The remnants pull into the camp of John Thornton. Buck does not get up when Hal wants to leave. After watching the cruel young man beat Buck repeatedly, John steps in and saves him by cutting him out of the harness. The rest of the team continues, but soon they fall through the ice, thin because of the warmth. Buck becomes John`s favourite pet, and he absolutely adores his master. Under John's influence, as well as the influence of Skeet and Buckie, his two pets, Buck begins to heal, and regains some of the civility he lost on the trail. He does a number of miraculous things for John, saving his life twice and winning a bet that allows him to pay off all his debts. He cannot completely forget his visions of the primitive world, but he is happy by John's side. Along with Hans and Pete, John's partners, the dogs go on an expedition for a lost mine. The works on the trail, the daily hunting, are absolutely delightful for Buck. When the mine is found, there is no more work to be done, and Buck muses once more on the call that he hears nightly in the forest. Eventually he starts to sleep away from the camp. He follows his instincts and wild tendencies, killing his own food for himself. Buck meets a wolf who befriends him, and is quite sad when he returns to the camp. This goes on for a while, until one day Buck returns to the camp to find everyone killed by the Yeehats, a Native American tribe. He is very angry because of the death of beloved John, and kills all the men who don’t run away from him. There is no more tie to human mankind, so Buck returns to the forest to wolves. He has headed the call.