Evening star., 1924-08-14
Continued from Yesterdays Staro

came a great famine TO the Macken-
gie Indians. In the summer the hsh
failed In the winter the caribou for
sook their accustomed track. Moose
were scarce. the rabbits almost dis
appeared, hunting and preying animals
pcrished Denied their usual food 4
supply. weakened by hunger. they fell
upon and dcvoured one another. Only
the strong survived. White Fang
gods were also hunting animals. The
-old and the weak of them died OF
hunger. There was Wailng in the
village. where the women and chill
dren went without in order that " hat
little they had might go into the bel
lies Of the lean and hollow eyed hunt
trS who trod the forest in the vain
pursuit of meat.
To such extremity were the gods
driven that they ate the soft-tanned
leather of their mocCaSinS and nit
tens. While the dogs ate the harness
off their backs and the very whip
laSheS. Also. the dogs ate one an
ether, and also the gods ate the dogs.
The weakest and the more worthless
were eaten first. The dogs that still
lived looked on and understood. \
few of the buldeSt and wiSeSt> forSook
the fires of the gods. which had now
become Il ShambleS. and fled into the
forest. where in the end. they starved
10 death or were eaten by wolves.
In this time of misery White Fang,
too, stole away into the woods. lie
was better fitted for the life than the
"f his cubhood to guide him. Espe-
Cially adept did he become in stalk
ing small living things. He would
lie concealed for hours. following
every movement of a cautious tree
squirrel, waiting. with a patience as
huge as the hunger he suffered from.
until the squirrel ventured out upon
the ground. Even then. White Fang
was not premature. He waited until
he was sure Of striking before the
squirrel could gain tree refuge.
Then, and not until then, would he
flash from his hiding place. a gray
projectile, incredibly swift, never
failing its mark-the fleeing squirrel
that fed not fast enough.
Successful as he was with squir-
rels, there was one difficulty that
prevented him from living and grow
ing fat on them There were not
to hunt still smaller things. SO acute
did his hunger become at times that
ne was not above roofing out wood
mice from their burrows in the
ground. Nor did he Scorn to do bat
tie with a weasel as hungry as him.
self and many times more ferocious.
In the worst pincheS of the famine
lie stole back TO the fires of the gods.
But he did not go in to the fires. He
'urked in the forest, avoiding discov-
cry and robbing the snares at the
rare intervals when game was caught.
lie even robbed Gray Beavers snare
cI FdDOll II tlInS "Den tray
Beaver staggered and tottered
through the forest. sitting down oft
IN to rest. what of weakness and of
shortneSS of breath.
One day White Fang encountered
a young wolf. gaunt and ScraWny.
loose-jointed with famine. Had he
not been hungry himself. White Fang
might have gone with him and event
ually found his way into the pack
among his wild brethren. AS it was.
he ran the young wolf down and
killed and ate him.
Fortune seemed to favor him. AL
ways, when hardest pressed for iooi.
he found something to kill. Again.
when he was weak. il was his l'Ick
that none of the Larger preying ami
mails chanced upon him. Thus. ne
was strong from the two-day eating
- lynx had afforded him. when the
hungry wolf-pa ran full tilt upon
him. 1t was a long. cruel chase. but
he was better nourished than they.
and in the end outran them. And not
only did he outrun them, but. circlins
widely back Oh his track. he gathered
In one of his eEhaus ted -pursuers.
After that he left that part of the
country and journeyed over to the
valley wherein he had been born.
Here, in the old lair. he encountered
= kiche. Up to her old tricks. she, too.
had fed the inhospitable fires of the
gods and gone back to her old refuge
TO give birth to her young. OF this
White Fang came upon the scene and
this one was not destined to live long
Young life had little chance in such
a famine.
kiche's greeting of her grown son
was anything but affectionate. But
White Fang did not mind. He rad
outgrown his mother. So be turned
tail philosophically and trotted on up
the stream. At the forks he took the
turning to the left. where he found
the lair of the lynx with whom his
mother and he had fought long be-
fore Here. i'll the abandoned liar
he settled down and rested for day.
During the early Summer in the
asst days OF the famine, he met Lip
lip. who had likewise taken to the
woods. where he had eked out a mis-
crable eXistancc. White Fang came
upon him unexpectedly. Trotting in
opposite directions along the base of
Il high bluff, they rounded a corner of
rock and found themselves face 20
ace. They paused with instant
piciously
White Fang was in splendid condi-
tion. His hunting had been good, and
for week he had eaten his fill. He
was even gorged from his latest kill.
But in the moment he looked al lip
lip his hair rose on end all along his
back. 1t was an Involuntary bris-
Ting on his part. the physical state
that in the past had always accom-
panied the mental state produced in
him by LiD-lip's bullying and pers.-
cutIon. AS in the past he had briS;led
and snarlcd al sight Of Lip-lD so
now, and automa tically. he bristied
and snarled. lie did not waste any
time. The thing Was done thorough
ly and with dispatch. Lip-lip es-
sayed to back away, but White Fang
struck him hard. shoulder to shoul-
der. I.ip-lip was overthrown and
rolled upon his back. White Fang's
teeth drove into the scrawny throat. |
There was a death struggle, during
which White Fang walked around /
suff-legsed and observant. Then he
resumed his course and trotted On
along the base Of the bluff
one day, not long after, he came
to the edge of the forest, where a
narrow stretch of open land sloped
down to the Mackenzie. He had been
over this ground before, when 1t was
Still hidden among the trees. he
paused to study the situation. Sights
and sounds and scents were familiar
to him. 1t was the old village
changed to a new place. But sights
and sounds and smells were different
from those he had last had when he
fed away from it. There was no
whimpering nor wailing Contented
sounds saluted his ear. and when he
heard the angry voice of woman he
knew it to be the anger that proceeds
from a full stomach. And there was
smell in the air Of fish. There was
food. The famine was gone. He came
ted into camp straight to Gray Bea-
Ner's tepee. Gray Beaver was not
there; but kool-kooch welcomed
him with glad cries and the whole of
Il fresh-caught fish. and he lay down
to wait Gray Beavers coming.