Review of the book "White Fang" by Jack London. The story “White Fang” The author of the story about the white fang

White Fang's father is a wolf, his mother, Kichi, is half wolf, half dog. He doesn't have a name yet. He was born in the Northern Wilderness and was the only one of the entire brood to survive. In the North one often has to go hungry, and this is what killed his sisters and brothers. The father, a one-eyed wolf, soon dies in an unequal fight with a lynx. The wolf cub and the mother are left alone; he often accompanies the she-wolf on the hunt and soon begins to comprehend the “law of prey”: eat - or you will be eaten. The wolf cub cannot clearly formulate it, but simply lives by it. Besides the law of spoils, there are many others that must be obeyed. The life playing in the wolf cub, the forces that control his body, serve him as an inexhaustible source of happiness.

The world is full of surprises, and one day, on the way to the stream, the wolf cub stumbles upon unfamiliar creatures - people. He does not run away, but crouches to the ground, “shackled by fear and ready to express the humility with which his distant ancestor went to a man to warm himself by the fire he had made.” One of the Indians comes closer, and when his hand touches the wolf cub, he grabs it with his teeth and immediately receives a blow to the head. The wolf cub whines in pain and horror, his mother rushes to his aid, and suddenly one of the Indians shouts imperiously: “Kichi!”, recognizing her as his dog (“her father was a wolf, and her mother was a dog”), who ran away a year ago when famine struck once again. The fearless mother wolf, to the horror and amazement of the wolf cub, crawls towards the Indian on her belly. Gray Beaver again becomes Kichi's master. He now also owns a wolf cub, to which he gives the name White Fang.

It is difficult for White Fang to get used to his new life in the Indian camp: he is constantly forced to repel the attacks of dogs, he has to strictly observe the laws of people whom he considers gods, often cruel, sometimes fair. He realizes that "the body of God is sacred" and never tries to bite a person again. Evoking only one hatred among his brothers and people and always at enmity with everyone, White Fang develops quickly, but one-sidedly. With such a life, neither good feelings nor the need for affection can arise in him. But in agility and cunning no one can compare with him; he runs faster than all the other dogs, and knows how to fight angrier, fiercer and smarter than them. Otherwise he won't survive. While changing the location of the camp, White Fang runs away, but, finding himself alone, he feels fear and loneliness. Driven by them, he searches for the Indians. White Fang becomes a sled dog. After some time, he is placed at the head of the team, which further intensifies the hatred of his brothers, whom he rules with ferocious inflexibility. Hard work in harness strengthens White Fang's strength, and his mental development is completed. The world around is harsh and cruel, and White Fang has no illusions about this. Devotion to a person becomes a law for him, and a wolf cub born in the wild produces a dog in which there is much of the wolf, and yet it is a dog, not a wolf.

Gray Beaver brings several bales of furs and a bale of moccasins and mittens to Fort Yukon, hoping for big profit. Having assessed the demand for his product, he decides to trade slowly, so as not to sell it too cheap. At Fort, White Fang sees white people for the first time, and they seem to him like gods, possessing even greater power than the Indians. But the morals of the gods in the North are quite rude. One of the favorite entertainments is fights that local dogs start with dogs that have just arrived with their new owners on the ship. In this activity, White Fang has no equal. Among the old-timers there is a man who takes particular pleasure in dog fights. This is an evil, pathetic coward and freak who does all the dirty work, nicknamed Handsome Smith. One day, after getting Gray Beaver drunk, Handsome Smith buys White Fang from him and, with severe beatings, makes him understand who his new owner is. White Fang hates this crazy god, but is forced to obey him. Handsome Smith turns White Fang into a real professional fighter and organizes dog fights. For the hate-mad, hunted White Fang, a fight becomes the only way to prove himself, he invariably emerges victorious, and Handsome Smith collects money from spectators who lost the bet. But a fight with a bulldog almost becomes fatal for White Fang. The bulldog grabs him in the chest and, without opening his jaws, hangs on him, catching his teeth higher and higher and getting closer to his throat. Seeing that the battle is lost, Handsome Smith, having lost the remnants of his mind, begins to beat White Fang and trample him underfoot. The dog is saved by a tall young man, a visiting engineer from the mines, Weedon Scott. Unclenching the bulldog's jaws with the help of a revolver muzzle, he frees White Fang from the enemy's deadly grip. Then he buys the dog from Handsome Smith.

White Fang soon comes to his senses and demonstrates his anger and rage to the new owner. But Scott has the patience to tame the dog with affection, and this awakens in White Fang all those feelings that were dormant and already half-dead in him. Scott sets out to reward White Fang for all that he had to endure, “to atone for the sin of which man was guilty before him.” White Fang pays for love with love. He also learns the sorrows inherent in love - when the owner unexpectedly leaves, White Fang loses interest in everything in the world and is ready to die. And upon his return, Scott comes up and presses his head against him for the first time. One evening, near Scott's house, a growl and someone's screams are heard. It was Handsome Smith who tried unsuccessfully to take White Fang away, but he paid heavily for it. Weedon Scott has to return home to California, and at first he is not going to take the dog with him - it is unlikely that he will endure life in a hot climate. But the closer the departure, the more worried White Fang becomes, and the engineer hesitates, but still leaves the dog. But when White Fang, having broken the window, gets out of the locked house and runs to the gangway of the steamer, Scott's heart cannot stand it.

In California, White Fang has to get used to completely new conditions, and he succeeds. The Collie Sheepdog, who has been annoying the dog for a long time, eventually becomes his friend. White Fang begins to love Scott's children, and he also likes Weedon's father, the judge. Judge Scott White Fang manages to save one of his convicts, the inveterate criminal Jim Hall, from revenge. White Fang bit Hall to death, but he put three bullets into the dog; in the fight, the dog’s back leg and several ribs were broken. Doctors believe that White Fang has no chance of survival, but “the northern wilderness has rewarded him with an iron body and vitality.” After a long recovery, the last plaster cast, the last bandage is removed from White Fang, and he staggers out onto the sunny lawn. The puppies, his and Collie's, crawl up to the dog, and he, lying in the sun, slowly falls into a doze.

Retold

It is difficult for White Fang to get used to his new life in the Indian camp: he is constantly forced to repel the attacks of dogs, he has to strictly observe the laws of people whom he considers gods, often cruel, sometimes fair. He realizes that "the body of God is sacred" and never tries to bite a person again. Evoking only one hatred among his brothers and people and always at enmity with everyone, White Fang develops quickly, but one-sidedly. With such a life, neither good feelings nor the need for affection can arise in him. But in agility and cunning no one can compare with him; he runs faster than all the other dogs, and knows how to fight angrier, fiercer and smarter than them. Otherwise he won't survive. While changing the location of the camp, White Fang runs away, but, finding himself alone, he feels fear and loneliness. Driven by them, he searches for the Indians. White Fang becomes a sled dog. After some time, he is placed at the head of the team, which further increases the hatred of his brothers, whom he rules with ferocious inflexibility. Hard work in harness strengthens White Fang's strength, and his mental development is completed. The world around is harsh and cruel, and White Fang has no illusions about this. Devotion to a person becomes a law for him, and a wolf cub born in the wild produces a dog in which there is much of the wolf, and yet it is a dog, not a wolf.

Gray Beaver brings several bales of furs and a bale of moccasins and mittens to Fort Yukon, hoping for big profit.

October 17, 2014

Among the huge number of works about people’s relationship with animals, the novel “White Fang” is particularly profound. A very brief summary of this work can begin with the scene of an attack by a pack of hungry wolves on two travelers traveling on a dog sled.

The beginning of the story

Wolves follow on the heels of people, waiting for the right moment to start hunting. Predators begin to take one dog after another. Surprised people notice that their dogs are following a large she-wolf, who apparently understands dog habits. They conclude that this she-wolf used to live among people and dogs. After the death of all the dogs, one of the travelers becomes the victim of the pack, and the second is saved by the Indians. It turned out that the travelers’ assumptions were confirmed. The she-wolf's parents were a wolf and a dog, and she actually lived among dogs and Indians for a long time.

The pack of wolves that attacked the travelers breaks up, and our she-wolf, together with the seasoned old wolf, begins to look for food on her own. After some time, their offspring are born, all the wolf cubs, except one, die. This wolf cub is White Fang. A brief summary of the story about his extraordinary and difficult life awaits you below.

The old wolf dies in the tenacious paws of a lynx. With his mother Kichi, the wolf cub begins to learn how to hunt, the main rule of which is if not you, then you. However, full of strength, the little wolf enjoys life in freedom.

White Fang's first meeting with people

Fate presents him with a meeting with people. Seeing these unusual creatures, the wolf cub shows humility, following the ancient call placed in him by his ancestors. But as soon as the man reaches out to him, the wolf cub bites him and receives a strong blow to the head. From pain and horror, he begins to whine, calling for help from the she-wolf. The mother hurries to help her son, but then an Indian named Gray Beaver recognizes her as his dog Kichi and calls out imperiously to her. The amazed wolf cub sees his proud mother wolf crawling on her belly towards her former owner. Now they both belong to the old Indian, who calls the wolf cub White Fang.

Life in an Indian camp

The owner of Kichi sells the she-wolf, and White Fang is left alone. It is difficult for him to adapt to new conditions. People, sometimes cruel, sometimes just, dictate new laws of life to him. One of them is that he must always obey the Master, and never, under any circumstances, try to bite him again.

In addition, he has to constantly fight with dogs; his brothers do not want to recognize him as one of them, they consider him a stranger. He understands that in a fight the stronger one always wins.

White Fang grows strong, dexterous, cruel and cunning. There is no place in his heart for good feelings and the need for affection, because he himself is deprived of them. But he knows how to run the fastest and fight the hardest, and really emerges victorious from numerous fights.

Escape and return of the White Fang

Upon his return, the young wolf masters the craft of a sled dog. After some time, he leads the team and rules his brothers with decisive inflexibility, which angers them even more.

Working in a sled harness makes White Fang stronger, but turns him from a wolf into a dog. He perceives the world as he sees it, cruel and harsh, and from now on and forever he will forever serve his master - Man.

With such a wealth of knowledge, the childhood of a wolf cub named White Fang ends. The summary moves on to describe his adult life.

White Fang and Handsome Smith

One day, the owner of White Fang goes to the fort and takes the wolf with him. Gold miners live there and buy furs from the Indians. A strong wolf dog attracts the attention of Handsome Smith, who tries to persuade the Indian to sell him the dog, but he flatly refuses. Then Handsome Smith generously treats the Indian with alcohol, and he agrees to exchange White Fang for several bottles of alcohol.

“White Fang”, a summary of the chapter about the life of the main character by Handsome Smith will evoke only pity and sympathy in the reader.

The new owner turned out to be even more ruthless than the previous one. He often brutally beats White Fang, who tries to escape twice, but Handsome Smith finds him both times. The dog has no choice but to humble himself and obey his owner, hating him with all his heart.

Handsome Smith likes to have fun at dog fights and exhibits White Fang there. His win-win triumph ends with a loss to the bulldog. This battle almost ended in the death of White Fang; he was saved by engineer Weedon Scott, who unclenched the bulldog's jaws. Then he persuaded Handsome Smith to sell him the dog. So White Fang got a third owner.

White Fang finds a new owner

Let's continue to follow the storyline led by Jack London. “White Fang” - a summary - omits all the details of White Fang’s new life, but includes the main events.

So, embittered by the ordeal, White Fang quickly came to his senses and demonstrated all his rage to Weedon Scott. But the new owner treats White Fang with patience and affection, awakening in the dog feelings that were practically killed in him by a hopeless and cruel life.

The owner is trying to atone for the guilt of the people who treated White Fang so inhumanely. One day, when Scott has to leave unexpectedly, the dog suffers so much without him that he completely loses interest in life. And when the owner returns, White Fang shows him all his love for the first time, pressing his head to him. One day, Handsome Smith appears at Mr. Scott's house to secretly steal the dog, but White Fang was able to fend for himself.

However, the time comes for the engineer to return home to California. Scott is not sure that a dog accustomed to the northern cold will be able to live normally in the unusual heat. In the end, Scott decides to leave Fang. But the dog managed to get out of the house by breaking a window and ran to the departing ship. The owner takes the dog with him.

White Fang Life in California

The life of White Fang continues in California, in the home of Weedon Scott. Here the dog's life changes completely. He meets a friend, a shepherd named Collie. White Fang gets used to Scott's children and begins to truly love them, they also dote on him. But he especially likes the owner's father, Judge Scott. White Fang becomes the favorite and protector of the entire Whedon family.

Saving the Judge

One day, White Fang even saves a judge from certain death at the hands of the once-convicted brutal criminal Jim Hill. The dog killed him, but he himself was seriously injured. Hill shot the dog three times, breaking his back leg and several ribs. White Fang is between life and death; doctors are sure that the dog will not survive after such wounds. But the amazing vitality and healthy body of the dog, who grew up in the northern wilderness, pulls him out of the embrace of death. White Fang is recovering.

The work ends with a peaceful scene when the dog, weakened after being wounded, staggers slightly, comes out onto the lawn, flooded with bright sunlight. Little puppies crawl up to him, their offspring with Collie, and, basking in the sun, he plunges into the memories of his life.

* * *

Part one

Chapter I
In pursuit of meat

Dark pine forests lined both sides of the ice-bound waterway. The wind that had swept by shortly before had torn the white snow cover from the trees, and in the approaching dusk they stood black and ominous, as if clinging to each other. Endless silence enveloped the earth. It was a desert - lifeless, motionless, and it was so cold and lonely here that you didn’t even feel sad. In this landscape one could notice rather a semblance of laughter, but a laughter that is more terrible than sorrow, a joyless laughter, like the smile of a sphinx, cold as ice. Then eternity, wise and immutable, laughed at the vanity of life and the futility of its efforts. It was a desert—a wild, merciless northern desert.

And yet there was life in her, wary and defiant. A pack of wolf-like dogs moved slowly along the frozen waterway. Their tousled fur was covered with frost. The breath coming out of their mouths immediately froze in the air and, settling in the form of steam, formed ice crystals on their fur. They wore leather harnesses; with the same lines they were harnessed to the sleigh trailing behind. The sledges did not have runners; they were made of thick birch bark and their entire surface lay on the snow. Their front end was slightly bent upward, which gave them the opportunity to crush under themselves the upper, softer layer of snow, foaming in front like the crest of a wave. On the sled lay a narrow long box tightly tied and there were a few other things: a blanket, an axe, a coffee pot and a frying pan, but what caught the eye first was the oblong box, which took up most of the space.

A man walked ahead on wide Canadian skis, making a way for the dogs. Another man was walking behind the sledge, and on the sledge in a box lay a third man, whose journey was over, a man whom the desert had defeated and struck down, forever depriving him of the ability to move and fight. The desert does not tolerate movement. Life offends her because life is movement, and the desert's eternal desire is to destroy movement. She freezes the water to stop its flow to the sea; it drives the sap out of the trees until they freeze to their very powerful hearts, but most fiercely and mercilessly it presses and persecutes the desert of man, the most rebellious manifestation of life, an eternal protest against the law that says that any movement invariably leads to peace.

In front and behind the sled, fearless and indomitable, walked those two people who had not yet died. They were wrapped in furs and soft tanned leathers. Their eyebrows, cheeks and lips were so thickly covered with frost that had settled on their faces from their frosty breath that their features were almost impossible to distinguish. This gave them the appearance of some kind of disguised ghosts, escorting another ghost to the afterlife. But under these masks there were people who wanted to penetrate the realm of despair, ridicule and silence, small creatures who strived for grandiose adventures, struggling with the power of a country that was distant, alien and lifeless, like the abysses of space.

They walked in silence, saving their breath for the hard work of their bodies. The silence coming from all sides pressed on them with its almost tangible presence. It pressed on their brains just as the air with the force of many atmospheres presses on the body of a diver descending into the depths, it pressed with all the weight of infinite space, with all the horror of an inevitable sentence. Silence penetrated into the deepest convolutions of the brain, squeezing out of it, like juice from grapes, all false passions and delights, every inclination towards self-aggrandizement; she pressed until people themselves began to consider themselves limited and small, insignificant specks and midges, lost with their pitiful wisdom and myopic knowledge in the eternal game of blind elemental forces.

One hour passed, then another... The pale light of the short sunless day almost faded when suddenly a faint, distant cry was heard in the quiet air. It quickly intensified until it reached the highest tension, sounded long, trembling and piercing, and again slowly died away in the distance. It could have been mistaken for the cry of a lost soul, if not for the sharply expressed shade of melancholy anger and painful hunger. The man walking in front looked back, and his eyes met the eyes of the man walking behind. And, looking at each other over the narrow oblong box, they nodded to each other.

A second scream cut through the silence with the sharpness of a needle. Both people determined the direction of the sound: it was coming from somewhere behind, from the snowy plain that they had just left behind. The third answering cry was heard slightly to the left of the second.

“Bill, they are following us,” said the man walking in front.

“Meat has become rare,” answered his comrade. “It’s been several days since we came across the trail of a hare.”

After that, they fell silent, continuing to listen sensitively to the screams coming from behind, here and there.

As darkness fell, they directed the dogs to a group of fir trees that stood on the edge of the road and stopped for the night. The coffin, placed near the fire, served them as both a bench and a table. The dogs, huddled together at the far edge of the fire, growled and squabbled among themselves, not showing the slightest desire to rummage around in the darkness.

“It seems to me, Henry, that they are huddling too hard around the fire,” Bill said.

Henry, who was squatting near the fire and at that moment dipping a piece of ice into his coffee to settle the grounds, nodded in response. He did not say a word until he sat down on the coffin and began to eat.

“They know where it’s safer,” he answered, “and they prefer to eat themselves rather than become food for others.” Dogs are smart animals.

Bill shook his head.

- Well I do not know…

His comrade looked at him in surprise.

– This is the first time I’ve heard that you don’t recognize their intelligence, Bill!

“Henry,” he answered, chewing the beans thoughtfully, “did you notice how they tore pieces out of each other today when I fed them?”

“Yes, more than usual,” Henry agreed.

– How many dogs do we have, Henry?

“Okay, Henry...” Bill paused for a minute, as if to give his words even more weight. - So, we have six dogs, and I took six fish from the bag. I gave each one a fish and... Henry, I was one fish short!

– You made a mistake in the count!

“We have six dogs,” Bill repeated coolly. - And I took six fish, but One-Ear was left without a fish. I went back and took another fish from the bag.

“We only have six dogs,” Henry grumbled.

“Henry,” Bill continued, “I’m not saying it was all dogs, but they got seven fish each.”

Henry stopped eating and counted the dogs through the fire with his eyes.

“There are only six of them,” he said.

“I saw one running away in the snow,” Bill said insistently. - There were seven of them.

Henry looked at him sympathetically.

“You know, Bill, I’ll be very glad when this journey ends.”

– What do you mean by this?

“It seems to me that this situation is starting to get on your nerves and you’re imagining things that don’t exist.”

“I thought about it myself,” Bill said seriously, “and so when she ran away, I carefully examined the snow and found her tracks.” Then I carefully counted the dogs: there were only six of them. The footprints are still preserved in the snow. Do you want me to show them to you?

Henry said nothing and continued to chew silently. Having finished eating, he drank his coffee and, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, said:

- So you think...

A long, ominous scream that came from somewhere in the darkness interrupted him.

He fell silent, listened and, pointing his hand in the direction from which the howl came, finished:

- What, was it one of them?

Bill nodded his head.

- Damn it! I can't imagine anything else. You yourself saw how excited the dogs were.

Howls and answering howls cut through the silence, turning the silence into a madhouse. Sounds were heard from all sides, and the dogs, huddling together in fear, came so close to the fire that their fur began to smolder. Bill added wood to the fire and lit his pipe.

“But I still think you’re a little… crazy,” Henry said.

“Henry...” He took a slow drag before continuing. “I think about how much happier he is than you and me.”

He pointed his thumb at the box they were sitting on.

“When we die,” he continued, “it will be happiness if there are enough stones so that the dogs don’t get our corpses.”

“But we don’t have friends, money, or much of the other things that he had,” Henry objected. “It’s unlikely that any of us can count on a magnificent funeral.”

“I don’t understand, Henry, what could make this man, who in his homeland was a lord or something like that and never needed food or shelter, what could make him stick his nose into this God-forsaken land !

“He could have lived to a ripe old age if he had stayed at home,” Henry agreed.

Bill opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind and fixed his eyes on the darkness that crowded them on all sides. It was impossible to distinguish any outlines in it, and only a pair of eyes were visible, shining like burning coals. Henry nodded his head to the second pair of eyes, then to the third. These sparkling eyes surrounded the parking lot in rings. From time to time a couple would move and disappear, but would immediately reappear.

The dogs' anxiety grew and, overcome with fear, they suddenly crowded around the fire, trying to crawl under people's feet. In the dump, one of the dogs fell at the very edge of the fire and howled pitifully in fear; The smell of scorched wool filled the air. The noise and confusion caused the circle of sparkling eyes to move restlessly and even retreat, but as soon as everything calmed down, the ring closed again.

“It’s a bad thing, brother, if there are no charges.”

Bill shook out his pipe and began to help his friend make a bed of blankets and fur skins on spruce branches, which he had laid out in the snow before dinner. Henry grumbled something and began to unlace his moccasins.

- How many cartridges do you have left? - he asked.

“Three,” came the answer. “I wish there were three hundred of them; I'd show them, damn it!

Bill shook his fist angrily at the blazing eyes and began to hang his moccasins in front of the fire to dry.

“If only this frost had gone away, or something,” Bill continued, “it’s been fifty degrees below zero for two weeks now.” Eh, it would be better not to start this trip, Henry. I don't like our affairs. I wish it would all be over so we could sit by the fire at Fort McGarry and play cards - that's what I would like!

Henry grumbled something and reached under the covers. He was about to fall asleep when his friend's voice woke him up.

- Tell me, Henry, the other one who came and got the fish, why didn’t the dogs rush at him?.. That’s what surprises me!

“Why are you so worried, Bill?” – came the sleepy answer. “This has never happened to you before.” Shut up and let me sleep. A lot of acids must have accumulated in your stomach - that’s why you’re nervous.

People slept, breathing heavily, curled up next to each other under the same blanket. The fire of the fire was dying out, and the ring of sparkling eyes was closing closer and closer. The dogs huddled closer together in fear, growling angrily when any pair of eyes got too close. Once Bill woke up from loud barking. He carefully crawled out from under the blanket so as not to disturb his comrade’s sleep and added wood to the fire. As the fire flared up, the ring of sparkling eyes expanded somewhat. His gaze accidentally fell on the crowded dogs. He rubbed his eyes and looked more closely. Then he crawled back under the covers.

“Henry,” he called, “and Henry!”

Henry grumbled sleepily:

- Well, what else is there?

– Nothing special, just seven of them again. I just counted.

Henry responded to this message with a deep snore.

The next morning he woke up first and woke Bill. It was already six o'clock, but dawn was not expected until nine, and Henry began preparing breakfast in the dark. At this time Bill was rolling up blankets and preparing the sledge.

“Tell me, Henry,” he suddenly asked, “how many dogs do you say we had?”

“Six,” Henry answered.

- Not true! – Bill declared triumphantly.

- What, seven again?

- No, five. There is not one.

- A curse! - Henry exclaimed furiously and, leaving the cooking, went to count the dogs.

-You're right, Bill, the Bubble has disappeared.

“And he probably took off like an arrow, since he decided to run.”

- Don't think. They just gobbled it up. I bet he squealed a lot when they slammed their teeth into him... the damned ones!

“He's always been a stupid dog,” Bill said.

“But not so much as to commit suicide in this way,” Henry objected. He looked at the remaining dogs with an inquisitive glance, assessing each of them.

“I’m sure none of these would do such a stupid thing.”

“You can’t drive these ones away from the fire with a stick,” Bill remarked. “But I always thought that Bubble would end badly.”

And this was the entire epitaph for the dog that died in the northern desert; but other dogs and even people were content with a shorter epitaph.

Chapter II
She-wolf

After having breakfast and putting simple camp equipment into the sleds, the travelers turned their backs to the welcoming fire and walked forward towards the darkness. The air was immediately filled with a plaintive howl, voices were heard from all sides, calling to each other in the darkness of the night. The conversation fell silent. Around nine o'clock it began to get light. At noon, the southern edge of the sky turned pink, and the horizon line clearly appeared on it, separating the northern edge from the countries of the midday sun with a convex line. But the pink color soon disappeared. The gray daylight lasted until three o'clock, then it faded away, giving way to the dark polar night, which shrouded the silent desert land.

The darkness deepened; screams from the right, left and behind came more and more clearly, and sometimes were heard so close that they confused the exhausted dogs, plunging them into panic for a few seconds.

After one such commotion, when Bill and Henry were putting the animals in line, Bill said:

“It would be good if they found game somewhere and left us alone.”

“Yes, they get on your nerves terribly,” said Henry.

They didn't say another word until the next stop.

Henry stood leaning over a cauldron in which beans were boiling, throwing pieces of ice into it, when suddenly the sound of a blow, Bill's exclamation, and a sharp, angry cry of pain from a group of dogs reached his ears. He jumped in surprise and straightened up just in time to see the vague outline of the beast running through the snow under the cover of darkness. Then he looked at Bill, who stood among the dogs with an expression of either triumph or bewilderment. In one hand he held a thick club, and in the other a piece of dried salmon.

“He snatched half the fish from me,” he announced, “but I still managed to finish him off pretty well.” Did you hear him scream?

-Who was it? – Henry asked.

– I didn’t have time to see it. But he had black legs and mouth and fur - and, perhaps, he looked like a dog.

- Must be a tamed wolf!

- Damn tame if he comes every time during feeding to get his portion of fish.

At night, when after dinner they sat on an oblong box, puffing on their pipes, the ring of luminous points closed even more closely.

“I wish they would attack the elk herd and forget about us,” Bill said.

Henry grumbled somehow unfriendly, and silence lasted for a quarter of an hour. He fixed his gaze on the fire, and Bill looked at the sparkling eyes that glittered in the darkness, just beyond the light falling from the fire.

“I wish I was already in McGarry,” he began again.

“Please shut up with your desires and stop croaking,” Henry muttered angrily. - It's all your heartburn. Take a spoonful of soda, your mood will immediately improve, and you will become a more pleasant interlocutor.

In the morning, Henry was awakened by cruel curses coming from Bill's lips. Henry propped himself up on his elbow, his comrade stood by the newly lit fire with his hands raised up and his face twisted with anger.

- Hey! - Henry exclaimed, - what happened?

“The frog has disappeared,” was the answer.

- Can't be!

- I'm telling you that she disappeared.

Henry crawled out from under the blanket and headed towards the dogs. He carefully counted them and sent another curse to the dark forces of the desert, depriving them of another dog.

“The frog was the strongest of the whole train,” Bill finally said.

“And besides, she was far from stupid,” Henry added.

This was the second epitaph in these two days.

Breakfast passed in gloomy silence, and then the four remaining dogs were again harnessed to the sledge. The day that came was no different from the previous one. People walked silently among the frost-bound sea. The silence was broken only by the screams of their enemies, invisibly following them. With the onset of darkness towards the end of the day, the enemies, according to their custom, began to approach, and their screams became more audible; The dogs were worried, shuddered and several times, in fits of panic, confused the lines, infecting people with their fear.

“That’s what will hold you back, you stupid creatures,” Bill said that evening, looking smugly at his work.

Henry stopped cooking to see what was going on. His comrade not only tied up all the dogs, but tied them up the Indian way with sticks. Around the neck of each dog he attached a leather belt, to which he tied a thick stick four to five feet long. The other end of the stick was secured with the same leather strap to a pole driven into the ground. The dog could not chew through the strap attached to the end of the stick closest to it. The stick did not allow her to reach the belt at the other end.

Henry nodded his head approvingly.

“This is the only way to keep One Ear,” he said. “He can bite through any skin, like cutting it with a razor.” And now we will find them in the morning intact and in place.

- I bet it will be so! – Bill confirmed. “If even one goes missing, I’ll give up coffee.”

“They understand perfectly well that we have no charges,” Henry noted before going to bed, and pointed to his comrade at the sparkling ring that surrounded them. “If we could send them a few shots, they would be more respectful.” Every night they come closer and closer. Take your eyes away from the fire and look into the darkness. Here...Have you seen this?

For some time, people followed the movements of obscure figures outside the fire. Peering closely at where a pair of eyes glowed in the darkness, one could sometimes discern the outlines of an animal. Sometimes it was even possible to notice that they were moving.

Some noise among the dogs attracted the attention of the travelers. One-ear made abrupt, plaintive sounds and stretched as far as the stick would allow him, towards the darkness, from time to time making frantic efforts to grab the stick with his teeth.

“Look, Bill,” Henry whispered.

Some animal that looked like a dog was approaching the fire with a soft, creeping gait. There was a hint of caution and audacity in his movements; he carefully watched the people, without losing sight of the dogs at the same time. One-Ear reached out, as far as his stick would allow him, towards the uninvited guest and howled sadly.

“That fool One-Ear doesn’t seem particularly afraid,” Bill said quietly.

“This is a she-wolf,” Henry said just as quietly. – Now it’s clear why Bubble and Frog disappeared. She serves as bait for her flock. She lures the dog, and then the rest of the pack rushes at the victim and eats it.

The fire crackled. The firebrand rolled to the side with a loud hiss. At this sound the strange animal jumped back into the darkness.

“Henry, I think...” Bill began.

- What do you think?

“I think this is the same animal that I grabbed with a stick.”

“There’s not the slightest doubt about that,” Henry replied.

“By the way, don’t you think,” Bill continued, “that this animal’s close acquaintance with fires is both suspicious and even somehow immoral?”

“He undoubtedly knows more than a self-respecting wolf should know,” Henry agreed. – A wolf who comes in the evenings to feed with dogs must have a lot of life experience.

“Old Willen once had a dog that ran away to the wolves,” Bill reasoned out loud. “I know this well, because I myself shot her among the flock in the deer pasture near Little Stack.” The old man cried like a child and said that he had not seen her for three years; she spent all this time with the wolves.

“I think you hit the nail on the head, Bill.” This wolf is nothing more than a dog, and has probably received fish from human hands more than once.

“Just don’t miss, and this wolf, but in reality a dog, will soon turn into just meat for me,” Bill said. “We can’t lose any more animals.”

“But you only have three charges left,” Henry noted.

– I’ll wait and take the right aim! - was the answer.

In the morning, Henry lit a fire and prepared breakfast while his comrade snored.

“You slept so sweetly,” Henry told him, “that I didn’t have the courage to wake you up.”

Bill sleepily began to eat. Noticing that his cup was empty, he reached for coffee. But the coffee pot stood far away, near Henry.

“Tell me, Henry,” he said good-naturedly, “have you forgotten anything?”

Henry looked around carefully and shook his head. Bill picked up his empty cup.

“You won't get coffee,” Henry announced.

- Is it really all gone? – Bill asked in fear.

“Perhaps you are taking care of my digestion?”

Bill's face flushed with indignation.

“In that case, I demand an explanation,” he said.

“The big one has disappeared,” Henry answered.

Slowly, with an air of complete submission to fate, Bill turned his head and, without getting up from his seat, began to count the dogs.

- How did it happen? – he asked in a fallen voice.

Henry shrugged.

- Don't know. Unless One-Ear chewed his belt. He couldn't do it himself.

- Damned dog! “Bill spoke quietly and seriously, without showing the anger that was simmering in him. “I couldn’t gnaw through my own, so I gnawed Mashisty’s.”

- Well, all Mashisty’s torment is now, in any case, over; “He’s undoubtedly already digested and galloping across the desert in the belly of twenty wolves,” said Henry, and this served as an epitaph for the third missing dog... “Would you like some coffee, Bill?”

Bill shook his head.

- Drink! Henry said, picking up the coffee pot.

Bill pushed his cup away:

- I'll be thrice damned if I drink. I said I wouldn't drink coffee if the dog went missing, and I won't!

“And the coffee is excellent,” Henry seduced his comrade.

But Bill was stubborn and had a dry breakfast, seasoning the food with curses at One Ear, who played such a thing.

“I’ll tie them at a respectful distance from each other this evening,” Bill said as they set off again.

They had walked no more than a hundred steps when Henry, who was walking ahead, bent down and picked up some object that had fallen under his ski. It was dark, so he couldn't see him, but he recognized him by touch. He threw it back so that it hit the sledge and bounced off, landing at Bill’s feet.

“Maybe this will be useful to you,” Henry said.

Bill cried out in surprise. This was the stick with which he tied Mashisty the day before - all that was left of him.

“They ate it, skin and all,” said Bill, “they even chewed the belt off the stick on both sides.” They're damn hungry, Henry, and they'll get to us before we're done.

Henry laughed defiantly.

“Wolves, it’s true, have never hunted me like this before, but I’ve seen a lot in my life, and yet I kept my head on my shoulders.” It will probably take something worse than a pack of these annoying creatures to finish off your humble servant. That's it, buddy!

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Bill muttered gloomily.

“Well, you’ll find out when we get to McGarry.”

“I’m not too sure about this,” Bill persisted.

“You're feverish, that's what it's all about,” Henry said decisively. – A good dose of quinine, and everything will go away. I'll take care of your health as soon as we arrive in McGarry.

Bill grumbled, expressing his disagreement with this diagnosis, and fell silent.

The day was the same as any other. The light appeared about nine o'clock. At noon, the horizon was illuminated by an invisible sun, and after that a cold gray twilight descended on the earth, which was supposed to give way to night in three hours.

As soon as the sun, having made an unsuccessful attempt to rise above the horizon, finally disappeared beyond the edge of the earth, Bill pulled out a gun from the sled and said:

“You, Henry, go straight, and I’ll see what’s going on around me.”

“You’d better not leave the sledge,” his companion protested, “you only have three charges, and there’s no telling what else could happen.”

- Who is that croaking now? – Bill remarked sarcastically.

Henry said nothing and walked forward alone, casting anxious glances into the gray distance where his comrade had disappeared. An hour later, taking advantage of the fact that the sleds had to make a long detour, Bill caught up with them at the turn.

“They spread out in a wide ring and do not lose our trail, hunting at the same time for game. These creatures, you see, are sure that they will get to us, but they understand that they will have to wait a little longer, and for now they are trying not to miss anything edible.

“You mean they imagine they'll get to us,” Henry corrected.

But Bill paid no attention to his objection.

“I saw some of them,” he continued, “they were quite thin.” They must have eaten nothing for several weeks except Bubble, Frog, and Mossy, and this won’t satisfy such a crowd. They are so thin that their ribs stick out, and their stomachs are pulled up right under their backs. They are capable of anything, I tell you, they will go crazy at the first moment, and then you will see what will happen.

A few minutes later, Henry, now walking behind the sled, let out a faint whistle of warning. Bill turned around and calmly stopped the dogs. Following them, emerging from around the last turn of the path laid by the sledges, without hiding at all, some obscure furry animal ran. His muzzle was lowered to the ground, and he moved forward with a strange, unusually light, sliding gait. When they stopped, he stopped too, raising his head and looking intently at them; and every time he caught a human scent, his nostrils twitched.

“It’s a she-wolf,” Bill said.

The dogs lay down in the snow, and Bill, passing by them, approached his friend in order to get a better look at the strange beast that had been pursuing the travelers for several days and had already deprived them of half of their team.

Sniffing the air, the animal took a few steps forward. He repeated this maneuver many times until he was a hundred paces from the sledge. Here he stopped near a group of pine trees and, raising his head, began to study the people standing in front of him with his sight and smell. He looked at them with a strange, intelligent look, like a dog, but in this look there was no canine devotion. This intelligence was a product of hunger, as cruel as his fangs, as merciless as the bitterest frost.

He was very large for a wolf; his fitted skeleton indicated that he was among the largest of his breed.

“He’s at least two and a half feet tall, measured from the shoulders,” Henry reasoned, “and probably nearly five feet long.”

The beast, however, was not the color of cinnamon. And his skin was a real wolf. Its main tone was gray, but with some deceptive red tint that appeared and then disappeared again. It seemed that something like an optical illusion was involved here: it was gray, purely gray, and then suddenly strokes and highlights of some reddish-red tone that could not be expressed in words appeared in it.

“He looks like a big shaggy sled dog,” Bill said. “And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s wagging his tail now.”

“Hey, you shaggy one,” he exclaimed. - Come here! What is your name?

“He’s not afraid of you at all,” Henry laughed.

Bill waved his hands threateningly and screamed loudly, but the beast showed no fear. They only noticed that he seemed to perk up. He still did not take his cruel, intelligent gaze off people. It was meat, he was hungry, and if not for his fear of man, he would have gladly eaten them.

“Listen, Henry,” Bill said, unconsciously lowering his voice to a whisper. - We have three charges. But here the point is true. It's impossible to miss. He has already lured three dogs from us. It's time to stop this. What are you going to say?

Henry nodded his head affirmatively. Bill carefully pulled the gun out from under the sledge tire. But before he had time to put it to his shoulder, the she-wolf immediately rushed away from the path and disappeared into the thicket of trees.

The men looked at each other. Henry whistled long and meaningfully.

- How come I didn’t guess! - Bill exclaimed, putting the gun back in its place. – After all, it is clear that a wolf who knows how to come for his portion while feeding dogs must also be familiar with firearms. I'm telling you, Henry, this creature is the culprit of all our misfortunes. If it weren't for her, we would now have six dogs instead of three. Whether you like it or not, Henry, I'll go after her. She is too cunning to be killed in the open. But I will hunt her down and kill her from behind the bush; it's as true as my name being Bill.

“You don’t need to go very far for this,” said his comrade. - If this whole flock attacks you, then your three charges will be the same as three buckets of water in hell. These animals are terribly hungry, and if they just rush at you, Bill, your song is sung!

They stopped early that day to spend the night. Three dogs could not pull the sled as well or at the same speed as six animals, and they showed clear signs of fatigue. The travelers went to bed early, and Bill first tied the dogs so that they could not gnaw each other's straps.

But the wolves became more and more bold and woke up both men more than once that night. They came so close that the dogs went mad with fear, and people had to constantly add wood to the fire to keep these enterprising marauders at a respectful distance.

“I've heard sailors tell stories of sharks chasing ships,” Bill remarked, crawling under the covers after the fire was burning brightly again. – These wolves are land sharks. They know their business better than we do, and believe me, they are not following us around for exercise. They'll get us, Henry. Hey, they'll get there.

“They’ve already half eaten you, you fool,” Henry objected sharply. – When a person begins to talk about his death, it means that he is already half dead. So it turns out that you are almost eaten, since you are so sure that this will happen.

“Well, they’ve dealt with stronger people than you and me,” Bill answered.

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With the development of menopausal syndrome, the main method of treating and preventing disorders caused by a lack of estrogen in a woman’s body is HRT using analogues of these sex hormones. Estrogens during menopause are a very effective medicine, helping well with severe menopausal symptoms. But it must be borne in mind that when treating with such drugs, it is necessary to regularly see a doctor, as well as undergo periodic examinations.

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Active ingredients

Pharmacological group

pharmachologic effect

Indications for the use of estrogens during menopause

Estrogens are indicated as part of HRT during menopause. Also, during menopause, medications that contain exclusively estrogens are prescribed for continuous use by women after surgery to remove the uterus.

Release form

During menopause, estrogens can be used not only orally - to reduce the negative effects on the body, some medications are available in the form of vaginal suppositories, as well as creams, and in addition gels.

It is the tablets that are most often used - they are more effective both as a therapeutic agent and in the prevention of menopausal manifestations. For application through the skin, gels are used (they are prescribed if the patient has liver pathologies, because with this method of administration the medicine enters directly into the blood, without passing through the liver). Vaginal suppositories and creams contain estriol, which is a weak estrogen.

Natural estrogens during menopause

Natural estrogens (or phytoestrogens) are plant-based medicinal compounds that are similar in their chemical structure to natural female hormones, as a result of which they are able to function in the body as an estrogen substitute.

Hormone-like chemical compounds contained in certain plants can significantly help the process of restoring hormonal balance in the body. Since many of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause occur precisely as a result of decreased estrogen levels, these herbal substances are one of the most popular treatment options for this syndrome.

Herbs for menopause with estrogens

Plant estrogen is found in record quantities in the following medicinal herbs: shepherd's bag, Siberian ginseng, and boron uterus.

There are 300 plant species in 16 different families that contain some amount of estrogens. Among them, lignans and isoflavones have been the most studied.

The isoflavone glabridin is found in licorice root. Large amounts of this substance can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, but a small amount, on the contrary, provokes the growth of these cells.

Lignans extracted from flax seeds acquire their steroid nature exclusively in the human intestine. Their biological properties are similar to those of isoflavones.

Estrogen suppositories for menopause

Hormonal suppositories during menopause are used to get rid of the symptoms of burning and itching in the vagina.

Ovestin suppositories are one of the most effective and popular products containing estrogen - in the form of estriol. Estriol is a hormone with a short-term effect, which eliminates the risk of new cells forming in the endometrium.

The medicine promotes the regeneration of the epithelial layer on the vaginal mucosa, and in addition restores its natural microflora and acid balance - thereby preventing the development of pathogenic microbes. At the same time, the level of local immunity increases.

Estrogens in tablets for menopause

The most popular and effective estrogenic drugs produced in tablets that are used for menopause are the following:

Premarin containing conjugated estrogens. It is used as part of hormonal therapy - for menopausal syndrome, bleeding from the uterus, as well as osteoporosis that develops during menopause;
Estradiol, which contains components whose composition is closest to natural female hormones. It is used to stabilize the hormonal balance in the blood;
Presomen, which is often used in HRT. Its medicinal properties make it possible to maintain the functionality of a woman’s reproductive system;
Tefestrol - it allows you to restore the condition of the vaginal mucosa, and also stimulates uterine function;
Estrofem is used to compensate for the lack of endogenous estrogen in the female body.

The properties of estrogens during menopause will be discussed using the example of the drugs Estrofem and Ovestin.

Pharmacodynamics

Estrofem is created on the basis of the substance 17-β-estadiol, which in its composition corresponds to the natural estrogen produced by the ovaries. It helps restore the normal functioning of a woman’s genital organs - the uterus with fallopian tubes, vagina, mammary ducts, and stroma. At the same time, it affects the pigmentation of the area near the nipples and genitals.

The medicine also affects the function of female sexual characteristics, suppresses lactation processes, stabilizes the menstrual cycle, and along with these processes of metabolism of fats and proteins with carbohydrates.

Thanks to the drug, it is possible to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, and in addition to increase the libido and emotional state of the patient. Its effect helps strengthen bone mass, as well as their density - this helps prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis and makes bones stronger, thereby reducing the risk of fractures of the vertebrae and joints in the hip area.

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Pharmacokinetics

After intravaginal use, the active substance provides local bioavailability that is optimal for the medicinal effect. At the same time, it is quickly absorbed, penetrating the general hematopoietic system. As a result, the plasma concentration of unbound estriol rapidly increases. This indicator reaches its peak 1-2 hours after use.

Almost the entire active component in plasma binds to albumin (unlike other estrogens, it almost does not interact with globulin, which provides communication with sex hormones).

During metabolism, estriol is mainly converted into a conjugated as well as an unconjugated state due to circulation in the intestine and liver. It is the end product of breakdown and is usually excreted from the body in bound form through urine. Only a small part of it (about 2%) is excreted in the feces (usually unbound estriol). The half-life lasts about 6-9 hours.

With vaginal administration of 0.5 mg of the active substance, its peak concentration is approximately 100 pg/ml. The minimum level is about 25 pg/ml, and the average concentration is about 70 pg/ml. With three weeks of daily administration of estriol at this dosage, the average value decreases to 40 pg/ml.

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Contraindications

Contraindications to the use of medications that contain hormones include the presence of the following diseases or conditions in the patient:

a history of thrombosis or thromboembolism;
severe diabetes mellitus;
oncological pathology of the endometrium or mammary gland;
estrogen-dependent malignant tumors;
pathologies of the kidneys or liver, in which there is a disorder in the functioning of these organs;
having an unknown etiology of bleeding from the vagina;
suspicion that the patient is pregnant.

Side effects of estrogens during menopause

Antimenopausal drugs containing hormones are known to cause a large number of adverse reactions - in brief, this list includes the possible occurrence of such problems:

weight gain;
headache
the appearance of edema due to fluid retention in the body;
hardening of the mammary glands;
the development of cholestasis, which leads to disruption of the digestive process.

Directions for use and doses

Divigel is used transdermally. It is prescribed for cyclic or continuous long-term treatment. The gel is applied to the skin in the lower abdomen or buttocks. The treatment area with one sachet of medicine should be equal to the size of 1-2 palms. After completing the treatment, you should wash your hands thoroughly and wait for 1-2 minutes for the gel to dry. Do not apply the medicine to areas on the face, chest or genitals, as well as damaged skin. The gel must not get into the eyes.

If a scheduled medication treatment was missed, you need to apply it earlier - no more than 12 hours should pass from the scheduled time of the procedure. If this period has passed, the missed treatment should not be carried out, but the next one should be performed at the appointed time. If procedures are frequently missed, bleeding from the uterus (similar to menstruation) may develop.

The duration of the treatment course, as well as the dosage of Divigel, is prescribed by the attending physician.

At the initial stage of treatment, 1 g of gel per day is usually prescribed. 2-3 cycles after the start of treatment, the dose is adjusted, taking into account the woman’s condition, as well as the effectiveness of the drug. On average, the therapeutic dosage is 0.5-1.5 mg of estradiol (or 0.5-1.5 g of medication).

Estrofem is taken orally, and this must be done at the same time of day each time. Treatment begins with a minimum dosage - 1 tablet once a day. It is allowed to adjust the dose size at least 3 months after the start of the treatment course. During menopause (or with the uterus removed), a woman can start the course on any day.

If you miss a dose, you must take the pill as soon as possible, but if the missed dose is a whole day, the missed pill is not used - a double dose of the medicine is strictly prohibited.

Overdose

In case of a severe overdose of Divigel, pain in the mammary glands, a feeling of irritability or anxiety, as well as flatulence may appear. There is no specific antidote; a dosage reduction or complete abolition of the use of drugs is required.

If the dosage of Estrofem is exceeded, symptoms characteristic of indigestion may develop, such as vomiting with nausea.

Interactions with other drugs

Estrofem significantly enhances the medicinal effect of lipid-lowering drugs on the body.

When combined with Estrofem, the effects of anticoagulants, diuretics, antihypertensives, as well as hypoglycemic drugs and male hormones are weakened.

The metabolic process of Estrofema becomes much more intense when combined with barbiturates, anticonvulsants, tranquilizers, opioid analgesics, anesthesia drugs, and inducers of microsomal liver enzymes.

Rifampicin, phenylbutazone, and ampicillin change the balance of intestinal microflora, as a result of which the absorption of Estrofem is weakened.

The therapeutic effect of estradiol is enhanced by its combination with folic acid and thyroid medications.

Storage conditions

Medicines for menopause must be kept under standard conditions for medications. They are prohibited from freezing; the temperature should not exceed 25°C.

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Best before date

Estrogens during menopause can be used for 3-4 years from the date of manufacture of the drug.