Transcribed by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org THE STRENGTH OF THE STRONG * * * * * BY JACK LONDON AUTHOR OF “THE VALLEY OF THE MOON” “JERRY OF THE ISLANDS,” ETC. * * * * * MILLS & BOON, LIMITED 49 RUPERT STREET LONDON, W.1 * * * * * _Published 1919_ * * * * * _Copyright in the United States of America by_ THE MACMILLAN COMPANY CONTENTS PAGE THE STRENGTH OF THE STRONG 11 SOUTH OF THE SLOT 34 THE UNPARALLELED INVASION 60 THE ENEMY OF ALL THE WORLD 81 THE DREAM OF DEBS 104 THE SEA-FARMER 134 SAMUEL 161 THE STRENGTH OF THE STRONG _Parables don’t lie_, _but liars will parable_. —_Lip-King_. OLD Long-Beard paused in his narrative, licked his greasy fingers, and wiped them on his naked sides where his one piece of ragged bearskin failed to cover him. Crouched around him, on their hams, were three young men, his grandsons, Deer-Runner, Yellow-Head, and Afraid-of-the-Dark. In appearance they were much the same. Skins of wild animals partly covered them. They were lean and meagre of build, narrow-hipped and crooked-legged, and at the same time deep-chested, with heavy arms and enormous hands. There was much hair on their chests and shoulders, and on the outsides of their arms and legs. Their heads were matted with uncut hair, long locks of which often strayed before their eyes, beady and black and glittering like the eyes of birds. They were narrow between the eyes and broad between the cheeks, while their lower jaws were projecting and massive. It was a night of clear starlight, and below them, stretching away remotely, lay range on range of forest-covered hills. In the distance the heavens were red from the glow of a volcano. At their backs yawned the black mouth of a cave, out of which, from time to time, blew draughty gusts of wind. Immediately in front of them blazed a fire. At one side, partly devoured, lay the carcass of a bear, with about it, at a respectable distance, several large dogs, shaggy and wolf-like. Beside each man lay his bow and arrows and a huge club. In the cave-mouth a number of rude spears leaned against the rock. “So that was how we moved from the cave to the tree,” old Long-Beard spoke up.