Duty rose above fear, and thieving gods learned to leave Grey Beaver's
property alone.
One thing, in this connection, White Fang quickly learnt, and that was
that a thieving god was usually a cowardly god and prone to run away at
the sounding of the alarm. Also, he learned that but brief time elapsed
between his sounding of the alarm and Grey Beaver coming to his aid. He
came to know that it was not fear of him that drove the thief away, but
fear of Grey Beaver. White Fang did not give the alarm by barking. He
never barked. His method was to drive straight at the intruder, and to
sink his teeth in if he could. Because he was morose and solitary,
having nothing to do with the other dogs, he was unusually fitted to
guard his master's property; and in this he was encouraged and trained by
Grey Beaver. One result of this was to make White Fang more ferocious
and indomitable, and more solitary.
The months went by, binding stronger and stronger the covenant between
dog and man. This was the ancient covenant that the first wolf that came
in from the Wild entered into with man. And, like all succeeding wolves
and wild dogs that had done likewise, White Fang worked the covenant out
for himself. The terms were simple. For the possession of a flesh-and-
blood god, he exchanged his own liberty.
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