O MAStERShIP

    quot;E I say? I speak true ;

    t morning o ts liged t.

    quot;Dat Spitz fig; said Perrault, as s.

    quot;An dat Buck fig;And noime. No more Spitz, no more trouble, sure.quot;

    packed tfit and loaded to rotted up to tz  noticing  Sol-leks to ted position. In , Sol-leks  lead-dog left. Buck sprang upon Sol-leks in a fury, driving anding in his place.

    quot;E; Francois cried, slapping ;Look at dat Buck.  Spitz, o take de job.quot;

    quot;Go o budge.

    ook Buck by teningly, dragged o one side and replaced Sol-leks. t like it, and s e, but  all uno go.

    Francois ;No; h a heavy club in his hand.

    Buck remembered ter, and retreated sloempt to c for  beyond tterness and rage; and  if the way of clubs.

    t about o Buck   of Dave. Buck retreated teps. Francois folloed. After some time of t Buck feared a t Buck . ed, not to escape a clubbing, but to  ent h less.

    Perrault took a  for tter part of an  o come after o test generation, and every  out of t try to run a retreated around and around tising plainly t w, he would come in and be good.

    Francois sat doc looked at cime rail an c and grinned s t ten. t up to o Buck. Buck laug kept ance. Francois unfastened Sol-lekss traces and put eam stood o trail. t t. Once more Francois called, and once more Buck laug away.

    quot;t; Perrault commanded.

    Francois complied, ted in, laugriumply, and so position at team. races ened, t, and  on to trail.

    a bound Buck took up ties of leaders ing, z, of whom Francois had never seen an equal.

    But it es live up to it, t Buck excelled. Dave and Sol-leks did not mind t o toil, and toil migraces. So long as t  interfered  care  order. t of team,  days of Spitz, and t no Buck proceeded to lick to shape.

    Pike,  tband to do, ly and repeatedly s day z ue of superior weig ill o whine for mercy.

    tone of team picked up immediately. It recovered its old-time solidarity, and once more traces. At tive eek and Koona, y ook ah.

    quot;Never suc Buck!quot; ;No, never!  you say, Perrault?quot;

    And Perrault nodded. rail  condition, end. It  too cold. temperature dropped to fifty belorip. turn, and t on t infrequent stop-pages.

    ty Mile River ively coated  en days coming in. In one run ty-mile das of Lake LeBarge to te agist (seventy miles of lakes), t t turn it o run to nigopped e Pass and dropped dos of Skaguay and of t t.

    It y miles. For t and Francois ts up and doreet of Skaguay and ations to drink, ant center of a o clean out toerest turned to ot came official orders. Francois called Buck to  over   of Francois and Perrault. Like ot of Bucks life for good.

    A Scotcook ces, and in company eams arted back over trail to Da  oil eacrain, carrying o t gold under the Pole.

    Buck did not like it, but o taking pride in it after t es, , did t onous life, operating y. One day  a certain time eacurned out, fires , and breakfast en. t nigcents, ot fireer or ice for to ture of t o loaf around, after ten, for an ers among t ttles  brougo mastery, so t  out of his way.

    Best of all, pero lie near tretc in front,  times  of Judge Millers big a Clara Valley, and of t sank, and Ysabel, toots, t oftener er, t figz and ten or o eat.  ant, and sucent y t gave ty; tincts (ors become s) ill later, in him, quickened and became alive again.

    Sometimes as  t seemed t t as  man from ter of leg and longer of arm,  ringy and knotty ratted, and ed back under it from ttered strange sounds, and seemed very muco c, a stick one made fast to t naked, a ragged and fire-scorc  ted into almost a t stand erect, but runk inclined for bent at t  catlike, and a quick alertness as of one hings seen and unseen.

    At otimes tted by t beasts of prey. And . And dreaming t ts of anoto rise along and on end across ill ly, and ted at ;; o  up and yaretchough he had been asleep.

    It  of  at least. But in time tters for tside. tired, to make matters  sno a soft trail, greater friction on t t all, and did t for the animals.

    Eac ttended to first. te before te, and no man sougill o t of till, trengt doer traveled eigance; and eigell upon life of toug. Buck stood it, keeping es up to taining discipline, too ired. Billee cried and her side.

    But it able, and  get on  again till ime in times, in traces, raining to start it,   could find noterested in alked it over at meal-time, and over t pipes before going to bed, and one nigation.  from  to till  many times. Somet te no broken bones, could not make it out.

    By time Cassiar Bar races. tc and took  of team, making t dog, Sol-leks, fast to tention o rest Dave, letting ed being taken out, grunting and groened, and rail  bear t another dog should do his work.

    arted,  snoen trail, attacking Sol-leks eet rying to t o t snoriving to leap inside races and get beto drive  o tinging las t to strike o run quietly on trail be continued to flounder alongside in t sno, till exed. train of sleds churned by.

    it remnant of rengto stagger along beill train made anotop, o ood alongside Sol-leks.  to get a ligurned and started  on trail ion, turned topped in surprise. too; t moved. o ness t. Dave ten traces, and anding directly in front of the sled in his proper place.

    o remain talked of s  t killed it, and recalled instances too old for toil, or injured,  out of traces. Also, t a mercy, since Dave o die any races, -easy and content. So  involuntarily from te of . Several times fell doraces, and once t er on one of his hind legs.

    But  till camp o travel. At ime ried to crao s  on , staggered, and fell. to  es sa till t of sig of river timber.

    rain craced eps to t. talking. A revolver-s rang out. tinkled merrily, trail; but Buck knerees.