Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was coming for every strong dog with warm, long hair. Men had found gold in the Arctic darkness, and thousands were rushing north, where they needed heavy dogs to pull their sleds. Buck lived at Judge Miller's big house in the sunny Santa Clara Valley. His father had been a huge Saint Bernard and his mother a Scotch shepherd dog, and he ruled the whole place like a king. But Manuel, one of the gardener's helpers, loved to gamble and never had enough money. One night he quietly led Buck away and sold him to a stranger. Buck was thrown into a cage and carried north by train and ship. At the end of the journey a man in a red sweater was waiting with a club. Every time Buck attacked, the club struck him down, until he understood. A man with a club was a lawgiver who had to be obeyed, though not necessarily loved.