CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Hate and Violence

White Fang became very violent and fierce while living with Beauty Smith. Beauty Smith kept White Fang in a small cage behind his house. He also put a chain on White Fang's neck. Everyday, White Fang would stay in the cage with a chain on his neck. It was a terrible life. Furthermore, Beauty Smith knew that White Fang hated it when people laughed at him. It made White Fang extremely angry. Therefore, Beauty Smith would often stand outside of White Fang's cage. He would then point and laugh at White Fang. It would make White Fang crazy with anger. He hated Beauty Smith. He hated Beauty Smith more than any other person in the world.

Beauty Smith made White Fang's life terrible for a reason. He wanted White Fang to be extremely hateful and violent because he wanted him to fight with other dogs. He wanted White Fang to win these fights. One day, many men came to the cage to see White Fang. Beauty Smith entered the cage. He took the chain from White Fang's neck. He then opened the door of the cage again. A huge dog entered the cage. White Fang did not know what to do. However, because he was angry about being in the cage all day, he attacked the dog. Within seconds, White Fang almost killed the dog. The men were excited. They shouted and clapped for White Fang. Then Beauty Smith quickly took the dog out of the cage.

Before the fight, the men bet money on which dog would win the fight. That is, they chose the dog that they thought would win. Then, they gave an amount of money to Beauty Smith. If their choice won the fight, Beauty Smith would give them double their original money. If their choice lost the fight, they would lose their money. Therefore, on that day, the men who chose White Fang as the winner got some money. They were happy.

After this day, there were many fights. White Fang looked forward to the fights. It was the only time that Beauty Smith took the chain off of his neck. Also, it was the only time that he could express his anger. After the fights, he felt good and relaxed. White Fang always won the fights. Therefore, Beauty Smith was very happy. Because of White Fang, Beauty Smith made a lot of money. White Fang could fight any dog and win. One day, White Fang fought with three different dogs, one after another. Another day, he fought with a huge wild wolf from the forest. On another day, he fought two dogs at the same time. He won all of these fights.

Later that year, during autumn, White Fang and Beauty Smith traveled on a ship to a northern city. White Fang was well-known. Many people had heard of "The Fighting Wolf' from Fort Yukon. Therefore, many people on the ship came to look at him. Sometimes they laughed at him. It made him angry. He hated the people. He hated Beauty Smith the most. Whenever he saw Beauty Smith, he was very violent. However, because he was in a cage, he could do nothing. He could not attack Beauty Smith.

Soon, White Fang and Beauty Smith arrived in the northern city. White Fang was famous in the city. People wanted to see him. They even paid Beauty Smith money to see him. Every day, the people would come. During these days, Beauty Smith would not let White Fang sleep. If White Fang tried to sleep, Beauty Smith would hit White Fang. Then, White Fang would be angry. Therefore, the people could see how fierce White Fang was. Sometimes, Beauty Smith arranged a fight. He would take White Fang outside of the town. They would go into the forest. In the forest, the police would not find them. (The police did not allow dog fights.)

Here, in the forest, White Fang fought many dogs. The fights in the forest were very violent. He usually killed the other dogs. He always won. He fought very quickly and with a lot of skill. He fought many dogs, so he had a lot of experience. Also, he never fell. He was always on his feet. Many dogs would try to make him fall, but they were never successful. The men who watched the fights were shocked that White Fang never fell.

After a while, the people were bored. White Fang always won the fights. Therefore, now the fights were not exciting. He had fewer and fewer fights. Therefore, Beauty Smith wanted White Fang to fight more wild wolves. He paid Indians to catch wolves for White Fang to fight with. People came to watch White Fang fight the wolves. It was exciting, but White Fang always won. One time, the Indians caught a lynx. White Fang fought the lynx and won. After the lynx, White Fang did not fight for a long time. There was no animal near the town that was a good match for White Fang.

In the spring, a new dog arrived in the town. The dog was a bulldog. Beauty Smith wanted White Fang to fight the bulldog. Therefore, he arranged a fight. The people were excited. They were ready to see an interesting fight.

(end of section)