White Fang

e been that he took no notice because he was heavy with sleep. (Hehad been out all night on the meat-trail, and had but just then awakened.)And

the open space, andtrotted in amongst the tree

were five live things, thelike of which he had nev

ng to their feet, nor showtheir teeth, nor snarl. T

for the firsttime arisen in him another and counter instinct. A great awe descendedupon him. He was beaten down to movelessn

n man, yet the instinct

but out of the eyes of all his ancestors was the cub now looking upon man- out of eyes that had circled in the darkness around countless winterca

ons. The heritage was too compelling for a wolf that was only acub. Had he been full-grown, he would have run away. As it was, hecowered down in a para

BISCAIP PIT TAH." ("Look! The white fangs!")The other Indians laughed loudly, and urged the man on to pick up thecub. As the hand descended closer and closer, there raged within the cub abattle of the instincts. He experienced two great impulsions - to yield andto fight. The resulting action was a compromise. He did both. He yieldedtill the hand almost touched him. Then he fought, his teeth flashing in a

r and his hurt. In the midst of it, he heardsomething. The Indians heard it too. But the cub knew what it was, andwith a last, long wail that had in it more of triump

She had heard the cry of her

uttered a glad little cry and bounded tomeet her, while the man-animals went back hastily several steps. The she-wolf stood over against her cub, facing the men, with bristli

"Kiche!" waswhat he uttered. It was an exclamation of

d again, this time with

whimpering, waggingher tail, making peace signs. The cub could not understand. He wasappalled. The awe of man rushed

ut his hand upon herhead, and she only crouched

sent. They were greatly excited,and made many noises with their mouths. These noises were not indicationof dange

but did not my brother tie her out in the woodsall of three nights in the mating season? Therefore w

"It was thetime of the famine, and there was no meat for the

cub snarled a little at the touch of the hand, and the hand flewback to administer a clout. Whereupon the cub cover

s father was a wolf. Wherefore is there in himlittle dog and much wolf. His fangs be white, an

e cub, who had thus received a n

eck, andwent into the thicket and cut a stick. White Fang watched him. He notchedthe stick at each end and in the notches fastened st

of such utterhelplessness that White Fang's whole nature revolted against it. He coulddo nothing to defend himself. If this man-animal intended harm, WhiteFang knew that he could not escape it. How could he spring away with hisfour legs in the air above him? Yet submission made him master his fear,and he only growled softly. This growl he could not suppress; nor did theman-animal resent it by giving him a blow on the head. And furthermore,such was the strangeness of it, White Fang

t as it wason the march, trailed in. There were more men and many women andchildren, forty souls of them, and all heavily burdened with campequipage and outfit. Also there were many dogs; and these, wi

rush. White Fang bristled and snarled and snapped inthe face of the open-mouthed oncoming wave of dogs, and went down andunder them, feeling the sharp slash of teeth in his body, himself biting andtearing at the legs and belli

conception of so abstract a thing as justice, nevertheless, in his own way,he felt the justice of the man- animals, and he knew them for what theywere - makers of law and executors of law. Also, he appreciated the powerwith which they administered the law. Unlike any animals he had

ow anything about gods; at the best he could know onlythings that were beyond knowing - but the wonder and awe that he had ofthese man-animals in ways resemb

had discovered manymore creatures apparently of his own kind. And there was a subconsciousresentment that these, his kind, at first sight had pitched upon him andtried to destroy him. In the same way he resented his mother being tiedwith a stick, even though it was done by the superior man-animals. Itsavoured of the trap, of bondag

for a tiny man-animal took the other end of thestick and led Kiche captive behind him, and behind

ir and where stood fish-racks for the drying of fish, camp wasmade; and White Fang looked on with wondering eyes. The superiority ofthese man-animals increased with every moment. There was their masteryover all these sharp

tepees by being covered withcloth and skins, White Fang was astounded. It was the colossal bulk ofthem that impressed him. They arose around him, on every side, like somemonstrous quick- growing form of life. They occupied nearly the wholecircumference of his f

cautiously toward the wall of the nearest tepee. It was the curiosity ofgrowth that urged him on - the necessity of learning and living and doingthat brings experience. The last few inches to the wall of the tepee werecrawled with painful slowness and precaution. The day's events h

t was delightful. He tuggedstill harder, and repeatedly, until the whole tepee was in motion. Then thesharp cry of a

rt-grown puppy, somewhat larger and older than he, came toward him slowly,with ostentatious and belligerent importance. The puppy's name

only a puppy, did notseem dangerous; so White

tedseveral minutes, and White Fang was beginning to enjoy it, as a sort ofgame. But suddenly, with remarkable swiftness, Lip-lip leaped in,delivering a slashing snap, and leaped away again. The snap had takeneffect on the shou

little teethscored on the newcomer, until White Fang, yelping shamelessly, fled tothe protection of his mother. It was the first of

as venturing forth on a new quest. He cameupon one of the man-animals, Grey Beaver, who was squatting on hishams and doing something with sticks and dry moss sprea

Fang came in until hetouched Grey Beaver's knee, so curious was he, and already forgetful thatthis was a terrible man-a

about fire. It drew him as the light, in the mouth of the cave haddrawn him in his early puppyhood. He crawled the several steps towardthe flame. He heard

's. Atthe sound, Kiche leaped snarling to the end of her stick, and there ragedterribly because she could not come to his aid. But Grey Beaver laughedloudly, and slapped his thighs, and told the happen

s. He cried and cried interminably, and every freshwail was greeted by bursts of laughter on the part of the man-animals. Hetried to soothe his nose with h

o him. He knew laughter

en they are being laughed at; but it was this same way that White Fangk

n deeper, and hurt in the spirit of him. And he fled toKiche, raging at the end of her stick

ick. He felt a vacancy in him, a need for thehush and quietude of the stream and the cave in the cliff. Life had becometoo populous. There were so many of the man-ani

ad known was gone. Here thevery air was palpit

tch, itimpinged on his nerves and senses, made him nervous and

r creatures, of a verity, gods. To his dim comprehension theywere as much wonder-workers as gods are to men. They were creatures ofmastery, possessing all manner of unknown and impossible potencies,overlords of the al