9 The Bet

CHAPTER 9 The Bet That winter in Dawson, Buck did another amazing thing that made him even more famous. It all started during a conversation in the Eldorado Hotel, where some men were telling each other about their favorite dogs. Buck was the most famous, but these men said that he was not so great. Thornton argued with them. One man said that his dog could pull a sled with five hundred pounds on it. Another man said six hundred for his dog, and a third said seven hundred. "That's nothing," said John Thornton.

"Buck can pull a sled with a thousand pounds on it." "And break it out of the ice? And walk off with it for a hundred yards?" asked Matthewson, who had claimed seven hundred pounds for his dog. "And break it out and walk off with it for a hundred yards," John Thornton said, coolly. "Well," Matthewson said, slowly and deliberately, so everyone could hear, "I've got a thousand dollars that says he can't. And there it is." He slammed a sack of gold dust the size of a sausage on the bar. Nobody spoke. Thornton could feel himself blush. He had spoken too soon. He did not know if Buck could pull that much. A thousand pounds! The size of it made him feel sick. He was certain that Buck had great strength, and he had thought many times that Buck might be able to pull such a load.

But now he had to do it. The whole town was waiting and watching. Even worse, Thornton did not have a thousand dollars. Neither did Hans, nor Pete. "I've got a sled standing outside now, with twenty fifty-pound sacks of flour on it," Matthewson went on, sounding mean. "That's a thousand pounds. So we can go right now." Thornton did not reply. He did not know what to say. He looked from face to face, and saw an old friend, Jim O'Brien. "Can you lend me a thousand?" Thornton asked, almost in a whisper. "Sure," answered O'Brien, thumping down a sack right next to Matthewson's. "I'm putting my faith in you, John, that the beast can do the trick." "Don't worry, that dog can do miracles," Thornton said. "He even saved my life, once."

"And he'd do it again," Pete said. Thinking back to the time when Buck almost jumped over the cliff on Thornton's command, he added, "I've never seen a dog so devoted to his master. If Buck can't do it, it can't be done." O'Brien nodded his head in agreement. "I've heard about this one and what he can do," he said, pointing to Buck. "I know it's a risk, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. Matthewson is a big talker, but Buck's the one who can get things done." Everyone left the Eldorado and stood on the street outside. Several hundred men, wearing furs and mittens, stood around Matthewson's sled. It was loaded with a thousand pounds of flour and had been sitting there for several hours. In the cold, the sled had frozen to the hardpacked snow. Most men were betting that Buck could not budge the sled.

Even John Thornton felt terrible that he had rushed into the bet once he looked at the sled, with its regular team of ten dogs lying in the snow in front of it. Buck's task seemed next to impossible. Matthewson, however, was happy. "Three to one!" he yelled. "I'll bet you another thousand at that figure, Thornton. What do you say?" Thornton looked worried, but his fighting spirit was aroused. He called Hans and Pete to him. Together, the three men had only two hundred dollars. It was everything they had, and they bet it all. The team of ten dogs was unhitched, and Buck, with his own harness, was connected to the sled. He had felt the excitement around him, and he knew that in some way he had to do a great thing for John Thornton. The crowd talked about how great Buck

looked. He was in perfect shape, one hundred and fifty pounds of pure strength, and his furry coat shone like silk. Men felt his muscles and said they were as hard as iron, and the odds went down to two to one. "By God, sir!" exclaimed one member of the crowd to Thornton, "I'll offer you eight hundred for him, sir, before the test of strength. Eight hundred for him right now." Thornton shook his head and stepped to Buck's side. "You must stay away from him as he pulls," Matthewson said. "Give him plenty of room." The crowd fell silent. Everybody agreed that Buck was a magnificent animal, but they thought one thousand pounds was just too much for one dog to pull, and no one else would bet that he could do it. Thornton knelt next to Buck. He took his