JOURNEY OF MILLER ESTATE DOG ENDS IN PEACE
Buck’s Journey
Judge Miller’s dog, Buck, a half sheepdog and half St. Bernard, was recently captured by a gardener on the estate, and was sold to dog traders. He was beat in an effort to instill obedience into him. Soon after, Buck is sent to the Klondike region. Two mailmen, named Francois and Perrault, take him as their property. As Buck assimilates to his new sled-dog life, he develops a rivalry with Spitz, one of the lead dogs on his team. One day, Buck gets into a fierce encounter with Spitz, where Buck ends up killing Spitz, and subsequently, becomes the new leader of the team. Francois and Perrault, being inexperienced, force the dogs to carry much heavier loads, resulting in one dog becoming ill. The mailmen send the group of dogs to an assembly of gold hunters, Charles, Hal, and Mercedes. The new masters treat the dogs perfunctorily, and end up falling through a section of ice, pulling in the dogs and the humans into a frozen lake. The dogs are then pulled into John Thornton’s camp, a caring master whom Buck treats with devotion. However, a growing attraction for the wild pulls him away from society. He makes friends with wolves, bears, and moose while the men look for gold. In a battle with the Yeehats, an Indian…
He goes and finds a small timberwolf. Buck attempts to make a friendly advance, however, the wolf is scared. Eventually, the two show each other their friendship by sniffing, however, Buck comes to remember John Thornton. Eventually, he ends up developing two personalities, an affectionate sled dog, and as a hunter in the wild forest. One day, after returning from the forest, he finds his camp, including his master dead. He avenges Thornton by killing the Yeehat Indians. Buck joins the wolf pack, where he becomes a legendary figure Yeehat Indians tell of, a Ghost Dog, inspiring fear into the…
