Buck became stronger and more wild. He was also very clever. He did not start fights, but he did not run away from them. He was very patient. He hated Spitz, but he waited for the right time to fight him.
Spitz was a bully. He wanted to fight Buck. One night, they stayed at Lake Le Barge. It was very cold and dark. Buck made a warm nest in the snow. He was very comfortable.
Buck went to eat his fish. When he came back, Spitz was in his nest. Buck became very angry. This was too much. He attacked Spitz. Spitz was surprised because he thought Buck was afraid.
Suddenly, many wild dogs ran into the camp. They were huskies (strong, furry dogs from the North). These dogs were starving. They were thin like skeletons. They wanted to find food.
The wild dogs attacked everything. They found the food box and ate all the bread and meat. The men hit them with clubs, but the dogs did not stop. They were too hungry to feel pain.
The wild dogs attacked the team dogs too. Buck fought three wild dogs at once. He was hurt on his head and shoulders. Dave and Sol-leks fought side by side. Even Billee was brave and fought.
During the fight, Spitz was very mean. He attacked Buck from the side while Buck was fighting the wild dogs. Spitz wanted Buck to fall down. If Buck fell, the wild dogs would kill him.
Finally, the wild dogs ran away into the forest. But the team dogs were in a bad condition. Every dog was wounded. Joe lost an eye. Billee had a torn ear.
The wild dogs ate half of the food. They also chewed the leather on the sled. François was worried. He was afraid the dogs would get rabies (a dangerous sickness that makes animals go mad).
The team started to travel again. The trail was very difficult. They reached the Thirty Mile River. The water was not frozen in the middle. It was fifty degrees below zero.
Perrault walked in front with a long pole. He fell through the ice many times. Each time, he had to build a fire to dry his clothes. If he stayed wet, he would die in the cold.
Once, the sled fell into the water. Buck and Dave were almost drowned. They were covered in ice when the men pulled them out. The men made a fire to melt the ice on the dogs.
Buck’s feet were very sore. He was not a wild dog from the North. His feet were soft. He limped in pain every day. At night, he was too tired to walk to his food.
François was a kind man. He rubbed Buck’s feet every night. He even made four moccasins (soft leather shoes) for Buck. Buck was very happy. He refused to move until François put the shoes on his feet.
One morning, a dog named Dolly went mad. She started to howl like a wolf. Then she chased Buck. Buck was very afraid and ran fast. He ran for a long time.
Buck ran toward François. François had an axe in his hand. When Buck ran past, François hit Dolly with the axe. Dolly died instantly. Buck was exhausted and could not move.
Spitz saw that Buck was weak. He attacked Buck and bit him twice. François was very angry. He gave Spitz a very bad whipping. Now, the war between Buck and Spitz was official.
Buck wanted to be the leader. He began to help the other dogs when they were bad. When Spitz tried to punish a dog, Buck jumped in the middle. He protected the dogs that did not work hard.
The team stopped obeying Spitz. The dogs argued and fought all the time. Only Dave and Sol-leks continued to work well. François was always worried about a big fight.
They reached the city of Dawson. There were many men and many dogs there. Every night, the dogs sang a wild song. Buck joined them. He felt like his wild ancestors.
After seven days, they left Dawson. Perrault wanted to travel very fast. He had important letters to deliver. The trail was hard and the dogs were strong.
But the team was not happy. Buck continued to cause trouble for Spitz. The dogs did not work together anymore. They fought during the day and during the night.
One night, the dogs saw a rabbit. All the dogs chased it. Buck was the leader of the pack. He felt a great joy. He wanted to kill the rabbit with his own teeth.
Buck was very fast, but Spitz was clever. Spitz took a different path across the snow. He jumped in front of the rabbit and killed it. Buck saw this and became very angry.
Now, the time for the final fight arrived. All the other dogs stood in a circle and watched. Spitz was a very good fighter. He was experienced and he was not afraid.
Buck tried to bite Spitz’s throat, but Spitz blocked him. Spitz bit Buck many times. Buck was covered in blood. He was very tired, but he did not stop.
Buck used his imagination. He pretended to jump at Spitz’s shoulder. When Spitz moved, Buck dropped low. He bit Spitz’s leg and broke the bone.
Spitz stood on three legs. Buck did the same thing again and broke another leg. Spitz fell into the snow. The circle of dogs moved closer. They knew the fight was over.
Buck jumped at Spitz one last time. Spitz disappeared under the other dogs. Buck stood alone in the snow. He was the winner. He was the new leader of the team.