3 Learning to Survive

CHAPTER 3 Learning to Survive That night, Buck faced the great problem of sleeping. The tent, lit by a candle, glowed warmly. Everything around them was white and snowy. When Buck entered the tent, thinking it was a normal thing to do, Perrault and Francois yelled at him and threw things at him until he ran away, angry and embarrassed, back into the cold. A chill wind was blowing that nipped him sharply. He lay down on the snow and tried to sleep, but the frost soon drove him shivering to his feet. Miserable, he wandered around among the many tents, only to find that one place was

just as cold as another. Here and there, rude dogs tried to bully him, but he bristled his neck hair and snarled (for he was learning fast how to fight back), and they let him go on his way without bothering him anymore. Finally, an idea came to him. He would return and see how his own teammates were sleeping. To his surprise, they had disappeared. Again he wandered around the large camp, looking for them, and again he returned without finding them. Were they in the tent? No, that could not be, or else he would not have been chased out. Then where could they possibly be? With drooping tail and shivering body, feeling very lost and alone, he circled the tent. Suddenly the snow gave way under his front legs and he sank down. Something wriggled under his feet. He sprang back, bristling and snarling, afraid of the unknown. But a friendly little yelp reassured him, and he went back to

investigate. He smelled a whiff of warm air, and there, curled up under the snow in a snug ball, lay Billee. He whined, squirmed, and wriggled to show that he was friendly, and even licked Buck's face with his warm wet tongue. Another lesson. So that was the way they did it. Buck chose a spot and, with much fuss and hard work, dug a hole for himself. Soon, the heat from his body filled the small space and he was asleep.

The day had been long and hard, and he slept soundly and comfortably, even though he growled and barked and wrestled with bad dreams. He did not open his eyes until the noises of the camp woke him. At first, he did not know where he was. It had snowed during the night and he was completely buried. The snow walls pressed in on him from every

side, and he felt very scared. His muscles tensed and the hair on his neck and shoulders stood on end. With a ferocious snarl, he jumped straight up into the blinding day, the snow flying about him in a flashing cloud. Before he landed on his feet, he saw the white camp around him and knew where he was. Buck then remembered all that had happened from the time he went for a stroll with Manuel to the hole he had dug for himself the night before. Francois shouted when he saw Buck. "What did I say?" he yelled to Perrault. "That Buck for sure learns quick as anything." Perrault nodded, with a serious look on his face. As a courier for the Canadian government, carrying important mail, he wanted to get the best dogs, and he was happy that he had found Buck. Three more huskies were added to the

team in less than an hour, making a total of nine, and in fifteen minutes they were all in harness and swinging up the trail toward the Dyea Canyon. Buck was glad to be gone, and even though the work was hard, he found that he did not mind it. He was surprised at the team's eagerness, and even more surprised at the change that had come over Dave and Sol-leks. They were like new dogs, completely altered by the harness. They were not quiet and solitary anymore. They were alert and active, anxious that the work should go well, and angry with anything that slowed their work. The hard work seemed to be the only thing that made them happy. Dave was the wheeler, or sled dog. Pulling in front of him was Buck; then came Sol-leks. The rest of the team was ahead of them in single file all the way to the leader, who was Spitz. Buck had been placed between Dave and