'The Law of Life,' by Jack London, Part Two

01THE LAW OF LIFE by Jack London, Part 2 Kosh-Kosh placed another stick on the fire, and let his thoughts travel deeper into the past.

02There was the time of the great famine.

03He had lost his mother in that famine.

04In the summer the usual plentiful catch of fish had failed, and the tribe looked forward to the winter and the coming of the caribou.

05Then the winter came, but with it there were no caribou.

06Never had the like been known, not even in the lives of the old men.

07The rabbits had not produced any young, and the dogs were skin and bone.

08And through the long darkness the children wept and died.

09So did the women and the old men.

10Not one in ten lived to meet the sun when it returned in the spring.

11That was a famine.

12But he had seen times of plenty, too, when the meat spoiled before it could be eaten.

13Even the dogs grew fat and were worth nothing from eating too much.

14In these times they let the animals and birds go unkilled, and the tents were filled with newly born children.

15Then it was that the men remembered old quarrels and crossed to the south and to the west to kill ancient enemies.

16He remembered when a boy during a time of plenty, when he saw a moose pulled down by the wolves.

17Zing-Ha lay with him in the snow and watched.

18Zing-Ha was his friend, who later became the best of hunters.

19One day he fell through an air-hole in the frozen Yukon River.

20They found him, a month later, frozen to the ice where he had attempted to climb out.

21Zing-Ha and he had gone out that day to play at hunting in the manner of their fathers.

22Near a creek they discovered the fresh track of a moose, and with it the tracks of many wolves.

23Zing-Ha said, An old one, Zing-Ha said, It is an old one who cannot travel as fast as the others.

24The wolves have separated him from his brothers, and they will never leave him.

25And it was so.

26It was their way.

27By day and by night, never resting, biting at his heels, they would stay with him to the end.

28How Zing-Ha and he had felt the desire to see blood.

29The finish would be a sight to remember.

30Eagerly they started up the trail.

31Even he, Kos-Kush, who was not a good tracker, could have followed it blind it was so wide.

32They were not far behind the hunt, reading its awful story at every step.

33Now they saw where the moose had stopped to face his attackers.

34On every side the snow had been stamped heavily.

35In the middle there were the deep footprints of the moose.

36All about everywhere were the lighter footmarks of the wolves.

37Some had moved to one side and rested while their brothers tried to seize the moose.

38The full-stretched impressions of their bodies in the snow were as perfect as though they had been made a moment before.

39One wolf had been caught in a wild dash at the moose and had died under its heavy stamping.

40A few bones remained as witness.

41The two boys stopped again at a second stand.

42Here the great animal had fought with despair.

43As the snow indicated, he had been dragged down twice.

44And twice he shook off his enemies and gained his footing once more.

45He had finished his task long before, but nevertheless, life was dear to him.

46Zingha said it was a strange thing for the moose once down to struggle free again.

47But this one certainly had done so.

48The medicine man would see signs and wonders in this when they told him.

49Then they came to the place where the moose had tried to climb the riverbank and go into the woods.

50But his enemies had attacked from behind until he leaped high and then fell back upon them, crushing too deep into the snow.

51It was clear that the kill was near because the two dead wolves had been left untouched by their brothers.

52The trail was red with blood now, and the distance between the tracks of the great beast had become shorter and shorter.

53Then they heard the first sounds of the battle, the quick bark of the wolves which spoke of teeth tearing flesh.

54On hands and knees, Zingha and Kashkush made their way through the snow.

55Together they pushed aside the low branches of a young pine tree and looked forth.

56It was the end that they saw.

57The picture, like all of youth's memories, was still strong with him.

58His eyes now watched the end acted again as clearly as in that earlier time.

59Koshkush was surprised at this because in the days which followed he had done many great deeds.

60He had been the leader of men, and his name had become a curse in the mouths of his enemies.

61For a long time he recalled the days of his youth, "'Until the fire grew cold and the frost bit deeper.

62"'He placed two sticks on the fire this time.

63"'Then he figured how much life was left by the amount of wood that remained in the pile.

64"'If Sit-Kum-Ha had remembered her grandfather and gathered a larger armful, "'his hours would have been longer.

65"'It would have been easy.

66"'But she was always a selfish child.

67"'She had not honored her ancestors from the time the beaver, "'son of the son of Zing-Ha, first looked at her.

68"'Ah, well, what did it matter?

69"'Had he not done the same in his own quick youth?

70"'For a while he listened to the silent forest.

71"'Perhaps the heart of his son might soften.

72"'Then he would return with the dogs to take his old father with the tribe to where the caribou ran thick and the fat hung heavy upon them.

73"'He strained his ears.

74"'There was not a sound to be heard.

75"'Nothing.

76"'He alone took breath in the middle of the great stillness.

77"'It was very lonely.

78"'It was very lonely.

79"'Wait.

80"'What was that?' "'His body suddenly felt cold.

81"'A familiar cry broke the silent air, and it was close to him.

82"'Then his darkened eyes again saw the old moose, the bloody sides, the torn legs, and the great branching horns fighting to the last.

83"'He saw the flashing forms of gray, the bright eyes, the dripping tongues and the sharp teeth.

84"'And he saw the circle move closer until it became a dark point in the middle of the stamped snow.

85"'A cold nose pushed against his face, and at its touch his soul leaped back to the present.

86"'His hands shot into the fire and dragged out a burning stick.

87"'Overcome for the moment by his fear of man, the beast drew back, raising a call to his brothers.

88"'Greedily they answered, until a ring of gray was stretched around him.

89"'The old man listened to the steady breathing of this circle.

90"'He waved his flaming stick wildly, but the beasts refused to scatter.

91"'Now one moved slowly forward, dragging his legs behind.

92"'Now a second, now a third.

93"'But now, not one moved back from his flaming stick.

94"'Why should he so desire life?' he asked.

95"'And dropped the burning stick into the snow.

96"'It made a slight noise, and then there was no more fire.

97"'The circle murmured uncertainly, but held its place.

98"'Again he saw the last stand of the old moose, "'and Koskusz dropped his head hopelessly on his knees.

99"'What did it matter?

100"'Was it not the law of life?' "'I was not the law of life?' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.' "'I was not the law of life.'!