CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Enemy of His Kind

White Fang was the strongest sled-dog. Therefore, Gray Beaver made White Fang the leader of the sled dogs. After that day, the other dogs truly hated White Fang. When Gray Beaver or Mit-sah gave White Fang extra meat and fish, the other dogs were very angry.

White Fang also hated the other dogs. He hated being at the front of the sled. It was horrible, but he had to bear it. He was strong. Every time Mit-sah started the sled, the other dogs would begin chasing him. After that, the only thing that he could do was run. He would run all day. During the night, he would fight with the other dogs. Every night, the dogs were angry after a long day of chasing White Fang. They wanted to hurt him. Every time they attacked White Fang, however, they would lose. White Fang would always win the fights. The dogs also hated White Fang for another reason: White Fang was actually a wolf.

White Fang was too horrible to fight alone, so many dogs would attack him together. Therefore, he never got the chance to kill another dog. As soon as he would be ready to bite a dog's throat, the other dogs would attack him. The other dogs could not kill White Fang. They tried to kill him many times, but he was too quick and too clever. The other dogs could never make him fall or trip. White Fang always stayed on his feet. Gray Beaver often saw the other dogs fight with White Fang. Gray Beaver respected White Fang very much. He knew that White Fang was a very special animal. The other Indians also knew that White Fang was a special animal. The Indians all agreed that they had never seen a dog as fierce as White Fang.

When White Fang was five years old, he went on a long journey with Gray Beaver. When they camped at night, other dogs would fight with White Fang. White Fang always fought fiercely, and people at the camps remembered White Fang for many years. They never saw a dog fight as well as White Fang fought. He could fight faster and better than any other dog. He could easily kill another dog.

In the summer, Gray Beaver's journey ended. He and the sled-dogs arrived at a city. The city was called Fort Yukon. There were many Indians living there. There was a lot of food everywhere. It was the year 1898. Many people were coming to North Canada to look for gold. The people came from everywhere. They came from many different countries. Everyone who came to look for gold first came to this city. Therefore, it was an important city. Gray Beaver came to the city to do business. He wanted to sell some blankets and other things to the people looking for gold. He wanted to make a lot of money, so he stayed in the city for many months.

White Fang saw white people for the first time in Fort Yukon. They looked different than the Indians. They looked like another kind of people. White Fang had a strange feeling when he saw the white people. He did not trust them. He was also curious about them. He would often watch them for a long time. At first, he watched them from far away. Then, he saw that they did not harm the other dogs. Therefore, he came closer to them.

The white people were also curious about White Fang. When they saw him, they knew he was part wolf. They would often talk about him. They would point to White Fang as they talked. This made White Fang nervous. Whenever they walked too close to White Fang, he would show his teeth. Therefore, the white people never had a chance to touch him.

Every three days, a large ship would come to Fort Yukon. Many white people would get off the ship. They would stay in Fort Yukon for a few days and then go to other places. During this time, White Fang saw many white people. He saw more white people than Indians.

When the white people came to Fort Yukon, they brought their dogs. White Fang saw these dogs many times. They were very weak and slow. There were many different dogs that came with the white men. Some had short legs. Some had long legs. Some had long fur. Some had short fur. None of the white men's dogs knew how to fight.

When the white men's dogs saw White Fang, they were afraid of him. They were afraid because he was a wolf. Therefore, their fear made them want to fight with him. When they attacked White Fang, White Fang would fight them. Within a few seconds, he could seriously hurt them. Sometimes he even killed them. White Fang loved fighting with the white men's dogs. At first, he fought them only sometimes. Then, he fought them every day. Because Gray Beaver was busy with business, White Fang had nothing to do. Therefore, day after day, he waited for the ships to arrive at Fort Yukon. Then he would attack the white men's dogs.

(end of section)