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! spluttered 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.
Chapter VII. The Sounding of the Call
When Buck earned sixteen hundred dollars in five minutes for John
Thornton, he made it possible for his master to pay off certain debts
and to journey with his partners into the East after a fabled lost
mine, the history of which was as old as the history of the country.
Many men had sought it; few had found it; and more than a few there
were who had never returned from the quest. This lost mine was steeped
in tragedy and shrouded in mystery. No one knew of the first man. The
oldest tradition stopped before it got back to him. From the beginning
there had been an ancient and ramshackle cabin. Dying men had sworn to
it, and to the mine the site of which it marked, clinching their
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