White Fang by Jack London - Part 1, Chapter 2 - The She-Wolf

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Part one, Chapter two of White Fang, presented by Dream
Audio Books. White Fang by Jack London, Part one, Chapter two,
the she wolf breakfast eaten, and the slim camp outfit
lashed to the sled. The men turned their backs on
the cheery fire and launched out into the darkness. At

(00:23):
once began to rise. The cries that were fiercely sad,
cries that called through the darkness and cold to one
another and answered back conversation ceased. Daylight came at nine o'clock.
At midday, the sky to the south warmed to rose
color and marked where the bulge of the Earth intervened
between the meridian sun and the northern world. But the

(00:45):
rose color swiftly faded. The gray light of day that
remained lasted until three o'clock, when it too faded, and
the pall of the Arctic night descended upon the lone
and silent land. As darkness came on, the hunting cries
to right and left and rear drew closer, so close
that more than once they sent surges of fear through

(01:07):
the toiling dogs, throwing them into sharp lived panics. At
the conclusion of one such panic, when he and Henry
had got the dogs back in the traces. Bill said,
I wish they'd strike games somewheres and go away and
leave us alone. They do get on the nerves horrible,
Henry sympathized. They spoke no more until camp was made.

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Henry was bending over and adding ice to the babbling
pot of beans when he was startled by the sound
of a blow, an exclamation from Bill, and a sharp
snarling cry of pain from among the dogs. He straightened
up in time to see a dim form disappearing across
the snow into the shelter of the dark. Then he
saw Bill standing amid the dogs, half triumphant, half crestfallen

(01:56):
in one hand, a stout club in the other, the
tail and part of the body of a sun cured salmon.
It got half of it, he announced, But I got
a whack at it just the same. Did you hear
it squeal? What did it look like, Henry asked, couldn't see.
But it had fore legs and a mouth and hair,

(02:17):
and looked like any dog. Must be a tame wolf.
I reckon, it's damned tame. Whatever it is comin in here,
it feedin' time and gettin its whack of fish. That night.
When supper was finished, and they sat on the oblong
box and pulled at their pipes, the circle of gleaming
eyes drew in even closer than before. I wish they'd

(02:40):
spring up a bunch of moose or something and go
away and leave us alone, Bill said. Henry grunted with
an intonation that was not all sympathy, And for a
quarter of an hour they sat on in silence, Henry
staring at the fire, and Bill at the circle of
eyes that burned in the darkness just beyond the firelight.

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I wished we was pullin into mc gurry right now,
he began again. Shut up your wishin and your croakin,
Henry burst out, angrily. Your stomach's sour, that's what's ailing ya.
Swallow a spoonful of sodie and you'll sweeten up wonderful
and be more pleasant company In the morning. Henry was

(03:21):
aroused by fervid blasphemy that proceeded from the mouth of Bill.
Henry propped himself up on an elbow and looked to
see his comrade standing among the dogs beside the replenished fire,
his arms raised in objurgation, his face distorted with passion. Hello,
Henry called, what's up now? Frog's gone? Came the answer, no,

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I tell you yes. Henry leaped out of the blankets
and to the dogs. He counted them with care, and
then joined his partner in cursing the power of the
wild that had robbed them of another dog. Frog was
the strongest dog of the bunch, Bill pronounced finally, and
he was no fool dog neither, Henry added, And so

(04:11):
was recorded the second epitaph. In two days, a gloomy
breakfast was eaten, and the four remaining dogs were harnessed
to the sled. The day was a repetition of the
days that had gone before. The men toiled without speech
across the face of the frozen world. The silence was
unbroken save by the cries of their pursuers that unseen

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hung upon their rear. With the coming of night in
the mid afternoon, the cries sounded closer as the pursuers
drew in according to their custom, and the dogs grew
excited and frightened, and were guilty of panics that tangled
the traces and further depressed the two men there. That'll
fix you, fool critters, Bill said with satisfaction. That night,

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standing erect. At completion of his task, Henry left the
cooking to come and see. Not only had his partner
tied the dogs up, but he had tied them after
the Indian fashion, with sticks about the neck of each dog.
He had fastened a leather thong to this, and so
close to the neck that the dog could not get
his teeth to it. He had tied a stout stick

(05:19):
four or five feet in length. The other end of
the stick, in turn, was made fast to a stake
in the ground by means of a leather thong. The
dog was unable to gnaw through the leather at his
own end of the stick. The stick prevented him from
getting at the leather that fastened the other end. Henry
nodded his head approvingly. It's the only contraption that'll ever

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hold one ear, he said. He can gnaw through leather
as clean as a knife, and just about half as quick.
They'll all be here in the morning, Hunky dory, you
just bet they will, Bill affirmed. If one of em
turns up, Missin, I'll go without my coffee. They just
know we ain't loaded to kill, Henry remarked at bedtime,

(06:06):
indicating the gleaming circle that hemmed them in. If we
could put a couple of shots into him, they'd be
more respectful. They come closer every night. Get the firelight
out of your eyes and look hard there. Did you
see that one? For some time the two men amused
themselves with watching the movement of vague forms on the
edge of the firelight. By looking closely and steadily at

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where a pair of eyes burned in the darkness, the
form of the animal would slowly take shape. They could
even see these forms move. At times. A sound among
the dogs attracted the men's attention. One ear was uttering quick,
eager whines, lunging at the length of his stick toward
the darkness, and desisting now and again in order to

(06:50):
make frantic attacks on the stick with his teeth. Look
at that bill, Henry whispered full into the firelight. With
a stealthy, sidelong movement, glided a dog like animal. It
moved with commingled mistrust and daring, cautiously observing the men.
Its attention fixed on the dogs. One ear strained the

(07:12):
full length of the stick toward the intruder, and whined
with eagerness, that fool one ear, don't seem scared much.
Bill said in a low tone. It's a she wolf.
Henry whispered back, and that accounts for fatty and frog.
She's the decoy for the pack. She draws out the dog,

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and then all the rest pitches in and eats them up.
The fire crackled, a log fell apart with a loud,
spluttering noise. At the sound of it, the strange animal
leaped back into the darkness. Henry, I'm a thinkin, Bill announced,
thinking what I'm a thinkin? That was the one I
lamb basted with the club. Ain't the slightest doubt in

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the world, was Henry's response, Once and right here, I
want to remark. Bill went on that that animal's familiarity
with campfires is suspicious and immoral. It knows for certain more,
and a self respecting wolf aught to know, Henry agreed.
A wolf that knows enough to come in with the

(08:18):
dogs at feeding time has had experiences. Old villain had
a dog once that run away with the wolves. Bill
cogitates aloud. I ought to know. I shot it out
of the pack, and a moose pasture over on little stick.
An old villain cried like a baby. Hadn't seen it
for three years, he said, been with the wolves all

(08:41):
that time. I reckon you've called the turn. Bill. That
wolf's a dog and it's eaten fish. Many's the time
from the hand of man, And if I get a
chance at it, that wolf that's a dog will be
just meat. Bill declared, We can't afford to lose no
more animals. But you've only got three cartridges. Henry objected,

(09:05):
I'll wait for a dead sure shot, was the reply.
In the morning, Henry renewed the fire and cooked breakfast
to the accompaniment of his partner's snoring. You was sleepin,
just too comfortable for anything, Henry told him, as he
routed him out for breakfast. I hadn't the heart to
rouse you. Bill began to eat sleepily. He noticed that

(09:30):
his cup was empty and started to reach for the pot,
But the pot was beyond arm's length and beside Henry,
say Henry, he chiuted gently, Ain't you forgot somethin Henry
looked about with great carefulness and shook his head. Bill
held up the empty cup. You don't get no coffee,

(09:51):
Henry announced, ain't run out. Bill asked, anxiously, Nope, ain't
think it'll hurt my diege. Nope, A flush of angry
blood pervaded Bill's face. Then it's just warm and anxious.
I am to be hearing you explain yourself, he said.

(10:14):
Spanker's gone, Henry answered without haste, with the air of
one resigned to misfortune. Bill turned his head, and from
where he sat counted the dogs. How did it happen?
He asked apathetically. Henry shrugged his shoulders. Don't know. Unless
one ear gnawed him loose. He couldn't have done it himself,

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that's sure, the darned cuss. Bill spoke gravely and slowly,
with no hint of the anger that was raging within.
Just because he couldn't chew himself loose, he choose spanker loose. Well,
Spanker's troubles is over anyway. I guess he's digested by

(10:59):
this time. And cavortin over the landscape and the bellies
of twenty different wolves, was Henry's epitaph on this the
latest lost dog. Have some coffee, Bill, But Bill shook
his head. Go on, Henry pleaded, elevating the pot. Bill
shoved his cup aside. I'll be ding dong danged if

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I do, I said, I wouldn't if every dog turned
up missin, and I won't. It's darned good coffee, Henry
said enticingly. But Bill was stubborn, and he ate a
dry breakfast, washed down with mumbled curses at one ear
for the trick he had played. I'll tie him up
out of reach of each other tonight, Bill said. As

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they took the trail. They had traveled little more than
a hundred yards when Henry, who was in front, bent
down and picked up something with which his snowshoe had collided.
It was dark and he could not see it, but
he recognized it by the touch. He flung it back
so that it struck the slag and bounced along until
it fetched up on Bill's snowshoes. Maybe you'll need that

(12:08):
in your business, Henry said. Bill uttered an exclamation. It
was all that was left of spanker, the stick with
what she had been tied. They ate him hiding all,
Bill announced. The stick's as clean as a whistle. They've
ate the leather off on both ends. They're damn hungry, Henry,

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and they'll have you with me guessing before this trip's over.
Henry laughed defiantly, I ain't been trailed this way by
wolves before, but I've gone through a whole lot worse
and kept my health. Takes more than a handful of
them pesky critters to do for yours, truly, Bill my son,
I don't know. I don't know. Bill muttered ominously. Well,

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you'll know, all right when we pull into mcgurry, I
ain't feeling special enthusiastic. Bill persisted, you're off color. That's
what's the matter with you. Henry dogmatized. What you need
is quiet in and I'm going to dose you up
stiff as soon as we make mc gurry. Bill grunted

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his disagreement with the diagnosis and lapsed into silence. The
day was like all the days. Light came at nine o'clock.
At twelve o'clock, the southern horizon was warmed by the
unseen sun, and then began the cold gray of afternoon
that would merge three hours later in tonight. It was
just after the sun's futile effort to appear that Bill

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slipped the rifle from under the sled lashings and said,
you keep right on, Henry. I'm going to see what
I can see. You'd better stick by the sled. His
partner protested, you've only got three cartridges and there's no
tellin what might happen. Who's croakin now, Bill demanded triumphantly.

(14:00):
Henry made no reply and plodded on alone, though often
he cast anxious glances back into the gray solitude, where
his partner had disappeared. An hour later, taking advantage of
the cutoffs around which the sledge had to go, Bill arrived.
They're scattered and ranging along wide, he said, keeping up

(14:21):
with us and lookin for gabem at the same time.
You see they're sure of us, only they know they've
got to wait to get us. In the meantime, they're
willing to pick up anything eatable that comes handy. You
mean they think they're sure of us. Henry objected pointedly,
but Bill ignored him. I've seen some of em. They're

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pretty thin. They ain't had a bidin weeks, I reckon
outside of Faddy and Frog and Spanker, and there's so
many of em that that didn't go far. They're remarkable thin.
Their ribs is like washboards, and their stomachs is right
up against their backbones. They're pretty desperate. I can tell
you they'll be goin mad yet, and then watch out.

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A few minutes later, Henry, who was now traveling behind
the sled, emitted a low warning whistle. Bill turned and looked,
then quietly stopped the dogs to the rear from around
the last bend, and plainly into view on the very
trail they had just covered, trotted a furry slinking form.
Its nose was to the trail, and it trotted with

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a peculiar, sliding, effortless gait. When they halted, it halted,
throwing up its head and regarding them steadily with nostrils
that twitched as it caught and studied the scent of them.
It's the she wolf, Bill answered. The dogs had lain
down in the snow, and he walked past them to
join his partner in the sled. Together they watched the

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strange animal that had pursued them for days, and that
had already accomplished the destruction of half their dog team.
After a searching scrutiny, the animal trotted forward a few steps.
This it repeated several times till it was a short
hundred yards away. It paused, head up close by a
clump of spruce trees, and with sight and scent studied

(16:15):
the outfit of the watching men. It looked at them
in a strangely wistful way, after the manner of a dog,
but in its wistfulness there was none of the dog affection.
It was a wistfulness bread of hunger, as cruel as
its own fangs, as merciless as the frost itself. It
was large for a wolf, its gaunt frame advertising the

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lines of an animal that was among the largest of
its kind. Stands pretty close to two feet and a
half at the shoulders, Henry commented, And I'll bet it
ain't far from five feet long. Kind of strange color
for a wolf, was Bill's criticism. I've never seen a
red wolf before. Looks almost cinnamon to me. The animal

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was certainly not cinnamon colored. Its coat was the true
wolf coat. The dominant color was gray, and yet there
was to it a faint reddish hue, a hue that
was baffling, that appeared and disappeared. That was more like
an illusion of the vision, now gray, distinctly gray, and
again giving hints and glints of a vague redness of

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color not classifiable in terms of ordinary experience. Looks for
all the world like a big husky sledge dog, Bill said,
I wouldn't be surprised to see it wag its tail.
Hello you, husky, he called, Come here, you, whatever your
name is, a't a bit scared of ye, Henry laughed.

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Bill waved his hand at it threateningly and shouted loudly.
But the animal betrayed no fear. The only change in
it that they could notice was an accession of alertness.
It still regards guarded them with the merciless wistfulness of hunger.
They were meat, and it was hungry, and it would
like to go in and eat them if it dared.

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Look here, Henry unconsciously lowering his voice to a whisper
because of what he imitated. We've got three cartridges, but
it's a dead shot. Couldn't miss it. It's got away
with three of our dogs, and we order put a
stop to it. What do you say? Henry nodded his consent.
Bill cautiously slipped the gun from under the sled, lashing.

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The gun was on the way to his shoulder, but
it never got there, for in that instant, the she
wolf leaped sideways from the trail into the clump of
spruce trees and disappeared. The two men looked at each other.
Henry whistled long and comprehendingly. I might have noted, Bill
chided himself aloud as he replaced the gun. Of course,

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a wolf that knows enough to come in with the
dogs at feedin time, he'd know all about shootin' irons.
I tell you right now, Henry, that gritters the cause
of all our trouble. We'd have six dogs at the
present time stead o three if it wasn't for her.
And I tell you right now, Henry, I'm going to
get her. She's too smart to be shot in the open,

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but I'm goin to lay for her. I'll bushwhack her
as sure as my name is. Bill. You needn't stray
off too far and doin it. His partner admonished, if
that pack ever starts to jump you, them three cartridges
be worth no more than three whoops in hell. Them
animals is damn hungry, and once they start in, they'll

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sure get you, Bill. They camped early that night. Three
dogs could not drag the sledge so fast nor for
so long hours as could six, and they were showing
unmistakable signs of playing out. And the men went early
to bed, Bill first, singing to it that the dogs
were tied out of gnawing reach of one another, but

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the wolves were growing bolder, and the men were aroused
more than once from their sleep. So near did the
wolves approach that the dogs became frantic with terror, and
it was necessary to replenish the fire from time to
time in order to keep the adventurous marauders. That's safer distance.
I've heard sailors talk of sharks followin a ship, Bill

(20:22):
remarked as he crawled back into the blankets after one
such replenishing of the fire. Well, them wolves is land sharks.
They know their business better'n we do. An they ain't
a holdin our trail this way for their health. They're
goin to get us. They're sure goin to get us, Henry.
They've half got you already, a talkin like that, Henry retorted, sharply,

(20:48):
man's half licked when he says he is, and you're
half eaten from the way you're goin on about it.
They've got away with better men than you an me.
Bill answered, Oh, sh ut up your croakin' you'll make
me all fired tired. Henry rolled angrily on his side
but was surprised that Bill made no similar display of temper.

(21:10):
This was not Bill's way, for he was easily angered
by sharp words. Henry thought long over it before he
went to sleep, and as his eyelids fluttered down and
he dozed off, the thought in his mind was, there's
no mistake in it. Bill's almighty blue. I'll have to
cheer him up tomorrow. End of Chapter two