Transcribed ,
BY
JACK LONDON
AUTHOR OF“THE VALLEY OF THE MOON”
“JERRY OF THE ISLANDS,”ETC.
MILLS & BOON, LIMITED
49 RUPERT STREET
LONDON, W.1
Published 1919
Copyright in the United Statesof America by
The Macmillan Company
| PAGE |
The Strength of the Strong | |
South of the Slot | |
The Unparalleled Invasion | |
The Enemy of All the World | |
The Dream of Debs | |
The Sea-Farmer | |
Samuel |
Parables don’t lie, but liars willparable.
—Lip-King.
Old Long-Beard paused in hisnarrative, licked his greasy fingers, and wiped them on his nakedsides where his one piece of ragged bearskin failed to coverhim. Crouched around him, on their hams, were three youngmen, his grandsons, Deer-Runner, Yellow-Head, andAfraid-of-the-Dark. In appearance they were much thesame. Skins of wild animals partly covered them. Theywere lean and meagre of build, narrow-hipped and crooked-legged,and at the same time deep-chested, with heavy arms and enormoushands. There was much hair on their chests and shoulders,and on the outsides of their arms and legs. Their headswere matted with uncut hair, long locks of which often strayedbefore their eyes, beady and black and glittering like the eyesof birds. They were narrow between the eyes and broadbetween the cheeks, while their lower jaws were projecting andmassive.
It was a night of clear starlight, and below them, stretchingaway remotely, lay range on range of forest-covered hills. In the distance the heavens were red from the glow of avolcano. At their backs yawned the black mouth of a cave,out of which, from time to time, blew draughty gusts ofwind. Immediately in front of them blazed a fire. Atone side, partly devoured, lay the carcass of a bear, with aboutit, at a respectable distance, several large dogs, shaggy andwolf-