His wrenched shoulder-blade, untreated and unrested, went from bad to worse, till finally Hal shot him with the big Colt's revolver.

It is a saying of the country that an Outside dog starves to death on the ration of the husky, so the six Outside dogs under Buck could do no less than die on half the ration of the husky.

The Newfoundland went first, followed by the three short-haired pointers, the two mongrels hanging more grittily on to life, but going in the end.
By this time all the amenities and gentlenesses of the Southland had fallen away from the three people.

Shorn of its glamour and romance, Arctic travel became to them a reality too harsh for their manhood and womanhood.

Mercedes ceased weeping over the dogs, being too occupied with weeping over herself and with quarrelling with her husband and brother.