Thirty days after leaving Dawson, the team arrived at Skagway in a terrible state. The dogs were thin and exhausted, but instead of a rest they were sold again, to two men from the States, Hal and Charles, and Charles's wife Mercedes. They knew nothing about the North. Their sled was far too heavy, and they fed the dogs too much at first and then almost nothing. One by one the dogs died of hunger and overwork. By the time they reached John Thornton's camp at the mouth of the White River, only five were left. Thornton warned them that the ice on the river was about to break, but Hal would not listen. The team got up slowly, but Buck lay still. He felt that something terrible was waiting on the ice ahead. Hal beat him with a club again and again. Suddenly Thornton sprang forward, knocked Hal down and cut Buck free. The others went on without him. A few minutes later the ice gave way, and the sled, the dogs and the three people disappeared into the river.