The Call of the Wild: Selected Short Stories by Jack London

Chapter 6 The Call of the Wild (2)
Immediately afterwards, four more men came over.They lifted the wooden cage and carefully loaded it onto a van.After driving for a certain distance, the truck stopped.The same four men walked into a yard carrying the wooden cage.This yard is the backyard, which occupies a very small area and is surrounded by high walls.After entering, a man came out of the house. This man was strong and wearing a red shirt.Seeing him come out, the coachman handed a notebook into his hand.He signed on it, and while returning the book, he looked at Booker and smiled, with malicious intentions in his smile.Then he took out a small axe, and a stick.

The coachman was a little worried, and couldn't help asking: "Now, are you going to let it out?"

"That's right, I'll let it out now." The man said as he slashed at the wooden cage with an axe.

The four men who brought the cage in were still there. Seeing this posture, they immediately dispersed and jumped towards the wall.They all sat high on the wall, waiting for the performance to begin.They are all very interested in the upcoming show.

Buck's eyes were fixed on the axe, and just as it fell, Buck rushed over.It's been in this cage for too long, and it's going to go crazy if it continues like this.So, like desperately, it gritted its teeth and hit the cut wooden bars with its head. As for whether the head was broken, it didn't care at all.

Under that axe, a small hole soon appeared in the cage. "Come on, you devil," the man yelled at Booker, dropping the ax as he spoke.The stick has been prepared long ago and is now held in the right hand.

At this time, Booker was almost the same as the devil.The hair all over its body stood straight up, white foam spit out from its mouth, its eyes were as red as blood, and the light inside spurted out, very frantic.It is ready for battle.For two days and two nights, it suppressed the anger in its heart.At this time, these angers spewed out like a volcanic eruption.With a jerk, it jumped out of the cage and jumped at the man in the red shirt.

Just when Booker opened his mouth wide and wanted to take a bite, suddenly, a blow came and it was knocked to the ground.Next, it attacked no less than a dozen times, but each time it got a stick.The stick hit it hard again and again, and it lay on the ground again and again, gasping for breath.But a moment later, it rushed upwards with all its strength, with a very fierce momentum.The man responded calmly, but hit it hard on the head. The blow was so powerful that Booker's body shrank to the ground, and he quickly lost consciousness.

"It's wonderful! A master dog trainer! It's really not wrong." The onlookers were still sitting on the wall, and one of them was very emotional, clapping and shouting.

The show is over.The coachman said: "He is also very good at taming horses." While saying this, he drove the carriage away.

Slowly, Booker regained consciousness, but his whole body was weak, like a pile of rubber, without any strength.It just lay there, and the man in the red shirt didn't leave.So Booker stared straight at him and stared at him.

The man was reading a letter from the restaurant owner, and said, "Booker, that's a very good name. From now on, we're brothers." Then he added kindly: "That's the end of the fight between us. Now, you not only have to figure out your own situation, but also my identity. However, if you are obedient, I will not treat you badly. If you are not obedient, Your bones will be broken. Do you know this?" The man said, patting Booker's head with his hands.As for Booker's head, which had just been hit by him, the hairs on his head stood on end subconsciously as soon as he touched it with his hand.Even so, now it just wants to resist, and it has no strength at all.

Seeing that Buck was no longer trying to resist, the man brought the water.When Booker saw the water, he drank it up in just two or three sips.Later, the man threw a few more pieces of meat, and Buck swallowed them all without even chewing them.It knew very well in its heart that under the baton, it had failed.However, although he was defeated this time, it did not mean that he was defeated.

The lesson this time is a painful memory for Booker.This makes it understand that if the opponent is armed with a club, he has no chance of winning.And this lesson has accompanied Booker's life.

For several days after that, Booker remained locked in the cage.During this period, more dogs came one after another.Some of them were brought in in cages, like Booker, and some were brought in by lead.Their temperaments also varied, some of the dogs were very obedient, but most of them were angry, and they barked incessantly, just as Buck had been.But, in the end, they all end up the same, that is, to submit to the stick.

(Section III) Leaving Home

Every now and then, strangers would come and talk to the man in the red shirt.While talking, they looked at the dogs in their cages and commented on each of them individually.Then, the banknotes appeared, and as the banknotes were transferred between the two hands, one or several of the cages would be taken away by the strangers.And those dogs, after leaving, never came back once.Every day in the cage made Booker restless.Those strangers walked by it too, and when they didn't pick themselves, Booker's heart was filled with joy.For it, being chosen is a disaster.

However, what is destined to happen cannot be avoided even if one wants to avoid it.

One day, another man came.He was short and small, and his body was very shriveled, and his English, he spoke very badly.And this was the man who, seeing Booker, cried out in excitement, "My God! That's a wonderful dog. What's the price?"

"Give me three hundred. Treat it as a gift from me." The man in the red shirt replied immediately, and then he said, "Blott, this dog is rare. Besides, you It was bought with public money, so there is nothing to consider.”

Brot was very happy, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help shaking.He thought to himself: "Now that the gold rush is in full swing, the supply of dogs is in short supply, and the price will definitely rise." However, he also knew very well that Booker is a good dog, and the price is not outrageous.In a few days, if it is still at this price, maybe everyone will rush to buy it.

In order to transport official documents and letters, the Canadian government bought dogs specifically to use them to pull sleds.However, in terms of price, they don't want to invest too much. Then again, it is not what they like to see if the urgent shipment is delayed because of this.

When it came to picking a dog, Blott was an expert.He knew at a glance that Buck was a good dog, even if he was very listless now, but Brott knew that he was not like ordinary dogs.

So, it didn't take long for Brott to pull out the money.Then Booker and Curley were taken away together.Collie is a Newfoundland dog with a gentle personality.

Booker had a hunch about this result.Booker expected this from the light in Brot's eyes when he saw himself.

Booker and Curley were taken aboard the Warner, and on deck they watched Seattle recede further and further away.In Booker's lifetime, such a warm south will be the last time he will see it.For this, Booker probably didn't expect it.

Next, under the leadership of Brott, Booker and Curley came to the lower part of the deck—the cabin.Brot then gave them to his friend.His friend was called France, tall and dark-faced.

And these two people are Booker's new masters.If you want to divide by type, then they are the polar opposite of judges.Booker loves the judge deeply, and he respects the two new masters, and he respects them from the bottom of his heart.

The style of these two people's work is both calm and upright, and they are upright.At the same time, Booker also felt that they had a thorough understanding of the dog's psychology.If you want to play tricks in front of them, it is not an easy task.

In the Warner's cabin, besides Booker and Curley, were two dogs.One of them was called Spitz, and he was big and white.It came from the Spits Islands, brought out by the captain of a whaling ship.It once went to the Northwest Wilderness of Canada, and it was an expedition with a geological exploration team.It is a bad guy, despite its gentle appearance, it is actually sinister and cunning in its heart.It was the first time they ate together. It looked at Booker with a smile on its face, but snatched Booker's food.Booker quit and jumped up right away, trying to give it some color.At this moment, Franca, whip in hand, struck Spitz first, and this time without prejudice.Although the resentment in Booker's heart was gone, the food had been eaten up.There was nothing on the ground except some bones.But this incident made Booker look at Frankie with admiration.

The other dog, Dev, was not only sad, but also strange in some ways.Every day, eating and sleeping is what it's all about.All things, in its view, have no passion at all.It also disliked being with other people, and had made it clear to Curley that it would not end well if anyone tried to mess with him.Its numb like a farmer, out of his senses and not caring about anything.When passing through the Queen Charlotte Sound, the Warner suddenly swayed, turning left and right for a while.Under the violent bumps, Booker and Curley were very frightened, and their teeth kept making noises and rattling.As for Dev, he just looked up at them slowly, then yawned and fell asleep on his own, as if he was unconscious.

The Warner moved on, day and night.The sea stretches as far as the eye can see, and there is a vast expanse of whiteness everywhere.How long has it been?Booker had no way of knowing.The weather was getting colder, and it felt it clearly.

After an unknown number of days, one morning, the propellers that had been spinning on the ship finally quieted down.The people on board were very excited, and when they were excited, they got busy.And Booker and the other dogs also had a feeling at this time that their new lives were about to begin.The link connecting them is the belt.Franca took them ashore after strapping them on.

As soon as they landed, the first thing that greeted them was the cold air.But the cold lifted Booker's spirits.As soon as its feet touched the ground, it sank.The things under my feet are white, and they are very soft when I step on them. It feels like stepping on the beach.

Booker was so frightened that he jumped up.At the same time, it also found that there were many things floating down in the sky, and they were all white.These things fell on it one after another, and it shook its body, trying to shake them off.But then, many more fell on him.This thing made it very curious, so it first sniffed it with its nose, and then licked it with its tongue.But as soon as he licked it, the thing disappeared, and there was only a trace of coldness in his mouth.Booker was a little confused. He tried again and again, but the results after each attempt were the same.People gathered around and couldn't help laughing when they saw it like this.This smile made Booker a little embarrassed.

This kind of thing, it has not seen before.It has never been to such a cold north.

(Chapter 2) The beginning of a new life

(Section [-]) Stepping into the North Pole for the first time
Previously, Booker had lived in the south, where the sun was shining.The place where we are now is the North Pole, and there is nothing but ice and snow.The first time he came here, the cold made Booker tremble continuously, and his body shrank tightly involuntarily.

Here, it is no longer the leader, and no one bows down to it.The life in this place is also very different from the life it used to be. No worries about food and clothing, leisurely contentment, no longer exist.The world under our feet is a barren place, and there is no chance of peace or rest here, let alone safety.To live in it is to face the threat of life all the time.No matter whether it is a person or a dog, they dare not slack off in the slightest.

The people and dogs living in this wild world are fierce and brutal.Here, there is no order, no laws, only sticks and teeth.

After seeing it with his own eyes, Booker dared to believe that all of this was real.It saw that the dogs were attacking so fiercely, and they were killing each other like a pack of wolves.

Booker will never forget this experience, even at the last moment of his life, he will still remember it.For Booker, it was like a nightmare.But it was so vivid, it happened right in front of his eyes, Booker got a lot of inspiration from it, and at the same time, his life was greatly affected by it.

Booker can still vividly remember the whole incident.There is a warehouse here, which is used to stack firewood. One day, it and Curley were resting next to the warehouse, and a dog ran over slowly.It was a husky, not even half as long as a collie, but fierce as a full-grown wolf.When Curley saw it coming, he went up to meet it with great enthusiasm.And the husky jumped up to Collie when he saw it, bit him, and then jumped away.All of this happened very suddenly, without any warning or reason.The dog was jumping fast, and its teeth seemed to be made of metal.The bite took Curley so hard that it tore from eye to jaw.

Wolves have a typical fighting style, that is, when attacking, after a successful blow, they immediately jump away, and then wait for an opportunity to attack.This husky's attack on a collie is just that.But things didn't end there.Because at this time, more Huskies surrounded him one after another, and there were as many as thirty or forty of them.They surrounded Collie and the husky, and watched in silence, without making a sound.

When they appeared, Booker didn't know where they came from, and he didn't know what their staring eyes meant, and he didn't even see their tongues licking their teeth.

Curley was bitten for no reason, and he was so angry that he would not let it go, so he rushed at the dog, but the guy fought back and ran away.Curley charged again, but the opponent blocked it with his chest, and then Curley fell to the ground.The way the guy fell Curley was special because it was the first time Booker had seen it.And the onlookers around have been waiting for a long time.Seeing this situation, they quickly gathered forward.I saw them stepping on Curley, screaming and biting down, looking excited.All this happened in an instant, which was unexpected.A scream came from the dogs, it was Curley's miserable cry, and Booker was so frightened by the cry that he couldn't move, and stood there in a daze.How can I do?It doesn't know either.

After a while Frankie arrived.Buck saw him jump among the dogs swinging the axe, and then three more men approached, all with clubs.Driven by their joint efforts, the dogs ran away.

In less than 2 minutes, Curley fell down, and all the dogs ran away one after another.But in such a short period of time, the place where Curley fell to the ground was now nothing but a pile of bloody fragments.

The gory scene was so bleak that Booker couldn't bear to watch it any longer.But from the beginning to the end, Spitz next to him was smiling all the time.Its bright red tongue sticks out long.It's just there to watch the fun.Spitz's ruthless expression made Booker extremely disgusted.

This tragic scene was fixed in Booker's mind, and for many days to come, this scene would always appear in his dreams, and Booker was always warned.

This incident made Booker realize the true face of this world, and fairness has no meaning here.In this world of ice and snow, everything is uncivilized. Victory always belongs to the stronger side, while falling means death.This is the so-called law of the jungle.So, Booker reminded himself that he must be careful in everything he does, even if he fights with other dogs, he cannot be the one who falls first.

Curley left, Booker was very sad, but just as he was sad, a new blow came indisputably.It is equipped with equipment, that is, a harness.The harness had metal buckles and straps like the bridle around the horse's neck that Booker had seen grooms harness to horses before.Frankie put the harness around Buck's neck, and he himself sat on the back sled.Then Buck took the sled and Frankie on it and walked along the cliffs of the valley towards the forest.When they arrived, Frankie gathered the firewood, and Buck carried it.

Now, Booker is no different from a horse, and he has to work like them.For this reason, although Booker's self-esteem was hurt, he was very smart. He knew that resistance was useless, so he chose to obey.For Booker, pulling the sled was never done.But that's all right, it can learn, and it learns very hard.To catch up with other dogs in the shortest time is what Booker wants to do most now.

Frankie was just, but a little too harsh.If any dog ​​made a mistake, he was merciless.There is also Dev, now it is in charge of the formation.As long as Booker makes a mistake, Dev will bite his hind leg to remind him that he made a mistake.

Spitz, their leader, has not only experienced countless battles, but also has a lot of experience.Although it can't bite Buck all the time like Dove, but from time to time, it will scream at Buck, and its attitude is very fierce, or it will use tricks and pull the rope with all its strength. , Booker can only go back to the right path.

(End of this chapter)