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Text 1
The Call of the Wild
by Jack London
Buck, a large dog, used to live in the
south. But this was 1897, when men and dogs were hurrying
to north-west Canada to look for gold. Buck was stolen
and taken to the north, which was entirely new to him,
being so close to the dangerous wilderness. How did
Buck manage to adapt himself to the new life? Please
read the following selection from Jack London's famous
novel simplified by Nick Bullard.
Buck lived in Mr. Miller's big house
in the sunny Santa Clara valley. There were large gardens
and fields of fruit trees around the house, and a river
nearby. In a big place like this, of course, there were
many dogs. There were house dogs and farm dogs, but
they were not important. Buck was chief dog; he was
born here, and this was his place. He was four years
old and weighed sixty kilos. He went swimming with Mr.
Miller's sons, and walking with his daughters. He carried
the grandchildren on his back, and he sat at Mr.
Miller's
feet in front of the fire in winter.
But this was 1897, and Buck did not
know that men and dogs were hurrying to north-west Canada
to look for gold. And he did not know that Manuel, one
of Mr. Miller's gardeners, needed money for his large
family. One day, when Mr. Miller was out, Manuel and
Buck left the garden together. It was just an evening
walk, Buck thought. No one saw them go, and only one
man saw them arrive at the railway station. This man
talked to Manuel, and gave him some money. Then he tied
a piece of rope around Buck's neck.
Buck growled, and was surprised when
the rope was pulled hard around his neck. He jumped
at the man. The man caught him and suddenly Buck was
on his back with his tongue out of his mouth. For a
few moments he was unable to move, and
it was easy for the two men to put him into the train.
When Buck woke up, the train was still
moving. The man was sitting and watching him, but Buck
was too quick for him and he bit the man's hand hard.
Then the rope was pulled again and Buck had to let go.
That evening, the man took Buck to the
back room of a bar in San Francisco. He took off Buck's
rope and pushed him into a wooden box. The next day
Buck was carried in the box to the railway station and
put on a train to the north. For two days and nights
the train traveled north, and for two days and nights
Buck neither ate nor drank. For two days and nights
Buck got angrier and hungrier and thirstier. His eyes
grew red and he bit anything that moved.
In Seattle four men took Buck to a
small, high-walled back garden, where a fat man in an
old red coat was waiting. Buck was now very angry indeed
and he jumped and bit at the sides of his box. The fat
man smiled and went to get an ax and a club. As the
fat man hit the box with his ax, Buck jumped at the
sides, growling and biting, pulling with his teeth at
the pieces of broken wood. After a few minutes there
was a hole big enough for Buck to get out.
"Now, come here, red eyes," said the fat man, dropping
his ax and taking the club in his right hand.
Buck jumped at the man, sixty kilos
of anger, his mouth wide open, ready to bite the man's
neck. Just before his teeth touched the skin, the man
hit him with the club. Buck fell to the ground. It was
the first time anyone had hit him with a club and he
did not understand. He stood up, and jumped again. Again
the club hit him and he crashed to the ground. There
was blood on his nose and mouth and ears. Then the fat
man walked up and hit him again, very hard, on the nose.
The pain was terrible. Again, Buck jumped at the man
and again he was hit to the ground. At last when he
jumped, the man knocked him down and he did not move.
"His name is Buck," said the fat man
to himself, reading the letter that had come with the
box. "Well, Buck, my boy," he said in a friendly voice
, "we've argued a little, and I think the best thing
to do now is to stop. Be a good dog and we'll be friends.
But if you're a bad dog, ..."
As he spoke, he touched Buck's head,
and although Buck was angry inside, he did not move.
When the man brought him water and meat, Buck drank
and then ate the meat, piece by piece, from the man's
hand.
Buck was beaten (he knew that) but he
was not broken. He had learnt that a man
with a club was stronger than him. Every day he saw
more dogs arrive, and each dog was beaten by the fat
man. Buck understood that a man with a club must be
obeyed, although he did not have to be a friend.
One day a short, dark man came and looked
at Buck. "That's a good dog!" he cried. "How much do
you want for him?"
"Three hundred dollars. It's a good
price, Perrault," said the fat man.
Perrault smiled and agreed that it was
a good price. He knew dogs, and he knew that Buck was
an excellent dog. "One in ten thousand," Perrault said
to himself.
Buck saw money put into the fat man's
hand, and he was not surprised when he and another dog
called Curly were taken away by Perrault. He took them
to a ship , and later that day Buck and Curly stood
and watched the coast get further and further away.
They had seen the warm south for the last time.
Perrault took Buck and Curly down to
the bottom of the ship. There they met another man,
Franois. Perrault was a French-Canadian, but Franois
was half-Indian, tall and dark. Buck learnt quickly
that Perrault and Franois were fair men, calm and honest.
And they knew everything about dogs.
There were two other dogs on the ship.
One was a big dog called Spitz, as white as snow. He
was friendly to Buck at first, always smiling. He was
smiling when he tried to steal Buck's food at the first
meal. Franois was quick and hit Spitz before Buck had
time to move. Buck decided that this was fair, and began
to like Franois a little.
Dave, the other dog, was not friendly.
He wanted to be alone all the time. He ate and slept
and was interested in nothing.
One day was very like another, but Buck
noticed that the weather was getting colder. One morning,
the ship's engines stopped, and there was a feeling
of excitement in the ship. Franois leashed the dogs
and took them outside. At the first step Buck's feet
went into something soft and white. He jumped back in
surprise. The soft, white thing was also falling through
the air, and it fell onto him. He tried to smell it,
and then caught some on his tongue. It bit like fire,
and then disappeared. It was his first snow.
Buck's first day at Dyea Beach was terrible.
Every hour there was some new, frightening surprise.
And every minute there was danger, because these dogs
and men were not town dogs and men. They knew only the
law of club and tooth.
Buck had never seen dogs fight like
these dogs; they were like wolves. In a few minutes
he learnt this from watching Curly. She tried to make
friends with a dog. There was no warning. The dog jumped
on Curly, whose face was torn open from eye to mouth.
Thirty or forty more dogs ran up and made a circle around
the fight, watching silently. Curly tried to attack
the dog who had bitten her; he bit her a second time
, and jumped away. When she attacked him again, he knocked
her backwards, and she fell on the ground. She never
stood up again, because this was what the other dogs
were waiting for. In a moment she was under a crowd
of dogs.
It was all very sudden. Buck saw Spitz
run out from the crowd with his tongue out of his mouth,
laughing. Then he saw Franois with an ax, and two or
three other men with clubs jump in among the dogs. Two
minutes later the last of the dogs was chased away.
But Curly lay dead in the snow , her body torn almost
to pieces. Curly's death often came back to Buck in
his dreams. He understood that once a dog was down on
the ground, he was dead. He also remembered Spitz laughing,
and from that moment he hated him.
Then Buck had another surprise. Franois
put a harness on him. Buck had seen harnesses on horses,
and now he was made to work like a horse with Spitz
and Dave, who had worked in a harness before, and Buck
learnt by watching them. He also learnt to stop and
turn when Franois shouted.
"Those three are very good dogs," Franois
told Perrault. "Buck pulls very well, and he's learning
quickly."
Perrault had important letters and official
papers to take to Dawson City, so that afternoon he
bought two more dogs, two brothers called Billee and
Joe.
That night Buck discovered another problem.
Where was he going to sleep? Franois and Perrault were
in their tent, but when he went in, they shouted angrily
and threw things at him. Outside it was very cold and
windy. He lay down in the snow, but he was too cold
to sleep.
He walked around the tents trying to
find the other dogs. But, to his surprise, they had
disappeared. Suddenly, the snow under his feet fell
in, and he felt something move. There, in a warm hole
under the snow, was Billee.
So that was what you had to do. Buck
chose a place, dug himself a hole and in a minute he
was warm and asleep. He slept well, although his dreams
were bad.
When he woke up, at first he did not
know where he was. It had snowed in the night and the
snow now lay thick and heavy above him. Growling, he
threw himself at the snow, and a moment later, he had
jumped upwards into the daylight.
Franois and Perrault bought three more
dogs that morning, and a quarter of an hour later all
the dogs were in harness and on their way up the Dyea
Canyon. Buck was not sorry to be moving, and although
it was hard work, he almost enjoyed it.
(1,751 words)
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课文一
野性的呼唤
杰克·伦敦
巴克是一条大狗，过去生活在南方。时值1897年，一个人们带着狗匆匆赶往加拿大西北部探宝淘金的年头。巴克被人偷走，带到了北方。对它而言，这里过于靠近荒原，是一个完全陌生、充满危险的地方。巴克是怎样设法让自己适应这一新生活的？请阅读下面这篇课文，它选自杰克·伦敦的著名小说，由尼克·布拉德简写而成。
巴克与米勒一家人住在一起。米勒先生的房子很大，地处阳光明媚的圣克拉拉山谷。房屋四周是大花园和长满果树的田地。附近还有一条河流。在这样一个大地方，自然有许多狗。有家庭豢养的狗，也有农场上的狗。但它们都不重要。巴克是领头狗，它就在这儿出生，这儿就是它的地盘。它四岁，体重六十公斤。它跟米勒先生的儿子们一同去游泳，随他的女儿们一道去散步，它把那几个孙子孙女驮在背上。冬天的时候，它伏在米勒先生的脚边，依偎在炉火前。
时值1897年。巴克不知道，有许多人，带着许多狗，正纷纷赶往加拿大西北部去淘金。它也不知道曼纽埃尔，也就是米勒先生的一个花匠，需要钞票来养活他那一大家子人。一天，米勒先生出去了。曼纽埃尔与巴克一道儿离开了花园。巴克以为这不过是一次傍晚的遛跶。他们离开时没有一个人看到，而他们到达火车站时也只有一个人见到他们。这个人同曼纽埃尔说了几句话，给了他一些钱，然后将一根绳索套在巴克的脖子上。
巴克咆哮着。当颈部的绳子被勒紧时，它惊慌地跳起来，扑向那个人。那个人抓住了它。突然之间巴克便到了那个人的背上，舌头也伸了出来。有那么一会儿，它根本无法动弹。那两个人轻而易举就把它塞进了火车。
巴克醒来时，火车仍在行驶。那个人坐在一边，盯着巴克。巴克迅速扑向他，狠狠地咬那个人的手。但这时绳索又被勒紧了，巴克只好松口。
当天晚上，那个人将巴克带到旧金山一间酒吧的里屋中，解下巴克身上的绳索，然后把它推进一只木箱子里。第二天巴克随着那只箱子被抬到火车站，装上了开往北方的火车。火车向北一直开了两天两夜。而这两天两夜里，巴克既没进食也没饮水。两天两夜里，巴克怒火中烧，又饿又渴。它双眼充血，见到移动的东西就咬。
到了西雅图之后，四个男子把巴克带到一个面积不大、围墙高高的后院。一个身穿红色旧外套的胖子正等在那儿。巴克此时已怒不可遏，它扑腾撕咬着木箱的四侧。那胖子笑了一下，去拿了一把斧子和一根棍棒回来。他用斧子砸木箱的时候，巴克扑向壁板，咆哮着，咬啮着，用牙齿撕扯着断木碎屑。不一会儿，豁口大得足以让巴克跳出去了。
“来呀，到这儿来，红眼儿，”胖子说道。他丢下斧子，右手操起了棒子。
巴克以六十公斤的愤怒之躯扑向胖子。它的嘴大张着，要去咬断他的喉颈。然而，它的利齿马上就要挨到胖子皮肤时，他用棍棒猛揍了它一下。巴克倒落在地。这是它第一次遭人棒打，它一时弄不明白是怎么回事儿。它立起身来，再次扑上前去。棍棒又一次打中了它。它瘫倒在地。嘴上、鼻子上、耳朵上都是血。接着胖子走上前来，又狠狠一记打在巴克鼻子上。一阵巨痛。一次又一次，巴克扑向胖子；一次又一次，它被打倒在地。终于，当巴克又扑过去的时侯，那人把它一棒打翻在地。它不再动弹了。
“它叫巴克，”胖子一边读着随箱子一起送来的信，一边自语道。“嗯，巴克，我的好孩子，”他以友好的口气说道：“我们刚才发生了一点小争执。我想我们现在最好停战。你做一条好狗，我们就会成为好朋友。不过，你要是不听话……”
他一边说，一边抚摸着巴克的头。巴克尽管怒火中烧，却没有动弹。胖子给它拿来水和肉。巴克喝了水，然后开始一块一块地从胖子手中叼肉来吃。
巴克挨打了（它对此很明白），但是它并没有被打垮。它已经懂得：一个手执棍棒的人比它来得强大。每天都有狗被带到这里，并且每一条狗都遭到那个胖子的棍棒。看到这些，巴克明白了：必须顺从一个手持棍棒的人，而此人并非一定要是朋友。
一天，一个皮肤黝黑、个子矮小的男子来到这里。他打量着巴克。“这可是条好狗！”他大声说道：“你要多少钱？”
“三百元。这可是个好价钱，佩罗特，”那个胖子说道。
佩罗特笑着赞同道，那确实是个好价钱。他了解狗，也很清楚巴克的确是条出色的狗。“万里挑一，”佩罗特自忖道。
巴克看到钞票被放到了胖子的手里。所以，当它和另一条名叫柯莉的狗被佩罗特带走时，它并不感到奇怪。佩罗特带它们上了一艘船。那天晚些时候，巴克与柯莉站在船上，眼看着海岸线变得越来越远。这是它们最后一次见到温暖的南方。
佩罗特将巴克与柯莉带到底舱。在那儿，它们见到了弗朗索瓦。佩罗特是一个法裔加拿大人，而弗朗索瓦则有一半印地安血统。他高个子，皮肤黧黑。巴克很快就明白佩罗特与弗朗索瓦是好人，沉稳而正派。他们对狗无所不知。
船上还有两条狗，其中那条浑身雪白的大狗叫斯皮兹。起初它对巴克很友好，总是面带微笑。开第一顿饭的时候，它就企图偷吃巴克的食物。当时，它就是这样微笑着。巴克还没来得及有所动作，弗朗索瓦就敏捷地打了斯皮兹一下。巴克认定这样做是公道的，便开始有点喜欢弗朗索瓦了。
另一条狗——戴夫——显得不友善。它总是想自个儿独处。它吃了睡，睡了吃，对任何事情都不感兴趣。
每天的生活大同小异。不过，巴克发现天气变得冷起来了。一天上午，轮船的引擎停了。船上笼罩着一种兴奋的情绪。弗朗索瓦给几只狗套上皮索，带它们下了船。刚迈出第一步，巴克的脚就陷进了某种柔软而洁白的东西之中。它吓得直往后跳。那柔软而洁白的东西从上空飘洒下来，落到巴克的身上。巴克试着去闻它的气味，然后又用舌头接住一些。先是被火燎了一下的感觉，随即那东西就消失了。这是巴克第一次见到雪。
巴克在戴依海滩上度过了可怕的第一天。每时每刻都有新的、恐怖的意外发生，都危机四伏。这是因为这里的狗和人和城镇里的不一样。他们全都只懂得棍棒加牙齿这条法则。
这里的狗打起架来，真让巴克触目惊心——它们就象狼一样。是柯莉的遭遇让它在几分钟的时间里就明白了这一点。柯莉试图与一条狗套近乎。突然之间，毫无预警地，那条狗就扑向了柯莉。柯莉的脸立即从眼部撕裂到了嘴巴。三、四十条狗奔拢过来，围成一圈，静静地观望这场争斗。柯莉试图向咬伤它的那条狗发起反击，但那条狗第二次咬住了柯莉，随后又跳开了。柯莉再次扑过去，对方将它撞倒在地上。它再也没能站起来，而这正是那些狗盼望的结局。刹那间，柯莉已身处一群狗的蹄爪之下。
这一切都发生得如此突然。巴克看见斯皮兹从那群狗里钻出来，舌头耷拉在嘴巴外面，涎着脸笑着。接下来，巴克又看见弗朗索瓦手持斧头、另有二、三个人手执棍棒跳进了狗群中。两分钟后，狗都被赶跑了。柯莉躺在雪地里，早已气绝身亡。它的身体几乎被撕成了碎片。柯莉之死经常重现在巴克的梦境中。它明白了：一只狗一旦倒下，便只有死路一条。它也记得斯皮兹呲牙咧嘴坏笑的样子。自此以后，巴克非常憎恨它。
不久，巴克又经历了一件让它惊诧的事：弗朗索瓦给它套上了缰绳。巴克以前见过给马套缰绳，可现在它得象一匹马那样干活儿了。与斯皮兹和戴夫一起干；它们俩以前倒是身套缰绳干过活儿来着。巴克通过观察它俩来学习怎样干活儿，它还学会了听着弗朗索瓦的吆喝停下或转弯。
“这三条狗真是很棒，”弗朗索瓦对佩罗特说：“巴克拉得非常好。它学得真快。”
佩罗特有些重要的信件和官方文件要送到多森市。所以，那天下午他又买来两条狗。它们是名叫比利和乔的俩兄弟。
当天夜里，巴克又发现了一个问题：它该到哪儿去睡觉呢？弗朗索瓦与佩罗特住在帐篷里。可是，巴克进去时，他们就会愤怒地大叫，还把东西向它这边儿扔过来。帐篷外天寒地冻，冷风阵阵。巴克在雪地上躺下来，却又冻得睡不着。
它围着帐篷转圈子，想要找到其它的狗。可令它惊讶的是，所有的狗都销声匿迹了。突然，它脚下的积雪陷落下去。巴克感觉到有什么东西在动弹。在那里，在雪堆下面的温暖地洞里，躺着比利。
原来是这样啊。巴克找了一个地方，给自己挖了一个洞。不一会儿工夫，它便暖暖和和地睡着了。它睡得很好，尽管时有恶梦。
醒来后，有那么一刹那，巴克不明白自己是在哪里。夜里下的雪严严实实地堆在它上边。它咆哮着，撞向雪堆。一会儿功夫之后，它便一跃而上，到了光天白日之中。
当天上午，弗朗索瓦和佩罗特又买了三条狗。一刻钟以后，所有的狗都套着缰绳，奔跑在前往戴依峡谷的路上。又在赶路，巴克却不感到难过。尽管拉雪橇是件苦差事，它还是干得满欢实的。
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Text 2
The Call of the
Wild
by Jack London
The wild animal was strong in Buck,
and as he traveled across the snow, it grew stronger
and stronger. And as Buck grew stronger, he hated Spitz
more and more, although he was careful never to start
a fight.
But Spitz was always showing his teeth
to Buck. And Buck knew that if he and Spitz fought,
one of them would die.
The fight almost happened one night
when they stopped by a lake. There was heavy snow and
it was very cold. The lake was frozen and Franois, Perrault,
and the dogs had to spend the night on the ice, under
a big rock. Buck had made a warm hole in the snow and
was sorry to leave it to get his piece of fish. But
when he had eaten, and returned to his hole, he found
Spitz in it. Buck had tried not to fight Spitz before,
but this was too much. He attacked him angrily. Spitz
was surprised. He knew Buck was big, but he didn't know
he was so wild. Franois was surprised too, and guessed
why Buck was angry.
"Go on, Buck!" he shouted. "Fight him,
the dirty thief!"
Spitz was also ready to fight, and the
two dogs circled one another, looking for the chance
to jump in. But suddenly there was a shout from Perrault,
and they saw eighty or a hundred dogs around the sledge.
The dogs came from an Indian village, and they were
searching for the food that they could smell on the
sledge. Perrault and Franois tried to fight them off
with their clubs but the dogs, made crazy by the smell
of the food, showed their teeth and fought back.
Buck had never seen dogs like these.
They were all skin and bone, but hunger made them fight
like wild things. Three of them attacked Buck and in
seconds his head and legs were badly bitten. Despite
this, Buck fought bravely. He caught a dog by the neck
and tasted blood. He threw himself on the next one,
and then felt teeth in his own neck. It was Spitz, attacking
him from the side.
Perrault and Franois came to help with
clubs, but then they had to run back to save the food.
It was safer for the sledge-dogs to run away across
the lake. Several of them were badly hurt, and they
spent an unhappy night hiding among the trees.
At first light they returned to the
sledge and found Perrault and Franois tired and angry.
Half their food was gone. The Indian dogs had even eaten
one of Perrault's shoes. Franois looked at his dogs
unhappily.
Perrault said nothing. They still had
six hundred kilometres to travel, and he hoped very
much that his sledge-dogs had not caught rabies from
the Indian dogs.
The harness was torn and damaged and
it was two hours before they were moving, traveling
slowly and painfully over the most difficult country
that they had been in.
The Thirty Mile River was not frozen.
It ran too fast to freeze. They spent six days trying
to find a place to cross, and every step was dangerous
for dogs and men. Once, the sledge fell through the
ice, with Dave and Buck, and they were covered in ice
by the time Perrault and Franois pulled them out of
the river and had to light a fire to dry and warm them,
as the temperature was 45 degrees below zero. Another
time, Spitz and the dogs in front fell through the ice—Buck
and Dave and Francois at the sledge had to pull backwards.
That day they traveled only four hundred metres.
When they got to the good ice, Buck
and the other dogs were very, very tired. But they were
late, so Perrault made them run faster. In three days
they went a hundred and eighty kilometres and reached
the Five Fingers.
The other dogs had hard feet from years
of pulling sledges, but Buck's feet were still soft
from his easy life down south. All day he ran painfully,
and when they camped for the night, he lay down like
a dead dog. He was hungry, but he was too tired to walk
to the fish, so Franois brought it to him. One day Franois
made four little shoes for him, and this made Buck much
more comfortable. Franois forgot the shoes one morning,
and Buck refused to move. He lay on his back with his
feet in the air, until Franois put the shoes on. Later
his feet grew harder and the shoes were not needed.
One morning, at the Pelly River, a dog called Dolly
went suddenly mad, and jumped at Buck. Buck ran, with
Dolly one step behind him. She could not catch him,
but he could not escape from her. They ran half a kilometre,
and then Buck heard Franois call to him. He turned and
ran towards the man, sure that Franois would save him.
Franois stood, holding his ax and
as Buck passed, the ax crashed down on Dolly's head.
Buck fell down by the sledge, too tired
to move. Immediately, Spitz attacked him and bit his
helpless enemy twice, as hard as he could. But Franois
saw this, and gave Spitz a terrible beating for it.
"He's a wild dog, that Spitz," said Perrault. "One day he'll kill
Buck."
"Buck is wilder," replied Franois. "I've
been watching him. One day he'll get very angry and he'll fight Spitz; and
he'll win."
Franois was right. But the days passed
without a chance for a fight, and soon they were pulling
into Dawson City on a cold gray afternoon.
They stayed in Dawson for seven days.
When they left, Perrault was carrying more very important
papers, and he wanted to travel back as fast as possible.
They traveled eighty kilometres the
first day, and the same the second. But it was difficult
work for Franois. Buck and Spitz hated each other, and
every time Buck went near Spitz, he growled and the
hair on his back stood up angrily. The other dogs fought
in their harnesses and Franois often had to stop the
sledge. He knew that Buck was the problem, but Buck
was too clever for him and Franois never saw him actually
starting a fight.
One night in camp, the dogs saw a snow
rabbit and in a second they were all chasing it, with
Spitz in front. Nearby was another camp, with fifty
dogs, who also joined the chase. The rabbit was running
fast on top of the snow, but the snow was soft, and
it was more difficult for the dogs. When Spitz caught
the rabbit, throwing it in the air with his teeth, Buck
was just behind. Spitz stopped, and Buck hit him, very
hard. The two dogs fell in the snow. Spitz bit Buck
very quickly, twice, and then jumped away, watching
carefully.
The time had come, and Buck knew that
either he or Spitz must die. They watched one another,
circling slowly. The moon was shining brightly on the
snow, and in the cold still air not a leaf moved on
the trees. The other dogs finished eating the rabbit
and then turned to watch.
Spitz was a good fighter. He was full
of hate and anger, but he was also intelligent. Every
time Buck tried to bite his throat, he met Spitz's own
teeth. Then, each time Buck attacked, Spitz moved and
bit him on the side as he passed. After a few minutes,
Buck was covered in blood. He attacked again, but this
time turned at the last minute and went under Spitz,
biting his left front leg. The bone broke, and Spitz
was standing on three legs. Buck tried to knock Spitz
down, and then repeated his earlier attack and broke
Spitz's right front leg.
There was no hope for Spitz now. Buck
got ready for his final attack, while the circle of
sixty dogs watched, and crowded nearer and nearer, waiting
for the end. At last Buck jumped, in and out,
and Spitz went down in the snow. A second later the
waiting pack was on top of him, and Spitz had disappeared.
Buck stood and watched. The wild animal had made its
kill.
"And we'll travel faster now. No more
Spitz, no more trouble," said Francois the next morning
when he discovered that Spitz had disappeared and that
Buck was covered in blood.
Franois started to harness the dogs.
He needed a new lead-dog. "Look at Buck!" said Franois,
laughing. "He's killed Spitz, and now he wants to be
lead-dog. Go away, Buck! I'll show you!" he cried, and
went to get a heavy club from the sledge.
Buck remembered the man in the red coat,
and moved away. He kept a few metres away and circled
around Franois carefully. But when Franois called him
to his old place in front of Dave, Buck refused. He
had won his fight with Spitz and he wanted to be lead-dog.
For an hour the two men tried to harness
him. Buck did not run away, but he did not let them
catch him. Finally, Franois sat down, and Perrault looked
at his watch. It was getting late. The two men looked
at one another and smiled. All the other dogs were harnessed
and the only empty place was now the one at the front.
But Buck did not move.
"Put down the club," said Perrault.
Franois dropped the club, and immediately
Buck came up to the front of the team. Franois harnessed
him, and in a minute the sledge was moving.
(1,605 words)
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课文二
野性的呼唤
杰克·伦敦
巴克的内心有着强烈的野性。在它穿越茫茫雪原的同时，这种野性也与日俱增。另外，随着体魄的日益强健，巴克越来越憎恶斯皮兹。不过，它总是小心谨慎，尽量不挑起事端。
然而，斯皮兹总在寻衅滋事。巴克知道，如果它与斯皮兹打起来，两者必有一死。
一天夜晚，这场搏斗差一点儿就发生了。当时，他们是在一个湖边歇脚。正下着大雪,天气非常寒冷。湖面结了冰。弗朗索瓦、佩罗特和几条狗不得不躲在冰面上一块大岩石底下过夜。巴克在雪地里挖好了一个温暖的窝,然后恋恋不舍地离开，好去领自己那条鱼。它吃完鱼，再回到自己的窝时,却发现斯皮兹呆在里头。此前，巴克一直尽力不与斯皮兹发生冲突。但现在这事儿实在太过分了。它怒气冲冲地扑向斯皮兹。斯皮兹大吃一惊。它早知道巴克体格魁梧,但没想到巴克有这么凶猛。弗朗索瓦也颇感意外,但他猜到了巴克为什么如此怒不可遏。
“冲上去,巴克!”他叫喊道：“去揍它,这个可耻的小偷!”
斯皮兹也摆好架势，要打上一架。两条狗对峙着，一边兜着圈子,一边寻找扑上去的机会。突然间，他们听到佩罗特的叫喊,只见上百条狗包围了雪橇。这些狗来自一座印地安人的村庄。它们闻到雪橇上有食物,正围在那里，搜个不停。弗朗索瓦与佩罗特试图用棍棒将它们赶开,但是这些狗已经因为食物的气味疯了,反而呲牙咧嘴反扑过来。
巴克从来没有见过这样的狗——它们瘦得皮包骨,但在饥饿的驱使下，它们象野兽一样搏斗着。其中三条狗扑向巴克。顷刻之间，巴克的脑袋和四肢就被严重咬伤。尽管如此,巴克还是英勇地抵抗着。它咬住了一条狗的脖子,尝到了血的滋味。接着，它又朝另一条狗扑过去。就在这时，它感到自己的脖子被咬住了。是斯皮兹从侧翼向它发起了袭击。
佩罗特和弗朗索瓦挥舞着棍棒前来助战,不过他们马上又得跑回去抢救食品。对于这些雪橇狗来说，横穿湖面逃走倒更为安全之策。有几条狗伤得很重。这些雪橇狗藏在树林里，度过了一个悲伤的夜晚。
第二天天一放亮，它们便跑回雪橇边。只见弗朗索瓦和佩罗特又累又气地呆在那里。有一半的食品都不见了。那些印地安人的狗甚至吞吃了佩罗特的一只鞋子。弗朗索瓦难过地看着他的这些狗。
佩罗特什么也没说。还有六百公里路要赶。自己的这几条狗可千万别从印地安人的狗那儿染上了狂犬病。
缰轡被撕扯得七零八落。两个钟头之后，他们终于可以出发了。在这块他们到过的最为艰险的土地上，缓慢而艰难地跋涉着。
“三十里河”还没有封冻。它流速太快,冻不上。他们花了六天时间，努力寻找一处过河的地方。对狗也好、对人也好，踏出的每一步都是危机四伏。有一回,雪橇从冰面坠下去，把戴夫和巴克也带了下去。等到弗朗索瓦和佩罗特把它们从河里拽上来时,它们全身都被包在冰里了。当时气温零下四十五度，佩罗特和弗朗索瓦只得点起一堆火来烤干、温暖它们的身体。又有一次,斯皮兹与前排的几只狗掉到水里,靠近雪橇的巴克、戴夫与弗朗索瓦只得拼命往后拉。那一天他们只走了四百米。
他们一行终于到了冰层厚实的地方。这时，巴克与其它的狗都已精疲力竭,疲惫不堪。可是他们本来就已经滞后了,所以佩罗特驱赶着它们加速飞奔。三天时间里，它们跑了180公里,到了“五指”。
其他的狗拉雪橇已有多年，所以四蹄坚硬。可在南方过惯舒适生活的巴克脚还柔嫩得很。一整天它都在痛苦地奔跑。大家安营扎寨、准备过夜的时侯,它躺在一边，就象死了一样。它饥肠膔膔,却又累得没法走过去取自己那份鱼。所以，弗朗索瓦把食物送到了它跟前。有一天，弗朗索瓦给它做了四只小靴套。这可让巴克感觉舒服多了。一天早晨，弗朗索瓦忘了靴套这事儿。巴克就拒绝上路。它仰躺在地,四脚朝天,直到弗朗索瓦把靴套拿来，给它穿好。后来，它的四脚磨得坚硬了,那些靴套也就派不上用场了。
一天上午,在珮琍河那个地方,一条叫多莉的狗突然发了疯。它扑向巴克。巴克拔腿逃窜,多莉紧追不放。多莉抓不着巴克,巴克也摆脱不了多莉。它们奔跑了有半公里距离。这时，巴克听到弗朗索瓦喊它的名字。它相信弗朗索瓦会搭救它，就调身朝他跑去。弗朗索瓦手持斧头站在那里。巴克跑过去后,那斧子便狠狠砸在了多莉的脑袋上。
巴克瘫倒在雪橇旁,累得一动不动。斯皮兹马上向它发起袭击,并尽可能狠地咬了这个无力还手的仇敌两口。不过，弗朗索瓦看到了这一幕,并为此狠揍了斯皮兹一顿。
“它是条凶猛的狗,那个斯皮兹，”佩罗特说。“总有一天它会杀了巴克的。”
“巴克更凶猛，”弗朗索瓦回答道。“我一直在观察它。总有一天它会激怒与斯皮兹干上一架的,而且它一定会赢。”
弗朗索瓦说得对。不过,日子一天天过去,却没有干架的机会。不久，在一个寒冷阴沉的下午，他们来到了多森城。
他们在多森呆了七天。离开时,
佩罗特装载了更多的重要文件,希望能尽快往回赶。
他们第一天走了八十公里,第二天也是一样。但对弗朗索瓦来说，这一路很让他头疼。巴克与斯皮兹相互敌视。每当巴克走近斯皮兹,它便咆哮起来,背毛倒竖。其余的狗则常边跑边打，弗朗索瓦只好不时停下雪橇。他心里清楚，巴克是问题的症结。但是巴克很聪明。弗朗索瓦从来没见到巴克真地挑起一场打斗。
一天宿营的时候,这些狗看见了一只雪地野兔，刹那间便全都追赶上去。斯皮兹跑在最前边。附近有另一支宿营队伍。他们的五十条狗也加入了追捕行动。兔子在雪地上飞奔。雪地很松软。这对狗来说就更不好跑。斯皮兹抓着了兔子。它把兔子叼起来抛向空中。这时，巴克正紧随其后。斯皮兹收住脚,巴克则重重地撞了上去。两条狗都倒在了雪地上。斯皮兹很快地咬了巴克两口,然后跳到一旁,谨慎地盯着巴克。
这一刻终于来到了。巴克明白:或者自己，或者斯皮兹，总有一个必死无疑。它们对视着,慢慢地兜着圈子。明亮的月光下，雪地一片晶莹。寒冷而凝滞的空气中，树叶儿纹丝不动。其它的狗吃完了那只兔子,就转过来围观。
斯皮兹骁勇善斗。它满怀仇恨与愤怒，同时又不失聪明。每一次巴克去咬它的脖子,斯皮兹总能攻守兼顾。接下来，每次巴克扑过去，斯皮兹总是闪开身去,然后趁巴克扑过去的当口撕咬巴克。几分钟后,巴克便已浑身是血。它再一次发起攻击。这一回，它在最后的时刻掉转身体,钻到了斯皮兹身下并咬住了它的左前腿。里边的骨头断了,斯皮兹现在是靠三条腿站着。巴克想把斯皮兹撞倒,没成功。它就又重复了先头用过的进攻手段,弄断了斯皮兹的右前腿。
斯皮兹现在是回天乏术了。巴克即将发起最后一击。与此同时，那六十条狗围在那里观望着,并愈发聚拢上来,等待着最后的结局。最后，巴克跳过去，马上又跳起来，动作干净利落。斯皮兹瘫倒在雪地上。一旁等着的那群狗一拥而上。斯皮兹从世上消失了。巴克站在一旁,看着这一幕。这野性的动物完成了它的杀戮。
“我们现在会跑得更快了。没了斯皮兹,就少了麻烦。”次日早晨，当弗朗索瓦发现斯皮兹不见了,而巴克身上血迹斑斑的时候,说了这些话。
弗朗索瓦开始往狗身上套缰绳。他需要一只新的领头狗。“你瞧巴克!”弗朗索瓦笑着说道：“它杀了斯皮兹,现在还想当领头狗呢。走开,巴克,不然我要你好看!”他大声叫道,然后到雪橇那儿取来一根沉甸甸的棒子。
巴克想起了那个穿红外套的男人,便起身躲开。它呆在几米开外的地方,围着弗朗索瓦小心翼翼地兜圈子。弗朗索瓦招呼它回到戴夫前边它的老位置,巴克没有听从。它已经赢得了对斯皮兹的战斗,它想成为领头狗。
长达一小时之久的时间里,弗朗索瓦和佩罗特两人试图给巴克套上缰绳。巴克不逃走,但也不让他俩抓住它。最后,
弗朗索瓦一屁股坐到地上,佩罗特则看着手表。时辰已经不早了。两人相视而笑。所有其它的狗都套好了,现在唯一空出的就是最前边那个位置。巴克还是没动。
“把棍子放下,”佩罗特说道。
弗朗索瓦放下棍棒,巴克立即走到了队列的前头。弗朗索瓦给它套上了绳索。不一会儿,雪橇便启程上路了。
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