Buck earned sixteen hundred dollars for John Thornton. Now, John Thornton could pay his debts. He traveled east with his partners, Hans and Pete. They looked for a lost mine (a place deep in the ground where people find gold). Many men looked for this mine before. Some men found it, but they never came back. People said the mine was a place of mystery and death.
John Thornton, Hans, and Pete took Buck and six other dogs. They traveled a long way into the wild. They went up the Yukon River and then into the mountains. John Thornton was a very brave man. He was not afraid of the wild. He only needed a gun and some salt. He hunted for his food every day. If he did not find food, he waited. He knew he would find it later.
The men and dogs were not in a hurry. They traveled for many weeks. Sometimes they stayed in one place to look for gold. Sometimes they were hungry. Other times, they had a lot of meat. In the summer, they used boats on the lakes. They went through forests where no men lived.
They saw many strange things. They saw mountains with snow that never melts. They saw valleys with many flies and flowers. In the autumn, they found a silent lake. There was no life there. The wind was cold and the water was lonely. They looked for the lost mine, but they did not find it.
One day, they found a shallow stream in a wide valley. They saw gold in the bottom of the water. It looked like yellow butter. They did not look for the mine anymore. Every day, they worked in the water. They found thousands of dollars in nuggets (small pieces of natural gold). They put the gold in large bags made of animal skin.
The dogs had no work to do. Buck sat by the fire for many hours. He started to have a vision (a dream that feels real while you are awake). In his vision, he saw a short man with very long hair. This man did not stand straight. He was very afraid. He looked at the trees and the dark forest. This hairy man climbed trees to sleep. Buck remembered this man from a long time ago.
Buck also heard a sound in the forest. It was a call (a feeling that pulls an animal toward nature). This call made him feel happy and wild. Sometimes he ran into the forest to find the sound. He smelled the cool moss and the black dirt. He hid behind old trees and watched the birds. He did not know why he did these things. He just felt he must do them.
One night, Buck woke up suddenly. He heard a long howl from the forest. It was not like a dog’s howl. He ran into the woods. He was very quiet. He saw a long, lean timber wolf. The wolf was howling at the sky.
The wolf saw Buck and ran away. Buck followed him. The wolf was afraid because Buck was very big. But Buck did not want to fight. Finally, the two animals touched noses. They became friends. They played together in the forest. Then, the wolf started to run. He wanted Buck to follow him.
They ran together for many hours. Buck was very happy. He felt like he was finally answering the call. He was running with his wild brother. But then, Buck remembered John Thornton. He stopped running. The wolf wanted Buck to stay, but Buck turned around. He went back to the camp.
Buck jumped on John Thornton. He showed his great love. For two days, Buck did not leave the camp. He watched John Thornton every minute. But the call in the forest was very loud. Buck began to go into the woods again. He stayed away for many days.
He became a great hunter. He killed a large black bear. He felt very strong and proud. He was a killer now. He was a wild animal. He looked like a giant wolf. He was very smart and very fast. He could hear and see everything in the forest.
One day, Buck saw a moose (a very big animal with large horns). This moose was the leader of a group. He was very angry and strong. Buck wanted to kill this moose. He followed the moose for four days. He did not let the animal eat or drink. The moose became very tired and weak. Finally, Buck killed the great moose.
Buck stayed with the dead moose for one day to eat and sleep. Then, he started to walk back to camp. He felt that something was different in the woods. The birds and the squirrels were quiet. Buck smelled something new in the air. He began to run faster. He was afraid for John Thornton.
Buck found the trail of strange men. He moved silently through the trees. He found Nig, the large black dog. Nig was dead. There was an arrow (a sharp stick shot from a bow) in his body. Buck found Hans. Hans was dead too. His body was covered in arrows.
Then, Buck saw the Yeehat Indians. They were dancing near the camp. Buck felt a terrible rage. He loved John Thornton more than anything. He did not care about danger. He jumped into the middle of the Yeehats.
Buck was like a hurricane. He bit the throat of the Yeehat chief. Then he bit another man. He moved so fast that the men could not hit him. The Yeehats shot arrows, but they hit each other. They were very afraid. They thought Buck was an evil spirit (a ghost that wants to hurt people). They ran away into the woods.
Buck followed them and killed more men. Finally, he went back to the camp. He found Pete. Pete was dead in his bed. Buck looked for John Thornton. He followed the scent to a deep pool of water. Skeet, the little setter dog, was dead by the water. John Thornton was in the pool. He was dead.
Buck was very sad. He felt a large, empty hole inside his heart. But he also felt proud. He killed men, and they were easy to kill. He was not afraid of men anymore. Only their arrows and clubs were dangerous.
Night came. A full moon was in the sky. Buck heard the howl of a wolf pack. The pack came into the camp. Buck stood in the middle of the clearing. He did not move. One wolf jumped at him, but Buck broke its neck. Three more wolves jumped, but Buck was too fast for them.
The wolves stopped. They were surprised by Buck’s strength. Then, one wolf came forward slowly. It was the wild brother from the forest. Buck and the wolf touched noses. An old wolf also came forward. He howled at the moon. Then, all the wolves howled.
Buck sat down and howled with them. He was ready to join them. John Thornton was dead. The last bond with man was broken. Buck ran into the forest with the wolf pack. He was finally home.
The Yeehats tell stories about a Ghost Dog. This dog lives at the head of the wolf pack. He is very smart and very dangerous. He steals from their camps and kills their best hunters. The Yeehats are afraid to go into one special valley.
Every summer, a large wolf comes to that valley alone. He has some brown and white fur on his chest. He goes to the place where the gold bags are. He stays there for a long time and howls one mournful song. Then, he goes back to the forest. When the long winter nights come, he runs at the front of the pack. He jumps higher than the other wolves. He is the leader, and he sings the song of the wild.