The King of Mazy May

John Griffith "Jack" London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone.

This short story by Jack London is set more than 100 years ago. It took place during the gold rush that began in 1896 in northwest Canada. As news of gold spread, men rushed there to find their fortunes. However, they met many hardships. Northwest Canada is very, very cold with very long winters. The rivers, even big rivers, are frozen so hard that people used them as roads. They drove sleds pulled by teams of dogs across them. This is how they got from place to place. Today, these roads are driven on by ice road truckers, made famous in the television show of the same name.