The Call of the Wild: Selected Short Stories by Jack London

Chapter 15 The Call of the Wild (11)
After receiving Sandy's order, Booker's muscles swelled up, and he looked even stronger at this time.It lowered its head, kept its body leaning forward, and pulled the reins with all its strength.Its feet firmly grasped the ground, as strong as iron claws, and then, it stepped forward.

The snow path under his feet has been trampled extremely hard.Even so, after Booker passed by, there were still two straight lines left on the snow track, with deep grooves on the line one after another.

After Booker's unremitting efforts, the sled showed signs of loosening, and then slowly moved, and moved forward a little.But at this moment, Booker's foot slipped unintentionally.Who knows who also let out a scream.

The sled was too heavy, and suddenly leaned forward, and then trembled rapidly.From half an inch to an inch and then to two inches, it was about to fall over.At this critical moment, Booker held on tightly to the sled, thus stopping its momentum from continuing to move forward.The sled slowly got on track, and it went very smoothly.

Those onlookers took a deep breath, and only then did they realize that for such a long time, they didn't even bother to catch their breath.

Buck pulls the sled and walks on the snow track, Sandy follows behind to cheer for Buck.The two of them walked forward slowly, and the surrounding cheered, and the closer they got to the finish line, the louder the cheers became.The end of the race is the fire.When Booker passed the fire and stopped under Sandy's command, there was thunderous applause all around.

All the onlookers, including Matthews, were a little confused when they spoke due to excitement.At this time, the sky has become the world of hats and gloves.People were extremely happy, whether they knew each other or not, they shook hands with each other.They talked about each other's opinions and congratulated each other.

Sandy was so happy that she shed tears.He knelt beside Buck, leaned his head on Buck's head, and kept shaking Buck's body vigorously.

From time to time someone came to congratulate.They heard Sandy scolding Booker all the time. Although the language he used was not at all refined, his tone was full of affection.

"Brother!" The dog dealer Si Gukan was also very excited. He kept saying to Sandy: "I will buy this dog for 1000 yuan, brother! 1000 yuan! Brother! Then 1000 yuan and two hundred yuan !How about it?"

In the end, Sandy stood up with tears all over his face, and said to Sigukan: "Sir, I won't sell it for any amount of money! You can go away quickly! Besides, there is nothing more to say between us."

Here, Booker opened his mouth again and bit Sandy's hand hard, while Sandy kept shaking it, forward and backward.Seeing this scene, the onlookers left one by one.Now the two of them can celebrate as much as they want because those people won't bother them anymore.

(Chapter 7) The Call of the Wild
(Section [-]) Ancient Legends
The bet lasted only 5 minutes, but in such a short period of time, Booker won 600 yuan.Some of them are used by Sandy to pay off some debts, and the rest can make Sandy's dream possible to become a reality.Exploring the east is something Sandy has been wanting to do for several years, but due to various reasons, it has never been realized.

In Alaska, there is a story familiar to almost all gold diggers, that is, there is a gold mine in the east.As for the exact location of the gold mine, no one knows.However, it is said that the reserves of gold nuggets in that place are extremely rich, and the gold content of those gold nuggets is very high.The gold found in the north is precious enough, but compared with the gold here, the gap between them is simply too great.This gold mine has a long history, and it was born with Alaska.For so many years, countless people have dreamed of panning for gold, and they are constantly looking for its traces.However, there is no news so far to confirm whether anyone has actually discovered its exact location.What people heard were just rumors, and the most rumors were true, that is, those who were looking for them never returned.How was this gold mine discovered?Who was the first discoverer?No one knows these questions.However, people have heard that there are quite a few people who swear an oath to ensure that it is true until they die.They also told posterity that the gold mine was near a log cabin.The cabin is not only old, but crooked.If you find this log cabin, you can find a gold mine.All the legends about this gold mine are full of tragic color. While covering it with a veil of mystery, it also attracts more and more people.These people are full of dreams and want to find this gold mine back.

Sandy is rich now.This legend also attracted him, and he couldn't stay any longer after he had a material foundation, and immediately made a decision to go to the east to explore.So, he, Pete, Hansen and Booker set off together.Their team can also be said to have a huge lineup, but they have taken an unknown path.They headed east, where everything was unpredictable for them.

After harnessing the sledge, they drove on and on, covering seventy miles in a row.They crossed the Yukong River first, then turned left to the Stewart River and walked up the river bank.Mayo and McKesson are both on the banks of the Stewart River.The upper reaches of the Stewart River are some great mountains.After turning over one by one, they continued to head east.

After living in the wild for many years, Sandy not only has great endurance, but also his courage is very accessible.The environment in the wilderness area is very desolate, and no one lives here at all.However, Sandy has no fear, let alone give up moving forward.If he used to walk alone in the wilderness, all he needed was a pinch of salt and a shotgun.At that time, it was up to him to decide where he wanted to go or how long he stayed.That kind of life is not only leisurely and contented, but also unfettered.

Living in such an environment, he learned another way of life, that is to hunt on the go and feed on the prey.This way of life is unique to Indians.Sometimes Sandy doesn't let his trip be interrupted even if he can't find food to satisfy his hunger.Judging from past experience, he was confident in finding food.On this trip, he also used the same method, looking for prey while heading east with his companions.Although their daily food is very simple, they carry ammunition and tools with them. Even if their trip is delayed, even if it is infinitely long, they don't have to worry about the lack of equipment.

Sometimes they walk for weeks without a break, and other times they stay in the same place for weeks.

Whenever they stopped, Sandy and his two friends ran around, taking tools to make holes, and when they were done, they first roasted the useless ice off the outside.Then, while the heat from the flames had not completely dissipated, they began to wash away the dirt, plate after plate.Booker and they wandered around.

It was luck for them to fill their bellies throughout the journey.If they're lucky, they can hunt down a decent amount of food and eat their fill.If they were unlucky, they would not get food and would have to starve.

They hunted and fished along the way.Booker is very satisfied with this way of life.Every day, it lives in joy.

time flies.They braved the wind and snow and walked through countless watersheds.They also trembled when they climbed to the top of the snow-capped mountain that never melted all year round.However, these difficulties and obstacles did not stop them from moving forward.

Winter is over and summer is coming soon.In this season, the water in the river is flowing.Sandy and the others carried sleds and other tools behind their backs, and used rafts as a means of transportation.Sometimes there are lakes in the mountains, and the water inside is as blue as a clear sky.When they encountered a fast-flowing creek, they would rebuild a sturdy wooden boat.Then they took boats, up or down the current.

Relying on this method, they left one unknown river after another behind.

Lucky things happen from time to time, and they have encountered them.That time, they came to a valley where mosquitoes and flies were overwhelming.However, when they came to a remote and cool place, they saw flowers and strawberries.These flowers and strawberries are very pretty, just like the ones in the south.

In autumn, they came to a place dense with lakes.Those lakes are amazing.The water of the lake is blue, and the snow-capped mountains next to it are reflected in the water, which makes people feel lonely when they see it.Wild beasts might have congregated in this place, but now there was nothing but the sound of the wind and the lapping of the waves against the shore, let alone life.

The year passed quickly.The next winter, they were walking along a path when they saw many tracks.Although these footprints were intermittent, they were still pleasantly surprised.Because it fully shows that someone has walked here.So, they concentrated their energy on finding out the whereabouts of those who left these traces.

They had another similar experience.At that time, they saw a path in a dense wood, and it seemed that someone had walked on it.They were very happy and chased down the path.They felt that the cabin was nearby.However, they were disappointed again, because the path was not clear at all, making it unpredictable.

Another time, they stumbled across a cabin.The house was built for hunting, and it was old and shabby.There was a pile of blankets in the room, but they were rotten to pieces.Among the debris, Sandy found a gun.The gun was a flintlock with a long barrel.

For the origin and value of such a gun, Sandy knew very well.It was produced by the Hudson's Bay Company as a special gun for the early pioneers of the Northwest.Had the gun been there at that time, it would have been worth as much as a pile of sea otter hides laid flat, and the pile of sea otter hides was as high as the gun.

Disappointed that there were only these blankets and this gun in the hut, they went on.

Thus, their wandering life began again.

From winter to spring, they just walked aimlessly like this.On this day, they came to a valley.The area of ​​this valley is very large. There is a small stream at the bottom of the valley. The water flows slowly.Inadvertently, Hansen saw this golden light, and immediately called Sandy and Pete.The three of them were very excited, so they went down to pan for gold together.

To their surprise, what they picked up with the gold pan was indeed gold!
This result made them very excited. As for the legendary cabin, they no longer intend to search for it.

After making this decision, they set up camp by the small river and stayed there.Their daily work is to wash the sand and filter out the gold.Then they divided the clean gold into buckskin bags of fifty pounds each.Once packed, they stacked the bags by the side of the shed like firewood.

(Section [-]) Encounters with wolves

Time passed quickly, and their treasure piled up higher and higher, like a hill.

The dogs have had nothing to do since they stopped.Their only job is to haul the prey after Sandy has killed it.But even this work is done occasionally.In this way, Booker has a lot of free time.These hours, it is spent by the fire.Whenever this time, it will imagine, let the thoughts fly.

In the imagination, it broke away from the current life and walked aimlessly in another world, with constant roars coming from its ears.The voice came from very far away, as if calling it.Booker was both scared and happy about this sound, but he couldn't figure out why he felt happy.The natural wildness is hidden in the bottom of Booker's heart, and under this call, it keeps beating, as if it is about to burst out.

Many times, under the control of the subconscious, Booker will follow this sound and run towards the forest.There are mosses and grasses in the forest, those mosses are cold, but the grasses are a lush scene.Once inside, Buck's nose stuck to the moss or stuck in the grass.The soil on the ground was very fertile, and Booker was in a good mood when he smelled the smell from them.Of course, it doesn't do this every time, and sometimes, it behaves like a hunter.Many trees in the forest were either covered by fungus or fell to the ground. Booker used these trees as a cover to pay attention to every move around him, and he would not move for several hours, as if he was hunting some animals. .That voice was so mysterious that Booker planned to scare it once.What is the reason for this?Booker himself didn't know.It just feels a force controlling itself, but it has no way to resist.Under the control of this kind of power, I became inexplicable, so that I did those things, and repeated them over and over again.

Under the sunshine, what Booker often does is lie on the ground and doze off.Sometimes, however, it suddenly raises its head and its ears stand erect.After listening intently, it jumped up, and then ran away at a fast speed as if it was chasing something.It ran near the forest, crossed the path, and emerged from the grass and bushes in the field.It ran like this, it would not stop for hours, and it even forgot to be tired.

The river stretches long.Running along the bank made Booker very happy.At the same time, it also likes to sneak up on birds in the woods.But once it went in, it didn't do anything, just lay down in the bushes for a whole day.It carefully observed the pheasants in the woods, and saw them beating non-stop, very happy.

But what it loves most is running in the moonlight, especially on summer nights.The moonlight was very bright at that time, and when I was running, I could hear the voices in the forest, the voices were numerous and mixed, like talking in sleep, and also seemed to be noisy.It listens very carefully to every sound.It is constantly searching, wanting to find that mysterious calling sound.

One night, Booker woke up suddenly.Its eyes are bright, full of longing.Its nostrils opened and closed, trembling constantly.And the hair all over his body stood on end.

That call came from the forest, and it was the first time that it reached Booker's ears so clearly.It was a howling sound, drawn out for a long time, and at first glance, it sounded a little like the howling of an husky.But it's different when you listen carefully.The camp was silent at this time.Booker ran towards the forest, and after a while, its figure disappeared into the forest.

After passing through the woods, Booker was very careful and slowed down.The call was getting closer and closer.At last it came to the middle of the jungle, where there was a large clearing, and in the clearing sat a wild wolf with a long, thin body.It was straightening up, roaring loudly into the night sky.

Even though Booker was cautious and didn't make a sound as he moved forward, his approach still made the wild wolf notice it.Its barking stopped, its ears pricked up, and its eyes scanned its surroundings to see if anything was really going on.Although Booker saw the wolf's reaction, he still didn't stop.It tightened its body, straightened its tail, and walked towards the wild wolf.Its expression was very complicated, like a threat, but it didn't seem like it wanted to conflict with that wild wolf.

What surprised Booker was that the wild wolf turned around and ran forward immediately after seeing him.It didn't matter that it ran, but it inspired Booker's natural wildness.So, Booker took a big step and chased after him at a flying speed.It seemed to be crazy, running and jumping non-stop, trying to catch the wild wolf.

Pressed by Booker, the wild wolf ran into a ravine.This ravine was originally a small stream, but now it is filled with a large pile of trees.Now, the wild wolf couldn't continue to run forward.

Seeing that the road was blocked, the wild wolf, like the husky that was trapped before, turned around with its hind legs as a support point and turned around.I saw it bristling its hair, its teeth chattering, and then roaring like Buck rushed over, angry and fierce.However, to its surprise, Booker did not fight back, but circled around it.

Booker's attitude made the wild wolf a little confused.Compared with Booker, the wild wolf has no advantage in terms of size or weight.It was puzzled and frightened, so it seized the opportunity and ran out with all its might.

Booker chased after him, and the tug-of-war was played out again.

During this period, the wild wolf was trapped more than once.But as long as Booker relaxes his vigilance a little, it will break out.In this pursuit, the strength of the wild wolf was exhausted.Buck caught up with it, but even with Buck's nose on its neck, it couldn't move.

But to the wild wolf's surprise, Booker didn't want to hurt himself.So, it sniffed Booker's nose with its nose to express its inner joy.In the end, they became good friends, and they chased each other and played very happily.

After a while, the wild wolf was about to leave.It expressed its willingness to Booker, and at the same time invited Booker to move forward together.Booker readily accepted.So, they set off.

The clear moonlight fell on the earth, which was a bit lonely and self-admiring.They ran under the moonlight, ran across the small river, came to a watershed, crossed the relatively gentle slope above, and walked to a field.The field was very wide, and there were not only many luxuriant woods on it, but also many streams.They ran in fearlessly.Pieces of woods were left behind.

(End of this chapter)