Who Has Won to Mastership

           "Eh?WotIsay? Ispiktruew’enIsaydatBucktwodevils." ThiswasFrancois’sspeechnextmorningwhenhediscoveredSpitzmissingandBuckcoveredwithwounds. Hedrewhimtothefireandbyitslightpointedthemout. 

           "DatSpitzfightlakhell,"saidPerrault,ashesurveyedthegapingripsandcuts. 

           "An’datBuckfightlaktwohells,"wasFrancois’sanswer. "An’nowwemakegoodtime. NomoreSpitz,nomoretrouble,sure." 

           WhilePerraultpackedthecampoutfitandloadedthesled,thedog-driverproceededtoharnessthedogs. BucktrotteduptotheplaceSpitzwouldhaveoccupiedasleader;butFrancois,notnoticinghim,broughtSol-lekstothecovetedposition. Inhisjudgment,Sol-lekswasthebestlead-dogleft. BuckspranguponSol-leksinafury,drivinghimbackandstandinginhisplace. 

           "Eh?eh?"Francoiscried,slappinghisthighsgleefully. "LookatdatBuck.HeemkeeldatSpitz,heemt’inktotakedejob." 

           "Go‘way,Chook!"hecried,butBuckrefusedtobudge. 

           HetookBuckbythescruffoftheneck,andthoughthedoggrowledthreateningly,draggedhimtoonesideandreplacedSol-leks. Theolddogdidnotlikeit,andshowedplainlythathewasafraidofBuck. Francoiswasobdurate,butwhenheturnedhisbackBuckagaindisplacedSol-leks,whowasnotatallunwillingtogo. 

           Francoiswasangry. "Now,byGar,Ifeexyou!"hecried,comingbackwithaheavyclubinhishand.