Evening star., 1924-08-08
CHAPTER III.
The Bondage.

The days were thronged with expert
ence for White Fang. During the time
that Kiche was tied by the stick he ran
about all over. the camp. inquiring in
| vestigating, learning. He quickly came
to know much Of the ways of the man.
animals, but familiarity did not breed
contempt. The more he came to know
them the more they vindicated their su-
periority, the more they displayed their
mysterious powers, the greater loomed
| their god-likeness.
To man has been given the grief
| often. OF seeing his gods overthrown'
and his altars crumbling but to the
wolf and the wild dog that have come
in to crouch at mans feet, this grief has
never come. Unlike man, whose gods
are OF the unseen and the overguessed. :.
vapors and mists OF fancy eluding the,
garmenture OF reality, wandering wraiths
OF desired goodness and power, intangi-s
BILE outcroppings of self into the realm
or spir1t-unlike man, the wolf and the
wild dog that have come in to the fire.
nnd their gods in the living flesh. solid !
TO the touch. occupying earth space and,
requiring time for the accomplishment
of their ends and their existence No
effort of faith is necessary to believe in
such god no effort of will can pos
sibly induce disbelief in such a god
There is no getting away from it. There
it stands, on its two hind legs. club in
hand. immensely potential. passionate
and wrathful and loving, god and mys-.
terry and power ali wrapped up and.
around by flesh that bleeds when 1t is.
torn and that Is good to eat like any
flesh.
And so it was with White Fang. The
man-animais were gods unmistakable
and unacceptable. AS Ills mother. Kiche
had rendered her allegiance to them at
the first cry Of her name. SO he was be-
ginning to render his allegiance. He
dubitably theirs. When they walked, he
got out of their way When they called,
he came. When they threatened. he
covered down. When they commanded
him to go. he went away hurriedy. For
behind any wish of theirs was power
to enforce that wish. power that hurt, /,
power that expressed itself in clouts
and clubs, in flying stones and singing
lashes Of whips.
He belonged to them ar all dogs be-
longed to them. His actioni were theirs
to command. His body was theirs to
maui. to stamp upon, to teiera.s Such
was the lesson that was quickly borne
In upon him. 1t came hard. going as it'
did, counter to much that was strong
and dominant in his own nature, and
while he disliked it in the learning OF
1t, unknown to himself he was learning
to like 1t. 1t was a placing of his destiny
In anothers hands. a shifting Of the re-
sponsibilities of existence. This in it,
self was compensation. for 1t is always
easier to lean upon another than to
stand alone. :,
But it did not all happen in a day,
this giving over of himself, body and
soul, to the man. animals He could not
Immediately foreso his wild heritage
and his memories Of the wild. There
were days when he crept to the edge of
the forest and stood and listened to
something calling him far and away
And always he returned, restless and
/, uncomfortable, to whimper softly and
wistfully at Kiche's side and to lick her
face with eager, questioning tongue
White. Fang learned rapidly the ways
of the camp. He knew the injustice and
greediness of the older dogs when meat
or fish was thrown out to be eaten. He
came to know that men were more Just,
children more cruel and women more
kindly and more lke'y to tors him bit
Of meat or bone. And after two or three
painful adventures with the mothers OF
part-grown puppies he came into the
knowledge that It was always good
policy to let such mothers alone to keep
away from them as far as possible and
| to avoid them when he saw them COM
| tnG.
But the bAns Of his life was Lp-iiA