. The call of the wild. lves he had fathered, thebulls he had mastered — as they shambled onat a rapid pace through the fading light. Hecould not follow, for before his nose leaped themerciless fanged terror that would not let himgo. Three hundredweight more than half a tonhe weighed; he had lived a long, strong life,full of fight and struggle, and at the end hefaced death at the teeth of a creature whose headdid not reach beyond his great knuckled then on, night and day, Buck neverleft his prey, never gave it a moments rest,never permitted it to browse the leaves of treesor the sho
. The call of the wild. lves he had fathered, thebulls he had mastered — as they shambled onat a rapid pace through the fading light. Hecould not follow, for before his nose leaped themerciless fanged terror that would not let himgo. Three hundredweight more than half a tonhe weighed; he had lived a long, strong life,full of fight and struggle, and at the end hefaced death at the teeth of a creature whose headdid not reach beyond his great knuckled then on, night and day, Buck neverleft his prey, never gave it a moments rest,never permitted it to browse the leaves of treesor the shoots of young birch and willow. Nordid he give the wounded bull opportunity toslake his burning thirst in the slender tricklingstreams they crossed. Often, in desperation,he burst into long stretches of flight. At suchtimes Buck did not attempt to stay him, butloped easily at his heels, satisfied with the waythe game was played, lying down when themoose stood still, attacking him fiercely whenhe strove to eat or Lying down when the moose stood still. THE SOUNDING OF THE CALL 217 The great head drooped more and moreunder its tree of horns, and the shambling trotgrew weak and weaker. He took to stand-ing for long periods, with nose to the groundand dejected ears dropped limply ; and Buckfound more time in which to get water forhimself and in which to rest. At such mo-ments, panting with red lolling tongue andwith eyes fixed upon the big bull, it appearedto Buck that a change was coming over theface of things. He could feel a new stir inthe land. As the moose were coming intothe land, other kinds of life were coming and stream and air seemed palpitantwith their presence. The news of it was bornein upon him, not by sight, or sound, or smell,but by some other and subtler sense. Heheard nothing, saw nothing, yet knew that theland was somehow different; that through itstrange things were afoot and ranging; and heresolved to investigate after he had finished thebusin
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