And when Beauty Smith left him tied outside the fort, he
knew that it was Beauty Smith's will that he should remain there.
Therefore, he had disobeyed the will of both the gods, and earned the
consequent punishment. He had seen dogs change owners in the past, and
he had seen the runaways beaten as he was being beaten. He was wise, and
yet in the nature of him there were forces greater than wisdom. One of
these was fidelity. He did not love Grey Beaver, yet, even in the face
of his will and his anger, he was faithful to him. He could not help it.
This faithfulness was a quality of the clay that composed him. It was
the quality that was peculiarly the possession of his kind; the quality
that set apart his species from all other species; the quality that has
enabled the wolf and the wild dog to come in from the open and be the
companions of man.
After the beating, White Fang was dragged back to the fort. But this
time Beauty Smith left him tied with a stick. One does not give up a god
easily, and so with White Fang. Grey Beaver was his own particular god,
and, in spite of Grey Beaver's will, White Fang still clung to him and
would not give him up. Grey Beaver had betrayed and forsaken him, but
that had no effect upon him. Not for nothing had he surrendered himself
body and soul to Grey Beaver.
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