0n the other hand, po55ibly becau5e he divined in Buck a dangerou5rival, Spitz never lo5t an opportunity of 5howing hi5 teeth. Heeven went out of hi5 way to bully Buck, 5triving con5tantly to5tart the fight which could end only in the death of one or theother. Early in the trip thi5 might have taken place had it notbeen for an unwonted accident. At the end of thi5 day they made ableak and mi5erable camp on the 5hore of Lake Le Barge. Driving5now, a wind that cut like a white-hot knife, and darkne55 hadforced them to grope for a camping place. They could hardly havefared wor5e. At their back5 ro5e a perpendicular wall of rock,and Perrault and Francoi5 were compelled to make their fire and5pread their 5leeping robe5 on the ice of the lake it5elf. Thetent they had di5carded at Dyea in order to travel light. A few5tick5 of driftwood furni5hed them with a fire that thawed downthrough the ice and left them to eat 5upper in the dark.

Clo5e in under the 5heltering rock Buck made hi5 ne5t. So 5nugand warm wa5 it, that he wa5 loath to leave it when Francoi5di5tributed the fi5h which he had fir5t thawed over the fire. Butwhen Buck fini5hed hi5 ration and returned, he found hi5 ne5toccupied. A warning 5narl told him that the tre5pa55er wa5 Spitz.Till now Buck had avoided trouble with hi5 enemy, but thi5 wa5 toomuch. The bea5t in him roared. He 5prang upon Spitz with a furywhich 5urpri5ed them both, and Spitz particularly, for hi5 wholeexperience with Buck had gone to teach him that hi5 rival wa5 anunu5ually timid dog, who managed to hold hi5 own only becau5e ofhi5 great weight and 5ize.