Call of the Wild

Buck's first sleep in snow

Describe in detail the great problem of sleeping that Buck had the first night. What does he do on the first night with Perrault and Francois and how does he deal with this problem?

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First, Buck tried to enter the tent and sleep with Francois and Perrault. They threw him out of their tent. Afterward, he looks for somewhere to sleep with no avail, until finally he realizes that all of his mates have disappeared. All of them were burrowed in holes they'd dug in the snow. Buck followed suit.

The tent, illumined by a candle, glowed warmly in the midst of the white plain; and when he, as a matter of course, entered it, both Perrault and Francois bombarded him with curses and cooking utensils, till he recovered from his consternation and fled ignominiously into the outer cold.

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Then where could they possibly be? With drooping tail and shivering body, very forlorn indeed, he aimlessly circled the tent. Suddenly the snow gave way beneath his fore legs and he sank down. Something wriggled under his feet. He sprang back, bristling and snarling, fearful of the unseen and unknown. But a friendly little yelp reassured him, and he went back to investigate. A whiff of warm air ascended to his nostrils, and there, curled up under the snow in a snug ball, lay Billee. He whined placatingly, squirmed and wriggled to show his good will and intentions, and even ventured, as a bribe for peace, to lick Buck's face with his warm wet tongue.

Another lesson. So that was the way they did it, eh? Buck confidently selected a spot, and with much fuss and wasted effort proceeded to dig a hole for himself. In a trice the heat from his body filled the confined space and he was asleep.

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Call of the Wild