原始的渴望飘忽跃动,
冲击着习俗的束缚;
野性再次从寒冬的沉睡中被唤醒。
巴克不看报纸,否则它就会知道大麻烦正在逼近。这麻烦不只关乎它自己,还会牵连到所有生活在从皮吉特湾到圣迭戈的沿海低洼地区的狗。这一地区的狗肌肉发达,身上长满保暖性很好的长毛。麻烦的起因是一些在北极的黑暗地带探寻的人们找到了一种黄色金属,而后,蒸汽轮船公司和运输公司也积极地跟进,成千上万的人朝着北部地区蜂拥而来。这些人需要狗,而且是大狗。他们需要这些肌肉发达、皮毛厚实的狗,因为这样的狗吃苦耐劳,厚实的皮毛可以御寒。
巴克住在一位名叫米勒的法官的宅邸里。那宅子位于光照充足的圣塔克拉拉山谷,房子远离大路 ,半掩在树荫里,透过树荫向里望去,能看到围绕在房子四周的宽阔且阴凉的走廊。房前是卵石铺成的车道,它们蜿蜒地穿过宽阔的草地,笼罩在高高的杨树荫里。房后的空间要比前面宽敞许多。这里有个大马厩,十几个马夫和伙计在这里忙前忙后;还有几排爬满了葡萄枝蔓的房子供仆人们居住,以及一眼望不到边、井然有序的外围建筑,长长的葡萄架,绿油油的牧场,果园和几片浆果地。此外,这里还有一个给自来水井供水的泵房和一个大大的水泥砌成的储水池。米勒法官的孩子们早上可以在这里跳水游泳,下午天热的时候在这里乘凉。
巴克的职责就是守护这一大片领地。它在这里出生,并且已经生活了四年。当然,这里还有其他狗。这么一大片区域中不可能没有别的狗,但是这些狗根本无足轻重,它们来了又去,有的住在拥挤的狗窝里,也有的像日本哈巴狗图茨和墨西哥无毛狗伊萨贝尔那样,终日只会默默无闻地躲在屋子的角落里——这些奇怪的家伙很少将鼻子伸出屋外或者下地走路。另外,这里还有猎狐狗,至少有二十来只。只要图茨和伊萨贝尔从窗口向它们张望,它们就会发出可怕的尖叫声,之后便会引来一大群拿着扫帚和拖把的女仆前来解围,将它们赶跑。
但是巴克既不是屋子里的狗,也不是住狗窝的狗。这栋房子周围的整个区域都是它的地盘。它经常跟着法官的儿子们扎进游泳池中游泳,或是跟他们一同去打猎;当法官的女儿莫丽和艾丽斯在漫长的黄昏或是尚早的清晨散步时,它负责保护她们的安全;在寒冷的冬夜,它会在阅览室呼呼作响的壁炉前躺下,靠在法官的脚边休息;它还会把法官的孙子们驮在自己的背上,和他们一起在草地上打滚;它还保护着他们穿过荒野来到马厩旁的泉水边玩耍,甚至去过更远的牧场和浆果地。它总是骄傲地在这一大片区域中穿行,根本无视图茨和伊萨贝尔的存在,因为它才是王者——它是一切生活在米勒法官属地上的走兽和飞禽的主宰,某些人也包括在内。
巴克的父亲埃尔莫是一条巨大的圣伯纳犬,它曾形影不离地陪伴在这位法官的左右。巴克有望继承父亲的职责,不过它的体形没有父亲那么大——它只有一百四十磅——这是因为它的母亲是条苏格兰牧羊犬。即便如此,它那一百四十磅的体重,加上优越的生活环境和广受尊敬带来的优越感,足以让它浑身洋溢着王者风范。四年来,从它还是只幼犬起就一直过着贵族般无忧无虑的生活。它傲气十足,有点以自我为中心,酷似那些眼界狭隘的地方乡绅。然而,巴克并不是一条娇生惯养的家犬。它很喜欢打猎之类的户外活动,这些运动能帮助它消耗脂肪,使它的肌肉更加结实;它喜欢在水中追逐猎物,对水充满了热爱,这使得它得以保持抖擞的精神状态和身体健康。
这就是1897年秋天以前巴克的生活状态。但是就在那年,克朗代克淘金热将来自世界各地的人们吸引到了冰天雪地的北极地区。可是巴克不看报纸,也不知道它的熟人——花匠的助手曼纽尔是个坏家伙。曼纽尔有个难改的恶习——玩赌彩。而且在玩赌彩的时候,他有个摆脱不了的弱点——坚信某个套路,这让他注定输钱。因为要贯彻一整个套路需要很多钱,然而一个花匠助手的微薄收入还不够养活老婆和一大群孩子的。
于是,在一个难忘的夜晚,曼纽尔做了背叛法官的事。当时米勒法官正在葡萄种植园主协会开会,他的儿子们也忙着组织一个运动俱乐部,因此没人看见他带着巴克穿过了果园。巴克自己也以为这就是散个步而已。除了一个男人之外,没有人看到他们来到这个插着小旗,叫作学院公园的地方。这个男人和曼纽尔说了几句话,钱币在他们之间叮铛作响。
“交货之前你该把它绑好吧。”那个陌生男人粗鲁地说,于是曼纽尔拿了条粗绳子在巴克脖子上的项圈下面缠了两圈。
“使劲儿勒,就能把它弄晕。”曼纽尔说。陌生人哼了一声,表示赞同。
巴克安静而有尊严地接受了捆绑它的绳套。它肯定很不习惯这个样子,但是它已经习惯去信任它熟悉的人,相信他们的智慧一定超出自己。但是,当绳套的那端交到一个陌生人手里的时候,它开始发出威胁的咆哮。它只想暗示自己的不满,骄傲地以为这种暗示就等同于命令。可是令它吃惊的是,绳子突然紧紧地勒住它的脖子,让它喘不过气来。巴克瞬间暴怒起来,跳起来扑向那个陌生人。那人伸出手在半空中紧紧地掐住巴克的喉咙,巧妙地一拧就将它仰面翻到地上。然后绳子无情地勒紧了,巴克暴怒地挣扎着,伸出舌头,巨大的胸腔无力地起伏着。自打出生以来,它从未受过如此恶毒的对待,也从来没有感到如此愤怒过。然而,它渐渐没了力气,眼前一片模糊。当火车在旗帜的指挥下停了下来,有两个人把它扔进了这辆火车的行李车厢时,它已经完全失去了知觉。
接下来,巴克朦朦胧胧地感觉到自己的舌头在作痛,还能感觉到自己正在一路摇摇晃晃地被送往某个地方,火车刺耳沙哑的汽笛声让它明白了自己身在何处。它曾经陪伴着米勒法官旅行过很多次,早已熟悉了行李车厢中的颠簸。它睁开双眼,好像一位被绑架的国王一样,眼中充满了难以遏制的愤怒。那个绑架它的家伙想掐住它的喉咙,但它的反应更快。它一口咬住那人的手,直到那人又一次将它勒到窒息而失去意识才松开。
“嘿,它疯了!”那人一边说,一边把被巴克咬得血肉模糊的手藏在身后,不让被撕咬声吸引过来的列车员看到。那人对列车员说:“我要把它带到旧金山交给老板,那里有内行的兽医能把它治好。”
到了旧金山滨海区一家酒馆后面的小茅屋里,他滔滔不绝地谈起这次夜间押运来。
“我一共才只赚了五十块,”他满腹牢骚地说,“不会干第二次,就算给我一千块现钱也不干。”
他的一只手缠着一块血迹斑斑的手帕,右侧裤腿从膝盖到脚踝全被撕烂了。
“那个家伙得了多少?”酒馆老板问道。
“一百,”他回答说,“少一分都不行,帮帮忙。”
“这么说要一百五喽。”老板盘算着,“这狗值这个价,不然我就是个傻瓜!”
那人解开血迹斑斑的手帕,看着自己被咬破的手说:“我不会得狂犬病吧?”
“那是你活该!”酒馆老板大笑起来。那人随后又说:“过来帮我一把,再把你的东西弄走。”
巴克感到昏昏沉沉的,喉咙和舌头都疼得难以忍受,脖子上的绳子快要把它勒死了。即便如此,它仍然勇敢地反抗折磨它的人。但是,它被一次又一次地摔倒在地上并被勒住喉咙,直到他们终于将一个沉重的黄铜颈圈套在它的脖子上。随后,绳子被撤下,它被扔进了一个笼子样的板条箱中。
巴克在板条箱里度过了剩下的漫漫长夜,抚慰自己的暴怒和受伤的自尊。它不理解这一切到底是为什么。这些陌生人要它干什么?他们为什么把它关在这个狭窄的板条箱里?它不知道原因,但它隐隐感觉到灾难即将来临,这种感觉压抑在它的心头。那天晚上,小屋的门咔嗒咔嗒地开了好几次,每一次听到声响,巴克都猛地站起来,期待能看到法官,或者起码看到那些孩子们。可惜每次出现的都是酒馆老板,在微弱的牛油烛光下,他那张胖脸正盯着它。巴克每次颤抖着发出的愉快叫声,又因失望而变成凶猛的嚎叫。
但酒馆老板并不理睬它。早晨来了四个人,抬起板条箱。巴克心想,更多的人要来折磨它了。因为这些人看上去都很凶恶,衣衫褴褛、邋里邋遢。透过板条箱的缝隙,它愤怒地朝他们咆哮。这些人只是笑笑,用棍子戳它。它敏捷地用牙齿攻击戳过来的棍子,后来它才反应过来这恰好是他们想要的反应,于是它只好趴下生闷气,任由他们把板条箱抬到一辆货车上。接着,它和那个装着它的板条箱就开始经多人之手被传来传去。快运公司的职员们接手了它,把它装进了另一辆货车里;一辆卡车载着它和很多箱子及包裹登上了一艘轮渡蒸汽船;再往后,它被卸下蒸汽船,扔进一间很大的铁路仓库中。最后,它被装上了一列邮政快车的车厢。
之后接连两天两夜里,这节车厢被尖声鸣叫的火车头拖着一路向前。巴克在这两天两夜中没吃没喝。暴怒之下,它一看到邮差就开始咆哮,而那些邮差则对它报以嘲弄。它不断地撞向板条箱,一边抖动,一边狂叫。他们看到它这副样子就继续嘲笑它,有的像那些讨人嫌的狗一样朝它狂吠,有的朝它学猫叫,有的扑腾着胳膊学公鸡叫。它觉着这些人真是傻透了,由此感到更加有损它的尊严,于是变得越来越愤怒。它不太在意饥饿,但没水喝却使它很痛苦,使它的怒火飙到了极点。高度紧张、极端敏感再加上恶劣的待遇使巴克发起了高烧,喉咙和舌头肿痛发炎使高烧变得越来越严重。
值得高兴的是,它脖子上那根能让那些折磨它的人占据上风的绳子被撤掉了。现在那玩意儿不在了,它要给这些人点颜色看看,它已经下定决心,绝不让他们再给它套上第二条绳子。在饱受痛苦煎熬、没吃没喝的两天两夜里,它的愤怒不断堆积,谁招惹它,都注定会倒霉。它的双眼布满血丝,变成一个愤怒的魔鬼。它的变化如此之大,大概连米勒法官本人都认不出它来了。邮差在西雅图把它送下火车之后,不由得长舒一口气。
最后,四个人小心谨慎地把板条箱从货车上抬了下来,抬进了一个四面都是高墙的不大的后院。一个穿着红毛衣、领子松松垮垮的壮汉走了出来,在车夫的签收簿上签了字。巴克预感他就是下一个要折磨它的人,于是用身体猛撞箱子的板条。那人阴狠狠地笑着,拿来一把斧子和一根大棒。
“你不是现在就要把它放出来吧?”司机问道。
“就是现在!”那人一边回答,一边用斧子砍板条箱以便把箱子撬开。
把它抬进来的那四个人见状立刻闪开,为了安全起见,他们都爬到了墙上,准备看场好戏。
巴克一头冲向那块劈开了的木头,用牙狠狠地咬住它,撕咬着。斧子落在箱子外面的哪个地方,它就在箱子里面冲到那里,咆哮着。穿红毛衣的人不紧不慢,打定主意要将它放出来,巴克则暴跳如雷地想早点出来。
当他在板条箱上开了个足够巴克出来口子时,他说道:“出来吧,你这个红了眼的魔鬼!”说着,他扔掉了斧子,把大棒换到了右手。
此时此刻,巴克真成了红眼魔鬼。它蜷起身体做好跃起的准备,浑身毛发竖起,嘴里泛着泡沫,布满血丝的眼睛里闪着疯狂的光。它那重达一百四十磅的身躯径直扑向那个人,想要发泄两天两夜来被压抑的愤怒。可是在半空中,当爪子要抓到那人时,它受到了重重一击,这一击阻止了它的进攻,牙齿也因为剧烈的震动而紧紧地咬在了一起。它的身子在空中一翻,侧仰着落在了地上。在此之前,它从没挨过大棒,也不知道那是怎么一回事。伴着一声凶狠却又更似尖叫的吼声,它重新站了起来。这次,它知道打它的那个东西是大棒,但是它内心的疯狂使它变得无所畏惧。它多次发起进攻,却都被大棒击退,一次又一次地跌倒在地。
在一次特别猛烈的打击之后,巴克蜷缩在地上,脑袋昏昏沉沉,再也无法发起冲击。但是,它还是一瘸一拐、摇摇晃晃地站了起来。血从它的鼻子、嘴巴和耳朵里流了出来,它美丽的皮毛溅满了斑斑血迹。这时,那人走上前来,又故意朝它的鼻子重重一击。这一次的疼痛钻心彻骨,可谓前所未有。巴克发出一声狮吼般的惨叫,再一次扑向这个人。可是,那人把大棒从右手换到了左手,狠狠地抓住它的下颚,同时使劲向后下方拧。只见巴克在空中转了整整一周,然后又转了个半周,最后头和胸朝下狠狠地摔在了地上。
巴克发起了最后一次攻击,而那个狡猾的家伙早已准备好使出最后一手。巴克这次彻底被打垮了,完全丧失了知觉。
此时,坐在墙上的某个人激动万分地喊着:“真是个训狗的行家呀!”
而车夫搭话说:“我宁可整天驯马,就算周日要驯两匹,也不干这个!”说着他上了马车,赶着马走了。
巴克恢复了意识,但全身还是没有一丝力气。它趴在原地,看着那个穿红毛衣的男人。
“‘巴克这个名字取得好。’”红毛衣一边读着酒馆老板写给他的货物托管单,一边自言自语。“好吧,巴克,我的孩子,”他用一种温和的语气说,“我们刚打了一架,这事儿算过去了。你已经弄清楚了你的地位,我也清楚我的。你要是能做一条听话的狗,那么一切都好,万事大吉;你要是做一条不听话的狗,我就得往死了打你,明白了吗?”
他说这话的时候大胆地用手轻拍巴克的头,毫不在意他刚刚残忍地殴打过它。虽然巴克的毛发在那只手触摸时不自觉地竖了起来,但它忍着没有反抗。之后,那人给它拿来了水,它迫不及待地喝了起来,后来那人又用手一块接一块地喂它生肉,它狼吞虎咽地吃着这慷慨的一餐。
巴克知道自己挨了揍,但是它没有被打垮。只此一次,它就明白了一点:面对拿着大棒的人,它是没有获胜的希望的。经过这次教训,它从此以后永远不会忘记。那根棍子是个启示,它由此懂得了原始的统治法则,在自己生命的半途明白了这一点。它感到生活的现实比这还要残酷,面对无法逃避的现实,它需要利用被唤醒的潜在的狡猾天性来应对。日子一天天地过去,又来了很多狗。它们有的被关在板条箱里,有的被绳子栓着;有的很温顺,有的则像它刚来时一样暴躁地咆哮着。它亲眼看着这些狗一个接着一个地惨遭那个穿红毛衣的人的毒手。在一遍又一遍地看到那些残忍的表演后,巴克把这一课牢记在心:拿着棒子的人是法律的制定者,是要服从的主人,但没必要和解。它见过很多挨过打的狗向这个人摇尾乞怜、舔着他的手,但它从没有这么做过。它也曾见过一只狗既不乞怜也不服从,在争夺自主权的斗争中被活活打死。从此以后,巴克再没有犯过错。
后来,时不时地总有陌生人出现。他们说话时很兴奋,还用尽各种方式讨好穿红毛衣的男人。每当此时,他们之间就有金钱的交易,陌生人走时就会带走一条或几条狗。巴克很想知道那些狗都去了哪里,但是它们再也没有回来。它对未来充满强烈的恐惧,每当自己没有被选中,它就会很高兴。
但是,终于还是轮到它了。选中它的是个干瘪的小个子男人,他的英语说得很烂,还用巴克听不懂的奇怪而粗俗的话在那喊叫。
“我的老天!”他喊道,目光停在巴克身上,“是条不错的大狗!呃,多少钱?”
“三百,多划算呀!”穿红毛衣的男人当即答道,“看看,这可是政府的钱,你不会再还价了,是不是,佩诺特?”
佩诺特咧嘴笑了笑。由于市场上狗供不应求,狗价已经一路飙升,这么好的一条狗,这个价钱还算公平。加拿大政府吃不了亏,以后他们派送公文可就快多了。佩诺特懂狗,他一眼就看出巴克是只千里挑一的好狗——“称得上万里挑一啊!”他在心里嘀咕着。
巴克又看见他们的金钱交易,所以当那条脾气很好的纽芬兰狗柯莉和它一起被这个小个子男人领走时,它一点儿都不感到吃惊。这是它最后一次见到穿红毛衣的男人。柯莉和它被送到一只叫纳威尔号的船上,之后它们在甲板上看着西雅图渐渐远去,这是它最后一次见到温暖的南方大地。柯莉和巴克被佩诺特带走后,又被转交给一个叫弗朗索瓦的黑脸大个子男人。佩诺特是一个法裔加拿大人,满脸黝黑;而弗朗索瓦则是个法裔加拿大的混血儿,他长得比佩诺特还要黑一倍。对巴克来说,这两个人都是另一种人(巴克一生注定要见到更多这样的人),它对他俩算不上亲近,但还是发自内心地尊敬他们。它很快就明白佩诺特和弗朗索瓦都是不错的人,他们理智冷静且公正无私,而且他们都非常懂狗,不会上狗的当。
在纳威尔号的甲板下,巴克和柯莉遇到了另外两条狗。这两条狗中,有一条块头很大、浑身雪白的狗,这家伙叫斯佩茨,是由一位捕鲸船船长从斯佩茨伯格群岛那里带来的,它曾经跟随地质探险队去过加拿大的北部荒原。
它貌似友好,实则很狡诈。每当它想耍阴谋诡计时,就会面带笑容。比方说,第一次吃饭时,它就偷吃了巴克的食物。当巴克跳起来要惩罚它时,弗朗索瓦的皮鞭在空中响起,先落在了这个偷食者的身上。然而,等到巴克拿回自己的食物时,食物也已经被吃得精光,只剩下骨头。巴克认为弗朗索瓦的做法很公正,于是这个混血儿在它心中的位置开始提升了。
另一条狗既不主动挑衅,也没受过挑衅,而且从不企图偷吃新来者的东西。它是一个忧郁而愁眉苦脸的家伙。它明确地向柯莉表示,自己只想单独待着,要是再去打搅它,可就要有麻烦了。它叫戴夫,每天只知道吃饭、睡觉、打哈欠,除此之外,兴趣全无,甚至当纳威尔号穿过加拿大西部夏洛特王后群岛时,船身受到震动而颠簸得厉害,它还是无动于衷。当时巴克和柯莉都焦躁不安,吓得近乎发狂,而戴夫只是像被惹恼了一样抬了抬头,用一种毫不关心的眼神看了它们一眼,打了个哈欠,就又睡觉去了。
纳威尔号夜以继日地在推进器不知疲倦的驱动下颠簸前进。虽然每天都很相似,但巴克还是感觉到了天气正不断变冷。最后,一天早晨,推进器突然停止了,整个纳威尔号沉浸在一种激动的气氛中。巴克和其他狗都感觉到了这一点,它们知道,变化就要发生了。
弗朗索瓦用皮带绑住它们,把它们带到了甲板上。刚一接触冰冷的甲板表面,巴克的脚就陷入了一种白色的、烂泥一样的东西当中。它喷了一下鼻子,向后跳了一步。天空中落下更多那种白色的东西。它抖了抖身子,可是又有更多落在了它的身上。它好奇地闻闻那东西,然后用舌头舔了舔。舌头犹如被火烫了一样刺痛,但那感觉随即又消失了。它感到很困惑,于是又试了一次,结果和刚才一样。旁观者哄然大笑起来,这让它感到很丢脸。它不知道为什么会这样,因为这是它第一次见到雪。
Buck's first day on the Dyea beach was like a nightmare. Every hour was filled with shock and surprise. He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial [1] . No lazy, sun-kissed life was this, with nothing to do but loaf [2] and be bored. Here was neither peace, nor rest, nor a moment's safety. All was confusion and action, and every moment life and limb were in peril [3] . There was imperative need to be constantly alert, for these dogs and men were not town dogs and men. They were savages, all of them, who knew no law but the law of club and fang.
He had never seen dogs fight as these wolfish creatures fought, and his first experience taught him an unforgettable lesson. It is true, it was a vicarious [4] experience, else he would not have lived to profit by it. Curly was the victim. They were camped near the log store, where she, in her friendly way, made advances to a husky [5] dog the size of a full-grown wolf, though not half so large as she. There was no warning, only a leap in like a flash, a metallic [6] clip of teeth, a leap out equally swift, and Curly's face was ripped open from eye to jaw.
It was the wolf manner of fighting, to strike and leap away; but there was more to it than this. Thirty or forty huskies ran to the spot and surrounded the combatants in an intent and silent circle. Buck did not comprehend that silent intentness, nor the eager way with which they were licking their chops. Curly rushed her antagonist [7] , who struck again and leaped aside. He met her next rush with his chest, in a peculiar fashion that tumbled her off her feet. She never regained them. This was what the onlooking huskies had waited for. They closed in upon her, snarling and yelping, and she was buried, screaming with agony, beneath the bristling mass of bodies.
So sudden was it, and so unexpected, that Buck was taken aback. He saw Spitz run out his scarlet tongue in a way he had of laughing; and he saw François, swinging an axe, spring into the mess of dogs. Three men with clubs were helping him to scatter them. It did not take long. Two minutes from the time Curly went down, the last of her assailants [8] were clubbed off . But she lay there limp and lifeless in the bloody, trampled [9] snow, almost literally torn to pieces, the swart half-breed standing over her and cursing horribly. The scene often came back to Buck to trouble him in his sleep. So that was the way. No fair play. Once down, that was the end of you. Well, he would see to it that he never went down. Spitz ran out his tongue and laughed again, and from that moment Buck hated him with a bitter and deathless hatred.
Before he had recovered from the shock caused by the tragic passing of Curly, he received another shock. François fastened upon him an arrangement of straps and buckles. It was a harness [10] , such as he had seen the grooms put on the horses at home. And as he had seen horses work, so he was set to work, hauling Francois on a sled to the forest that fringed [11] the valley, and returning with a load of firewood. Though his dignity was sorely hurt by thus being made a draught animal, he was too wise to rebel. He buckled down [12] with a will and did his best, though it was all new and strange. François was stern, demanding instant obedience, and by virtue of his whip receiving instant obedience; while Dave, who was an experienced wheeler, nipped [13] Buck's hind [14] quarters whenever he was in error. Spitz was the leader, likewise experienced, and while he could not always get at Buck, he growled sharp reproof [15] now and again, or cunningly threw his weight in the traces to jerk Buck into the way he should go. Buck learned easily, and under the combined tuition of his two mates and Francois made remarkable progress. Ere they returned to camp he knew enough to stop at “ho, ” to go ahead at“mush, ” to swing wide on the bends, and to keep clear of the wheeler when the loaded sled shot downhill at their heels.
“T'ree raid' good dogs, ” François, told Perrault. “Dat Buck, heem pool lak fury. I tich heem queek as anyt'ing.”
By afternoon, Perrault, who was in a hurry to be on the trail with his despatches [16] , returned with two more dogs. “Billee” and “Joe, ” he called them, two brothers, and true huskies both. Sons of the one mother though they were, they were as diff erent as day and night. Billee's one fault was his excessive good nature, while Joe was the very opposite, sour and introspective [17] , with a perpetual snarl and a malignant [18] eye. Buck received them in comradely [19] fashion, Dave ignored them, while Spitz proceeded to thrash [20] first one and then the other. Billee wagged his tail appeasingly, turned to run when he saw that appeasement was of no avail, and cried (still appeasingly) when Spitz's sharp teeth scored his flank [21] . But no matter how Spitz circled, Joe whirled around on his heels to face him, mane bristling, ears laid back, lips writhing and snarling, jaws clipping together as fast as he could snap, and eyes diabolically [22] gleaming — the incarnation [23] of belligerent [24] fear. So terrible was his appearance that Spitz was forced to forego [25] disciplining him; but to cover his own discomfiture [26] he turned upon the inoff ensive and wailing Billee and drove him to the confines of the camp.
By evening Perrault secured another dog, an old husky, long and lean and gaunt [27] , with a battle-scarred face and a single eye which flashed a warning of prowess [28] that commanded respect. He was called Sol-leks, which means the Angry One. Like Dave, he asked nothing, gave nothing, expected nothing: and when he marched slowly and deliberately into their midst, even Spitz left him alone. He had one peculiarity which Buck was unlucky enough to discover. He did not like to be approached on his blind side. Of this off ense Buck was unwittingly [29] guilty, and the first knowledge he had of his indiscretion [30] was when Sol-leks whirled upon him and slashed his shoulder to the bone for three inches up and down. Forever after Buck avoided his blind side, and to the last of their comradeship had no more trouble. His only apparent ambition, like Dave's, was to be left alone, though, as Buck was afterward to learn, each of them possessed one other and even more vital ambition.
That night Buck faced the great problem of sleeping. The tent, illuminated by a candle, glowed warmly in the midst of the white plain; and when he, as a matter of course, entered it, both Perrault and François bombarded [31] him with curses and cooking utensils [32] , till he recovered from his consternation [33] and fled ignominiously [34] into the outer cold. A chill wind was blowing that nipped him sharply and bit with especial venom [35] into his wounded shoulder. He lay down on the snow and attempted to sleep, but the frost soon drove him shivering to his feet. Miserable and disconsolate, he wandered about among the many tents, only to find that one place was as cold as another. Here and there savage dogs rushed upon him, but he bristled his neck hair and snarled (for he was learning fast), and they let him go his way unmolested [36] .
Finally an idea came to him. He would return and see how his own team mates were making out. To his astonishment, they had disappeared. Again he wandered about through the great camp, looking for them, and again he returned. Were they in the tent? No, that could not be, else he would not have been driven out. Then where could they possibly be? With drooping [37] tail and shivering body, very forlorn [38] indeed, he aimlessly circled the tent. Suddenly the snow gave way beneath his forelegs and he sank down. Something wriggled [39] under his feet. He sprang back, bristling and snarling, fearful of the unseen and unknown. But a friendly little yelp reassured him, and he went back to investigate. A whiff of warm air ascended to his nostrils, and there, curled up under the snow in a snug [40] ball, lay Billee. He whined [41] placatingly, squirmed [42] and wriggled to show his good will and intentions, and even ventured, as a bribe for peace, to lick Buck's face with his tongue.
Another lesson. So that was the way they did it, eh? Buck confidently selected a spot, and with much fuss and waste eff ort proceeded to dig a hole for himself. In a trice [43] the heat from his body filled the confined space and he was asleep. The day had been long and arduous [44] , and he slept soundly and comfortably, though he growled and barked and wrestled with bad dreams.
Nor did he open his eyes till roused by the noises of the waking camp. At first he did not know where he was. It had snowed during the night and he was completely buried. The snow walls pressed him on every side, and a great surge of fear swept through him — the fear of the wild thing for the trap. It was a token [45] that he was harking back through his own life to the lives of his forebears, for he was a civilized dog, an unduly [46] civilized dog and of his own experience knew no trap and so could not of himself fear it. The muscles of his whole body contracted spasmodically [47] and instinctively, the hair on his neck and shoulders stood on end, and with a ferocious snarl he bounded straight up into the blinding day, the snow flying about him in a flashing cloud. Ere he landed on his feet, he saw the white camp spread out before him and knew where he was and remembered all that had passed from the time he went for a stroll with Manuel to the hole he had dug for himself the night before.
A shout from François hailed his appearance. “Wot I say? ” the dog driver cried to Perrault. “Dat Buck for sure learn queek as anyt'ing.”
Perrault nodded gravely. As courier [48] for the Canadian Government, bearing important despatches, he was anxious to secure the best dogs, and he was particularly gladdened by the possession of Buck.
Three more huskies were added to the team inside an hour, making a total of nine, and before another quarter of an hour had passed they were in harness and swinging up the trail toward the Dyea Cation. Buck was glad to be gone, and though the work was hard he found he did not particularly despise it. He was surprised at the eagerness which animated the whole team and which was communicated to him; but still more surprising was the change wrought in Dave and Sol-leks. They were new dogs, utterly transformed by the harness. All passiveness and unconcern had dropped from them. They were alert and active, anxious that the work should go well, and fiercely irritable with whatever, by delay or confusion, retarded [49] that work. The toil of the traces seemed the supreme expression of their being, and all that they lived for and the only thing in which they took delight.
Dave was wheeler or sled dog, pulling in front of him was Buck, then came Sol-leks; the rest of the team was strung out ahead, single file, to the leader, which position was filled by Spitz.
Buck had been purposely placed between Dave and Sol-leks so that he might receive instruction. Apt scholar that he was, they were equally apt teachers, never allowing him to linger long in error, and enforcing their teaching with their sharp teeth. Dave was fair and very wise. He never nipped Buck without cause, and he never failed to nip him when he stood in need of it. As François' whip backed him up, Buck found it to be cheaper to mend his ways than to retaliate. Once, during a brief halt, when he got tangled in the traces and delayed the start, both Dave and Sol-leks flew at him and administered a sound trouncing [50] . The resulting tangle was even worse, but Buck took good care to keep the traces clear thereafter; and ere the day was done, so well had he mastered his work, his mates about ceased nagging [51] him. Francois' whip snapped less frequently, and Perrault even honored Buck by lifting up his feet and carefully examining them.
It was a hard day's run, up the Cation, through Sheep Camp, past the Scales and the timber [52] line, across glaciers [53] and snowdrifts [54] hundreds of feet deep, and over the great Chilcoot Divide, which stands between the salt water and the fresh and guards forbiddingly the sad and lonely North. They made good time down the chain of lakes which fills the craters of extinct volcanoes, and late that night pulled into the huge camp at the head of Lake Bennett, where thousands of goldseekers were building boats against the breakup of the ice in the spring. Buck made his hole in the snow and slept the sleep of the exhausted just, but all too early was routed out in the cold darkness and harnessed with his mates to the sled.
That day they made forty miles, the trail being packed; but the next day, and for many days to follow, they broke their own trail, worked harder, and made poorer time. As a rule, Perrault travelled ahead of the team, packing the snow with webbed shoes to make it easier for them. François, guiding the sled at the gee pole [55] , sometimes exchanged places with him but not often. Perrault was in a hurry, and he prided himself on his knowledge of ice, which knowledge was indispensable, for the fall ice was very thin, and where there was swift water, there was no ice at all.
Day after day, for days unending, Buck toiled in the traces. Always, they broke camp in the dark, and the first gray of dawn found them hitting the trail with fresh miles reeled of f [56] behind them. And always they pitched camp after dark, eating their bit of fish, and crawling to sleep into the snow. Buck was ravenous [57] . The pound and a half of sun-dried salmon [58] , which was his ration for each day, seemed to go no-where. He never had enough, and suff ered from perpetual hunger pangs [59] . Yet the other dogs, because they weighed less and were born to the life, received a pound only of the fish and managed to keep in good condition.
He swiftly lost the fastidiousness [60] which had characterized his old life. A dainty [61] eater, he found that his mates, finishing first, robbed him of his unfinished ration. There was no defending it. While he was fighting off two or three, it was disappearing down the throats of the others. To remedy this, he ate as fast as they; and, so greatly did hunger compel him, he was not above taking what did not belong to him. He watched and learned. When he saw Pike, one of the new dogs, a clever malingerer [62] and thief, slyly steal a slice of bacon when Perrault's back was turned, he duplicated the performance the following day, getting away with the whole chunk. A great uproar was raised, but he was unsuspected, while Dub, an awkward blunderer [63] who was always getting caught, was punished for Buck's misdeed.
This first theft marked Buck as fit to survive in the hostile Northland environment. It marked his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death. It marked, further, the decay or going to pieces of his moral nature, a vain thing and a handicap [64] in the ruthless struggle for existence. It was all well enough in the Southland, under the law of love and fellowship, to respect private property and personal feelings, but in the Northland, under the law of club and fang, whoso took such things into account was a fool, and in so far as he observed them he would fail to prosper.
Not that Buck reasoned it out. He was fit, that was all, and unconsciously he accommodated himself to the new mode of life. All his days, no matter what the odds, he had never run from a fight. But the club of the man in the red sweater had beaten into him a more fundamental and primitive code. Civilized, he could have died for a moral consideration, say the defence of Judge Miller's riding whip; but the completeness of his decivilization was now evidenced by his ability to flee from the defense of a moral consideration and so save his hide. He did not steal for joy of it, but because of the clamor [65] of his stomach. He did not rob openly, but stole secretly and cunningly, out of respect for club and fang. In short, the things he did were done because it was easier to do them than not to do them.
His development (or retrogression) was rapid. His muscles became hard as iron and he grew callous [66] to all ordinary pain. He achieved an internal as well as external economy. He could eat anything, no matter how loathsome [67] or indigestible; and, once eaten, the juices of his stomach extracted [68] the last least particle [69] of nutriment; and his blood carried it to the farthest reaches of his body, building it into the toughest and stoutest of tissues. Sight and scent became remarkably keen, while his hearing developed such acuteness that in his sleep he heard the faintest sound and knew whether it heralded [70] peace or peril. He learned to bite the ice out with his teeth when it collected between his toes; and when he was thirsty and there was a thick scum [71] of ice over the water hole, he would break it by rearing and striking it with stiff fore legs. His most conspicuous trait was an ability to scent the wind and forecast it a night in advance. No matter how breathless the air when he dug his nest by tree or bank, the wind that later blew inevitably found him to leeward [72] , sheltered and snug.
And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest, and killed their meat as they ran it down. It was no task for him to learn to fight with cut and slash and the quick wolf snap. In this manner had fought forgotten ancestors. They quickened the old life within him, and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks. They came to him without eff ort or discovery, as though they had been his always. And when, on the still cold nights, he pointed his nose at a star and howled long and wolflike, it was his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him. And his cadences [73] were their cadences, the cadences which voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the stillness, and the cold, and dark.
Thus, as token of what a puppet [74] thing life is the ancient song surged through him and he came into his own again; and he came because men had found a yellow metal in the North, and because Manuel was a gardener's helper whose wages did not lap over the needs of his wife and divers small copies of himself.
[1] primordial [praiˈmɔ:djəl] a. 原始的,最初的
[2] loaf [ləuf] v. 游荡,闲逛
[3] in peril 危亡,处于危险之中,冒着危险
[4] vicarious [viˈkɛəriəs] a. 通过他人的经验感受的
[5] husky [ˈhʌski] a. 爱斯基摩人的,因纽特人的
[6] metallic [miˈtælik] a. 像金属的,生硬的,(声音)刺耳的
[7] antagonist [ænˈtægənist] n. 对抗者,对手
[8] assailant [əˈseilənt] n. 攻击者,袭击者
[9] trample [ˈtræmpl] v. 踩,践踏,蹂躏
[10] harness [ˈha:nis] n. 马具,挽具
[11] fringe [frindʒ] v. 在……上装以缘饰,加穗于
[12] buckle down 倾全力,开始认真从事
[13] nip [nip] v. (紧紧)夹,掐,咬
[14] hind [haind] a. 后部的,后方的
[15] reproof [riˈpru:f] n. 谴责,斥责,责备
[16] despatch [diˈspætʃ] v. 派遣,发送
[17] introspective [ˌintrəuˈs-pektiv] a. 内省的,自省的,反省的
[18] malignant [məˈlignənt] a. 恶意的,恶毒的
[19] comradely [ˈkɔmridli] a. 同志式的,同志般的
[20] thrash [θræʃ] v. 猛烈摆动,连续拍击,扑打
[21] flank [flæŋk] n. (人或动物的)胁(部),胁腹
[22] diabolically [daiəˈbɔlikli] ad. 恶魔般地,非常恼人地
[23] incarnation [ˌinka:ˈneiʃ-ən] n. 化身,典型,具体
[24] belligerent [biˈlidʒərənt] a. 挑起战争的,好斗的,侵略性的
[25] forego [fɔ:ˈgəu] v. 放弃
[26] discomfiture [disˈkʌm-fitʃə] n. (计划、希望等的)受挫,挫折
[27] gaunt [gɔ:nt] a. 瘦削的,憔悴的
[28] prowess [ˈprauis] n. 英勇,勇猛
[29] unwittingly [ʌnˈwitiŋli] ad. 不知不觉地,不知情地,不经意地
[30] indiscretion [ˌin-disˈkreʃən] n. 不慎重,轻率,欠考虑
[31] bombard [bɔmˈba:d] v. 痛斥
[32] utensil [ju:ˈtensəl] n. 器皿,用具
[33] consternation [ˌkɔnstə-ˈneiʃən] n. 惊慌失措,惊恐
[34] ignominiously [ignəˈmi-niəsli] ad. 可耻地
[35] venom [ˈvenəm] n. (毒蛇、蜘蛛等动物分泌的)毒液
[36] unmolested [ʌnməˈlestid] a. 不受烦扰的,无麻烦的
[37] drooping [ˈdru:piŋ] a. 低垂的,下垂的
[38] forlorn [fəˈlɔ:n] a. 可怜的,悲惨的
[39] wriggle [ˈrigl] v. 蠕动,扭动
[40] snug [snʌg] a. 温暖的,舒适的,安逸的
[41] whine [hwain] v. 哭诉,哀诉
[42] squirm [skwə:m] v. 扭动,蠕动
[43] in a trice 转瞬间,转眼之间,立刻
[44] arduous [ˈa:djuəs] a. 困难的,费力的
[45] token [ˈtəukən] n. 标志,象征,记号
[46] unduly[ˌʌnˈdju:li] ad. 过分地,过度地
[47] spasmodically [spæzˈmɔdikli] ad. 断续性地,发作性地,痉挛性地
[48] courier [ˈku:riə] n. (通常指外交信件的)信使,急件递送人
[49] retard [riˈta:d] v. 使减速,使放慢,阻碍
[50] trounce [trauns] v. 痛打,鞭打
[51] nag [næg] v. 不停地唠叨,抱怨
[52] timber [ˈtimbə] n ( . 总称)树木,树林,森林
[53] glacier [ˈglæsjə] n. 冰河,冰川
[54] snowdrift [ˈsnəudrift] n. (被风吹成的)雪堆
[55] gee pole (狗拉雪橇的)方向杆
[56] reel off 流畅地讲,抽出,一口气说
[57] ravenous [ˈrævənəs] a. 贪婪的,渴望的,狼吞虎咽的
[58] salmon [ˈsæmən] n. 鲑鱼
[59] pang [pæŋ] n. (肉体上的)一阵剧痛
[60] fastidiousness [fæsˈtidiəsnis] n. 一丝不苟,严格
[61] dainty [ˈdeinti] a. (对衣食等)(爱)挑剔的,(吃穿)过分讲究的
[62] malingerer [məˈliŋgərə] n. 装病逃差者
[63] blunderer [ˈblʌndərə] n. 轻率粗心的人,犯愚蠢错误的人
[64] handicap [ˈhændikæp] n. 障碍,不利条件
[65] clamor [ˈklæmə] n. 喧闹,叫嚷,大声的要求
[66] callous [ˈkæləs] a. 硬结的,变硬的
[67] loathsome [ˈləuðsəm] a. 讨厌的,令人厌恶的
[68] extract [ikˈstrækt] v. (用力)取出,(使劲)拔出
[69] particle [ˈpa:tikl] n. 粒子,微粒
[70] herald [ˈherəld] v. 预告,宣布
[71] scum [skʌm] n. 渣滓,糟粕
[72] leeward [ˈli:wəd] a. 背风的,下风的
[73] cadence [ˈkeidəns] n. 韵律,声调,调子
[74] puppet [ˈpʌpit] n. 木偶,受他人操纵的人,傀儡