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

Chapter 7 The Call of the Wild (3)
With Spitz and Dev as companions, and with Frankie's instruction, Booker learned quickly and made remarkable progress.Before he finished his work in the forest, Booker had already figured out the difference between "ho" and "go", the former stopped and the latter moved forward.In addition, when encountering a turn, not only have to go around the turn, but the turn must be large and the steps must be slow. When walking on a slope and sliding down with a load of sleds, one thing must be paid special attention to, that is, you must not touch the dog. would get tangled in, and the sled would be at risk of tipping over.

"These three are good dogs." After returning to the camp, Frankie said to Brott, his tone was full of praise, "Booker has a strong learning ability, and what I teach, he can learn in a very short time. Just learn it all. It's just amazing."

In the afternoon, Blott went to deliver the express, and when he came back, he brought two more dogs.Both dogs are huskies and purebred.They are two brothers, one named Billy and one named Joey.Although they are siblings, they have very different personalities. One is obedient and kind, while the other is not only awkward and grumpy, but also often has fierce eyes and yells.

For the arrival of the two of them, Booker was very enthusiastic.And Dev is still the same, with a strange temper and an indifferent attitude.But Spitz was thinking of ways to defeat them, so he walked up to Billy, wanting to offend Billy for nothing.As for Billy, instead of getting angry, he wagged his tail in a friendly way, trying to get close to Spitz, and he didn't run away until Spitz's arrogance was exposed.Spitz chased after him. Its teeth were sharp, and it bit Billy's waist with one bite.Billy was very pitiful at this time, but even so, he didn't resist, but hummed in his mouth, weakly wanting to settle peacefully.If it were Joey, Spitz wouldn't be able to take advantage of it.No matter how scheming Spitz was, Joey always maintained a fighting state and was very strong.Its whole body's hair stands on end, its ears are close to the back, its eyes are fierce, and it roars from time to time.Its desperate attitude made Spitz feel afraid, and he had to give up his plan.

Although Spitz gave up his plan to provoke Joey, he felt ashamed.So, to hide its embarrassment, it turned its gaze back to Billy.Billy was timid by nature, and even if he wanted to resist, he didn't have the courage, so he had to run as hard as he could, and almost ran out of the camp.

In the evening, from nowhere, Brott brought another dog.This is also a husky, named Sorox, and he looks quite old.Its body is thin and long, without any spirit.It was covered in scars, even on the face.Those scars are the marks left by the battle, but also the performance of heroism.It is a one-eyed dragon, but even so, the light from the one-eyed dragon is still so fierce.That gaze was like a warning, warning other companions not to provoke him easily.Like Dev, it also has no desires, but its ruthlessness has reached the point where people are frightened.Therefore, whenever he comes among these dogs, even if he walks very slowly, whether he comes on purpose or by accident, even Spitz, though he usually likes to bully other companions so much, is very concerned about his intrusion. At this time, I dare not say a word.

He was blind in one eye, and he was very annoyed when people approached that blind eye, which was one of his taboos.Booker didn't know this at first, and once, inadvertently, violated it.Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Soloks immediately rushed forward and bit Booker on the shoulder.The bite was so hard that a deep gash immediately appeared on Booker's shoulder, up to three inches deep, and even the underlying bones were exposed.Booker took the hit, but couldn't figure it out until later.After this incident, Booker always tried to avoid the side that was blind to Thoroks.This fight was the only fight between them.

At night, snowflakes fell all over the sky, and the cold kept Booker from sleeping.It was looking for a warm place to shelter when it saw a tent with light shining through it, in which Brott and Frankie lived.So, Booker got into the tent without hesitation, but to his surprise, just as he got half of his body in, he heard Brott and Frankie yelling and throwing the dishes on the table. Own.For this, Booker was not mentally prepared at all, and their performance was very rough, so he was very scared.Did you make any mistakes?Booker was very puzzled, and couldn't help being stunned. After a while, he ran outside.At this time, shame and sadness rushed into its heart at the same time.

The cold wind outside was like a needle prick on my body.Booker's shoulder was injured, and when he was blown by the wind, there was a sharp pain in the wound.After a day's work, it was tired and sleepy, so it just lay down in the snow.It wanted to sleep there, but the cold weather made it shiver, so it had to get up.But what to do?It could only circle around the tent, feeling extremely painful inside.In this world of ice and snow, there is ice everywhere.The snow is still falling and shows no sign of stopping.

Booker wandered back and forth, trying to find a place to shelter.From time to time, wild dogs would appear in front of them and try to attack Booker, until Booker howled angrily, and these wild dogs left in fear.

When Booker was wandering around like this, it suddenly occurred to him, how do other companions sleep?Why not go see them yourself?Maybe they have a good way to sleep peacefully.Thinking of this, it ran to find its companions, but it searched the entire camp and there was no trace of them, as if they had evaporated.It thought: "They can't stay in the tent. If they were, they wouldn't be outside now. But if they weren't inside, where could they be?" Booker was very puzzled by this.

It clamped its tail and shivered.The cold wind was still blowing bitingly.There is only myself outside, with no direction or purpose, and I can only wander around the tent.Booker made a whining sound as he walked.At this moment, it has a feeling of being abandoned, and a burst of loneliness and desolation can't help but feel in my heart.

Booker was walking aimlessly. Suddenly, the snow under his feet collapsed, and his body also fell down.What is crawling under his feet?As soon as he sensed this, Booker jumped back quickly.It was a little scared, and the hair all over its body couldn't help standing upside down.Facing that place, it yelled frantically.There came a low cry, and Buck recognized that it was Billy's friendly call.Only then did Booker breathe a sigh of relief, so he stepped forward to see what was going on.It saw Billy lying curled up under the snow like a furball.

Billy is not only kind-hearted, but also a very good company.As soon as he saw Booker, he showed his friendliness immediately.While writhing its body constantly, it licked the snowflakes that fell on Buck's face with its own tongue.

Seeing Billy, Booker understood how the other companions dealt with the severe cold weather.It is very happy, and it moves immediately.After choosing a good place, it dug its own nest.Next, it imitated Billy's appearance and squeezed its body into a ball.Slowly, its body also warmed up.

After a day at work, Booker worked very hard.So it fell asleep as soon as it lay down.This night, although nightmares often appeared in its dreams, generally speaking, it slept well.It was the first time in a few days that I slept so comfortably like tonight.

(Session [-]) Snow Survival

Its daybreak.There was a noise, and Booker woke up.It opened its eyes, and for a moment, it forgot where it was.It only saw a piece of white snow all over its body, and involuntarily, fear quickly spread from its heart to all parts of its body.And the wildness in his heart gave him an instinctive feeling that he had now fallen into a trap.

Its body twitched in fear, and the hair on its neck and shoulders stood on end.It gave a loud cry and jumped to the ground with all its might.

After Frankie saw Booker, she was very happy, and couldn't help shouting to Brott: "I said that Booker is extremely smart. No matter what he learns, he is very fast!" Hearing this, Brott Also nodded in appreciation.

Blott is a postman by profession, and he works for the Canadian government.Therefore, it has become his routine to transport some important documents and letters to different places.It has been longing for a good sled dog.Booker's appearance made him very relieved.

Next, three more huskies joined the sled team.In this way, Brot and the others had nine dogs.

After Brot and Frankie put the dogs on the leash, they hit the slopes.In total, it took them less than 15 minutes to complete these tasks.

In Booker's opinion, pulling the sled was hard work, but he didn't tire of the work.So, it also set off with everyone, and was very happy.

As soon as they set foot on the snowy road, they galloped away with quick movements and agility.Doing the best in the shortest time is what they most want to do now.In this atmosphere, Booker also tried his best to run forward.

However, the performance of Dev and Soloks surprised Booker.Normally, they are indifferent to everything, but as long as the reins are around their necks, they seem to be reborn, not only pulling the sled with all their strength, but also in high spirits.Pulling a sled is a drudgery, but they see it as a purpose of existence and a source of energy.

Dev is the team dog. At the end of the line, Buck is in front of him, Thorock is in front of Buck, Spitz is the leader, and the other dogs are lined up behind him.

Booker's position was between Dev and Thorocks, which was deliberately arranged by Frankie and the others.The reason for this is to let Booker speed up his adaptation to work. At this point, Dev and Thorocks can help.And the fact is as they wished, Booker is very smart, Dev and Soloks are also very competent.If Booker made a mistake, even in the slightest, their teeth taught Booker a lesson.Their teeth are extremely sharp, and their punishment for Booker is also very fair.

Frankie, whip in hand, supervised from behind.Booker knows very well that it is more beneficial for him to correct his mistakes than to resist.

At one point, they were stopping to rest.Without paying attention, Booker twisted the reins together.For this reason, their departure was delayed.So Dev and Soloks rushed to Booker together and gave him a very severe punishment.After this incident, Booker was even more cautious, lest he mess up the reins again.

Booker's ability to comprehend is very strong, and it can be said that he can learn it as soon as he is taught.A day hasn't passed yet, and it works brilliantly even without being reminded.Frankie's whip kept falling, but it fell on Booker less and less often.

Given Booker's dexterity and attentiveness, Brott did favors by checking his feet carefully.

They set off in the morning and went straight to the valley of Daya.On the way, they had to climb over the Sheep Village, along the Linshan Mountain, through the long jungle, and then through the snowdrifts and glaciers, which were hundreds of feet deep.It was already noon when they reached the glacier.So they stopped for a while to rest.Next, they set foot on the journey again.The Chigut Great Divide is the dividing line between fresh water and salt water. Crossing this watershed, lakes appeared in front of them one by one.Below the surface of these lakes are extinct volcanic craters, and they have to pass through one by one.

By midnight they reached the mouth of Bennett Lake.There is a big camp there, which is the stronghold of gold diggers.Countless gold diggers gather here to repair damaged ships.When spring comes, the water in the lake will thaw, and the boats will be ready for use.

After running this day, Booker felt extremely tired.After reaching the camp, it dug the hole and fell asleep.

Before dawn, Booker was awakened.Then, they pulled on the sled and set off on the road.

The snow road that day was very strong, so they traveled forty miles in one day.But this situation never happened again in the next few days.Because there is no ready-made snow track, they have no choice but to open the road by themselves. In this way, their work is even harder, and their progress is slowed down.

Whenever he moved forward, Brot would go to the front. His snowshoes were wide and big, and the road was stepped on by him, making the road much smoother.In this way, the resistance of the team to move forward will be greatly reduced.Franca would alternate with him at times.But most of the time, his main task is to hold the rudder stick and keep the sled in the direction of travel.

In this world of ice and snow, Brott has been working for many years.In order to deliver mail, he kept running around in various places.He thought that his experience was rich enough, and he knew the changes of the ice layer well.Therefore, he is often responsible for opening the way, which is also something he is proud of.

The thickness of the ice depends on the weather, as in autumn.There is less snow in this season, the weather is relatively warmer, and the ice layer on the lake is also thin. If you run on the sled at this time, you have to be very careful.Therefore, if you want to be foolproof, you must have a good understanding of the ice conditions.

Booker ran from morning to night without stopping for a moment, but the road under his feet seemed to have no end.Every day, as soon as the sky showed a little light, they were on the road.They didn't stop to rest until it was dark.After the tent was set up, all the dogs were given a small piece of fish, and when they were done, they lay down in their respective snow holes.

Booker is not only tall and strong, but he has always eaten a lot.But, every day, the only food it can eat is a pound and a half of dried salmon.These can't satisfy the hunger at all.Booker was very poor, because he hadn't eaten since the first day he set foot on the trip.Under the double torment of hunger and exhaustion, Booker's body became thinner and thinner day by day.

Life at the judge's house was easy, and at that time his eating habits were very refined and he was never in a hurry.But now, it finds that habit out of fashion.It was only itself that was gentle, and the other dogs, on the contrary, came to snatch Buck's after they had eaten their share.One came running from the right, and Buck just chased it away, and when he turned his head, the food was gone, because there was another one on the left.Therefore, Booker could only eat his share as quickly as they did, so that the food would not be taken away.But this food alone is not enough, so in order to fill its stomach, it can only snatch it, even though it does not belong to itself.

There is a dog named Pike in the dog team. Although he has not been here for a long time, he often steals things, and the way of stealing is very clever.Besides, it wasn't sick.Booker had clearly seen it steal once, and that time, when Brot turned his back, he stole a small piece of bacon.So, the next day, Booker followed suit and stole a piece of meat, but it was a whole piece.From the results point of view, Booker is even better.When Blot found out that a piece of meat was missing, he was very angry and lost his temper.However, Booker was not under any suspicion.In the end, poor Dub becomes Booker's scapegoat and gets punished for it.

Although this was Booker's first steal, he succeeded in one hit.This also proves one thing from the side, that is, Booker's adaptability is very strong.It is a good thing to be able to adjust its state in time as the environment continues to change, but this shows that its inner moral sense has also weakened.

The so-called morality does not play any role in the dangerous Arctic.There is no friendship here, as long as you have a stick, strength, and sharp teeth, you are strong.As for those benevolence and morality, they are worthless.If you still have them in your heart, you are a complete fool.Survival of the fittest, survival of the fittest!Booker has a deep understanding of this.

In Booker's mind, there is no concept of defiance, let alone intentional.Driven by hunger, it thought of stealing.In the final analysis, the reason why it is so is completely forced by the surrounding environment.

The beating that the man in the red shirt gave it, while beating it hard, also branded the most basic and primitive laws of nature into its heart.

Every time he stole, Booker remained calm.It never robs with great fanfare, but steals by means.In this way, not only can you avoid punishment, but you can also continue to survive more easily.

Now, forced to live, Booker can eat anything.No matter whether the food is delicious or not, and whether you can digest it or not, it never refuses anyone who comes, and it doesn't even raise an eyebrow when eating.Anything that can be swallowed can be completely digested by its gastric juice.After that, the nutrients of those foods are distributed to all parts of the body through blood transport.In this way, Booker has the strongest bones and muscles. Not only are they as strong as steel, but they are also very tough.

(End of this chapter)