登陆注册
15297300000055

第55章 THE CLINGING DEATH(3)

But the clamor of approval did not distract him.There was no sympathetic relation between his tail and his massive jaws.The one might wag, but the others held their terrible grip on White Fang's throat.

It was at this time that a diversion came to the spectators.There was a jingle of bells.Dog-mushers' cries were heard.Everybody, save Beauty Smith, looked apprehensively, the fear of the police strong upon them.

But they saw, up the trail, and not down, two men running with sled and dogs.They were evidently coming down the creek from some prospecting trip.

At sight of the crowd they stopped their dogs and came over and joined it, curious to see the cause of the excitement.The dog-musher wore a mustache, but the other, a taller and younger man, was smooth-shaven, his skin rosy from the pounding of his blood and the running in the frosty air.

White Fang had practically ceased struggling.Now and again he resisted spasmodically and to no purpose.He could get little air, and that little grew less and less under the merciless grip that ever tightened.In spite of his armor of fur, the great vein of his throat would have long since been torn open, had not the first grip of the bulldog been so low down as to be practically on the chest.It had taken Cherokee a long time to shift that grip upward, and this had also tended further to clog his jaws with fur and skin-fold.

In the meantime, the abysmal brute in Beauty Smith had been rising up into his brain and mastering the small bit of sanity that he possessed at best.When he saw White Fang's eyes beginning to glaze, he knew beyond doubt that the fight was lost.Then he broke loose.He sprang upon White Fang and began savagely to kick him.There were hisses from the crowd and cries of protest, but that was all.While this went on, and Beauty Smith continued to kick White Fang, there was a commotion in the crowd.The tall young newcomer was forcing his way through, shouldering men right and left without ceremony or gentleness.When he broke through into the ring, Beauty Smith was just in the act of delivering another kick.All his weight was on one foot, and he was in a state of unstable equilibrium.At that moment the newcomer's fist landed a smashing blow full in his face.Beauty Smith's remaining leg left the ground, and his whole body seemed to lift into the air as he turned over backward and struck the snow.The newcomer turned upon the crowd.

"You cowards!" he cried."You beasts!"

He was in a rage himself -- a sane rage.His gray eyes seemed metallic and steel-like as they flashed upon the crowd.Beauty Smith regained his feet and came toward him, sniffling and cowardly.The newcomer did not understand.He did not know how abject a coward the other was, and thought he was coming back intent on fighting.So, with a "You beast!" he smashed Beauty Smith over backward with a second blow in the face.Beauty Smith decided that the snow was the safest place for him, and lay where he had fallen, making no effort to get up.

"Come on, Matt, lend a hand," the newcomer called to the dog-musher, who had followed him into the ring.

Both men bent over the dogs.Matt took hold of White Fang, ready to pull when Cherokee's jaws should be loosened.This the younger man endeavored to accomplish by clutching the bulldog's jaws in his hands and trying to spread them.It was a vain undertaking.As he pulled and tugged and wrenched, he kept exclaiming with every expulsion of breath, "Beasts!"The crowd began to grow unruly, and some of the men were protesting against the spoiling of the sport; but they were silenced when the newcomer lifted his head from his work for a moment and glared at them.

"You damn beasts!" he finally exploded, and went back to his task.

"It's no use, Mr.Scott, you can't break 'm apart that way," Matt said at last.

The pair paused and surveyed the locked dogs.

"Ain't bleedin' much," Matt announced."Ain't got all the way in yet.""But he's liable to any moment," Scott answered."There, did you see that! He shifted his grip in a bit."The younger man's excitement and apprehension for White Fang was growing.

He struck Cherokee about the head savagely again and again.But that did not loosen the jaws.Cherokee wagged the stump of his tail in advertisement that he understood the meaning of the blows, but that he knew he was himself in the right and only doing his duty by keeping his grip.

"Won't some of you help?" Scott cried desperately at the crowd.

But no help was offered.Instead, the crowd began sarcastically to cheer him on and showered him with facetious advice.

"You'll have to get a pry," Matt counselled.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 安生如沫

    安生如沫

    忧伤并不是发源于眼泪,而是发源于我们之间的故事!!!她,可爱而好强;他,冷漠而薄情她遇见了他,从此他的温柔只为她一人而绽放!!!
  • 大唐第一君:李渊

    大唐第一君:李渊

    本书主要内容有:少年得志、放虎归山、恩威并施、西进长安、南征北战奠基业等。
  • 神兵天将

    神兵天将

    天将争霸结束了,六十个凡界三千六百年厮杀,新晋名将三千人,诞生神兵三千件。但这惨烈的战斗过后,只剩下五十名将,五十神兵。失败者烟消云散,胜利者封神成就天将正果。命运的罗盘再次开始,这一次指向了天乾大陆。五十把神兵冲天而起,化作星光洒落天乾大陆。轮回之镜闪出万丈光芒,映射五十天将之魄,投向天乾大陆。
  • 枝离叶碎

    枝离叶碎

    那棵树仍旧是以往的模样,枝叶散落,碎了一地年华。
  • 公主旋律的冰皓王子-

    公主旋律的冰皓王子-

    连续经历了爱情的伤害,我可以肯定地说,我再也不会相信爱情了……而我现在的希望,就是要让大家知道,我辛若不是傻瓜!可是……为什么,遇上他以后,我最后还是没发坚持自己的意念,反而……一再地相信他,而且还发觉自己一天比一天更喜欢他??
  • 遇见你的结局

    遇见你的结局

    “如果世界上曾经有那个出现过,其他人就会变成将就。”一场意外,让一对甜蜜如漆的情侣分地两国,五年后,他的爱如曾经。他曾是她在遥远岁月里最初却最懵懂的爱。想起他的时候,便想到了永远。五年前的不堪过往,会让五年后的他们爱如曾经?还是会让他们相顾无言?
  • 呆萌领养人,总裁六岁半

    呆萌领养人,总裁六岁半

    她掌管着‘杜氏’和‘夏氏’两个家族,也是韩国的‘人气偶像’Eliy,更是zero的专宠保镖夏天。她拼了命的唤回自己遗失的记忆,千里迢迢的从韩国来到中国,意外遇上了自己死去未婚夫的弟弟,成为了超级偶像天团“zero”的贴身保镖,和四个不一样的性格的大男孩生活在了同一檐下,究竟会闹出什么样的笑话呢?遗失的记忆被一点一滴的唤醒,她是上帝派来的18号天天使,守护者每一个人,却让身边的所有的异性都对她心生爱慕,金雯霏回国,究竟会给这个18号天使带来什么样的麻烦?她在偶然遇到了自己的哥哥,还参加了‘杜氏的酒会’面对已经换了另一张脸蛋的自己,她该如何跟自己的母亲还有哥哥姐姐
  • 武帝重生在都市

    武帝重生在都市

    大千世界的准武帝萧丹冲击轮回帝境时遭人暗算陨落,带着前世记忆重生在都市。于是乎,重新起程的萧丹,在都市中掀起了波澜壮阔的人生。
  • 太古世纪

    太古世纪

    在这个天庭之前的天庭,在这个地府之前的地府,在天地道理崩坏之后的道理。若三界中正气不存,邪风横行。灭天。灭地。灭轮回众生。灭地水火风。使一切重归混沌,再行开辟之事,而我,我愿化道,只为一个众生平等世界!!我这每日一更,有兴趣的可加群指点在下:433087679
  • 夜未央昼未至

    夜未央昼未至

    两个逆改命运的人。一个微小事件。翻天覆地的变化。化腐朽为神奇,让过去死在来时的路上。一切安然有序,重新开始