Primordial:

adj-having existed from the beginning

“He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial.”

Cadence:

noun-a recurrent rhythmical series

“And his cadences were their cadences, the cadenceswhich voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the stillness, and the cold, and dark.”

(adj.) absolutely necessary or required

p. 15, 1st par. “There was imperative need to be constantly alert…”

(noun) a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or

competes with another.

p. 15, 3rd par. “Curly rushed to her antagonist, who struck again and leaped aside.”

“Billee's one fault was his excessive good nature, while Joe was the very opposite, sour and introspective, with a

perpetual snarl and a malignant eye.”

Introspectiveadj. to observe your own mental and

emotional processes

“He never had enough, and suffered from perpetual hunger pangs.”

Perpetual

Adj. when something lasts for ever or is infinite.

MalignantAdjective: Menacing

“Billee's one fault was his excessive good nature, while Joe was the

very opposite, sour and introspective, with a perpetual snarl and a

malignant eye.”

DiabolicallyAdjective: As a devil; in an evil manner

“…Joe whirled around on his heels to face him, mane bristling, ears laid

back, lips writhing and snarling, jaws clipping together as fast as he

could snap, and eyes diabolically gleaming--the incarnation of

belligerent fear.”

Indiscretion(n.) behavior or speech that is indiscreet or displays a lack of good

judgement

“Of this offense Buck was unwittingly guilty, and the first knowledge he

had of his indiscretion was when Sol-leks whirled upon him and

slashed his shoulder...”

Prowess(n.) bravery in battle

“By evening Perrault secured another dog, an old husky, long and

lean and gaunt, with a battle-scarred face and a single eye which

flashed a warning of prowess...”

Consternation

[n.] a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter

confusion; dismay.

p.17/18 “The tent, illumined by a candle, glowed warmly in the midst of the white plain; and when he, as a matter of course, entered it, both Perrault and Francois bombarded him with curses and cooking utensils, till he recovered from his consternation and fled ignominiously into the outer cold.”

Vicarious

[adj.] felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of

others

p.15 “It is true, it was a vicarious experience else he would not have lived to profit by it.”

ArduousAdj. requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult: an

arduous undertaking.

“The day had been long and arduous, and he slept soundly and comfortably, though he growled and ...”

RavenousAdj. extremely hungry; famished; voracious: feeling ravenous after a hard day's work.

“Buck was ravenous. The pound and a half of sun- dried salmon, which was his ration for each day, seemed to go nowhere. He never had enough, and suffered ...”

Malingerer

(Noun) Someone shirking their duty feigning illness or

incapacity

“A clever malingerer and thief, slyly steal a slice of bacon

when Perrault's back was turned, he duplicated the

performance the following day, getting away with the whole

chunk.”

Retrogression

(Noun) passing from a more complex to a

simpler biological form.

“His development (or retrogression) was

rapid.”

Primeval

(Adj.) having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state

“In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the times the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their

meat as they ran it down.”

Woe

(Noun) intense mournfulness

“ And his cadences were their cadences , the cadences which voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the

stillness, and the cold, and the dark.”