Dog of the North
SILVER CHIEF – DOG OF THE NORTH by Jack O’Brien Book Review – Wolf Dog
“A yellow light gleamed through the trees, and the sound of flopping, crunching snow came to the dog.
“Now a man stood beneath him and great fear rose up in the heart of SILVER CHIEF. The stones and clubs and beatings that had been the lot of a dog that fell into the power of the man-gods he had known, was now to be his lot as he was their prisoner. But his fear shortly gave way to hatred. Man, strong as he was, might capture him, but man with all his magic would never break him. Not if he gave his life in fighting man’s bending him to his will.
“Jim stood silently watching his captive. A smile of genuine happiness spread across his tanned face.
” ‘You’re mine, old boy. I knew I’d get you.’
” ‘But darn me if I know how I’m going to get you out of that tree. Those front feet and long teeth look bad… Now I’m going to lower you, old timer, and heaven help me if these ropes give way.’
“Once he touched the snow, the dog thrashed wildly. With his great strength he bounded from side to side like a coiled snake. He snarled and tried desperately to reach the ropes with his teeth. It took all of Jim’s strength to keep the captive lines taut. Finally the struggle was too much for the dog, and he dropped back, exhausted but not beaten.
“Thorne eased up a little on his rope and risked one hand to wipe his damp brow.
” ‘Mister, I’ll say you’re a powerful young feller,’ he addressed the dog, who glared up at him with bloodshot eyes.
” ‘What would you do to me, if you could get me, eh? Well, I’m not going to hurt you. You and I are going to be friends.’ ”
With these words, author Jack O’Brien described the capture by Sergeant Jim Thorne (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) of the wild wolf dog the First Nations people called “Silver Chief.”
The local First Nations believed the white dog to be possessed by evil spirits and wanted Thorne to help them kill it. But the Mountie had a different idea. He wanted to take the savage dog alive.
The book was SILVER CHIEF — DOG OF THE NORTH.
About Jack O’Brien
John “Jack” Sherman O’Brien (1898-1938) was described by his publisher as “one of those soldiers of fortune to whom adventure and danger are the spice of life.”
As Chief Surveyor for Admiral Byrd’s first Antarctic Expedition of 1928-1930, Jack O’Brien was in charge of the dog teams taken along on that historic trip. He drove huskies on prospecting ventures into Northern Canada and worked so often with the big sled dogs that “he came to know them as few men do.”
Jack O’Brien, Author, Adventurer, Explorer, Sled Dog Driver
Dog of the North – Silver Chief Series List:
In his Silver Chief books, he told the stories of two generations of Mounties and three generations of dogs, starting in the early 1930’s. The other books in this series were
THE RETURN OF SILVER CHIEF
SILVER CHIEF TO THE RESCUE
ROYAL RED — In this novel, Jim Thorne gives a puppy sired by Silver Chief to his nephew Peter. As a Mounted Policeman, Corporal Peter Thorne will have his own adventures with his dog (also called Silver Chief) and a spirited horse he calls Royal Red.
SILVER CHIEF’S REVENGE
and SILVER CHIEF’S BIG GAME TRAIL — this last book in the Silver Chief Series was completed by Albert G Miller, from research notes left by Jack who died unexpectedly at age 40.
The changing of central characters from Jim Thorne to his younger nephew was at his publisher’s request. Since their “Dog Stories” books were aimed at a younger readership, the publishers believed that Jack’s first three Silver Chief novels were “too adult” for their target audience. (I guess they had never read a Dog Story by another Jack titled THE CALL OF THE WILD.)
Also by Jack O’Brien:
VALIANT: Dog of the Timberline — The story of a German Shepherd caught in the ongoing battles between Sheep and Cattle Ranchers in the American West.
SPIKE OF SWIFT RIVER — The dramatic story of a wounded outlawed German Shepherd who forms a lasting bond with the outcast boy Dan in the dangerous North Woods logging country.
THE KING AND THE PRINCESS — “The story of a friendship between a dog and a cat with a wooden leg.”
CORPORAL COREY OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED — Based on the service of a Corporal who had served in the RCMP, including harrowing dogsled patrols.
RIP DARCY, ADVENTURER — A fictionalized account of the story of a shipwrecked boy (and his dog) who was adopted by the Adventures’ Club of New York. Rip went on many worldwide trips with Club members.
ALONE ACROSS THE TOP OF THE WORLD: The Authorized Story of the Arctic Journey of David Irwin as told to Jack O’Brien
and BY DOG SLED FOR BYRD: 1600 Miles Across Antarctic Ice. A Memoir.
If you love Dog Stories or Mountie Fiction, you’ve gotta track down these classic Animal Stories by Jack O’Brien. [1]
“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe
Did you like this Dog Fiction Book Review?
THEN YOU’VE GOT TO SEE “THE WRITERS OF THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE” — MY MOST POPULAR LITERARY HISTORY POST:
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An extensive look at the writers who created the magnificent Mythology of our North-West Mounted Police. My Top 10 Mountie Fiction Writers in some detail — and a look at many other authors. Amply illustrated with marvelous magazine and book covers. FREE TO READ ==> The GREATEST AUTHORS OF NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE FICTION
A Fave Jack O’Brien passage:
“My own brown and white Labrador husky, Pete, looks anxiously at me from his position at the head of my team. Pete has a funny little way of looking round, with a questioning tilt to his head whenever he doesn’t quite understand an order, or when he can’t see why he is being held back from starting.
“So, one by one, the teams are made ready.
“Admiral Byrd comes to each of us to bid us good-bye. ‘Good luck, boys,’ he says. ‘Come back safe.’
“The anchor ropes are jerked loose, the men holding the dogs leap back.
“No command is needed, for with one jump the dogs are away, snow flying in clouds from their racing feet. We are off at last on the long, cold trek.”
– Jack O’Brien, from his BY DOG SLED FOR BYRD: 1600 Miles Across Antarctic Ice as by John S O’Brien. Illustrations by Richard Rodgers & Ben Stahl.
[1] Most of Jack’s books were illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Like so many Germans, Wiese seemed to be born with a deep affinity for wild animals and wild places. Wiese wrote and illustrated 20 of his own books and created the artwork for such popular books as the first English translation of Felix Salten’s BAMBI: A Life in the Woods, the new edition of Rudyard Kipling’s ALL THE MOWGLI STORIES and Virginia Frances Voight’s LIONS IN THE BARN. Jack asked for Wiess, who he believed “forcefully caught the Spirit of the Northlands in his art.”
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SILVER CHIEF – DOG OF THE NORTH by Jack O’Brien Book Review – Wolf Dog
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