سرزمین جنوب

CHAPTER ONE

The Southland

Buck did not read the newspapers. He did not know that there was trouble for every big, strong dog in California. Men found a yellow metal called gold in the Klondike. They needed big, strong dogs with furry coats to work in the north.

Buck lived in a big house in the sunny Santa Clara Valley. The house was called Judge Miller’s Place. Around the house there were big gardens, fruit trees and horses.

Buck was born here and now he was four years old. There were other dogs too, but they were not important. Buck was the king! Judge Miller’s Place was his. He swam and hunted with the Judge’s sons. He walked with the Judge’s daughters. He carried the Judge’s grandsons on his back and played with them. In the winter Buck sat at the Judge’s feet in front of the fire.

Buck’s father was a big St Bernard and his mother was a Scottish sheepdog. Buck weighed one hundred and forty pounds arid he was a happy and handsome dog.

In the fall of 1897 men from all over the world went to the Klondike. They wanted to find gold. But Buck did not read the newspapers.

Manuel was the gardener’s helper, and he needed money for his big family. One evening the Judge was out of the house and Manuel and Buck went for a walk. No one saw them leave and only one man saw them at the railway station. The man talked to Manuel and gave him some money. Then Manuel tied a rope around Buck’s neck. Buck let Manuel put the rope around his neck because he was his friend. But when the other man pulled the rope Buck could not breathe. He was angry and he jumped at the man. The man caught him and suddenly Buck was on his back. His tongue was out of his mouth and he was unable to move. In the past no one ever did this to him.

The two men put him on the train in the baggage car. When Buck woke up the train was moving. He was angry. The man watched him but Buck was too quick. He bit the man’s hand.

That evening the man took Buck to the backroom of a saloon in San Francisco. The saloon-keeper looked at his hand.

“I only got fifty dollars for it’ the man said.

“How much did the other man get?” the saloon-keeper asked.

“A hundred dollars.”

“That makes a hundred and fifty. That’s a good price for a dog like him. Come on, help me put him into the crate.”

Buck tried to attack the two men, but they pulled the rope again and again. Buck suffered terribly. His neck, throat and tongue hurt a lot. The men took off the rope and threw him into a crate.

Buck spent the night in the backroom of the saloon. He was very angry. He could not understand why he was there. What did these strange men want? Why was he a prisoner in a crate? Where was the Judge?

The next morning four men took the crate to the railway station. They put it on a train that was going to the north. For two days and two nights Buck did not eat or drink. He was confused and angry. Men on the train laughed at him. He threw himself against the crate. He growled and barked at the men.

Buck was very thirsty but he had no water. His tongue and throat were very dry. His eyes were red and his anger grew.

He was glad for one thing: the rope was off his neck. He did not want another rope around his neck.