Jack London's

The man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the earth-bank . There was no sun or hint of sun . He was used to the lack of sun

He knew that at fifty below spittle crackled on the snow , but the spittle had crackled in the air . He held on through the level stretch of woods for several miles , and dropped down a bank to the frozen bed of a stream . Once he curved away from the place where he had been walking and retreated several paces back along the trail . He

knew there were springs that bubbled out from the hillsides . The coldest snaps never froze these springs , and he knew likewise their danger . To get his feet wet in such a temperature meant trouble

At half-past twelve he arrived at the forks of the creek . He sat down on a snow-covered log to eat . When the man had finished , he filled his pipe and took his comfortable time over a smoke . Then he pulled on his mittens , settled the ear-flaps of his cap firmly about his ears , and took the creek trail up the left fork

And then it happened . At a place where there were no signs , where snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath , he broke through . He wet himself halfway to the knees . He would have to build a fire and dry out his foot-gear

The flame he got by touching a match to a small shred of birch-bark . Placing it on the foundation , he fed the young flame with wisps of dry grass and with the tiniest dry twigs . The tree under which he had done this carried a weight of snow on its boughs . It descended without warning upon the man and the fire , and the fire was blotted out

He made a new foundation for a fire . When all was ready , the man scratched the bunch (of matches ) along his leg . It flared into flame The blazing matches fell sizzling into the snow , but the birch-bark was alight . A large piece of green moss fell squarely on the little fire the burning grasses and tiny twigs separating and scattering

A certain fear of death , dull and oppressive , came to him This threw him into a panic , and he turned and ran up the creek-bed along the old , dim trail . His theory of running until he reached camp and the boys had one flaw in it : he lacked the endurance . Several times he stumbled , and finally he tottered , crumpled up , and fell . When he tried to rise , he failed

When he had recovered his breath and control , he sat up and entertained in his mind the conception of meeting death with dignity

Then the man drowsed off into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known

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