Jack London: The Complete Novels. Jack London

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Jack London: The Complete Novels - Jack London


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e Novels

      Table of Contents

       The Son of the Wolf

       The God of his Fathers & Other Stories

       A Daughter of the Snows

       The Call of the Wild

       The Sea Wolf

       The Faith of Men & Other Stories

       The Game

       Tales of the Fish Patrol

       Moon-Face & Other Stories

       White Fang

       Before Adam

       Love of Life & Other Stories

       The Road

       The Iron Heel

       Martin Eden

       Burning Daylight

       Lost Face

       Adventure

       The Abysmal Brute

       South Sea Tales

       When God Laughs & Other Stories

       The Scarlet Plague

       The House of Pride

       A Son of the Sun

       The Valley of the Moon

       The Night-Born

       The Mutiny of the Elsinore

       The Strength of the Strong

       The Star Rover

       The Little Lady of the Big House

       The Turtles of Tasman

       Jerry of the Islands

       Michael, Brother of Jerry

       Hearts of Three

       The Red One

       On the Makaloa Mat

       Children of the Frost

       Dutch Courage and Other Stories

      The Son of the Wolf

      Jack London

       Published: 1900

Part 1 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 about the fire and began their meager meal. The dogs lay in their harnesses for it was a midday halt, and watched each mouthful enviously.

      'No more lunches after today,' said Malemute Kid. 'And we've got to keep a close eye on the dogs—they're getting vicious. They'd just as soon pull a fellow down as not, if they get a chance.' 'And I was president of an Epworth once, and taught in the Sunday school.' Having irrelevantly delivered himself of this, Mason fell into a dreamy contemplation of his steaming moccasins, but was aroused by Ruth filling his cup.

      'Thank God, we've got slathers of tea! I've seen it growing, down in Tennessee. What wouldn't I give for a hot corn pone just now! Never mind, Ruth; you won't starve much longer, nor wear moccasins either.' The woman threw off her gloom at this, and in her eyes welled up a great love for her white lord—the first white man she had ever seen—the first man whom she had known to treat a woman as something better than a mere animal or beast of burden.

      'Yes, Ruth,' continued her husband, having recourse to the macaronic jargon in which it was alone possible for them to understand each other; 'wait till we clean up and pull for the Outside. We'll take the White Man's canoe and go to the Salt Water. Yes, bad water, rough water—great mountains dance up and down all the time. And so big, so far, so far away—you travel ten sleep, twenty sleep, forty sleep'—he graphically enumerated the days on his fingers—'all the time water,


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