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Chapter 4 The New Boss






" Hey, what did I say? I was right. Buck is a very dangerous dog, " Francois said the next morning. He couldn't find Spitz anywhere, and Buck had many cuts on him.

Perrault looked at Buck's cuts and said, " Yes, but Spitz fought hard."

" And Buck fought harder, " answered Francois. " Now the sledge will go faster. Without Spitz, there will be no more problems. I know I'm right."

Then Perrault put the bags onto the sledge and Francois put the dogs into their harnesses. Buck walked to Spitz's harness and waited. But Francois didn't see him and brought Sol-leks to the same place. Buck jumped at SoUeks angrily, and Sol-leks had to move away.

" Ha! " Francois laughed. " Look at Buck! He killed Spitz, and now he wants his job! Go away, Buck! " he shouted, but Buck didn't move. Then Francois pulled Buck by his neck and put Sol-leks in Spitz's harness. Buck barked angrily, but he moved. Sol-leks was afraid of Buck and he didn't want to make Buck angry.

So, when Francois turned around, Buck easily pushed Sol-leks

away again.

Francois was angry now. " Buck—you bad dog! You move away now! " he shouted, and he took his club. Buck remembered the man in the red shirt and he walked away.

When Francois brought Sol-leks back, Buck didn't bark.

" OK, now you, Buck. Come here and get into your harness, " Francois said.

But Buck walked away from him. Francois followed, but Buck didn't stop.

Francois looked down at the club in his hand. " Oh, I understand. You're afraid of this. All right, I'll put it on the ground—look. Now, come to me."

But Buck wasn't afraid of the club and he didn't go to Francois. He wanted to be in Spitz's harness. He was the best dog now and he didn't want to go back to his old harness. He walked away again. He didn't leave the camp, but Francois couldn't get near him.

After an hour, Francois sat down. He looked at Perrault and smiled. Then he looked back at Buck.

" OK Buck, you win! " And he took Sol-leks out of Spitz's place.

Buck laughed and walked to the sledge. Francois put him in his new harness.

" Mush! " Francois shouted, and the sledge started to move. Francois watched Buck carefully. " I don't think Buck can do Spitz's job." Francois thought. But he was wrong.

After some kilometers, Francois thought, " Wow! Buck is better than Spitz! He's faster, stronger, and more intelligent than Spitz. Spitz was the best dog, but now Buck is better! "

Buck quickly stopped the fighting between the other dogs.

He was the new boss now, and the other dogs were afraid of him. They listened to him and worked hard for him. Francois and Perrault were surprised and very happy.

" Buck is the best sledge dog in the North." Francois said. " Somebody will pay a thousand dollars for him! What do you think, Perrault? "

" Yes, you're right, " he said. Perrault was very happy with Buck's work, too.

Perrault was also very happy with this trip. The ice was hard, and there was no new snow. It wasn't too cold. Every day, for fourteen days, they ran 20 kilometers. And at the end of the second week, they could see Skaguay.

But when they arrived at Skaguay, Francois and Perrault's plans changed. They had to leave Skaguay and the Yukon.

They had to sell the dogs quickly. Francois put his arms around Buck's neck and he cried. Buck never saw the two men again.

 

A Scottish man bought the sledge dogs. He and some other men worked for the Canadian Mail Company. They carried people's letters to them. The next day, they took the sledge back to Dawson, and it was hard work for the dogs. The sledge was very heavy and the snow was very thick. Buck didn't like this new job, but he always worked hard. And the other dogs had to work hard, too.

On this trip, Buck only liked one thing. He liked to sit by the fire at night, before he went to bed. He often thought about Curly and his fight with Spitz. Sometimes he remembered Mr. Miller's house in California. But he wasn't sad. He didn't want to go back to Mr. Miller's big house and the warm sun. He had a new home now, and a new life. This life was hard, but good.

After many more days and nights, they arrived in Dawson. Now the dogs were very tired. They were very thin, and they wanted a long rest.

But they only had two days' rest, and then they had to start again. The dogs couldn't run fast, and the men weren't happy. And it snowed every day, so the sledge got heavier and heavier. It was the dogs' third trip back to Skaguay. And day after day, they got weaker and weaker.

Dave had the biggest problem. Sometimes the sledge stopped suddenly, and Dave cried with pain. The men looked at him carefully, but they couldn't find the problem. Something was wrong inside Dave, but they couldn't help him.

After three days, Dave was very weak, and he fell to the ground in his harness many times. The Scottish man stopped the sledge and took him out of his harness. He wanted to give Dave a rest, but this made the dog angry. Dave was in a lot of pain, but he had a job. It was his work, and Dave hated to see another dog in his harness. The sledge started to move again, and Dave ran next to the other dogs. Running was very difficult in the thick snow. He cried and barked with pain.

He was also very weak, and he fell down in the snow. He howled sadly, and started to walk slowly behind the sledge.

The dogs had to have a short rest, so the men stopped. They watched Dave. He walked slowly and carefully to the sledge. He stopped next to Sol-leks and didn't move away.

One man said, " Some dogs die because they can't work. Sledge dogs love their work. And when they can't pull the sledge, they don't want to live."

The Scottish man listened and then said, " I think Dave is going to die. But he can die in his harness. Then he'll die happy."

So the men put Dave back into his harness, and the sledge started again. Dave was happy in his harness, but the pain was very bad. He fell many times, and one time, the sledge went over his legs. But he stayed in his harness and night came. The men stopped and made their camp. Dave fell down in the snow next to the sledge. They gave the dogs their fish, but Dave couldn't eat.

In the morning, Dave couldn't get up. He tried to go to his harness, but he couldn't move his legs. The men waited for a short time, but then they had to leave. The sledge moved away from the camp and Dave howled sadly.

The sledge went behind some trees, and the Scottish man stopped the dogs. " I have to help Dave, " he thought. " He'll die slowly in the cold snow, and I don't want that. He was a good dog."

He walked back to Dave, and the other men stopped talking. Then they heard the sound of a gun. The Scottish man came back quickly and shouted, " Mush! " The sledge moved away fast. But Buck knew, and every other dog knew. They understood the sound of the gun. And now Dave had no more pain.

 


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