Bâtard

[This story may not be for dog lovers as it contains accounts of cruelty to the title character.]

Originally titled "Diable - A Dog" (French for Devil), the title was changed for publication in 1904 to "Bâtard" (French for Bastard). The opening paragraph gives us a hint where the story is heading by introducing the players, a dog ("Bâtard was a devil") and his owner ("Black Leclère was also a devil").

Leclère was a hunter/trapper/adventurer in the Northwest at the time of the Alaskan gold rush. He kept Bâtard with the intent of either breaking his spirit or kill him trying. Bâtard could have run away at any time, but stayed through thick and thin because he was equally dedicated to killing Leclère.