CHAPTER 89
Summary
Dish Boggett is extremely unhappy when Gus returns without Lorena. Even though she seemed to belong to Gus, at least Dish could see her everyday. Gus too has a few moments of regret at leaving Lorie behind. He is confident that he has done the right thing, but he still misses her. Po Campo is regretful at leaving the river. He knows that water is going to become scarce and so he begins to ration it right away. Ironically, Call seems unconcerned about the water problem. He figures if they make the Powder River they’ll be alright, and Deets is finding water, even though the pools are smaller and smaller and more alkaline. Call takes the scouting role to give Deets a rest and has to ride eighty miles before he finds water. The concern then becomes whether the herd can make it that far. Nevertheless, Call decides to move forward, because it doesn’t make sense either way, to go back or to go forward.
On the way, Call drives them all hard, not even letting them stop for lunch and continuing on in the night when it’s cool. Then, they hit a sandstorm which slows the herd and saps the animals’ strength. At one point, the cattle begin to turn back, because they always go back to where they last had water. Even some of the men act like they’ll turn back, especially the Irishman who is actually delirious. Furthermore, Call is feeling confused, because he hasn’t slept in three days. At one point, he almost falls off the Hell Bitch, and if Deets hadn’t grabbed the reins, he might have hurt himself. Eventually, the cattle begin to move faster, and the horses prick up their ears as they smell water in the distance. They stay by the Powder River for awhile recovering from their ordeal, and then, they decide to follow the river right into Montana with the Rocky Mountains beside them as they go. They expect to hit the Yellowstone River in about three weeks. The thought spooks the men, because the Yellowstone is the last river anyone knows anything about, so the world will really be new after that.
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Notes
There is much to regret for the characters in this chapter. Both Gus and Dish regret leaving Lorie behind. There is regret that they have come to the drought Po Campo predicted. There is regret that a sandstorm hits just when they most need to travel fast to reach water. Finally, there is some regret that they will be entering an unknown world beyond the Yellowstone. This idea of regret flows through the novel. Many of the circumstances that best them are cause for regret, and yet, these men keep moving onward to some unnamed goal. It remains to be seen if they’ll come to regret leaving Texas even more than they have already.
CHAPTER 90
Summary
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The herd stays on the Salt River for two days to recover from the long trek to find water. Call feels a tiredness that does not produce sleep and wishes more than ever they were in Montana. One morning, he leaves his camp and returns to the main campfire where the men are excitedly holding their rifles. Twelve horses have been taken by Indians, and Deets is berating himself for their loss. The Indians had come on foot according to the tracks he has found. Call decides to take only Gus and Deets and go after them.
As they ride along after the horses, Gus questions whether twelve horses are worth the trek. The country is poor and dry and hardly anyone could survive on it. But Call will not condone horse theft. Deets ranges out ahead and by afternoon, he reports that the Indian camp is up ahead in a draw with a little water, and there seems to not be many in the group. He also says that they’re very poor and have stolen the horses for food. They approach the camp quietly and carefully, and then Call fires into the air to get their attention. The Indians immediately take flight, and in their flight, they leave behind a blind baby. Deets is closest to the wailing child and picks him up to comfort him. Immediately, a young brave picks up a lance and, screaming his battle cry, rushes towards Deets. Deets holds up the child and smiles trying to indicate he won’t hurt him, but the brave keeps coming. Then, when it’s too late, the others realize the Indian isn’t going to stop. The Indian boy thrusts the lance before Deets can turn aside, and it enters his side and goes up into his chest. They all run down to their comrade, and Deets hands the baby to Call before he drops him in all the blood from himself and the horse. He notices the lance sticking out of his body and is surprised that he feels nothing. He looks up at the Captain sadly and hopes that by now, the Captain knows that he was right to be worried about leaving Texas. Then, he quietly dies before their faces.
When Call notes that it was their fault, because they didn’t shoot sooner, Gus responds that he doesn’t want to think about all the things they should have done for Deets. They load his body on his horse and head back to the herd. Gus says that Montana better be worth all the regrets they’ve felt or he’s going to dig up Jake Spoon and scatter his bones. Call is sick with self reproach, because all he can think of is the moment when Deets had led him out of the sandstorm, and now he had been too slow with his gun to save his life.
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When they finally find the herd, once again the reader sees the tragedy from Newt’s point of view. When he recognizes Deets’ body on the horse, he begins to cry for the loss of yet another friend. Only the thought that Deets is still with them somehow keeps him going. As they bury this man who had been so important in their lives, the Irishman begins to sing a song so mournful that all the hands begin to cry, even Pete Spettle who had not cried when his brother Bill died. Then, Call hammers a long board into a marker at which point Gus tells Newt to come with him to see what his Pa had written on the marker. Newt jumps back in shock at these words, but soon comes to think that Gus is just making a joke. The thought that Call might be his father is unbelievable to him.
There on the marker for Deets is his full name – Josh Deets – and information about his life. Gus then adds the medal given him by the Governor of Texas for service on the border as a Ranger during the Civil War. Deets had served with them, too, but because he was black, he never had received one. Lippy tops off the short ceremony with tears and the comment that he wished he’d just stayed in Lonesome Dove.
Notes
Just like the chapter on the death of Jake Spoon, the death of Josh Deets is a very poignant part of the story. He had had the feeling of his own impending death for quite awhile, and maybe his desire for his death rather than stay in Montana made him hold the baby until the Indian brave killed him. Gus observed that he could have put the baby down, but didn’t, almost as if he knew it was his time. It is one more regret that Call, Gus, and the other men can add to their long list of what if’s.
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