用户名: 密码: 记住

背景色:前景色:字体:[很小较小中等较大很大]
第 26 节
作者:摄氏0度      更新:2022-11-23 12:12      字数:9322
  would have happened differently。 Grey Beaver would not have camped on
  the near side of the Mackenzie; and White Fang would have passed by and
  gone on; either to die or to find his way to his wild brothers and become
  one of them … a wolf to the end of his days。
  Night had fallen。 The snow was flying more thickly; and White Fang;
  whimpering softly to himself as he stumbled and limped along; came upon
  a fresh trail in the snow。 So fresh was it that he knew it immediately for
  what   it   was。   Whining   with   eagerness;   he   followed   back   from   the   river
  bank and in among the trees。 The camp…sounds came to his ears。 He saw
  the blaze of the fire; Kloo… kooch cooking; and Grey Beaver squatting on
  his hams and mumbling a chunk of raw tallow。 There was fresh meat in
  camp!
  White Fang expected a beating。 He crouched and bristled a little at the
  thought   of   it。   Then   he   went   forward   again。   He   feared   and   disliked   the
  beating   he   knew   to   be   waiting   for   him。   But   he   knew;   further;   that   the
  comfort      of  the   fire  would     be   his;  the   protection    of   the   gods;   the
  companionship of the dogs … the last; a companionship of enmity; but none
  the less a companionship and satisfying to his gregarious needs。
  He   came   cringing   and   crawling   into   the   firelight。   Grey   Beaver   saw
  him;    and    stopped    munching      the  tallow。   White     Fang    crawled    slowly;
  cringing and grovelling in the abjectness of his abasement and submission。
  He    crawled     straight   toward    Grey    Beaver;    every   inch   of  his   progress
  becoming slower and more painful。 At last he lay at the master's feet; into
  94
  … Page 95…
  White Fang
  whose possession he now surrendered himself; voluntarily; body and soul。
  Of his own choice; he came in to sit by man's fire and to be ruled by him。
  White Fang trembled; waiting for the punishment to fall upon him。 There
  was a movement of the hand above him。 He cringed involuntarily under
  the expected blow。 It did not fall。 He stole a glance upward。 Grey Beaver
  was breaking the lump   of   tallow in half!   Grey  Beaver   was offering him
  one piece of the tallow! Very gently and somewhat suspiciously; he first
  smelled the tallow and then proceeded to eat it。 Grey Beaver ordered meat
  to be brought to him; and guarded him from the other dogs while he ate。
  After   that;   grateful   and   content;   White   Fang   lay   at   Grey   Beaver's   feet;
  gazing   at   the   fire   that   warmed   him;   blinking   and   dozing;   secure   in   the
  knowledge       that   the   morrow     would     find   him;   not   wandering      forlorn
  through bleak forest…stretches; but in the camp of the man…animals; with
  the   gods   to   whom   he   had   given   himself   and   upon   whom   he   was   now
  dependent。
  95
  … Page 96…
  White Fang
  CHAPTER V … THE COVENANT
  When December was well along; Grey Beaver went on a journey up
  the Mackenzie。 Mit…sah and Kloo…kooch went with him。 One sled he drove
  himself;   drawn   by   dogs   he   had   traded   for   or   borrowed。   A   second   and
  smaller sled was driven by Mit…sah; and to this was harnessed a team of
  puppies。   It   was   more   of   a   toy   affair   than   anything   else;   yet   it   was   the
  delight of Mit…sah; who felt that he was beginning to do a man's work in
  the world。 Also; he was learning to drive dogs and to train dogs; while the
  puppies themselves were being broken in to the harness。 Furthermore; the
  sled   was   of   some   service;   for   it   carried   nearly   two   hundred   pounds   of
  outfit and food。
  White Fang had seen the camp…dogs toiling in the harness; so that he
  did   not   resent   overmuch   the   first   placing   of   the   harness   upon   himself。
  About   his   neck   was   put   a   moss…stuffed   collar;   which   was   connected   by
  two pulling…traces to a strap that passed around his chest and over his back。
  It was to this that   was fastened the   long rope   by which he pulled at the
  sled。
  There   were   seven   puppies   in   the   team。   The   others   had   been   born
  earlier in the year and were nine and ten months old; while White   Fang
  was only eight months old。 Each dog was fastened to the sled by a single
  rope。 No two ropes were of the same length; while the difference in length
  between any two ropes was at least that of a dog's body。 Every rope was
  brought to a ring at the front end of the sled。 The sled itself was without
  runners; being a birch…bark toboggan; with upturned forward end to keep it
  from ploughing under the snow。 This construction enabled the weight of
  the sled and load to be distributed over the largest snow…surface; for the
  snow was crystal…powder and very soft。 Observing the same principle of
  widest distribution of weight; the dogs at the ends of their ropes radiated
  fan…fashion   from   the   nose   of   the   sled;   so   that   no   dog   trod   in   another's
  footsteps。
  There was; furthermore; another virtue in the fan…formation。 The ropes
  of varying length prevented the dogs attacking from the rear those that ran
  96
  … Page 97…
  White Fang
  in front of them。 For a dog to attack another; it would have to turn upon
  one at a shorter rope。 In which case it would find itself face to face with
  the dog attacked; and also it would find itself facing the whip of the driver。
  But the most peculiar virtue of all lay in the fact that the dog that strove to
  attack one in front of him must pull the sled faster; and that the faster the
  sled travelled; the faster could the dog attacked run away。 Thus; the dog
  behind could never catch up with the one in front。 The faster he ran; the
  faster ran the one he was after; and the faster ran all the dogs。 Incidentally;
  the sled went faster; and thus; by cunning indirection; did man increase his
  mastery over the beasts。
  Mit…sah     resembled      his   father;   much     of  whose     grey    wisdom      he
  possessed。 In the past he had observed Lip…lip's persecution of White Fang;
  but   at   that   time   Lip…lip   was   another   man's   dog;   and   Mit…sah   had   never
  dared more than to shy an occasional stone at him。 But now Lip…lip was
  his dog; and he proceeded to wreak his vengeance on him by putting him
  at   the   end   of   the   longest   rope。   This   made   Lip…lip   the   leader;   and   was
  apparently an honour! but in reality it took away from him all honour; and
  instead of being bully and master of the pack; he now found himself hated
  and persecuted by the pack。
  Because he ran at the end of the longest rope; the dogs had always the
  view of him running away before them。 All that they saw of him was his
  bushy tail and fleeing hind legs … a view far less ferocious and intimidating
  than    his   bristling    mane    and    gleaming      fangs。   Also;    dogs    being    so
  constituted   in   their   mental   ways;   the   sight   of   him   running   away   gave
  desire to run after him and a feeling that he ran away from them。
  The moment the sled started; the team took after Lip…lip in a chase that
  extended throughout the day。 At first he had been prone to turn upon his
  pursuers;   jealous   of   his   dignity   and   wrathful;   but   at   such   times   Mit…sah
  would throw the stinging lash of the thirty…foot cariboo…gut whip into his
  face and compel him to turn tail and run on。 Lip…lip might face the pack;
  but he could not face that whip; and all that was left him to do was to keep
  his long rope taut and his flanks ahead of the teeth of his mates。
  But a still greater cunning lurked in the recesses of the Indian mind。 To
  give point to unending pursuit of the leader; Mit…sah favoured him over the
  97
  … Page 98…
  White Fang
  other   dogs。  These   favours   aroused   in   them   jealousy   and   hatred。   In   their
  presence Mit…sah would give him meat and would give it to him only。 This
  was     maddening       to  them。    They    would     rage   around     just  outside    the
  throwing…distance of the whip; while Lip…lip devoured the meat and Mit…
  sah protected him。 And when there was no meat to give; Mit…sah would
  keep the team at a distance and make believe to give meat to Lip…lip。
  White     Fang    took   kindly    to  the  work。    He   had    travelled   a  greater
  distance than the other dogs in the yielding of himself to the rule of the
  gods;   a