When John Thornton froze his feet in the previous December, his partners had made him comfortable and left him to get well, going on themselves up the river to get out a raft of saw-logs for Dawson. He was still limping slightly at the time he rescued Buck, but with the continued warm weather even the slight limp left him. And here, lying by the river bank through the long spring days, watching the running water, listening lazily to the songs of birds and the hum of nature, Buck slowly won back his strength.

A rest comes very good after one has traveled three thousand miles, and it must be confessed that Buck waxed lazy as his wounds healed, his muscles swelled out, and the flesh came back to cover his bones. For that matter, they were all loafing, -Buck, John Thornton, and Skeet and Nig-waiting for the raft to come that was to carry them down to Dawson. Skeet was a little Irish setter who early made friends with Buck, who, in a dying condition, was unable to resent her first advances. She had the doctor trait which some dogs possess; and as a mother cat washes her kittens, so she washed and cleansed Buck's wounds. Regularly, each morning after he had finished his breakfast, she performed her self-appointed task, till he came to look for her ministrations as much as he did for Thornton's. Nig, equally friendly though less demonstrative, was a huge black dog, half-bloodhound and half-deerhound, with eyes that laughed and a boundless good nature.

To Buck's surprise these dogs manifested no jealousy toward him. They seemed to share the kindliness and largeness of John Thornton. As Buck grew stronger they enticed him into all sorts of ridiculous games, in which Thornton himself could not forbear to join; and in this fashion Buck romped through his convalescence and into a new existence. Love, genuine passionate love, was his for the first time. This he had never experienced at Judge Miller's down in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley. With the Judge's sons, hunting and tramping, it had been a working partnership; with the Judge's grandsons, a sort of pompous guardianship; and with the Judge himself, a stately and dignified friendship. But love that was feverish and burning, that was adoration, that was madness, it had taken John Thornton to arouse.

This man had saved his life, which was something; but, further, he was the ideal master. Other men saw to the welfare of their dogs from a sense of duty and business expediency;he saw to the welfare of his as if they were his own children, because he could not help it. And he saw further. He never forgot a kindly greeting or a cheering word, and to sit down for a long talk with them-“gas”he called it-was as much his delight as theirs. He had a way of taking Buck's head roughly between his hands, and resting his own head upon Buck's, of shaking him back and forth, the while calling him ill names that to Buck were love names. Buck knew no greater joy than that rough embrace and the sound of murmured oaths, and at each jerk back and forth it seemed that his heart would be shaken out of his body, so great was its ecstasy. And when, released, he sprang to his feet, his mouth laughing, his eyes eloquent, his throat vibrant with unuttered sound, and in that fashion remained without movement, John Thornton would reverently exclaim,“God! you can all but speak!”

Buck had a trick of love expression that was akin to hurt. He would often seize Thornton's hand in his mouth and close so fiercely that the flesh bore the impress of his teeth for some time afterward. And as Buck understood the oaths to be love words, so the man understood this feigned bite for a caress.

For the most part, however, Buck's love was expressed in adoration. While he went wild with happiness when Thornton touched him or spoke to him, he did not seek these tokens. Unlike Skeet, who was wont to shove her nose under Thornton's hand and nudge and nudge till petted, or Nig, who would stalk up and rest his great head on Thornton's knee, Buck was content to adore at a distance. He would lie by the hour, eager, alert, at Thornton's feet, looking up into his face, dwelling upon it, studying it, following with keenest interest each fleeting expression, every movement or change of feature. Or, as chance might have it, he would lie farther away, to the side or rear, watching the outlines of the man and the occasional movements of his body. And often, such was the communion in which they lived, the strength of Buck's gaze would draw John Thornton's head around, and he would return the gaze, without speech, his heart shining out of his eyes as Buck's heart shone out.

For a long time after his rescue, Buck did not like Thornton to get out of his sight. From the moment he left the tent to when he entered it again, Buck would follow at his heels. His transient masters since he had come into the Northland had bred in him a fear that no master could be permanent. He was afraid that Thornton would pass out of his life as Perrault and Francois and the Scotch half-breed had passed out. Even in the night, in his dreams, he was haunted by this fear. At such times he would shake off sleep and creep through the chill to the flap of the tent, where he would stand and listen to the sound of his master's breathing.

But in spite of this great love he bore John Thornton, which seemed to bespeak the soft civilizing influence, the strain of the primitive, which the Northland had aroused in him, remained alive and active. Faithfulness and devotion, things born of fire and roof, were his; yet he retained his wildness and wiliness. He was a thing of the wild, come in from the wild to sit by John Thornton's fire, rather than a dog of the soft Southland stamped with the marks of generations of civilization. Because of his very great love, he could not steal from this man, but from any other man, in any other camp, he did not hesitate an instant;while the cunning with which he stole enabled him to escape detection.

His face and body were scored by the teeth of many dogs, and he fought as fiercely as ever and more shrewdly. Skeet and Nig were too good-natured for quarreling-besides, they belonged to John Thornton; but the strange dog, no matter what the breed or valor, swiftly acknowledged Buck's supremacy or found himself struggling for life with a terrible antagonist. And Buck was merciless. He had learned well the law of club and fang, and he never forewent an advantage or drew back from a foe he had started on the way to death. He had lessoned from Spitz, and from the chief fighting dogs of the police and mail, and knew there was no middle course. He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness. Mercy did not exist in the primordial life. It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law; and this mandate, down out of the depths of Time, he obeyed.

He was older than the days he had seen and the breaths he had drawn. He linked the past with the present, and the eternity behind him throbbed through him in a mighty rhythm to which he swayed as the tides and seasons swayed. He sat by John Thornton's fire, a broad-breasted dog, white-fanged and long-furred; but behind him were the shades of all manner of dogs, half wolves and wild wolves, urgent and prompting, tasting the savor of the meat he ate, thirsting for the water he drank, scenting the wind with him, listening with him and telling him the sounds made by the wild life in the forest; dictating his moods, directing his actions, lying down to sleep with him when he lay down, and dreaming with him and beyond him and becoming themselves the stuff of his dreams.

So peremptorily did these shades beckon him, that each day mankind and the claims of mankind slipped farther from him. Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it, and to plunge into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call sounding imperiously, deep in the forest. But as often as he gained the soft unbroken earth and the green shade, the love for John Thornton drew him back to the fire again.

Thornton alone held him. The rest of mankind was as nothing. Chance travelers might praise or pet him; but he was cold under it all, and from a too demonstrative man he would get up and walk away. When Thornton's partners, Hans and Pete, arrived on the long-expected raft, Buck refused to notice them till he learned they were close to Thornton;after that he tolerated them in a passive sort of way, accepting favors from them as though he favored them by accepting. They were of the same large type as Thornton, living close to the earth, thinking simply and seeing clearly; and ere they swung the raft into the big eddy by the saw-mill at Dawson, they understood Buck and his ways, and did not insist upon an intimacy such as obtained with Skeet and Nig.

For Thornton, however, his love seemed to grow and grow. He, alone among men, could put a pack upon Buck's back in the summer traveling. Nothing was too great for Buck to do, when Thornton commanded. One day (they had grub-staked themselves from the proceeds of the raft and left Dawson for the head waters of the Tanana) the men and dogs were sitting on the crest of a cliff which fell away, straight down, to naked bedrock three hundred feet below. John Thornton was sitting near the edge, Buck at his shoulder. A thoughtless whim seized Thornton, and he drew the attention of Hans and Pete to the experiment he had in mind.“Jump, Buck!”he commanded, sweeping his arm out and over the chasm. The next instant he was grappling with Buck on the extreme edge, while Hans and Pete were dragging them back into safety.

“It's uncanny,”Pete said, after it was over and they had caught their speech.

Thornton shook his head.“No, it is splendid, and it is terrible, too. Do you know, it sometimes makes me afraid.”

“I'm not hankering to be the man that lays hands on you while he's around,”Pete announced conclusively, nodding his head toward Buck.

“Py Jingo!”was Hans's contribution.“Not mineself either.”

It was at Circle City, ere the year was out, that Pete's apprehensions were realized.“Black”Burton, a man evil tempered and malicious, had been picking a quarrel with a tenderfoot at the bar, when Thornton stepped good naturedly between. Buck, as was his custom, was lying in a corner, head on paws, watching his master's every action. Burton struck out, without warning, straight from the shoulder. Thornton was sent spinning, and saved himself from falling only by clutching the rail of the bar.

Those who were looking on heard what was neither bark nor yelp, but a something which is best described as a roar, and they saw Buck's body rise up in the air as he left the floor for Burton's throat. The man saved his life by instinctively throwing out his arm, but was hurled backward to the floor with Buck on top of him. Buck loosed his teeth from the flesh of the arm and drove in again for the throat. This time the man succeeded only in partly blocking, and his throat was torn open. Then the crowd was upon Buck, and he was driven off; but while a surgeon checked the bleeding, he prowled up and down, growling furiously, attempting to rush in, and being forced back by an array of hostile clubs. A“miners’meeting”called on the spot, decided that the dog had sufficient provocation, and Buck was discharged. But his reputation was made, and from that day his name spread through every camp in Alaska.

Later on, in the fall of the year, he saved John Thornton's life in quite another fashion. The three partners were lining a long and narrow poling boat down a bad stretch of rapids on the Forty Mile Creek. Hans and Pete moved along the bank, snubbing with a thin Manila rope from tree to tree, while Thornton remained in the boat, helping its descent by means of a pole, and shouting directions to the shore. Buck, on the bank, worried and anxious, kept abreast of the boat, his eyes never off his master.

At a particularly bad spot, where a ledge of barely submerged rocks jutted out into the river, Hans cast off the rope, and, while Thornton poled the boat out into the stream, ran down the bank with the end in his hand to snub the boat when it had cleared the ledge. This it did, and was flying down-stream in a current as swift as a mill-race, when Hans checked it with the rope and checked too suddenly. The boat flirted over and snubbed in to the bank bottom up, while Thornton, flung sheer out of it, was carried down-stream toward the worst part of the rapids, a stretch of wild water in which no swimmer could live.

Buck had sprung in on the instant; and at the end of three hundred yards, amid a mad swirl of water, he over-hauled Thornton. When he felt him grasp his tail, Buck headed for the bank, swimming with all his splendid strength. But the progress shoreward was slow;the progress down-stream amazingly rapid. From below came the fatal roaring where the wild current went wilder and was rent in shreds and spray by the rocks which thrust through like the teeth of an enormous comb. The suck of the water as it took the beginning of the last steep pitch was frightful, and Thornton knew that the shore was impossible. He scraped furiously over a rock, bruised across a second, and struck a third with crushing force. He clutched its slippery top with both hands, releasing Buck, and above the roar of the churning water shouted:“Go, Buck! Go!”

Buck could not hold his own, and swept on downstream, struggling desperately, but unable to win back. When he heard Thornton's command repeated, he partly reared out of the water, throwing his head high, as though for a last look, then turned obediently toward the bank. He swam powerfully and was dragged ashore by Pete and Hans at the very point where swimming ceased to be possible and destruction began.

They knew that the time a man could cling to a slippery rock in the face of that driving current was a matter of minutes, and they ran as fast as they could up the bank to a point far above where Thornton was hanging on. They attached the line with which they had been snubbing the boat to Buck's neck and shoulders, being careful that it should neither strangle him nor impede his swimming, and launched him into the stream. He struck out boldly, but not straight enough into the stream. He discovered the mistake too late, when Thornton was abreast of him and a bare half-dozen strokes away while he was being carried helplessly past.

Hans promptly snubbed with the rope, as though Buck were a boat. The rope thus tightening on him in the sweep of the current, he was jerked under the surface, and under the surface he remained till his body struck against the bank and he was hauled out. He was half drowned, and Hans and Pete threw themselves upon him, pounding the breath into him and the water out of him. He staggered to his feet and fell down. The faint sound of Thornton's voice came to them, and though they could not make out the words of it, they knew that he was in his extremity. His master's voice acted on Buck like an electric shock. He sprang to his feet and ran up the bank ahead of the men to the point of his previous departure.

Again the rope was attached and he was launched, and again he struck out, but this time straight into the stream. He had miscalculated once, but he would not be guilty of it a second time. Hans paid out the rope, permitting no slack, while Pete kept it clear of coils. Buck held on till he was on a line straight above Thornton; then he turned, and with the speed of an express train headed down upon him. Thornton saw him coming, and, as Buck struck him like a battering ram, with the whole force of the current behind him, he reached up and closed with both arms around the shaggy neck. Hans snubbed the rope around the tree, and Buck and Thornton were jerked under the water. Strangling, suffocating, sometimes one uppermost and sometimes the other, dragging over the jagged bottom, smashing against rocks and snags, they veered in to the bank.

Thornton came to, belly downward and being violently propelled back and forth across a drift log by Hans and Pete. His first glance was for Buck, over whose limp and apparently lifeless body Nig was setting up a howl, while Skeet was licking the wet face and closed eyes. Thornton was himself bruised and battered, and he went carefully over Buck's body, when he had been brought around, finding three broken ribs.

“That settles it,”he announced.“We camp right here.”And camp they did, till Buck's ribs knitted and he was able to travel.

That winter, at Dawson, Buck performed another exploit, not so heroic perhaps, but one that puts his name many notches higher on the totem pole of Alaskan fame. This exploit was particularly gratifying to the three men; for they stood in need of the outfit which it furnished, and were enabled to make a long-desired trip into the virgin East, where miners had not yet appeared. It was brought about by a conversation in the Eldorado Saloon, in which men waxed boastful of their favorite dogs. Buck, because of his record, was the target for these men, and Thornton was driven stoutly to defend him. At the end of half an hour one man stated that his dog could start a sled with five hundred pounds and walk off with it; a second bragged six hundred for his dog; and a third, seven hundred.

“Pooh! Pooh!”said John Thornton.“Buck can start a thousand pounds.”

“And break it out, and walk off with it for a hundred yards?”demanded Matthewson, a Bonanza king, he of the seven hundred vaunt.

“And break it out, and walk off with it for a hundred yards,”John Thornton said cooly.

“Well,”Matthewson said, slowly and deliberately, so that all could hear,“I've got a thousand dollars that says he can't. And there it is.”So saying, he slammed a sack of gold dust of the size of a bologna sausage down upon the bar.

Nobody spoke. Thornton's bluff, if bluff it was, had been called. He could feel a flush of warm blood creeping up his face. His tongue had tricked him. He did not know whether Buck could start a thousand pounds. Half a ton! The enormousness of it appalled him. He had great faith in Buck's strength and had often thought him capable of starting such a load; but never, as now, had he faced the possibility of it, the eyes of a dozen men fixed upon him, silent and waiting. Further, he had no thousand dollars; nor had Hans and Pete.

“I've got a sled standing outside now, with twenty fifty-pound sacks of flour on it,”Matthewson went on with brutal directness;“so don't let that hinder you.”

Thornton did not reply. He did not know what to say. He glanced from face to face in the absent way of a man who has lost the power of thought and is seeking somewhere to find the thing that will start it going again. The face of Jim O'Brien, a Mastodon king and old-time comrade, caught his eyes. It was a cue to him, seeming to rouse him to do what he would never have dreamed of doing.

“Can you lend me a thousand?”he asked, almost in a whisper.

“Sure,”answered O'Brien, thumping down a plethoric sack by the side of Matthewson's.“Though it's little faith I'm having, John, that the beast can do the trick.”

The Eldorado emptied its occupants into the street to see the test. The tables were deserted, and the dealers and gamekeepers came forth to see the outcome of the wager and to lay odds. Several hundred men, furred and mittened, banked around the sled within easy distance. Matthewson's sled, loaded with a thousand pounds of flour, had been standing for a couple of hours, and in the intense cold-it was sixty below zero-the runners had frozen fast to the hard-packed snow. Men offered odds of two to one that Buck could not budge the sled. A quibble arose concerning the phrase“break out.”O(jiān)'Brien contended it was Thornton's privilege to knock the runners loose, leaving Buck to“break it out”from a dead standstill. Matthewson insisted that the phrase included breaking the runners from the frozen grip of the snow. A majority of the men who had witnessed the making of the bet decided in his favor, whereat the odds went up to three to one against Buck.

There were no takers. Not a man believed him capable of the feat. Thornton had been hurried into the wager, heavy with doubt; and now that he looked at the sled itself, the concrete fact, with the regular team of ten dogs curled up in the snow before it, the more impossible the task appeared. Matthewson waxed jubilant.

“Three to one!”he proclaimed.“I'll lay you another thousand at that figure, Thornton, what do you say?”

Thornton's doubt was strong in his face, but his fighting spirit was aroused-the fighting spirit that soars above odds, fails to recognize the impossible, and is deaf to all save the clamor for battle. He called Hans and Pete to him. Their sacks were slim, and with his own the three partners could rake together only two hundred dollars. In the ebb of their fortunes, this sum was their total capital; yet they laid it unhesitatingly against Matthewson's six hundred.

The team of ten dogs was unhitched, and Buck, with his own harness, was put into the sled. He had caught the contagion of the excitement, and he felt that in some way he must do a great thing for John Thornton. Murmurs of admiration at his splendid appearance went up. He was in perfect condition, without an ounce of superfluous flesh, and the one hundred and fifty pounds that he weighed were so many pounds of grit and virility. His furry coat shone with the sheen of silk. Down the neck and across the shoulders, his mane, in repose as it was, half bristled and seemed to lift with every movement, as though excess of vigor made each particular hair alive and active. The great breast and heavy fore legs were no more than in proportion with the rest of his body, where the muscles showed in tight rolls underneath the skin. Men felt these muscles and proclaimed them hard as iron, and the odds went down to two to one.

“Gad, sir! Gad, sir!”stuttered a member of the latest dynasty, a king of the Skookum Benches.“I offer you eight hundred for him, sir, before the test; eight hundred just as he stands.”

Thornton shook his head and stepped over to Buck's side.

“You must stand off from him,”Matthewson protested.“Free play and plenty of room.”

The crowd fell silent; only could be heard the voices of the gamblers vainly offering two to one. Everybody acknowledged Buck a magnificent animal, but twenty fifty-pound sacks of flour bulked too large in their eyes for them to loosen their pouch strings.

Thornton knelt down by Buck's side. He took his head in his hands and rested cheek on cheek. He did not playfully shake him, as was his wont, or murmur soft love curses; but he whispered in his ear.“As you love me, Buck. As you love me,”was what he whispered. Buck whined with suppressed eagerness.

The crowd was watching curiously. The affair was growing mysterious. It seemed like a conjuration. As Thornton got to his feet, Buck seized his mittened hand between his jaws, pressing in with his teeth and releasing slowly, half-reluctantly. It was the answer, in terms, not of speech, but of love. Thornton stepped well back.

“Now, Buck,”he said.

Buck tightened the traces, then slacked them for a matter of several inches. It was the way he had learned.

“Gee!”Thornton's voice rang out, sharp in the tense silence.

Buck swung to the right, ending the movement in a plunge that took up the slack and with a sudden jerk arrested his one hundred and fifty pounds. The load quivered, and from under the runners arose a crisp crackling.

“Haw!”Thornton commanded.

Buck duplicated the maneuver, this time to the left. The crackling turned into a snapping, the sled pivoting and the runners slipping and grating several inches to the side. The sled was broken out. Men were holding their breaths, intensely unconscious of the fact.

“Now, MUSH!”

Thornton's command cracked out like a pistol shot. Buck threw himself forward, tightening the traces with a jarring lunge. His whole body was gathered compactly together in the tremendous effort, the muscles writhing and knotting like live things under the silky fur. His great chest was low to the ground, his head forward and down, while his feet were flying like mad, the claws scarring the hard-packed snow in parallel grooves. The sled swayed and trembled, half-started forward. One of his feet slipped, and one man groaned aloud. The sled lurched ahead in what appeared a rapid succession of jerks, though it never really came to a dead stop again … half an inch…an inch…two inches…The jerks perceptibly diminished; as the sled gained momentum, he caught them up, till it was moving steadily along.

Men gasped and began to breathe again, unaware that for a moment they had ceased to breathe. Thornton was running behind, encouraging Buck with short, cheery words. The distance had been measured off, and as he neared the pile of firewood which marked the end of the hundred yards, a cheer began to grow and grow, which burst into a roar as he passed the firewood and halted at command. Every man was tearing himself loose, even Matthewson. Hats and mittens were flying in the air. Men were shaking hands, it did not matter with whom, and bubbling over in a general incoherent babel.

But Thornton fell on his knees beside Buck. Head was against head, and he was shaking him back and forth. Those who hurried up heard him cursing Buck, and he cursed him long and fervently, and softly and lovingly.

“Gad, sir! Gad, sir!”sputtered the Skookum Bench king.“I'll give you a thousand for him, sir, a thousand, sir-twelve hundred, sir.”

Thornton rose to his feet. His eyes were wet. The tears were streaming frankly down his cheeks.“Sir,”he said to the Skookum Bench king,“no, sir. You can go to hell, sir. It's the best I can do for you, sir.”

Buck seized Thornton's hand in his teeth. Thornton shook him back and forth. As though animated by a common impulse, the onlookers drew back to a respectful distance;nor were they again indiscreet enough to interrupt.

去年十二月，約翰·桑頓凍傷腳后，伙伴們安頓好他留下養(yǎng)傷，他們自己繼續(xù)逆流而上，鋸木造筏，趕往道森。他救下巴克時，腳還稍微有點瘸，但隨著天氣持續(xù)暖和，竟一點也不瘸了。在這里，在長長的春日里，巴克臥在河岸邊，望著流水，懶洋洋地聽著小鳥歌唱和大自然的嗡嗡聲，慢慢地恢復(fù)了體力。

跋涉了三千英里后，休息一下很好，但必須承認，隨著巴克傷口愈合，肌肉增長，骨頭上重新長出一層新肉，它越來越懶。說到懶，他們——巴克、約翰·桑頓，還有斯基特和尼格——都在消磨時光，等著木筏過來，把他們帶往道森。斯基特是一條小愛爾蘭獵犬，早就和巴克交上了朋友，因為巴克奄奄一息，無法不讓她主動接近。斯基特具有某些狗具有的那種醫(yī)生天分，像母貓?zhí)蛐∝埬菢訛榘涂颂騼魝凇Ｃ刻煸绯浚涂顺酝暝顼埡螅够爻３硗瓿蛇@項自己喜歡做的任務(wù)，后來巴克就像期待桑頓的照顧一樣期待它的照顧。盡管不太外露，但尼格同樣友好，是一條大黑狗，一半是大警犬，一半是獵鹿犬，眼睛會笑，脾氣好得不能再好了。

讓巴克驚訝的是，這兩條狗沒有對它露出任何的嫉妒。它們好像分享了約翰·桑頓的仁慈和博大。隨著巴克一天天強壯，它們引誘它玩各種滑稽可笑的游戲，桑頓本人也忍不住參加。就這樣，巴克在游戲中輕松康復(fù)，獲得了新生。它第一次有了愛，充滿激情的真愛。這是它在陽光照耀的圣克拉拉山谷米勒法官家從來沒有體驗過的愛。跟法官的兒子們打獵和閑逛，那是工作上的伙伴關(guān)系；跟法官的孫子們在一起，那是一種華而不實的監(jiān)護關(guān)系；跟法官本人在一起，那是一種崇高尊貴的友誼。但是，約翰·桑頓喚起的是一種狂熱燃燒的愛，是傾慕，是狂熱。

這個人救過它的命，這很重要，但此外，他還是理想的主人。其他人是出于責(zé)任感和業(yè)務(wù)利益才關(guān)心狗的健康，他關(guān)心狗的健康，就像它們是他的親生子女一般，因為他情不自禁這樣做。而且他關(guān)心得更進一步。他從不忘記親切地打個招呼或說句開心話，還坐下來和它們長談（他把這稱為“侃”），他像它們一樣高興。桑頓習(xí)慣粗魯?shù)貎墒直ь^，把自己的頭靠在巴克的頭上，來回搖晃它，罵得非常難聽，在巴克聽來，那是愛的名字。巴克沒有經(jīng)歷過比這粗魯?shù)膿肀Ш偷吐暤闹櫫R更開心的事兒，每次搖來晃去時，它的心就像要跳出來似的，這讓它心醉神迷。當(dāng)他放開它時，它一躍而起，張嘴大笑，眉飛色舞，喉嚨發(fā)出無聲的震顫，站在那里一動不動。約翰·桑頓肅然起敬地驚叫：“上帝啊！除了不會說話，你無所不能啊！”

巴克表達愛的方式類似于傷人。它經(jīng)常會把桑頓的手銜在嘴里狠狠地咬，所以過后一段時間桑頓的手上還留有它的牙印。就像巴克明白那些咒罵是愛的語言一樣，桑頓也明白這種假咬是一種愛撫。

然而，在極大程度上，巴克的愛是以愛慕來表達的。盡管桑頓碰碰它或?qū)λf說話它就欣喜若狂，但它并不去尋求這些東西。斯基特喜歡把鼻子鉆到桑頓的手下面，拱來拱去，直至受到愛撫；尼格常常悄悄走上前，把大腦袋靠在桑頓的膝蓋上；巴克不像它們這樣，它滿足于在遠處表達愛慕。它常常會長久臥在桑頓的腳邊，熱切而機警地望著他的臉，凝視著，端詳著，興致勃勃地追蹤每個轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的表情、面部的每個動作或變化。或者，碰巧它會臥得較遠，臥在一邊或身后，這時它會注視著桑頓的輪廓和他身體偶然的動作。約翰·桑頓心領(lǐng)神會，常常轉(zhuǎn)過身，回應(yīng)巴克的凝視，一言不發(fā)地凝視著巴克，他和巴克的眼睛都閃射出心靈的光芒。

巴克獲救后很長時間都不希望讓桑頓走出自己的視野。從他離開帳篷那個時刻到他又走進去，巴克常常緊跟在他身后。自從進入北方以來，它的主人跟走馬燈似的，使它擔(dān)心自己不可能有長久的主人。它害怕桑頓會像佩羅、弗朗索瓦和那個蘇格蘭混血兒那樣從它的生活中消失。這種恐懼，即使在夜里、在夢中，也揮之不去。每當(dāng)此時，它就擺脫睡意，冒著風(fēng)寒悄悄來到帳篷的門簾前，站在那里傾聽主人的呼吸聲。

巴克對約翰·桑頓懷有大愛，這種愛似乎體現(xiàn)了溫柔的文明熏陶，盡管如此，但北方在它內(nèi)心喚起的原始本性仍然存在，充滿活力。它具有源自火與屋檐的忠實與虔誠，然而，它還保留著野性和狡猾。它屬于荒野，從荒野走來，坐在約翰·桑頓的火邊，而不是帶著許多代文明標(biāo)記的溫和的南方狗。正是因為它的這種大愛，所以它不能偷這個人的東西，但它偷別人的、別的營地的東西卻毫不猶豫，同時它偷得非常狡猾，能讓人察覺不到。

它的臉上和身上被許多狗的牙齒咬傷過，但它仍然戰(zhàn)斗勇猛，越發(fā)機靈。斯基特和尼格脾氣溫和，吵不起架來——此外，它們都屬于約翰·桑頓，而陌生狗，無論是什么品種，無論是不是勇猛，很快就公認了巴克至高無上的地位，要么就會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己是跟一個可怕的對手在搏命。而且巴克殘酷無情。它已經(jīng)熟悉棍棒和犬牙的法則，所以在對敵人展開生死決戰(zhàn)時，它絕不會放棄有利時機，也絕不會半路退卻。它從斯皮茨的身上，從警察局和郵局幾條主要的戰(zhàn)斗狗的身上得到過教訓(xùn)，明白了根本沒有中間道路。它要么征服別人，要么被征服，表示憐憫是一種軟弱。在原始生活中，憐憫是不存在的。它會被誤解為害怕，而這種誤解會導(dǎo)致死亡。殺或被殺，吃或被吃，這是法則。它服從了這條從時間的幽深處傳下來的指令。

它比它自從看到這個世界、開始呼吸以來的年歲還大。它連接起了過去和現(xiàn)在，身后的永恒以一種有力的節(jié)奏悸動著穿過它的全身，它隨著潮起潮落和四季輪回的變化而變化。它伏臥在約翰·桑頓的火邊，是一條胸脯寬闊、牙齒雪白的長毛狗，但是，它身后卻是形形色色的狗，有的是半狼半狗，還有的是野狼，它們催促激勵，品嘗它吃的肉的滋味，渴望它喝的水，跟它一起嗅風(fēng)，跟它一起傾聽，告訴它森林中野生動植物發(fā)出的聲音，支配它的情緒，指導(dǎo)它的行動，跟它一起躺下睡覺，跟它一起做夢，而且超越它，自動成為它夢中的內(nèi)容。

這些影子如此專橫地呼喚它，所以人類和人類的要求每天離它越來越遠。森林深處回響著一聲呼喚，它常常聽到這聲呼喚。這聲呼喚神秘莫測，心潮澎湃，充滿誘惑。它不由自主地轉(zhuǎn)過身，離開火堆和周圍踏平的土地，撲進森林，向前跑啊跑，不知道要去哪里、為什么要去，它也不想知道去哪里、為什么要去，那聲呼喚急切地回響在森林深處。但是，它走到這沒有踐踏的柔軟土地，看到綠蔭，但它對約翰·桑頓的愛又會常常把它拉回到火邊。

只有桑頓能留住它。其他人不足掛齒。偶爾經(jīng)過的旅行者可能會夸獎它或愛撫它，但它都反應(yīng)冷淡，要是有人感情過分外露，它就會起身走開。當(dāng)桑頓的伙伴漢斯和皮特乘著那個盼望已久的木筏到來時，巴克拒絕理睬他們，后來它才明白他們和桑頓關(guān)系密切，此后，它才以一種默許的態(tài)度容忍了他們，接受他們的好意，好像是因為喜歡他們才接受的。他們跟桑頓一樣身材高大，腳踏實地，思想單純，目光敏銳，在木筏劃到位于道森的鋸木廠旁邊的大漩渦里之前，他們就了解了巴克和它的習(xí)慣，所以沒有強求巴克像他們從斯基特和尼格那里得到的那種親熱。

然而，它對桑頓的愛似乎與日俱增。在夏季旅行中，人群中只有他一個人能把背包放在巴克的背上。只要桑頓下令，沒有什么巴克做不了的大事。有一天（他們以木筏的收益為抵押貸到了一筆款子，離開道森，前往塔納納河上游），人和狗都坐在一個懸崖峭壁的頂上，垂直而下三百英尺就是裸露的基巖。約翰·桑頓坐在懸崖峭壁邊不遠處，巴克在他的肩側(cè)。桑頓突然產(chǎn)生了一個輕率的怪念頭，想做一個實驗，引起漢斯和皮特的注意。“跳，巴克！”他揮手指向深谷，命令道。說時遲那時快，桑頓在懸崖峭壁邊上抓住了巴克，漢斯和皮特一把將他們拽回了安全地帶。

“太不可思議了。”事后，等他們回過神時，皮特說。

桑頓搖了搖頭。“不，好極了，也真可怕。你們知道嗎？這有時讓我擔(dān)心。”

“它在旁邊時，我可不想碰你。”皮特向巴克點點頭，最后說道。

“老天作證！”漢斯隨聲附和說，“我自己也不想。”

年底前，桑頓的擔(dān)心在環(huán)城成為現(xiàn)實。有一個叫伯頓的人脾氣暴躁、心狠手辣，一直找茬，跟酒吧一個新來的人吵架，這時桑頓好心上前勸解。巴克像往常一樣臥在一個角落，頭伏在爪子上，觀察主人的每個動作。伯頓猛不防就是一拳，打得桑頓暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向，后來抓住吧臺的欄桿才沒有跌倒。

那些旁觀的人聽到一個聲音，既不是狂吠也不是尖叫，最好的描述就是一聲怒吼，隨后，他們看到巴克的身體騰空而起，撲向伯頓的咽喉。那家伙本能地伸出胳膊，才保住了性命，但還是被撲倒在地，巴克騎在了他的身上。巴克松開咬住胳膊的牙齒，又向他的咽喉咬去。這一次，那家伙只擋住了一部分，他的喉嚨被撕開了。接著，人群撲上前，趕走了巴克，但當(dāng)醫(yī)生過來止血時，巴克走來走去，發(fā)出怒吼，企圖沖進去，后來被一排充滿敵意的棍子逼退。當(dāng)場召開了一次“礦工會議”，會議認定，巴克受到了足夠刺激，被判無罪。不過，它名聲大振，從那天起，它的名字傳遍了阿拉斯加的每個營地。

后來，那年秋天，巴克又以截然不同的方式救了約翰·桑頓一命。在四十英里河一個水流湍急的險要地段，三個伙伴正在放一條又長又窄的撐篙船。漢斯和皮特沿岸移動，用一條細麻繩一棵樹一棵樹挽住船，桑頓留在船上一邊撐篙幫助下坡，一邊向岸上大聲發(fā)出指令。巴克焦慮不安，跟船并排，眼睛始終不離開主人。

在一個特別兇險的地方，一塊幾乎被淹沒的礁石從岸邊伸進河里。漢斯放出繩子，桑頓把船撐到河中時，手里抓著繩子跑下河岸，讓船繞過那塊礁石。船繞過去后，飛流而下，這時漢斯用繩子攔住，攔得太猛，船翻倒，底朝天沖到了岸邊。桑頓完全被拋入水中，被卷到了水流最危險的地方，那段水域狂狼滔天，就是游泳健將也難以生還。

巴克立馬跳進去，游了三百碼后，在一個洶涌澎湃的漩渦中追上了桑頓。當(dāng)它感覺到桑頓抓住它的尾巴時，就竭盡全力向岸邊游去。但是，靠岸的進度緩慢，順流而下的進度快得驚人。下游傳來了極其危險的咆哮聲，那里的狂流更加狂暴，巖石像一把巨梳齒一樣伸進河里，把狂流劈成了一股股飛濺的浪花。河流在最后一道陡坡的起點產(chǎn)生了一股可怕的引力，桑頓知道不可能上岸了。他從第一塊巖石上面飛速擦過，沖過第二塊巖石時擦傷，重重地撞在第三塊巖石上。他雙手抓住巖石滑溜溜的頂部，放開巴克，在驚濤駭浪中大聲喊道：“走，巴克！快走！”

巴克身不由己，被沖向下游，拼命掙扎，卻游不回去。當(dāng)聽到桑頓又一次下令時，它將身體部分伸出水面，高揚著頭，好像是看最后一眼，然后才順從地轉(zhuǎn)身，向岸邊游去。它用力游著，快到游不動，快要淹死時，皮特和漢斯把它拽上了岸。

他們知道，面對這種洶涌的激流，抓著一塊滑溜溜的巖石，一個人只能堅持大約幾分鐘。于是，他們盡可能快地沿著河岸跑向上游，遠離桑頓正抓著的地方。他們把那根用來挽船的繩子綁在巴克的脖子和肩上，小心翼翼，不讓繩子勒住巴克，也不讓阻礙它游水，然后把它放入水流。巴克勇敢地出發(fā)了，但不足以直達河心。當(dāng)它發(fā)現(xiàn)這個錯誤時，為時已晚，這時桑頓和它處在平行的位置，再劃幾下就到了，但最后還是被無助地沖了下去。

漢斯迅速用繩子挽住，就像挽船一樣挽住巴克。在洶涌的急流中，繩子這樣束緊它，就把它拽到了水下，而且一直留在水下，直到它的身體撞在岸邊，被拖上來。它被淹得半死，漢斯和皮特撲在它的身上，給它呼氣壓水。它搖搖晃晃站起身，又倒了下去。桑頓微弱的喊聲傳到了他們這里，盡管他們聽不清他喊什么，但他們知道他身處絕境。主人的喊聲像電擊一樣在巴克的身上產(chǎn)生了作用。它一躍而起，沿著河岸跑在那兩個人前面，來到了它先前離開的那個地點。

它又被綁上繩子放進河里，再次向前游去，而這次直接游向河心。它已經(jīng)誤算過了一次，但不能再犯了。漢斯放出繩子，不讓繩子松弛。皮特則不讓繩子盤繞。巴克繼續(xù)前進，成一條直線，游到了桑頓的正上方。這時它轉(zhuǎn)過身，然后以特別快的速度沖向桑頓。桑頓看到巴克沖過來，當(dāng)巴克像攻城槌一樣隨著身后急流的全部沖力沖到他的身上時，他伸出胳膊，抱住了巴克毛茸茸的脖子。漢斯把繩子挽到樹上，巴克和桑頓被拖到了水下。繩子勒得很緊，憋得喘不過氣，時而這個在上，時而那個在上，他們拖過凹凸不平的河底，撞在礁石和暗樁上，轉(zhuǎn)向河邊。

桑頓醒來，趴在一根漂木上，漢斯和皮特正在來回猛烈推拉。他一睜眼就去找巴克。巴克身體癱瘓，顯然毫無生氣，尼格正站在它的身邊發(fā)出哀號，斯基特舔著巴克濕漉漉的臉和緊閉的眼睛。桑頓自己也遍體鱗傷。他仔細檢查了巴克的身體，發(fā)現(xiàn)它斷了三根肋骨，這時巴克已經(jīng)醒轉(zhuǎn)過來。

“就這樣定了，”他宣布說，“我們就在這里扎營。”于是，他們就扎下營，直到巴克的肋骨愈合，能夠走路，他們才又出發(fā)。

那年冬天，巴克在道森又立了一功，也許不是英雄壯舉，但這次功績卻使它在阿拉斯加聲望的圖騰柱上節(jié)節(jié)高升。這次功績尤其讓他們?nèi)藵M意，因為這次功績提供了他們正需要的裝備，成全了他們盼望已久的首次東部之行，因為礦工還沒有出現(xiàn)在那里。這是由黃金國酒吧的一次談話引起的，男人們在那里對自己的愛犬吹起了牛。巴克因自己創(chuàng)下的紀(jì)錄而成為這些人談?wù)摰膶ο螅ｎD也被迫堅決維護巴克。半小時后，有個人說他的狗能啟動一輛載重五百磅的雪橇，并能把它拉走，第二個吹牛說六百磅，第三個人說七百磅。

“呸！呸！”約翰·桑頓說，“巴克能啟動一千磅。”

“能拉動？還能拉著走一百碼？”淘金大王馬修森追問，就是他吹到了七百磅。

“能拉動，還能拉著走一百碼。”約翰·桑頓沉著地回答。

“那好，”馬修森故意慢條斯理地說，好讓大家都能聽見，“我說它拉不動，愿打一千塊賭。給。”這樣說著，他把一袋大紅腸大小的沙金咚地放在了吧臺上。

沒有人說話。桑頓的虛張聲勢，要是真是虛張聲勢的話，就要一見高低了。他感覺到一股熱血涌上了臉。舌頭蒙騙了他。他不知道巴克能不能拉動一千磅的雪橇。半噸啊！這么大的重量，把他嚇了一大跳。他對巴克的力氣有極大的自信，常常認為巴克有能力拉動這個重量，但是，他從來沒有像現(xiàn)在這樣面對可不可能這種場面。十幾個人的眼睛定定地看著他，默默等待著。此外，他根本沒有一千塊，漢斯和皮特也都沒有。

“我有一輛雪橇，現(xiàn)在停在外面，上面放著二十袋五十磅裝的面粉，”馬修森粗魯而直率地接著說道，“所以這就不用你操心了。”

桑頓沒有回答。他不知道該說什么，心不在焉地看看這個人的臉，又瞧瞧那個人的臉。一個人失去思考能力，尋找能夠重新啟動大腦的東西時就是這樣。此時“馬斯托頓淘金大王”吉姆·奧布賴恩的臉引起了他的注意。這對他是一種暗示，好像激發(fā)他去做自己從來沒想過要做的事兒。

“你能借給我一千塊錢嗎？”他問，幾乎是在耳語。

“當(dāng)然能，”奧布賴恩一邊回答，一邊把一只鼓鼓囊囊的袋子咚地放在馬修森的袋子旁邊。“不過，約翰，我不大相信這條狗能成功。”

黃金國酒吧里的人都涌到街上觀看這場測試。桌子空了，經(jīng)銷商和獵場看守人都紛紛去看測試的結(jié)果，并打起了賭。好幾百穿皮襖、戴手套的人悠閑地圍站在雪橇四周。馬修森裝著一千磅面粉的雪橇一直在那里停了兩個小時。在極度嚴寒中（天氣零下六十度），滑板緊緊地凍在了踩實的雪地上。人們提議二比一賭注的比率，賭巴克拉不動雪橇。“啟動”這個短語引起了異議。奧布賴恩主張，桑頓有權(quán)先撬松滑板，讓巴克從完全靜止?fàn)顟B(tài)“啟動”，馬修森堅持認為，這個短語包括把滑板從冰雪凍結(jié)狀態(tài)中啟動。目睹過打賭過程的大多數(shù)人贊成馬修森的決定。于是，賭注的比率成了三比一，都賭巴克拉不動。

沒有人接受挑戰(zhàn)。誰也不相信巴克有能力取得這個功績。桑頓只是匆匆打了這個賭，疑慮重重。現(xiàn)在看著這輛雪橇，看著這具體的事實，還有十條狗組成的常規(guī)狗隊蜷伏在橇前的雪地里，那個任務(wù)顯得越發(fā)不可能。馬修森越發(fā)歡欣鼓舞。

“三比一！”他宣布說，“桑頓，我要按照這個比例再加一千塊。你說怎么樣？”

盡管桑頓滿臉疑云，但他的斗志被喚醒了——這種斗志超越了賭注的比率，沒有認識到不可能，只聽到戰(zhàn)斗的喊殺聲。他把漢斯和皮特叫到身邊。他們也囊中羞澀，加上他自己的錢，三個人只湊了二百塊。他們的錢越來越少了，這二百塊是他們的全部資本，然而，他們都毫不猶豫地押上這筆錢，去賭馬修森的六百塊。

那十條狗被解了下來，巴克帶著自己的挽具被套上了雪橇。它已經(jīng)受到了這種激動場面的感染，感覺它必須以某種方式為約翰·桑頓做一件大事。巴克出色的外表引起了人們的嘖嘖稱贊。它處在理想狀態(tài)，沒有一塊贅肉，體重一百五十磅，好多磅都展現(xiàn)出了堅毅和剛強。它的皮毛閃射出絲綢般的光澤，順著脖子向下，橫過肩膀，事實上毛發(fā)靜止不動，現(xiàn)在半豎起來，好像隨著每個動作聳起，好像過剩的精力使每根毛發(fā)都充滿生機和活力。寬大的胸脯和粗壯的前腿與身體的其他部位比例勻稱，皮下肌肉緊繃滾圓。人們摸著這些肌肉說，堅硬如鐵。于是，賭注的比例降到了二比一。

“上帝啊！上帝啊！”最近暴富王朝中的一員——一位坐頭把交椅的販狗大王——結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地說，“先生，先生，在測試之前，我出八百塊買你的狗，就它現(xiàn)在這個樣子，我出八百塊。”

桑頓搖了搖頭，走到巴克的身邊。

“你必須遠離它，”馬修森反對說，“自由游戲，要離遠點。”

人群靜了下來，只能聽到賭徒們自負地出價二比一賭注的聲音。人人都承認巴克是一條出色的狗，但二十個五十磅裝的面粉袋在他們眼里太大了，所以不敢打開自己的錢袋。

桑頓在巴克的身邊跪下來，雙手抱住巴克的頭，臉頰貼著它的臉頰。他沒有像往常那樣戲謔地搖晃它，也沒有溫柔愛戀地輕聲罵，而是對它耳語。他輕聲說的是：“因為你愛我，巴克。因為你愛我。”巴克忍住渴望之情，哀叫著。

人群好奇地看著。事兒變得越發(fā)神秘，好像在施魔法。當(dāng)桑頓站起來時，巴克叼住了他戴手套的那只手，用牙咬了咬，又不太情愿地慢慢松開。這就是回答，用的字眼不是語言，而是愛。桑頓退了好幾步。

“好了，巴克。”他說。

巴克繃緊韁繩，然后又放松了大約幾英寸。這是它曾經(jīng)學(xué)過的方法。

“右轉(zhuǎn)！”桑頓的聲音在緊張的寂靜中刺耳地響起。

巴克轉(zhuǎn)向右側(cè)，猛地一沖，最后繃緊了松弛的韁繩，突然拉了一下，拽住了它一百五十磅重的身體。雪橇顫動，滑板下面發(fā)出了清脆的爆裂聲。

“左轉(zhuǎn)！”桑頓命令道。

巴克重復(fù)剛才的動作，這次是向左。爆裂聲變成了噼啪聲，雪橇轉(zhuǎn)向左面，滑板滑動，向一側(cè)嘎吱嘎吱滑了幾英寸。雪橇掙脫。人們屏住呼吸，甚至緊張得忘了呼吸。

“好，走！”

桑頓的命令像槍響一樣。巴克挺身向前，一個沖刺繃緊了韁繩，整個身體緊緊收攏，用盡全力，肌肉在絲綢般光滑的皮毛下像活物一樣翻騰扭動，寬闊的胸脯俯向地面，頭向前壓著，同時蹄子瘋狂地疾速移動，爪子在踩實的雪地上刨出了兩道平行的深溝。雪橇晃動顫抖，算是啟動，開始向前移。巴克的一只蹄子打滑，有個人大聲嘆了口氣。接著，雪橇在連續(xù)飛快地顛簸中突然前進，但的確再也沒有停下來……半英寸……一英寸……兩英寸……抖動明顯減弱，隨著雪橇動力增加，它趕上節(jié)奏，雪橇平穩(wěn)向前移動。

人們喘了口氣，又開始呼吸起來，不知道自己曾經(jīng)停止過一陣呼吸。桑頓跑在雪橇后面，用簡短愉快的話語鼓勵著巴克。距離已經(jīng)量好了。當(dāng)巴克接近那堆標(biāo)志一百碼終點的柴火時，歡呼聲越來越大，當(dāng)它通過柴火堆，聽到命令停下時，歡呼聲頓時變成了吼叫聲。每個人，甚至馬修森，都狂放不羈。帽子和手套在空中亂飛。人們互相握手，不管是誰，見人就握，大家激動得語無倫次。

但是，桑頓在巴克的身邊跪下來，頭靠著頭，把它晃來晃去。那些匆匆趕過來的人聽到桑頓在罵巴克，罵得長久熱烈，溫柔親切。

“天哪，先生！天哪，先生！”頭把交椅販狗大王語無倫次地說，“先生，我出一千塊買你的狗，一千塊，先生——一千二百塊，先生。”

桑頓站起身，眼睛潮濕，淚水順著臉頰滾滾而下。“先生，”他對頭把交椅販狗大王說，“不，先生。你見鬼去吧，先生。這是我能為你做的最好的事兒，先生。”

巴克用牙齒叼住桑頓的手。桑頓來回搖晃著巴克，好像受到共同本能的鼓舞，那些旁觀者都紛紛恭敬地后退了一段距離，也不再輕率打擾他們了。