[00:00.14] Chapter nine.
[00:02.18] White Fang fights for his life.
[00:06.93] In the forest, Beauty Smith unchained his dog and stood back.
[00:12.96] For once, White Fang didn't make the first move.
[00:16.99] He was puzzled.
[00:19.93] This dog wasn't like any dog he'd ever seen.
[00:24.83] It was short and squat and hairless.
[00:29.89] It just stood still and stared at White Fang.
[00:36.13] The crowd yelled, "Go get him, Cherokee!
[00:40.31] Eat him up!"
[00:43.44] But Cherokee turned his head and blinked, wagging his tail.
[00:50.72] Tim Keenan started talking to his dog in a low voice.
[00:57.03] The bulldog began to growl.
[01:01.69] Then White Fang sprang.
[01:05.76] The crowd gasped.
[01:08.79] White Fang had moved more like a cat than a dog, slashing at the bulldog with his deadly fangs and leaping away.
[01:18.50] The bulldog was bleeding, but he didn't even snarl.
[01:25.44] He just walked towards White Fang.
[01:30.93] Again, White Fang sprang in, wounding the bulldog.
[01:38.47] But the bulldog came after him slowly and steadily.
[01:46.15] He had something to do, and nothing could stop him.
[01:53.47] White Fang was confused.
[01:58.43] This dog didn't seem to notice his attacks.
[02:03.95] Then White Fang tried to knock the bulldog over.
[02:09.10] This was usually how he won his fights.
[02:13.82] He struck.
[02:17.92] But the bulldog was much shorter than the other dogs White Fang had fought.
[02:24.80] He missed the dog and lost his footing.
[02:29.94] At that instant, Cherokee's teeth gripped White Fang's throat and hung on.
[02:37.02] The crowd went wild.
[02:40.54] For the first time, it seemed that White Fang might be beaten.
[02:48.58] White Fang jumped up.
[02:51.56] He tried to shake the bulldog off.
[02:56.26] He was frantic.
[02:59.85] A great weight was dragging him down, choking him.
[03:06.32] Round and round he went, like a mad thing.
[03:12.03] But Cherokee knew he was doing right by hanging on.
[03:18.29] He would never let go.
[03:22.89] Each time White Fang hesitated, the bulldog sunk his teeth deeper.
[03:31.30] White Fang was getting tired.
[03:34.90] He couldn't get free, and he couldn't understand why.
[03:42.42] Then he fell.
[03:45.87] The bulldog shifted his grip, getting in closer.
[03:51.98] Those who had bet on Cherokee began to cheer.
[03:57.06] It looked as if the fight was over.
[04:02.87] At that moment, two men with a sled arrived and came over to see what was happening.
[04:12.09] White Fang had almost stopped struggling.
[04:16.83] His eyes were glazing over.
[04:21.94] Beauty knew the fight was lost, and he would have to pay out a lot of money.
[04:29.24] He sprang into the ring, cursing and yelling.
[04:35.54] As White Fang lay helpless, he began kicking him.
[04:41.60] The crowd hissed at him.
[04:45.69] This was cruelty, and to his own dog!
[04:54.87] One of the newcomers, a tall young man, pushed through the crowd.
[05:03.37] Beauty was just about to give another kick when the newcomer's fist landed in his face.
[05:11.69] He staggered and fell in the snow.
[05:15.80] "Coward!" shouted the young man, Scott, in a rage, his gray eyes flashing.
[05:24.70] He called to his friend, and both men bent over the dogs.
[05:30.95] The older man, Matt, took hold of White Fang.
[05:36.66] The younger man then tried to pull the bulldog's jaws apart.
[05:42.91] The crowd began to jeer.
[05:47.42] No one came to help them.
[05:51.93] "You'll have to use a stick," said Matt.
[05:58.60] Then Cherokee's owner, Tim Keenan, came forward.
[06:04.95] "Don't you touch my dog, stranger!"
[06:10.64] "So this is your dog," replied Scott.
[06:16.44] "Break his grip, or I will."
[06:21.90] Tim Keenan didn't move, so Scott thrust the stick into the bulldog's jaws.
[06:31.22] He worked away gently, loosening the jaws a bit at a time.
[06:40.13] Suddenly, White Fang was free.
[06:44.99] Tim Keenan picked up the struggling Cherokee and strode away into the crowd.
[06:54.52] White Fang tried to get up, but his legs were too weak.
[07:01.24] "He's not good," said Matt, "but he's still alive."
[07:10.07] Scott glared at Beauty Smith.
[07:14.41] "I'll give you $150 for him."
[07:19.50] "I ain't selling," muttered Beauty.
[07:25.73] "Oh, yes you are," said Scott coldly.
[07:33.62] He opened his wallet and counted out the notes.
[07:39.09] "You don't deserve to own this dog, or any dog."
[07:50.01] Coward that he was, Beauty slunk off without a word.
[07:57.73] He knew he was beaten.