"Dump it in. Whos making this punch， anyway？" And Malemute Kid smiled benignantly through the clouds of steam. "By the time youve beenin this country as long as I have， my son， and lived on rabbit-tracks andsalmon-belly， youll learn that Christmas comes only once per annum. Anda Christmas without punch is sinking a hole to bedrock with nary a pay-streak."
"Stack up on that fer a high cyard，" approved Big Jim Belden， whohad come down from his claim on Mazy May to spend Christmas， andwho， as every one knew， had been living the two months past on straightmoose-meat. "Haint fergot the hooch we-uns made on the Tanana， hevyeh？"
"Well， I guess yes. Boys， it would have done your hearts good to seethat whole tribe fighting drunk——and all because of a glorious ferment ofsugar and sour dough. That was before your time，" Malemute Kid said ashe turned to Stanley Prince， a young mining expert who had been in twoyears. "No white women in the country then， and Mason wanted to getmarried. Ruths father was chief of the Tananas， and objected， like the restof the tribe. Stiff？. Why， I used my last pound of sugar; finest work in thatline I ever did in my life. You should have seen the chase， down the riverand across the portage."
"But the squaw？" asked Louis Savoy， the tall French-Canadian，becoming interested; for he had heard of this wild deed， when at FortyMile the preceding winter.
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——杰克·伦敦
评论家们认为，这位擅长“描写人类原始本能”的年轻小说家可以跟爱伦·坡、吉卜林以及麦尔维尔相提并论。
——书店