4 The Strongest Dog

CHAPTER 4 The Strongest Dog There was a desire in Buck to be the strongest dog in the group, and under the hard conditions of trail life, that part of him grew and grew. But he kept it a secret. He had a sense of sneakiness and cunning that was new to him, and it helped him appear calm and in control. He was too busy adjusting to his new life to feel comfortable. He never picked fights with any of the dogs, and avoided fighting whenever he could. Even though he and Spitz did not like each other, and that dislike grew every day, Buck

did not let it show. On the other hand, possibly because he sensed that Buck could take his place as leader of the pack, Spitz never let a chance pass to show his teeth. He went out of his way to bully Buck, and he always tried to start a fight that could only end with one of them running away. This almost happened early in the trip, but an accident got in the way. At the end of this day, they had made camp on the shore of Lake Le Barge. It was bleak and miserable. Driving snow, a wind that was sharp as a knife, and total darkness forced them to search blindly for a camping place. They could not have chosen worse. At their backs there was a wall of rock, and Perrault and Francois had to make their fire and spread their sleeping bags on the ice of the lake itself. They had thrown the tent away so they could travel light. They used a few sticks of

driftwood to make their fire, but it burned through the ice and left them to eat supper in the dark. Close to the wall of rock, Buck had dug his hole in the snow. He was so snug and warm in it that he did not want to leave when Francois gave out the fish, after thawing it over the fire. When Buck finished eating and returned to his hole, he found another dog in it. A warning snarl told him it was Spitz. Until then, Buck had avoided trouble with his enemy, but this was too much. The beast in him roared. He sprang on Spitz with a fury that surprised them both. Spitz was especially surprised because his whole experience with Buck had told him that Buck was usually a timid and quiet dog who managed to hold his own with the other dogs only because of his great weight and size. Francois was surprised, too, when they rolled out in a tangle from the sleeping hole,

and he guessed why they were fighting. "A-a-ah!" he cried to Buck. "Give it to him, by God! Give it to him, the dirty thief!" Spitz was just as willing to fight. He was crying with anger and eagerness as he circled back and forth, looking for a moment to jump in. Buck was also eager, but just as careful, as he circled back and forth. It was then that something unexpected happened that made them wait for another time to fight. Perrault yelled, and there was the sound of barking. The camp was suddenly alive with other animals. They were starving wild huskies, four or five dozen of them, who had smelled the camp from a nearby village. They had crept in while Buck and Spitz were fighting, and when the two men jumped in among the wild dogs, they showed their teeth and fought back. The smell of food

made them crazy. Perrault found one eating from the grub box, where the men stored all the food. He chased that one away, but the grub box was knocked over, and right away more of the wild dogs were scrambling for the bread and bacon. They yelped and howled as the men tried to scare them away. In the meantime, the astonished sled dogs had burst out of their sleeping holes only to be jumped on by the fierce invaders. Buck had never seen such dogs. They were so skinny it seemed as though he could see their skeletons through their skin. Their eyes were blazing and they showed their teeth. Their hunger made them very scary, and it was impossible to fight them off. The sled dogs were pushed back against the cliff during the first attack. Three huskies tried to fight with Buck. The sound was very frightening. Billee was crying. Dave and Sol-leks were fighting bravely side by side. Joe was barking like a

monster. Pike was running around from dog to dog. The fight was making Buck crazy and excited. It made him fierce. He chased away one dog, then felt another next to him. It was Spitz, unfairly attacking him again from the side. Perrault and Francois chased away the wild dogs from their part of the camp and then hurried to help their sled dogs. The starving dogs moved away, and Buck shook himself free. But it was only for a moment. The two men had to run back to save the grub, where the wild dogs had run. When the men chased them away, the huskies returned to attack the team. Billee, terrified into bravery, sprang through the savage circle of wild dogs and ran away over the ice. Pike and Dub followed, with the rest of the team behind them. As Buck got ready to spring after them, out of the corner of his eye he saw Spitz rush at him, to try to knock him over.