Insidiously, and by remote ways, as well as by the power of stick andstone and clout of hand, were the shackles of White Fang's bondage beingriveted upon him. The qualities in his kind that in the beginning made itpossible for them to come in to the fires of men, were qualities capable ofdevelopment. They were developing in him, and the camp-life, repletewith misery as it was, was secretly endearing itself to him all the time. ButWhite Fang was unaware of it. He knew only grief for the loss of Kiche,hope for her return, and a hungry yearning for the free life that had beenhis.Savageness was a part of his make-up, but the savageness thus developedexceeded his make-up. He acquired a reputation for wickedness amongstthe man-animals themselves. Wherever there was trouble and uproar incamp, fighting and squabbling or the outcry of a squaw over a bit of stolenmeat, they were sure to find White Fang mixed up in it and usually at thebottom of it. They did not bother to look after the causes of his conduct.
They saw only the effects, and the effects were bad. He was a sneak and athief, a mischief-maker, a fomenter of trouble; and irate squaws told himto his face, the while he eyed them alert and ready to dodge any quick-flung missile, that he was a wolf and worthless and bound to come to anevil end.
He found himself an outcast in the midst of the populous camp. All theyoung dogs followed Lip-lip's lead. There was a difference between WhiteFang and them. Perhaps they sensed his wild-wood breed, andinstinctively felt for him the enmity that the domestic dog feels for thewolf. But be that as it may, they joined with Lip-lip in the persecution.
And, once declared against him, they found good reason to continuedeclared against him. One and all, from time to time, they felt his teeth;and to his credit, he gave more than he received. Many of them he couldwhip inprom wedding dress gowns; but single fight was denied him. The beginning ofsuch a fight was a signal for all the young dogs in camp to come runningand pitch upon him.
Out of this pack-persecution he learned two important things: how totake care of himself in a mass-fight against him - and how, on a single dog,to inflict the greatest amount of damage in the briefest space of time. Tokeep one's feet in the midst of the hostile mass meant life, and this helearnt well. He became cat- like in his ability to stay on his feet. Evengrown dogs might hurtle him backward or sideways with the impact oftheir heavy bodies; and backward or sideways he would go, in the air orsliding on the ground, but always with his legs under him and his feetdownward to the mother earth.
When dogs fight, there are usually preliminaries to the actual combat -snarlings and bristlings and stiff-legged struttings. But White Fang learnedto omit these preliminaries. Delay meant the coming against Pnina Tornai wedding dresses of all theyoung dogs. He must do his work quickly and get away. So he learnt togive no warning of his intention. He rushed in and snapped and slashed onthe instant, without notice, before his foe could prepare to meet him. Thushe learned how to inflict quick and severe damage. Also he learned thevalue of surprise. A dog, taken off its guard, its shoulder slashed open orits ear ripped in ribbons before it knew what was happening, was a doghalf whipped.