Following the vicious attack by the starving huskies, Perrault dauntlessly leads the dog team across Thirty Mile River's thin ice. During their difficult, dangerous journey, Perrault, Dave, Buck, and Spitz break through the thin ice and the team is forced to stop and build several fires in order to recover. By the time the team reached Five Fingers, Buck's feet are extremely sore from the treacherous journey. Unlike the other sled dogs, Buck's feet had not hardened or become calloused enough to handle the rugged, cold ice. Buck was in such pain that he refused to move when François offered him his ration of fish. As a solution, François ends up sacrificing the tops of his moccasins to make four moccasins for Buck to wear on the trial. François also rubs Buck's feet for a half an hour each night after supper to alleviate his pain. François's homemade dog moccasins allow Buck to continue on their journey until his feet become calloused enough to handle the harsh terrain.