Buck’s first day on the Dyea beach was like a bad dream. Every hour was a surprise. He was not in the city anymore. He was in a wild place. He did not have a lazy life here.
There was no rest or safety. Everything was dangerous. Buck had to be very careful. These dogs and men were not city dogs and men. They were wild. They only knew the law of the club (a heavy wooden stick) and the fang (a long, sharp tooth).
Buck saw a terrible fight on his first day. It was a lesson he never forgot. Curly was the victim. She was a friendly dog. She tried to be nice to a husky (a strong, furry dog from the North).
The husky jumped fast. He bit Curly’s face and jumped away. Curly’s face was cut open from her eye to her jaw. Thirty or forty other huskies ran to the spot. They stood in a silent circle and watched.
Curly ran at the husky. The husky knocked her down with his chest. She fell on the ground. Then all the other dogs jumped on her. They bit her and she screamed in pain.
It happened very fast. François ran into the group of dogs with an axe. Three men with clubs helped him. They pushed the dogs away. But Curly was dead in the bloody snow.
Buck saw Spitz. Spitz had his red tongue out. He was laughing at the dead dog. From that moment, Buck hated Spitz. Buck promised himself that he would never fall down in a fight.
Soon, Buck had another surprise. François put a harness (a set of leather straps used to pull something) on Buck. Buck had to pull a sled (a vehicle with runners for traveling over snow).
Buck did not like this work, but he was wise. He worked hard. François used a whip to make the dogs obey. Dave was an experienced dog. Dave bit Buck if Buck made a mistake.
Spitz was the leader dog. Buck learned quickly. He learned that "ho" meant stop. He learned that "mush" meant go. Buck became a good sled dog very fast.
That afternoon, Perrault brought two more dogs. Their names were Billee and Joe. They were brothers. Billee was very friendly, but Joe was mean. Joe always growled and looked angry.
Spitz tried to attack the new dogs. Billee was afraid, but Joe did not run. Joe growled at Spitz. Joe looked very dangerous. Spitz decided to leave Joe alone.
Later, Perrault got another dog. He was an old dog named Sol-leks. His name meant the Angry One. He had only one eye. Like Dave, he wanted to be left alone.
Buck made a mistake with Sol-leks. Buck walked on the side where Sol-leks was blind. Sol-leks turned and bit Buck’s shoulder. The cut was very deep. After that, Buck never walked on that side again.
That night, Buck had a problem. He tried to go into the tent because it was warm. But Perrault and François threw things at him. They yelled at Buck to go away.
Buck went outside into the cold wind. He was very cold. He tried to sleep on the snow, but he could not. He walked around the camp to find the other dogs.
Suddenly, the snow broke under his feet. Buck felt something move. He growled in fear. Then he heard a friendly bark. It was Billee. Billee was in a hole under the snow.
Buck learned another lesson. He dug a hole in the snow for himself. The heat from his body made the hole warm. He fell asleep quickly. He was tired after the long day.
In the morning, Buck woke up. He was under the snow. He was afraid because he could not move. He felt like he was in a trap (a thing used to catch animals).
He jumped out of the snow into the light. François shouted to Perrault. François said that Buck was a very fast learner. Perrault was a courier (a person who carries important letters) for the government. He was happy to have Buck.
Three more dogs joined the team. Now there were nine dogs. They started to travel toward the Dyea Canyon. Dave and Sol-leks changed when they worked. They loved to pull the sled.
Spitz was the leader at the front. Dave was the dog near the sled. Buck was between Dave and Sol-leks. They taught Buck how to work. If Buck made a mistake, they bit him.
They traveled all day. They went over mountains and deep snow. They reached a big camp at Lake Bennett. Thousands of men were there. Buck slept in his hole again.
The next day, they traveled forty miles. The trail was hard. Perrault walked in front of the dogs. He wore snowshoes (flat frames for shoes that help a person walk on snow).
Perrault looked for thin ice. This was very important. If the ice broke, the dogs and the sled would fall into the water. Perrault was in a hurry to deliver his letters.
Buck was always hungry. He received one and a half pounds of dried fish every day. It was not enough. The other dogs were smaller, so they were okay. But Buck was a big dog.
Buck learned to eat very fast. If he was slow, the other dogs stole his food. One day, Buck saw a dog named Pike steal some meat. The next day, Buck stole some meat too.
The men did not catch Buck. Another dog named Dub was punished for the theft. Buck did not feel bad. In the North, he had to be strong to stay alive.
Buck was not a soft city dog anymore. He became very strong. His muscles were like iron. He could eat anything. He could hear small sounds in his sleep.
He learned how to break the ice to drink water. He knew when a storm was coming. He could feel the wind before it started to blow. Buck was changing.
He began to feel like a wild dog. He remembered things from long ago. He remembered his ancestors (the family members from a long time ago).
Buck felt like the wild dogs of the past. It was easy for him to learn how to fight. On cold nights, Buck looked at the stars and howled. It was a long, wild sound.
He was singing the song of his ancestors. He was not a pet now. He was a wild animal of the North. He was ready for the hard life ahead.