[adapted]

by
Jack London

Part I

Chapter 1.
The Meat Trail

The dark forest stood on both sides of the frozen river. The land was silent, cold, and empty. Nothing moved. This was the Wild of the North. A group of dogs pulled a sled across the snow. Their breath froze in the air. On the sled were blankets, tools, and a long wooden box.

One man walked in front on snowshoes. Another walked behind. In the box lay a dead man. The Wild had defeated him. The two living men wore heavy fur. Ice covered their faces. They moved in silence. The great quiet around them made them feel small.

After some time, a long, sad cry rose in the distance. The men looked at each other. “They are following us, Bill,” said the front man.

“Food is scarce,” Bill said. “I haven’t seen any animals for days.” They listened as more cries came from behind.

At night, they stopped and made a fire. The dogs stayed very close. “They know this is the safe place,” Henry said.

Bill watched them. “How many dogs do we have?”

“Six.”

“I gave out six fish,” Bill said. “But seven animals ate.”

“We have six dogs.”

“I saw the seventh,” Bill said. “It ran into the snow. I saw its tracks.”

Henry said nothing. A long cry came again, closer now.

“You think it was one of them?” Henry asked. Bill nodded.

The cries came from all sides. Eyes appeared in the dark, shining around the camp. The dogs pressed close to the fire. One fell into the flames and cried out. The eyes moved back, then came closer again.

“We have almost no bullets,” Bill said. “Only three.”

He looked at the eyes. “I don’t like this,” he said. “I wish we were back at Fort McGurry.” They lay down to sleep. The fire grew low. The circle of eyes moved closer. The dogs stayed together and growled.

Later, Bill woke and added wood to the fire. He counted the dogs, then went back to bed. “There are seven again,” he said. Henry only made a sound and slept.

In the morning, Henry woke first and made breakfast.

“How many dogs now?” Bill asked.

“Six.”

“No. Five.”

Henry counted them. “One is gone,” he said.

“They got him,” Bill said. “They ate him.”

“He was a foolish dog,” Henry said. He looked at the others. “These will not leave the fire.”

“They won’t,” Bill said. And that was all they said about the dead dog.

Chapter 2.
The She-Wolf

After breakfast, the men packed the sled and left the fire. The sad cries rose again in the dark. They did not speak. Daylight came late and ended quickly.

As night returned, the cries came closer. The dogs grew afraid and sometimes panicked. Bill said he wished the wolves would find other food. Henry only agreed that they troubled the mind.

That night, as Henry worked over the fire, he heard a sudden noise. Bill struck with his club. A shape ran into the dark. “It took part of a fish,” Bill said. “I hit it. It was like a dog.”

“Then it is not a true wolf,” Henry said. “It knows men.”

“It comes into camp without fear,” Bill answered.

Later, the circle of eyes closed in again. Bill said he wished they were at Fort McGurry. Henry told him to stop.

In the morning, Bill spoke at once. “Frog is gone.”

Henry counted the dogs. One was missing.

“He was strong,” Bill said.

“And not foolish,” Henry added. Now only four dogs remained.

They travelled in silence. The cries followed them all day. That night, the dogs panicked again. Bill tied them in a new way, each with a stick fixed to the ground so they could not escape.

“They will be safe now,” he said.

“They come close because we have few bullets,” Henry said.

They watched the dark. Shapes moved near the fire. One Ear pulled hard at his stick and cried. A thin animal came into the light. It moved carefully and watched the dogs.

“That is a she-wolf,” Henry said. “She calls the dogs. Then the pack kills them.”

The fire cracked, and the animal jumped back. “It has lived with men,” Henry added. Bill agreed. He said it might have once been a dog. Now it hunted with wolves.

“If I get the chance, I will kill it,” he said. “We cannot lose more dogs.”

“You have only three bullets,” Henry reminded him.

“I will wait,” Bill said.

In the morning, Henry was making coffee. “Spanker is gone,” he said. Only three dogs were left.

“They freed him, then ate him,” Bill said. Henry offered coffee, but Bill refused. He had made a promise.

They started again. Soon, Henry found the stick that had held Spanker. It was clean. Nothing else remained.

“They are very hungry,” Bill said. “They will come for us.” Henry said he was not afraid.

Later, Bill went to look around with the gun. When he returned, he said the wolves were thin and desperate, but still patient. Soon after, Henry saw a wolf behind them on the trail. “The she-wolf,” Bill said.

They stopped. The animal came closer, then paused. It looked at them in a strange way, like a dog without kindness. It was hungry.

“It is large,” Henry said.

“And strange in color,” Bill added. “Almost like a sled dog.”