The news & observer., 1903-02-08
JAN, THE UNREPENTANT.
By JACK LONDON.
Copyright b y Jack London.)

three men who hung upon him shouted
directions to each other, and strove to
curb the short, hairy devil who would
not curb The third man howled. His
finger was between JAMS teeth.
"Qut yer tantrums. JAM an ease up.
painted Red Bill, getting strangle hold
on JAMS neck. why on earth can't yeh
hang decent and peaceable?" But Jan
kept his grip on the third mans finger
and squirmed over the floor of the tent
into the pots and pans.
"Youah no gentleman, suh, reproved
Mr.. Taylor, his body following his finger.
and endeavoring to accommodate itself
to every jerk of JAMS head. You heV
killed Mistah Gordon. as brave and hon
orable a gentleman as ever hit the trail
aftah the dogs Youah murderah, sub,
and without honah."
AN yer no comrade." broke in Red
BILL IF you was, you'd hang 'thout
rampn' around an roarin'. Come on,
Jan, there's a good fellow. Don't give
us no more trouble. Jes' quit. an Wen
hang yeh neat and handy an be done
with it,
STEADY, ALL" Lawson, the sailorman.
bawled jam his head into the bean
pot and batten down."
But my fingah, suh." Mr.. Taylor pro-
tested
"Leggo with y'r finger then! Always
in the wav!"
But l can't, Mistah Lawson. It's in
the critters gullet, and nigh chewed off
asst is
Stand by for stays." AS Lawson gave
the warning Jan half lifted himself, and
the struggling quartet floundered across
the tent into a muddle of furs and
blankets. In its passage it cleared the
body of a man, who lay motionless,
bleeding from bullet wound in the
neck.
All this was because of the madness
which had come upon Jan-the madness
which comes upon man who has strip
ped off the raw skin of earth and grovel-
cd long in primal nakedness. and before
whose eyes rises the fat wales of the
hcme land and into whose nostrils steals
the Whit of hay and grass and flower and
new-turned soil. Through five frigid
years Jan had sown the seed. Stuart
River, Forty Mile, Circle City, Koyokuk,
Kotzebue, had marked his bleak and
strenuous agriculture, and now it was
Nome that bore the harvest-not the
Nome of golden beaches and ruby sands.
but the Nome of 81. before Anvil City
was located or Eldorado District or
ganized. John Gordon was a Yankee, and
should have known better. But he passed
the sharp word at a time when Jams
bloodshot eyes blazed and his teeth grit
ted torment. And because Of this there
was the smell of saltpetre in the tent.
and one lay quietly while the other
fought like a cornered rat and refused
to hang in the decent and peaceable man
rer suggested by his comrades.
''If you will allow me, Mistah Lawson.
befoah we go further in this rumpus, L
would say it wah a good idea to pry this
hyer varmint's teeth apart Neither
will he bite off nor will be let go. He
has the wisdom of the sarpint, sub. the
wisdom of the sarpint."
"Lemme get the hatchet to him.
vcciferated the sailor "Lemme get the
hatchet." He showed the steel edge close
to Mr.. Taylor's finger and used the
mans teeth as fulcrum. Jan held on
and breathed through his nose, snorting
like grampus STEADY, all Now she
takes it,
Thank you, sub; it is a powerful re-
lief" And Mr.. Taylor proceeded to gather
into his arms the victims wildly waving
legs.
NJ
rage; bleeding frothing, cursing, five
frozen years thawing into sudden hell.
They swayed backward and forward.
painted, sweated, like some cyclopean,
many legged monster rising from the
lower deeps. The slush lamp went over,
drowned in it's own fat, while the mid
day twilight scarce percolated through
the dirty canvas of the tent.
For the love of Gawd JAM get yer
senses backt' pleaded Red Bill 1--WE
amt going to hurt yeh, r kill yeh, any
thin of that sort. Jes' want to hang
yeh that's all, an you a-messin round
an rampagin' somethn' terrible To
think of travelin' trail together an then
bein' treated this way. Wouldn't bleeved
it of yeh. JAM" He's got too much
steerage wav Grab holt his legs, Tay-
lor, and heave m Overt"
'Yes, sub, Mistah Lawson. Do you
press youah weight above, after l give
the word" The Kentuckian groped about
him in the murky darkness. Now, sub,
now is the accepted time!"
There was a great surge, and quar-
ter of a ton of human flesh tottered and
crashed to it's fall against the side wall.
Pegs drew and guy ropes parted, and
the tent, collapsing, wrapped the battle
in its greasy folds.
eyer only maxim it harder fer yerself,
Red Bill continued, at the same time
driving his thumbs into hairy throat
the possessor of which he had pinned
down you've made nuisance enough
Already. an it'll take half the day to
get things Strengthened when we've
strung you up.
I'll thank you to leave go, sub, splut-
tered Mr.. Taylor.
Red Bill grunted and loosed his grip,
and the twain crawled out into the
OPEN At the same instant Jan kicked
clear of the sailor and took to his heels
across the snow.
"Hi, You lazy devils! Buck. Bright
Sic m. Pull m down." sang out Law
son, lunging through the snow after the
fleeing man. Buck and Bright, followed
by the rest of the dogs, outstripped him
and rapidly overhauled the murderer
There was no reason that these men
should do this; no reason for Jan to
run away; no reason for them TO attempt
to prevent him. On the one hand stretch