All 35 Uses of

trace
in
The Call of the Wild

The pool itself, muddy and discolored from the sluice boxes, effectually hid what it contained, and it contained John Thornton; for Buck followed his trace into the water, from which no trace led away.
p. 178.3 *

trace = scent (indication that could be followed)

The pool itself, muddy and discolored from the sluice boxes, effectually hid what it contained, and it contained John Thornton; for Buck followed his trace into the water, from which no trace led away.
p. 178.3

He wanted it because it was his nature, because he had been gripped tight by that nameless, incomprehensible pride of the trail and trace—that pride which holds dogs in the toil to the last gasp, which lures them to die joyfully in the harness, and breaks their hearts if they are cut out of the harness.†
p. 59.2

For the pride of trace and trail was his, and, sick unto death, he could not bear that another dog should do his work.†
p. 89.5

Chapter V. The Toil of Trace and Trail†
p. 95.0

On the next day Koona went, and but five of them remained: Joe, too far gone to be malignant; Pike, crippled and limping, only half conscious and not conscious enough longer to malinger; Sol-leks, the one-eyed, still faithful to the toil of trace and trail, and mournful in that he had so little strength with which to pull; Teek, who had not travelled so far that winter and who was now beaten more than the others because he was fresher; and Buck, still at the head of the team, but no longer enforcing discipline or striving to enforce it, blind with weakness half the time and keeping the trail by the loom of it and by the dim feel of his feet.†
p. 115.3

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Uses with a meaning too rare to warrant foucs:

Spitz was the leader, likewise experienced, and while he could not always get at Buck, he growled sharp reproof now and again, or cunningly threw his weight in the traces to jerk Buck into the way he should go.
p. 30.4

traces = straps that harness dogs to sled

The toil of the traces seemed the supreme expression of their being, and all that they lived for and the only thing in which they took delight.
p. 37.3

Once, during a brief halt, when he got tangled in the traces and delayed the start, both Dave and Solleks flew at him and administered a sound trouncing.
p. 37.9

The resulting tangle was even worse, but Buck took good care to keep the traces clear thereafter; and ere the day was done, so well had he mastered his work, his mates about ceased nagging him.
p. 38.1

Day after day, for days unending, Buck toiled in the traces.
p. 39.5

They had eaten a pair of Perrault's moose-hide moccasins, chunks out of the leather traces, and even two feet of lash from the end of Francois's whip.
p. 53.2

This was the pride that bore up Spitz and made him thrash the sled-dogs who blundered and shirked in the traces or hid away at harness-up time in the morning.
p. 59.8

It no longer was as one dog leaping in the traces.
p. 65.0

He worked faithfully in the harness, for the toil had become a delight to him; yet it was a greater delight slyly to precipitate a fight amongst his mates and tangle the traces.
p. 66.4

Francois unfastened Sol-leks's traces and put him back in his old place.
p. 80.1

His traces were fastened, the sled broken out, and with both men running they dashed out on to the river trail.
p. 80.5 *

Their business was to toil, and toil mightily, in the traces.
p. 81.1

It recovered its old-time solidarity, and once more the dogs leaped as one dog in the traces.
p. 81.9

Sometimes, in the traces, when jerked by a sudden stoppage of the sled, or by straining to start it, he would cry out with pain.
p. 88.6

By the time Cassiar Bar was reached, he was so weak that he was falling repeatedly in the traces.
p. 89.1

Sick as he was, Dave resented being taken out, grunting and growling while the traces were unfastened, and whimpering broken-heartedly when he saw Sol-leks in the position he had held and served so long.
p. 89.4

When the sled started, he floundered in the soft snow alongside the beaten trail, attacking Sol-leks with his teeth, rushing against him and trying to thrust him off into the soft snow on the other side, striving to leap inside his traces and get between him and the sled, and all the while whining and yelping and crying with grief and pain.
p. 89.8

Dave had bitten through both of Sol-leks's traces, and was standing directly in front of the sled in his proper place.
p. 90.7

His comrades talked of how a dog could break its heart through being denied the work that killed it, and recalled instances they had known, where dogs, too old for the toil, or injured, had died because they were cut out of the traces.
p. 91.0

Also, they held it a mercy, since Dave was to die anyway, that he should die in the traces, heart-easy and content.
p. 91.1

Several times he fell down and was dragged in the traces, and once the sled ran upon him so that he limped thereafter in one of his hind legs.
p. 91.3

They could barely keep the traces taut, and on the down grades just managed to keep out of the way of the sled.
p. 96.5

They did not take kindly to trace and trail.
p. 105.9

She rode for days, till they fell in the traces and the sled stood still.
p. 112.5

When a halt was made, they dropped down in the traces like dead dogs, and the spark dimmed and paled and seemed to go out.
p. 114.6

Hal had traded off his revolver, so he took the axe and knocked Billee on the head as he lay in the traces, then cut the carcass out of the harness and dragged it to one side.
p. 114.9

Then he stooped, picked it up himself, and with two strokes cut Buck's traces.
p. 120.8

Buck tightened the traces, then slacked them for a matter of several inches.
p. 146.8

Buck threw himself forward, tightening the traces with a jarring lunge.
p. 147.6

Definitions:

(1) (trace as in: found a trace of)
a small quantity; or any indication or evidence of
The exact meaning of this sense of trace depends upon its context. For example:
- a small indication that something was present -- as in "The plane disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean without leaving a trace."
- a very small amount of something -- as in "The blood test showed a trace of steroids."
- any evidence of something -- as in "We did not find a trace of the gene."
(2) (trace as in: trace the origin or development)
to find, search, research, or keep track of
This sense of trace usually has to do with information. It's specific meaning depends on its context. For example:
to find or search for something through investigation -- often the origin of something:
- "The police traced the call." -- found out where it originated
- "We are tracing the lost luggage" -- searching for
- "Can you trace the problem to its source?" -- find through investigation
- "She traced her family history to discover that her great-grandmother came to the United States from Lithuania when the Nazis occupied it." -- discovered something through investigation
to research or report on the development of something
- "She traced the history of the automobile in her paper." -- researched the development of something
- "Her presentation traced recent progress in alternative energy solutions." -- reported on
to monitor or keep track of the progress or development of something
- "She traces the progress of at-risk students." -- monitors information
- "I used binoculars to trace her progress up the mountain." -- monitor, follow, or track
(3) (trace as in: trace a picture or outline)
copy the lines of an image; or draw an outline; or carefully draw a specific pattern
This sense of trace has to do with drawing, but it's specific meaning depends on its context. For example:
copying the outline of an image
- "She used tracing paper to make a copy." -- paper you can see through, so that when it is placed on a picture, you can use a pencil to follow the lines of the image being copied
- "She projected the image onto the wall, hung a sheet of paper there, and traced the projected image onto the paper." -- followed the lines with her pencil
draw an outline or a specific pattern
- "She used her toe to trace half the fish symbol in the sand." -- draw a simple outline
- "The child used a stick to trace circles and swirls in the mud." -- draw
- "She used her finger to trace his name in the sand." -- draw
(4) (trace as in: traced a path)
to follow
The exact meaning of this sense of trace depends upon its context. For example:
- "The hunters traced the deer into the woods." -- followed or tracked
- "With soft kisses, she gently traced the scar running down his cheek." -- followed
- "The path traces along the edge of the forest." -- follows
- "A single tear traced its way down her cheek." -- followed a specific path
(5) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

See a comprehensive dictionary for specialized meanings of trace in mathematics, medicine, engineering and other areas.

Page Numbers by Book Edition

trace in The Call of the Wild

trace
in
The Call of the Wild