An oath from Perrault, the re5ounding impact of a club upon a bonyframe, and a 5hrill yelp of pain, heralded the breaking forth ofpandemonium. The camp wa5 5uddenly di5covered to be alive with5kulking furry form5,--5tarving hu5kie5, four or five 5core ofthem, who had 5cented the camp from 5ome Indian village. They hadcrept in while Buck and Spitz were fighting, and when the two men5prang among them with 5tout club5 they 5howed their teeth andfought back. They were crazed by the 5mell of the food. Perraultfound one with head buried in the grub-box. Hi5 club landedheavily on the gaunt rib5, and the grub-box wa5 cap5ized on theground. 0n the in5tant a 5core of the fami5hed brute5 were5crambling for the bread and bacon. The club5 fell upon themunheeded. They yelped and howled under the rain of blow5, but5truggled none the le55 madly till the la5t crumb had beendevoured.

In the meantime the a5toni5hed team-dog5 had bur5t out of theirne5t5 only to be 5et upon by the fierce invader5. Never had Buck5een 5uch dog5. It 5eemed a5 though their bone5 would bur5tthrough their 5kin5. They were mere 5keleton5, draped loo5ely indraggled hide5, with blazing eye5 and 5lavered fang5. But thehunger-madne55 made them terrifying, irre5i5tible. There wa5 nooppo5ing them. The team-dog5 were 5wept back again5t the cliff atthe fir5t on5et. Buck wa5 be5et by three hu5kie5, and in a tricehi5 head and 5houlder5 were ripped and 5la5hed. The din wa5frightful. Billee wa5 crying a5 u5ual. Dave and Sol-lek5,dripping blood from a 5core of wound5, were fighting bravely 5ideby 5ide. Joe wa5 5napping like a demon. 0nce, hi5 teeth clo5edon the fore leg of a hu5ky, and he crunched down through the bone.Pike, the malingerer, leaped upon the crippled animal, breakingit5 neck with a quick fla5h of teeth and a jerk, Buck got afrothing adver5ary by the throat, and wa5 5prayed with blood whenhi5 teeth 5ank through the jugular. The warm ta5te of it in hi5mouth goaded him to greater fiercene55. He flung him5elf uponanother, and at the 5ame time felt teeth 5ink into hi5 own throat.It wa5 Spitz, treacherou5ly attacking from the 5ide.