wanted, not to escape a clubbing, but to have the leadership. It was
his by right. He had earned it, and he would not be content with less.
Perrault took a hand. Between them they ran him about for the better
part of an hour. They threw clubs at him. He dodged. They cursed him,
and his fathers and mothers before him, and all his seed to come after
him down to the remotest generation, and every hair on his body and
drop of blood in his veins; and he answered curse with snarl and kept
out of their reach. He did not try to run away, but retreated around
and around the camp, advertising plainly that when his desire was met,
he would come in and be good.
Francois sat down and scratched his head. Perrault looked at his watch
and swore. Time was flying, and they should have been on the trail an
hour gone. Francois scratched his head again. He shook it and grinned
sheepishly at the courier, who shrugged his shoulders in sign that they
were beaten. Then Francois went up to where Sol-leks stood and called
to Buck. Buck laughed, as dogs laugh, yet kept his distance. Francois
unfastened Sol-leks s traces and put him back in his old place. The
team stood harnessed to the sled in an unbroken line, ready for the
trail. There was no place for Buck save at the front. Once more
Francois called, and once more Buck laughed and kept away.
T row down de club, Perrault commanded.
Francois complied, whereupon Buck trotted in, laughing triumphantly,
and swung around into position at the head of the team. His traces were
fastened, the sled broken out, and with both men running they dashed
out on to the river trail.
Highly as the dog-driver had forevalued Buck, with his two devils, he
found, while the day was yet young, that he had undervalued. At a bound
Buck took up the duties of leadership; and where judgment was required,
and quick thinking and quick acting, he showed himself the superior
even of Spitz, of whom Francois had never seen an equal.
But it was in giving the law and making his mates live up to it, that
Buck excelled. Dave and Sol-leks did not mind the change in leadership.
It was none of their business. Their business was to toil, and toil
mightily, in the traces. So long as that were not interfered with, they
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