Зов предков
The Toil of Trace and Trail
Andonnodaydidtheysucceedinmakingmorethanhalfthedistanceusedbythemenasabasisintheirdog-foodcomputation.
Itwasinevitablethattheyshouldgoshortondog-food. Buttheyhasteneditbyoverfeeding,bringingthedaynearerwhenunderfeedingwouldcommence. TheOutsidedogs,whosedigestionshadnotbeentrainedbychronicfaminetomakethemostoflittle,hadvoraciousappetites. Andwhen,inadditiontothis,theworn-outhuskiespulledweakly,Haldecidedthattheorthodoxrationwastoosmall.Hedoubledit. Andtocapitall,whenMercedes,withtearsinherprettyeyesandaquaverinherthroat,couldnotcajolehimintogivingthedogsstillmore,shestolefromthefish-sacksandfedthemslyly. ButitwasnotfoodthatBuckandthehuskiesneeded,butrest. Andthoughtheyweremakingpoortime,theheavyloadtheydraggedsappedtheirstrengthseverely.
Thencametheunderfeeding. Halawokeonedaytothefactthathisdog-foodwashalfgoneandthedistanceonlyquartercovered;further,thatforloveormoneynoadditionaldog-foodwastobeobtained. Sohecutdowneventheorthodoxrationandtriedtoincreasetheday’stravel. Hissisterandbrother-in-lawsecondedhim; buttheywerefrustratedbytheirheavyoutfitandtheirownincompetence.
