Not so, however, Pete's uncultured brutes; such strains were melancholy
and painful to them in the extreme; and they did not hesitate to let it
be known. One by one they began to howl, till all twelve were wailing
dolefully and continuously. The Nugget dogs joined them, and Baldy
noticed with stern condemnation that Fisher and Wolf, who had not yet
acquired the repose of manner that comes of rigid discipline, were also
guilty of this breach of Road House decorum. Allan and Pete rushed out
to quell the disturbance, but the Big Man said not to interfere; that
many a dollar he had paid for an evening of Strauss or Debussy when the
clamor was just as loud, and to him no more melodious--and he was for
letting them finish their "number" in peace.
At last the music-machine ceased from troubling, the rival canine
concert was ended, and laughter and song were hushed. The stillness of
the Arctic night fell upon the Nugget Road House, lying in the somber
shadow of the Sawtooth Mountains. And to Baldy and all the others came
rest and forgetfulness of such trials as nerve-racking sounds that
destroy well-earned sleep, and the enforced companionship of advanced
females that insist upon having a paw in the management of affairs that
should not concern them.
The next morning both teams were ready to continue the journey. The Big
Man with Pete Bernard and his huskies were to take the long route
through the Lowlands; while "Scotty" decided upon the short cut by the
Golden Gate Pass, because the Woman wanted to go the most picturesque
way.
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