithher，butsheretreatedplayfullyandcoyly。

Everyadvanceonhispartwasaccompaniedbyacorrespondingretreatonherpart。Stepbystepshewasluringhimawayfromthesecurityofhishumancompanionship。Once，asthoughawarninghadinvaguewaysflittedthroughhisintelligence，heturnedhisheadandlookedbackattheoverturnedsled，athisteam-mates，andatthetwomenwhowerecallingtohim。

Butwhateverideawasforminginhismind，wasdissipatedbytheshe-wolf，whoadvanceduponhim，sniffednoseswithhimforafleetinginstant，andthenresumedhercoyretreatbeforehisrenewedadvances。

Inthemeantime，Billhadbethoughthimselfoftherifle。Butitwasjammedbeneaththeoverturnedsled，andbythetimeHenryhadhelpedhimtorighttheload，OneEarandtheshe-wolfweretooclosetogetherandthedistancetoogreattoriskashot。

Toolate，OneEarlearnedhismistake。Beforetheysawthecause，thetwomensawhimturnandstarttorunbacktowardthem。Then，approachingatrightanglestothetrailandcuttingoffhisretreat，theysawadozenwolves，leanandgray，boundingacrossthesnow。Ontheinstant，theshe-wolf\'scoynessandplayfulnessdisappeared。WithasnarlshespranguponOneEar。

Hethrustheroffwithhisshoulder，and，hisretreatcutoffandstillintentonregainingthesled，healteredhiscourseinanattempttocirclearoundtoit。Morewolveswereappearingeverymomentandjoininginthechase。Theshe-wolfwasoneleapbehindOneEarandholdingherown。

"Whereareyougoin\'？"Henrysuddenlydemanded，layinghishandonhispartner\'sarm。

Billshookitoff。"Iwon\'tstandit，"hesaid。"Theyain\'ta-goin\'

togetanymoreofourdogsifIcanhelpit。"

Guninhand，heplungedintotheunderbrushthatlinedthesideofthetrail。Hisintentionwasapparentenough。TakingthesledasthecentreofthecirclethatOneEarwasmaking，Billplannedtotapthatcircleatapointinadvanceofthepursuit。Withhisrifle，inthebroaddaylight，itmightbepossibleforhimtoawethewolvesandsavethedog。

"Say，Bill!"Henrycalledafterhim。"Becareful!Don\'ttakenochances!"

Henrysatdownonthesledandwatched。Therewasnothingelseforhimtodo。Billhadalreadygonefromsight；butnowandagain，appearinganddisappearingamongsttheunderbrushandthescatteredclumpsofspruce，couldbeseenOneEar。Henryjudgedhiscasetobehopeless。Thedogwasthoroughlyalivetoitsdanger，butitwasrunningontheoutercirclewhilethewolf-packwasrunningontheinnerandshortercircle。ItwasvaintothinkofOneEarsooutdistancinghispursuersastobeabletocutacrosstheircircleinadvanceofthemandtoregainthesled。

Thedifferentlineswererapidlyapproachingapoint。Somewhereoutthereinthesnow，screenedfromhissightbytreesandthickets，Henryknewthatthewolf-pack，OneEar，andBillwerecomingtogether。Alltooquickly，farmorequicklythanhehadexpected，ithappened。Heheardashot，thentwoshotsinrapidsuccession，andheknewthatBill\'sammunitionwasgone。Thenheheardagreatoutcryofsnarlsandyelps。HerecognizedOneEar\'syellofpainandterror，andheheardawolf-crythatbespokeastrickenanimal。Andthatwasall。Thesnarlsceased。Theyelpingdiedaway。Silencesettleddownagainoverthelonelyland。

Hesatforalongwhileuponthesled。Therewasnoneedforhimtogoandseewhathadhappened。Heknewitasthoughithadtakenplacebeforehiseyes。Once，herousedwithastartandhastilygottheaxeoutfromunderneaththelashings。Butforsometimelongerhesatandbrooded，thetworemainingdogscrouchingandtremblingathisfeet。

Atlasthearoseinawearymanner，asthoughalltheresiliencehadgoneoutofhisbody，andproceededtofastenthedogstothesled。Hepassedaropeoverhisshoulder，aman-trace，andpulledwiththedogs。

Hedidnotgofar。Atthefirsthintofdarknesshehastenedtomakeacamp，andhesawtoitthathehadageneroussupplyoffirewood。Hefedthedogs，cookedandatehissupper，andmadehisbedclosetothefire。

Buthewasnotdestinedtoenjoythatbed。Beforehiseyesclosedthewolveshaddrawntoonearforsafety。Itnolongerrequiredaneffortofthevisiontoseethem。Theywereallabouthimandthefire，inanarrowcircle，andhecouldseethemplainlyinthefirelight，lyingdown，sittingup，crawlingforwardontheirbellies，orslinkingbackandforth。Theyevenslept。Hereandtherehecouldseeonecurledupinthesnowlikeadog，takingthesleepthatwasnowdeniedhimself。

Hekeptthefirebrightlyblazing，forheknewthatitaloneintervenedbetweenthefleshofhisbodyandtheirhungryfangs。Histwodogsstayedclosebyhim，oneoneitherside，leaningagainsthimforprotection，cryingandwhimpering，andattimessnarlingdesperatelywhenawolfapproachedalittlecloserthanusual。Atsuchmoments，whenhisdogssnarled，thewholecirclewouldbeagitated，thewolvescomingtotheirfeetandpressingtentativelyforward，achorusofsnarlsandeageryelpsrisingabouthim。

Thenthecirclewouldliedownagain，andhereandthereawolfwouldresumeitsbrokennap。

Butthiscirclehadacontinuoustendencytodrawinuponhim。Bitbybit，aninchatatime，withhereawolfbellyingforward，andthereawolfbellyingforward，thecirclewouldnarrowuntilthebruteswerealmostwithinspringingdistance。Thenhewouldseizebrandsfromthefireandhurlthemintothepack。Ahastydrawingbackalwaysresulted，accompaniedbyangryyelpsandfrightenedsnarlswhenawell-aimedbrandstruckandscorchedatoodaringanimal。

Morningfoundthemanhaggardandworn，wide-eyedfromwantofsleep。

Hecookedbreakfastinthedarkness，andatnineo\'clock，when，withthecomingofdaylight，thewolf-packdrewback，hesetaboutthetaskhehadplannedthroughthelonghoursofthenight。Choppingdownyoungsaplings，hemadethemcross-barsofascaffoldbylashingthemhighuptothetrunksofstandingtrees。Usingthesled-lashingforaheavingrope，andwiththeaidofthedogs，hehoistedthecoffintothetopofthescaffold。

"TheygotBill，an\'theymaygetme，butthey\'llsurenevergetyou，youngman，"hesaid，addressingthedeadbodyinitstree-sepulchre。

Thenhetookthetrail，thelightenedsledboundingalongbehindthewillingdogs；forthey，too，knewthatsafetylayonlyinthegainingofFortMcGurry。Thewolveswerenowmoreopenintheirpursuit，trottingsedatelybehindandrangingalongoneitherside，theirredtongueslollingout，theirleansidesshowingtheundulatingribswitheverymovement。

Theywereverylean，mereskin-bagsstretchedoverbonyframes，withstringsformuscles——soleanthatHenryfounditinhismindtomarvelthattheystillkepttheirfeetanddidnotcollapseforthrightinthesnow。

Hedidnotdaretraveluntildark。Atmidday，notonlydidthesunwarmthesouthernhorizon，butiteventhrustitsupperrim，paleandgolden，abovethesky-line。Hereceiveditasasign。Thedaysweregrowinglonger。

Thesunwasreturning。Butscarcelyhadthecheerofitslightdeparted，thanhewentintocamp。Therewerestillseveralhoursofgraydaylightandsombretwilight，andheutilizedtheminchoppinganenormoussupplyoffirewood。

Withnightcamehorror。Notonlywerethestarvingwolvesgrowingbolder，butlackofsleepwastellinguponHenry。Hedozeddespitehimself，crouchingbythefire，theblanketsabouthisshoulders，theaxebetweenhisknees，andoneithersideadogpressingcloseagainsthim。Heawokeonceandsawinfrontofhim，notadozenfeetaway，abiggraywolf，oneofthelargestofthepack。Andevenashelooked，thebrutedeliberatelystretchedhimselfafterthemannerofalazydog，yawningfullinhisfaceandlookinguponhimwithapossessiveeye，asif，intruth，heweremerelyadelayedmealthatwassoontobeeaten。

Thiscertitudewasshownbythewholepack。Fullyascorehecouldcount，staringhungrilyathimorcalmlysleepinginthesnow。Theyremindedhimofchildrengatheredaboutaspreadtableandawaitingpermissiontobegintoeat。Andhewasthefoodtheyweretoeat!Hewonderedhowandwhenthemealwouldbegin。

Ashepiledwoodonthefirehediscoveredanappreciationofhisownbodywhichhehadneverfeltbefore。Hewatchedhismovingmusclesandwasinterestedinthecunningmechanismofhisfingers。Bythelightofthefirehecrookedhisfingersslowlyandrepeatedly，nowoneatatime，nowalltogether，spreadingthemwideormakingquickgrippingmovements。