Белый клык
The She-Wolf
ButBillignoredhim. "Iseensomeofthem.They’reprettythin. Theyain’thadabiteinweeksIreckon,outsideofFattyan’Frogan’Spanker; an’there’ssomanyof’emthatthatdidn’tgofar. They’reremarkablethin. Theirribsislikewash-boards,an’theirstomachsisrightupagainsttheirbackbones. They’reprettydesperate,Icantellyou. They’llbegoin’mad,yet,an’thenwatchout."
Afewminuteslater,Henry,whowasnowtravellingbehindthesled,emittedalow,warningwhistle. Billturnedandlooked,thenquietlystoppedthedogs. Totherear,fromaroundthelastbendandplainlyintoview,ontheverytrailtheyhadjustcovered,trottedafurry,slinkingform. Itsnosewastothetrail,andittrottedwithapeculiar,sliding,effortlessgait. Whentheyhalted,ithalted,throwingupitsheadandregardingthemsteadilywithnostrilsthattwitchedasitcaughtandstudiedthescentofthem.
"It’stheshe-wolf,"Billanswered.
Thedogshadlaindowninthesnow, andhewalkedpastthemtojoinhispartnerinthesled. Togethertheywatchedthestrangeanimalthathadpursuedthemfordaysandthathadalreadyaccomplishedthedestructionofhalftheirdog-team.
Afterasearchingscrutiny,theanimaltrottedforwardafewsteps. Thisitrepeatedseveraltimes,tillitwasashorthundredyardsaway. Itpaused,headup,closebyaclumpofsprucetrees,andwithsightandscentstudiedtheoutfitofthewatchingmen. Itlookedattheminastrangelywistfulway,afterthemannerofadog;butinitswistfulnesstherewasnoneofthedogaffection. Itwasawistfulnessbredofhunger,ascruelasitsownfangs,asmercilessasthefrostitself.
Itwaslargeforawolf,itsgauntframeadvertisingthelinesofananimalthatwasamongthelargestofitskind.
