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Who Has Won to Mastership
TheywereshortofweightandinpoorconditionwhentheymadeDawson,andshouldhavehadatendays’oraweek’srestatleast. Butintwodays’timetheydroppeddowntheYukonbankfromtheBarracks,loadedwithlettersfortheoutside. Thedogsweretired,thedriversgrumbling,andtomakemattersworse,itsnowedeveryday. Thismeantasofttrail,greaterfrictionontherunners,andheavierpullingforthedogs; yetthedriverswerefairthroughitall,anddidtheirbestfortheanimals.
Eachnightthedogswereattendedtofirst. Theyatebeforethedriversate,andnomansoughthissleeping-robetillhehadseentothefeetofthedogshedrove. Still,theirstrengthwentdown. Sincethebeginningofthewintertheyhadtravelledeighteenhundredmiles,draggingsledsthewholewearydistance;andeighteenhundredmileswilltelluponlifeofthetoughest. Buckstoodit,keepinghismatesuptotheirworkandmaintainingdiscipline,thoughhe,too,wasverytired. Billeecriedandwhimperedregularlyinhissleepeachnight. Joewassourerthanever,andSol-lekswasunapproachable,blindsideorotherside.
ButitwasDavewhosufferedmostofall. Somethinghadgonewrongwithhim. Hebecamemoremoroseandirritable,andwhencampwaspitchedatoncemadehisnest,wherehisdriverfedhim. Onceoutoftheharnessanddown,hedidnotgetonhisfeetagaintillharness-uptimeinthemorning.
