thE CALL

    een es for Joon,  possible for er to pay off certain debts and to journey ners into t after a fabled lost mine, tory of ry. Many men  it; feurned from t. t mine eeped in tragedy and sery. No one kne man. t tradition stopped before it got back to  and ramso it, and to te of imony s t hland.

    But no living man ed treasure on and Pete and o t on an unknorail to acy miles up to t into te River, passed tion, and il te itself became a streamlet, tanding peaks .

    Joon asked little of man or nature.  and a rifle o te, Indian fased raveling; and if o find it, like t on traveling, secure in t sooner or later o it. So, on t journey into t, straig ion and tools principally made up timecard less future.

    to Buck it range places. For  a time teadily, day after day; and for less pans of dirt by t of times t imes ted riotously, all according to tune of ing. Summer arrived, and dogs and men, packs on ted across blue mountain lakes, and descended or ascended unknos .

    t, and back and forted ted vastness, rue. t across divides in summer blizzards, s sun on naked mountains betimber line and ternal snoo summer valleys amid ss and flies, and in tra. In trated a ry, sad and silent, he melancholy rippling of waves on lonely beaches.

    And ter terated trails of men , an ancient pat Cabin seemed very near. But tery, as t and t remained a mystery. Anotime time-graven ted blankets Joon found a long-barreled flintlock.  for a ,  o t ts.

    Spring came on once more, and at t t Cabin, but a ster across ttom of t no fart and nuggets, and ty pounds to tside ts toiled, days flasreasure up.

    to do, save t no ton killed, and Buck spent long -legged o ly, no ttle o be done; and often, blinking by t other world which he remembered.

    t tclessly, arts and a e t  roved every its first appearance. t t noiselessly, Buck at t and vigilant, tcrils quivering, for to trees and travel a as on to limb, sometimes a dozen feet apart, letting go and catc,  rees as on ts of vigil spent beneatrees wed, ig.

    And closely akin to till sounding in t. It filled  unrest and strange desires. It caused o feel a vague, s gladness, and irrings for  imes o t, looking for it as t angible tly or defiantly, as t dictate.  o to t  t eart, berunks of fallen trees, o all t moved and sounded about  mig o surprise t understand. But  kno reason about t all.

    Irresistible impulses seized  of t and ent and listening, and o  and das aisles and across to run doercourses, and to creep and spy upon t a time cridges drumming and strutting up and do especially o run in tening to t, reading signs and sounds as man may read a book, and seeking for terious somet called--called,  all times, for o come.

    One nigart, eager-eyed, nostrils quivering and scenting, ling in recurrent  came te of it, for ted), distinct and definite as never before--a long-dra silence daso t more sloion in every movement, till o an open place among trees, and looking out sa on ed to timber wolf.

    it ceased from its ried to sense alked into tly togetail straigiff, feet falling ed care. Every movement advertised commingled tening and overture of friendliness. It ruce t marks ting of s t prey. But t sigo overtake. o a blind cimber jam barred t, pivoting on er tling, clipping eetogetinuous and rapid succession of snaps.

    Buck did not attack, but circled  and , ime and again ed, tion or Buck could not so easily aken ill Bucks  bay, only to das t opportunity.

    But in tinacity  no ended, finally sniffed noses  in ts belie ter some time of tarted off at an easy lope in a manner t plainly s clear to Buck t o come, and t issued, and across t took its rise.

    On te slope of terso a level country retc and many streams, and t stretceadily, er  last anso, and irring to tirred to ties of  again, no, the wide sky overhead.

    topped by a running stream to drink, and, stopping, Buck remembered Joon.  doarted on tourned to ions as to encourage  Buck turned about and started slorack. For tter part of an ly. t doed   and fainter until it  in tance.

    Joon ing dinner urning ing ;playing tom-fool,quot; as Joon cerized it, th and cursed him lovingly.

    For t ton out of .  at ce, sa nig of t after t began to sound more imperiously tlessness came back on ed by recollections of t stretcook to  tened the mournful howl was never raised.

    o sleep out at nigaying a a time; and once  t doo timber and streams. t as raveled and traveling  seems never to tire. ream t emptied someream oes   aroused t latent remnants of Bucks ferocity. And ter, o tered t fled left two behind who would quarrel no more.

    tronger t preyed, living on t lived, unaided, alone, by virtue of rengtriumply in a ile environment  pride in ed itself like a contagion to  advertised itself in all s,  in t if anyt for tray bro doic  of t. Bernard fated size and   size and   broader, he wolf head on a massive scale.

    elligence, selligence and St. Bernard intelligence; and all t of scure as any t roamed traig diet,  tide of y. on passed a caressing s pent magnetism at tact. Every part, brain and body, nerve tissue and fiber, o t exquisite pitcs t equilibrium or adjustment. to sigs y. Quickly as a o defend from attack or to attack, o compass termined and responded in tant. In point of fact tions of perceiving, determining, and responding ial; but so infinitesimal ervals of time bet taneous. ality, and snapped into play seel springs. Life streamed t, until it seemed t it  asy and put forthe world.

    quot;Never ; said Joon one day, as tners c of camp.

    quot;; said Pete.

    quot;Py Jingo! I t; hans affirmed.

    t of camp, but t see tant and terrible transformation ly, cat-footed, a passing s appeared and disappeared among to take advantage of every cover, to crarike. ake a ptarmigan from its nest, kill a rabbit as it slept, and snap in mid-air ttle coo late for trees. Fis too quick for oo , not from onness; but o eat o steal upon t o let ttering in mortal fear to tree-tops.

    As ter abundance, moving sloo meet ter in tray part-gro rongly for larger and more formidable quarry, and  one day on t ty moose reams and timber, and c bull. emper, and, standing over six feet from tagonist as even Buck could desire. Back and fortossed  palmated antlers, branco fourteen points and embracing seven feet ips. ter lig sight of Buck.

    From t forruded a feated for  instinct o cut t from t  of t out of reac antlers and of terrible splay amped  o turn o paroxysms of rage. At sucs reated craftily, luring ed inability to escape. But o rejoin the herd.

    tience of tireless, persistent as life itself--t ionless for endless s s coils, ts ambuscade; tience belongs peculiarly to life s living food; and it belonged to Buck as o tarding its marcating tinued. Buck multiplied tacking from all sides, enveloping tting out im as fast as it could rejoin its mates,  tience of creatures preyed upon,  of creatures preying.

    As to its bed in t (ts eps more and more reluctantly to t leader. ter  seemed tireless creature t   t ened. ter interest tent to pay toll.

    As tces--tered--as t a rapid pace t.  follo  let  more ton rong life, full of figruggle, and at t teeture w reac knuckled knees.

    From t and day, Buck never left  a moments rest, never permitted it to brorees or ts of young bircunity to slake  in trickling streams ten, in desperation,  into long stretc. At sucime Buck did not attempt to stay  loped easily at isfied ood still, attacking rove to eat or drink.

    t s tree of rot greo standing for long periods, o ted ears dropped limply; and Buck found more time in  er for o rest. At sucs, panting ongue and  appeared to Buck t a cir in to t and stream and air seemed palpitant  ler sense.  kne t; t t strange t and ranging; and o investigate after he business in hand.

    At last, at t moose dourn and turn about. ted, refresrong, urned o on, er  loss for tangled ry itude of direction t put man and ic needle to shame.

    As ir in t different from t t borne in upon le, mysterious alked of it, ttered about it, t. Several times opped and dre sniffs, reading a message  calamity already  erso toion.

    trail t sent ling. It led straigoealtraining and tense, alert to titudinous details ory--all but tion of traveling.  silence of t. tted. ttened against a gray dead limb so t  of it, a self.

    As Buck slid along o tive force .  into a t and found Nig. ruding, her side of his body.

    A on  in Da in a deatruggle, directly on trail, and Buck passed around  stopping. From t sound of many voices, rising and falling in a sing-song c. Bellying foro t tant Buck peered out  over  kno  errible ferocity. For t time in o usurp cunning and reason, and it   his head.

    ts  t roy.  t man--it s--ripping t ill t jugular spouted a fountain of blood.  pause to im, but ripped in passing,  bound tearing  of a second man. tanding  in t, tearing, rending, destroying, in constant and terrific motion angled toget t one anoter,  Buck in mid-air, drove it t of anoter  t broke tood out beyond. ts, and terror to t of t.

    And truly Buck e, raging at trees. It eful day for ts. ttered far and ry, and it  till a er t t of togeted t, urned to ted camp. e  moment of surprise. tons desperate struggle en on ted every detail of it doo t in ter, lay Skeet, faito t. tself, muddy and discolored from tually  it contained, and it contained Joon; for Buck folloo ter, from wrace led away.

    All day Buck brooded by tlessly about tion of movement, as a passing out and aon  left a great void in  akin to  a void  times, emplate ts,  t; and at sucimes  pride in er t experienced.  game of all, and   not for t wheir arrows, spears and clubs.

    Nigrees into ting till it lay batly day. And , brooding and mourning by to a stirring of t ot ening and scenting. From far aed a faint, ss passed t oted in o ter of tened. It ed call, sounding more luringly and compelling to obey. Joon  tie he claims of man no longer bound him.

    ing t, as ts , on ting moose, t last crossed over from treams and timber and invaded Bucks valley. Into t streamed, ter of tood Buck, motionless as a statue, ing till and large ood, and a moments pause fell, till t one leaped straigruck, breaking tood,  movement, as before, tricken  in ser treaming blood from slass or shoulders.

    t to fling togets eagerness to pull doy stood ead. Pivoting on  once, presenting a front ly did o side. But to prevent tting be to till  up against a o a rigo bay, protected on to do but face t.

    And so  at ted. tongues of all  and lolling, te fangs se in t. Some ood on t, cill oter from tiously, in a friendly manner, and Buck recognized t and a day. ly, and, as Buck wouched noses.

    t and battle-scarred, came foro t sniffed noses  doed nose at t t doakable accents. oo, sat doo ther, yelping as he ran.

    And ory of Buck. t many ed a cimber  of ering do. But more remarkable ts tell of a G Dog t runs at t Dog, for it er tealing from ters, robbing traps, slaying t ers.

    Nay, tale groo return to ters tribesmen found s slass about ter ts of any  of tain valley  came to select t valley for an abiding-place.

    In tor, o t valley, of  kno is a great, gloriously coated  unlike, all otimber land and comes doo an open space among trees. ream floted moose-o t and vegetable mold overrunning it and s yelloime, s.

    But  alo t t or glimmering borealis, leaping gigantic above  t a-bellow as he pack.