When White Fang is three years old, there occurs another great famine. This particular famine, however, is so intense that "only the strong survived." Gray Beaver and his family, in desperation, have to resort to eating the "soft-tanned leather of their moccasins and mittens." As for the dogs, they begin to eat one another, and, finally, even the man-gods eat the worthless and weaker dogs. At this time, White Fang realizes that he can no longer rely on the man-gods for food and protection; therefore, he quietly steals away into the forest and resorts to hunting, which is his nature, his instinct. Alone, he is able to track down a young wolf and devour it. He also encounters again his mother, Kiche, who has had another litter of pups, of which there is only one left, and, as before, White Fang leaves Kiche and her pup alone and does not disturb them. His hunger is so great, though, that he raids one of Gray Beaver's traps, eating the rabbit which he finds there, even though he knows that Gray Beaver himself is starving. In contrast, White Fang has been lucky in his search for food, and thus he is in splendid condition (" . . . he was even gorged from his latest kill") when he suddenly comes face-to-face with Lip-lip, his most hated enemy. There is no real contest, however. White Fang attacks Lip-lip and quickly drives his teeth into Lip-lip's scrawny throat. Then sometime later, he hears the sights and sounds of the Indian camp, and he realizes that the famine is over, for he smells food and hears pleasant noises. As a result, he returns to Gray Beaver's tepee to await Gray Beaver's return.
Essentially, then, Part Three deals with White Fang's relationship with man, particularly with White Fang's looking on man as some sort of god. White Fang feels subservient to this creature of greater intelligence, and he is willing to voluntarily return to this superior intelligence of his own volition after the famine is over. London seems to imply here, however, as he will in Part Five of the novel, that, however wild an animal might be, under proper training and proper care, he can be trained to obey man's orders.
