Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. the trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean towards each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. a vast silence reigned over the land. the land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. there was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. it was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. it was the wild, the savage, frozen-hearted northland wild.

but there was life, abroad in the land and defiant. down the frozen waterway toiled a string of wolfish dogs. their bristly fur was rimed with frost. their breath froze in the air as it left their mouths, spouting forth in spumes of vapour that settled upon the hair of their bodies and formed into crystals of frost. leather harness was on the dogs, and leather traces attached them to a sled which dragged along behind. the sled was without runners. it was made of stout birch-bark, and its full surface rested on the snow. the front end of the sled was turned up, like a scroll, in order to force down and under the bore of soft snow that surged like a wave before it. on the sled, securely lashed, was a long and narrow oblong box. there were other things on the sled—blankets, an axe, and a coffee-pot and frying-pan; but prominent, occupying most of the space, was the long and narrow oblong box.

early sled dog history

early travel by rugged dogs pulling sleds was often necessary, but brutal. dog-pulled sleds were used by early colonists in canada. historical dog teams ranged from only two to six animals. no one single breed dominated the sled dogs in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. the majority of sled dogs were of mixed breed, and some were certainly part wolf.

not until the snow finally melted and the ice finally broke up on the rivers did the hard running sledge dogs and their drivers get long periods of rest. many dogs did not survive the combination of hard work, harsh conditions, brutal treatment, and insufficient feeding schedules.

which most closely describes the author's use of historical information for the novel white fang?

consider both texts provided.
a) the author included details and descriptions of the dogs that match the historical details provided.
b) the author changed the historical facts about early sled dogs to fit the needs of his plot and setting.
c) the author changed the description and age of the dogs, which was necessary for his main character to develop bonds with the dogs.
d) the author included historically accurate details of the dogs' working conditions, but the dogs he describes in his story are alaskan huskies.