The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Son of the Wolf, by Jack London

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Title: The Son of the Wolf

Author: Jack London

Posting Date: March 1, 2009 [EBook #2377]
Release Date: October, 2000

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Son of the Wolf

Jack London

1900

Contains

The White Silence
The Son of the Wolf
The Men of Forty Mile
In a Far Country
To the Man on the Trail
The Priestly Prerogative
The Wisdom of the Trail
The Wife of a King
An Odyssey of the North

The White Silence

'Carmen won't last more than a couple of days.' Mason spat out a chunk
of ice and surveyed the poor animal ruefully, then put her foot in his
mouth and proceeded to bite out the ice which clustered cruelly between
the toes.

'I never saw a dog with a highfalutin' name that ever was worth a rap,'
he said, as he concluded his task and shoved her aside. 'They just fade
away and die under the responsibility. Did ye ever see one go wrong
with a sensible name like Cassiar, Siwash, or Husky? No, sir! Take a
look at Shookum here, he's--' Snap! The lean brute flashed up, the
white teeth just missing Mason's throat.

'Ye will, will ye?' A shrewd clout behind the ear with the butt of the
dog whip stretched the animal in the snow, quivering softly, a yellow
slaver dripping from its fangs.

'As I was saying, just look at Shookum here--he's got the spirit. Bet
ye he eats Carmen before the week's out.' 'I'll bank another
proposition against that,' replied Malemute Kid, reversing the frozen
bread placed before the fire to thaw. 'We'll eat Shookum before the
trip is over. What d'ye say, Ruth?' The Indian woman settled the coffee
with a piece of ice, glanced from Malemute Kid to her husband, then at
the dogs, but vouchsafed no reply. It was such a palpable truism that
none was necessary. Two hundred miles of unbroken trail in prospect,
with a scant six days' grub for themselves and none for the dogs, could
admit no other alternative. The two men and the woman grouped abou