IVAs we could not kill him, we trie

IV
As we could not kill him, we tried to sell him. He looked a good dog, so people were glad to buy him. Very soon we sold him to the police1 for seventy-five dollars. We went to the North and the policemen went to the South—so we thought—good-bye, old Spot! 1 can tell you we were glad! Six days passed. But in the morning of the seventh day he was with us again. He came and started a terrible fight with the other dogs. In two days we sold him to an official courier. This time he came back in three days.
We were in Alaska the whole winter. We got some money for our work and we got some money for Spot. We sold him ten, twenty, thirty times. He always came back and nobody asked for the money. It was not difficult to sell him. He looked such a good dog. We sold him for as high as one hundred and fifty dollars, and we sold him for as low as twenty-five dollars. We sold him to hunters, we sold him to policemen, we sold him to doctors, we sold him to couriers; but he always came back. And at last a time came when everybody knew about Spot and nobody wanted to buy him.
V
But we could not have this dog with us. He ate our food, he did not work, he demoralized the other dogs.
It was necessary to do something. One day we were travelling in a boat down the Yukon. All our dogs were with us. I saw an island in front.
"Let us leave him on this island," I said to Steve.
"What a good idea!" answered Steve. "Yes, let us leave him on the island."
We began working energetically with our oars. Soon we came quite near the island. Spot was in the front part of the boat. Steve pushed him and in less than a second he was in the water. In another .second he was on the island and two seconds after that we were already far from him in the middle of the river. The current was very strong at this place.
Spot was standing on the island looking at us. He did not swim after us that time but he probably swam over to the bank later, because — when we came to Dawson — he was sitting near the river and waiting for us.
More than ten times we put him on steamers going down the Yukon.3 But always he got off them and came back to us in a day or two.
VI
One day Spot took a big piece of meat from Major Dinwiddie's house in Dawson City. But Major Dinwiddie saw him. Immediately he took his rifle and fired at Spot.
Do you think he killed him? Nothing of the kind! A policeman came and said to Major Dinwiddie, "You must pay five dollars for using fire-arms in the city." Major Dinwiddie paid five dollars for using fire-arms in the city and Steve and I paid fifty dollars for the meat. Meat stood high at Dawson that year.
One day we were on the Yukon in the month of January. This was near Dawson City. The ice was three feet thick but there were some water holes in it. Well, and Spot fell through a water hole. The current carried him down. "This is the end of Spot," I said to myself. But three hundred feet below was another big water hole. And what do you think Spot did? He got out there, shook himself and immediately started a fight with a big Newfoundland dog which was standing on the bank.
But one day Spot went away from us. And he did not come back for two months. This is how it was. We were in a far-off place in Alaska and we had no more food. Spring was near and we were waiting for the river to open. We were terribly hungry and we decided to eat our dogs. And then Spot ran away. Day after day we sat up waiting for him. But he did not come back and we ate all the other dogs. And now let me tell you how he came back. You know what it is when a big river opens in spring. Millions of tons of ice go up and down in the water. And in the middle of the river we suddenly saw Spot! We thought it was clear he could not come to us. He did not have a chance in a million. But in a moment we saw him jumping over the ice towards us. More than twenty times he fell into the water and more than twenty times he got out again. And at last he was on the bank beside us.
VII
In a day or two the river was quite free from ice. We put our boat into the water and started for Dawson City. Of course we did not take Spot. We left him on the bank. But what do you think was the first thing we saw in Dawson? It was Spot — sitting on the bank and waiting for us.
At last I thought it was enough. I said nothing to Steve. I just wrote him a note saying good-bye. Then I took my things and went away. I tell you that Spot was on my nerves.
I brought some money home and for a time lived happily. Steve wrote me a letter. It was not a friendly letter: he said he was very angry with me. He said he was angry because of Spot.
A year passed. And then one fine morning I came out into the garden and what do you think I saw? Spot — tied to a tree and looking at me with his clever eyes.
"How did he come here?" I asked myself. I looked to the right and I looked to the left. And then I .saw Steve — my old friend Steve, running away from me. I did not stop him.
My wife is a very kind woman. She gave Spot some food. He thanked her immediately by killing her cat. Three days ago Spot got into Mr. Harvey's hen-house (Mr. Harvey is our great friend) and killed twenty hens. Now I must pay for them. Yesterday, because of Spot, I quarrelled with my wife.
I never thought Stephen Mackay could do such a thing. But now I see what he can do. No, I cannot even hear his name! I may kill him if I see him again!