Themanpulledhimselftogetherandwenton,afraidnowinanewway.Therewerewolves.Nowandagainthewolves,inpacksoftwoandthree,crossedhispath.Theystayedclearoftheman,foritwaseasiertohuntthecaribou.
Inthelateafternoonhecameuponthebonesofacariboucalf.Hesatonthemossandgatheredthebonesintoaheap,andthenhechewedthemwithhisbareteeth,tryingtogetamouthfuloftherawmeat.Thenhepoundedthebonesbetweenrocks,beatingthemintoapulpandswallowedit.Inhishastehealmostbrokesomeofhisfingers,yethedidnotmindthehurt.
Thencamefrightfuldaysofsnowandrain.Thewilltolivecarriedhimon.Itwasthelifeinhim,unwillingtodie,thatdrovehimon.Bythistimehehadbecomenumbtopain.Halfalive,hewalked,hestumbled,hecrawleduntilhecametoariver.HisdullsensestoldhimitwasnotthesameriverwhereheandBillhadlefttheircanoe.Hefollowedthecourseoftheriverdownstream.Hedidn』tknowwherehewas—itdidn』tmattermuchanyway.Buthestillhadthewilltolive,andhepushedon.
Heawokeonemorning,lyingonhisbackonarockyledge.Inapainfuleffort,herolledoveronhisside.Belowhimhecouldseethattheriverflowedouttothesea.Hewasnotexcitedaboutthatfact,andthenhesawsomethingthathewassurewasatrickofthemind.Maybe,afterall,itwasadream—ashiplyingatanchor.Heclosedhiseyesandthenopenedthem.Theshipwasstillthere.Themancouldnotbelieveit.
Thenthemanheardanoisebehindhim—ahalf-chokinggasporcough.Hecouldseenothingnearathand.Againcamethestrangenoises,andoutlinedagainsttherockstwentyfeetawaywasthegrayheadofawolf.Theanimalhadbloodshoteyes.Itseemedsick.Itwasnolongerabletohuntwiththepacks.Itevenfeareditsownkind,butnowitstalkedtheman,waitingforhimtodie.
Themanlookedagaintowardthesea.Hedecidedtheshipwasreal.Itwasatleastfivemilesaway,butthemanhadthewilltolive.Henolongerfeltthehunger.Hislastblanketwasgone,andhehadlosttherifle.
Thoughextremelyweak,hewascalm.Herippedoffhispantslegstothekneesandboundthemtohisfeet.Hismovementswereslow,buthewasdetermined.Hestillhadsomematchesandthetinpail.Hewarmedsomewateranddrankit.Nowhefeltslightlybetter,andhewasabletostand.Hewalkedtowardtheshipuntilhisweaknessovercamehim.Thenhecrawledonallfourslikeananimal.Inthelateafternoonhesawanemptymoose-hidesacklikehis.HerecognizeditandknewitwasBill』s.Ahundredyardsfartherwerethebonesofahumanskeleton.Themandidnotneedtoguess.Billhadalmostmadeit!
Finallythemanlayquietinsleep.Twoorthreetimesduringthenightthesickwolfhadcomeclosetotheman,bareditsteeth,andsniffedinhunger,butthemanflunghisarmsoutandscaredthewolfaway.
Thefirstraysofdaylightbroughtthemantolife.Hewasnolongerabletostand,sohebegantocrawltowardtheship.Hecouldseeitnow—lyingbeyondthebreakers.Hiskneesandarmswererawandbleeding,butthemankeptmoving,afootatatime,untilhereachedthebeach,wherehelayquietly—unabletomoveafootfarther.Hedreamedoffood,cleanclothing,andwarmsunshine,andthenhebegantocrawlagain.
TheshipwastheBedford,onceawhalingvessel.Onboardwerethemembersofascientificexpedition.Someofthememberssawastrangeobjectcrawlingalongthebeachtowardthewater.Theywereunabletoidentifytheobject,andbeingscientificmen,theyclimbedintoaship』sboatandwentashoretosee.Andtheysawsomethingthatwashardlyaliveandcouldhardlybecalledahumanbeing.Itmovedalongthegroundlikeawormandmadeheadwayatperhapstwentyfeetanhour.
ThemanwasbroughtaboardtheBedford,givenfood,andcaredforbyadoctor.
Inafewdayshewasabletositupinhisbunk.Withtearsstreamingdownhischeeks,hetoldhowhehadalmostlosthislifeinthewilds.ThenhebegantotalkstrangelyofhisfamilyinsunnysouthernCalifornia,andofahomeamongtheorangetreesandtheflowers.
一個男人掉進小溪，扭傷了腳踝。
他叫喚他的朋友：「喂，等我一下，比爾，我扭傷了腳。」
無人應答，比爾已經消失在潮濕的霧氣裡。儘管還只是8月份，在午後慘淡的陽光下，加拿大的荒原顯得無比的孤寂和荒涼。陰沉的天空籠罩著大地。低矮的山巒，沒有樹木，漫山荒蕪，男人週身頓時瀰漫著無邊的恐懼。
「比爾！」他又叫道，「比爾！」依然沒人應答。
男人掙扎著站了起來，渾身顫抖。他竭力克制住內心的恐懼，找到落入水裡的槍，慢慢地挪動腳步。子彈已經用完，槍也沒什麼用了，不過他還是沒有扔掉。
為了減輕右腳踝的壓力，他把背包挪到了左肩，然後匆匆爬上了一座小山丘，他從那兒看到了一個山谷，空曠卻沉悶。
山谷的底部鬆軟而潮濕。他接著趕路，想沿著蹤跡追上同伴。
雖然孤身一人，但他並沒有迷路，他知道，再走遠點，就能找到路了。沿著那條路到了河邊，就可以找到被石頭壓著的木船。掀開木船，下面有一個地窖，裡面有彈藥、釣竿、繩索，還有一張小網。那裡還有為數不多的麵粉、燻肉和蠶豆——大部分已被他們在來北方尋金的路上吃掉了。
比爾一定會在那裡等他！他想，他們可以沿河道划船，到達那個溫暖而又有足夠食物的寓所——哈得孫海灣公司的一個駐紮點。
他邊想邊緩慢前行，接著又想，可能比爾已經把他拋棄了。整整兩天，男人顆粒未進，快要餓死了，這使他更加恐懼。途中，他時不時地停住腳步，吃些野果子，但這些大多是苦味的籽粒。飢餓感無時無刻不在增強。