Summary
Chapter 91
The water from the Powder River affects the men's digestion. They worry about the fates awaiting them up north. Some of the men talk about storms and speculate what the mountains will be like. Newt feels so upset after Deets's death that he does not feel excited about the possibility that Call is his father. He cannot ask Call about it because Call took over Deets's job as scout. Later, Call reports that a band of 40 Native people is heading in the same direction as the outfit is traveling.
Call decides to leave the Powder River valley. The men begin to relax when a week passes without incident. Call sees signs that the Natives passed through, but no one spots them. Augustus regrets not staying with the women.
One morning, Dish's horse bolts, embarrassing Dish. All of the horses buck at the sight of a grizzly bear, and the men have trouble controlling them. Newt gets thrown from his horse and returns to the wagon only to find that it is gone. Po Campo tells Newt that something scared the mules.
The aggressive Texas bull charges the bear only to get swiped aside. The bull charges again and manages to thrust a horn into the bear's flank, but the bear rips some of the bull's skin. They eventually break apart, and the bear departs. A group of cowboys chases the bear and shoot at him unsuccessfully. Po Campo sews up the bull's wounds while the rest of the crew holds the bull down.
The prospect of facing more bears scares Jasper so much that he desires to quit the outfit the next time they cross a railroad.
Chapter 92
Sally and Betsey question Lorena about her past. Lorena is put in charge of feeding the hens and gathering eggs, which the household eats. Clara in particular loves making cakes.
Lorena does not think about Augustus very much, and she enjoys living in Clara's household. Not only is everyone kind to her and she gets to eat tasty meals, but she also appreciates the privacy of her own room. When Betsey suffers from nightmares, the young girl comes into Lorena's room to cuddle. Clara, meanwhile, enjoys having Lorena help with the housework because that leaves Clara more time to work with the horses. Bob had never let her, despite her skill with horses.
Two weeks later, Bob dies. Clara reflects on how endings are never how one expects them to be; she thought she would be relieved at Bob's death but finds that she is not. Most of her happiness in their marriage came from working with horses rather than from being with Bob himself.
Clara goes downstairs to deliver the news to her daughters. She asks Lorena to go get July, who lives in a room attached to the saddle shed due to his discomfort being in a house full of women. July also finds that he is in love with Clara, which Lorena has already observed.
Clara instructs July to carry Bob downstairs and lay him in the coffin, inform the neighbors about the death, and locate a preacher. Lorena and Clara sit by the body all night while Betsey sleeps in Lorena's arms. Cholo digs a grave.
Their German neighbors attend the funeral, and the preacher passes out later that night due to drinking. Clara comforts Sally because the girl feels guilty about having wished her father would die.
Chapter 93
The outfit slowly rides into Montana, and the men feel safer. The new landscape and deep blueness of the sky make an impression on everyone, including Call. Call thinks that although Jake was wrong about many things, he was correct in saying that Montana is a cattleman's paradise. Augustus, on the other hand, does not enjoy being in Montana and wishes to return to Texas.
Augustus asks Newt to accompany him on a scouting trip. They see another grizzly bear but the bear passes by without conflict. Augustus reveals that in spite of the way he torments Call, Augustus in fact "wouldn't have missed coming up here." He feels born to ride a horse into new country. Newt takes the opportunity of Augustus's friendliness to ask if Augustus really knows who Newt's father is. They discuss why Call never mentioned it. The news spoils Newt's enjoyment of Montana, and he longs to return to Texas.
Chapter 94
The cowboys talk about the Yellowstone River as if it were the end of the world, or at least the end location of the drive. Jasper profoundly fears the river's currents, which irritates the rest of the crew. They all wonder what will happen when they finally arrive at the final destination. Call is determined to keep going until they reach the beautiful land to the north, near Canada. Call sends Augustus and Pea Eye ahead to scout. A day and a half later, they spot the Yellowstone River with buffalo watering nearby.
Augustus and Pea Eye chase the buffalo because Augustus understands that it will eventually be impossible to do so if the buffalo get wiped out.
Later, Augustus goes off to inspect some land to the west. He returns with a group of 40 Native men hot in pursuit. Pea Eye notices that Augustus has two arrows in his leg. They flee to a creek and dismount from their horses to make a stand. Pea Eye hides the horses in the brush before rejoining Augustus. Eventually they are surrounded, but they focus on trying to treat their wounds. As they work to remove the arrows from Augustus's leg, the Native men kill Augustus and Pea Eye's horses.
Patiently, Augustus and Pea Eye wait for an opening. Augustus wounds a man who pointed a rifle at Pea Eye. They then move to another location and dig a shallow cave under the bank of a creek. Augustus and Pea Eye take cover in their new shelter as a shower of arrows rains down on them. After a stretch of time with no further attacks, Augustus deals with his wound by pushing the arrow through his leg. He passes out, leaving Pea Eye terrified and certain of both their deaths, but Augustus eventually wakes up and revives enough to deal with another attack. A shot hits the cave bank above their heads.
Augustus and Pea Eye hear war cries from several directions. The sounds upset Pea Eye, but Augustus cups his hands and gives his own rendition of a Comanche war cry. Augustus runs a fever the next day, but remains lucid enough to make a plan of action. He instructs Pea Eye to swim down the river and then make his way southward towards the outfit. Though reluctant, Pea Eye knows he has no choice but to try.
Pea Eye nearly drowns in the cold water, and immediately loses his provisions and clothes. Once he floats far enough, he exits the river and struggles to make his way on foot. In the extreme alternating temperatures, Pea Eye deliriously continues southward. He senses Deets's presence guiding him back toward the outfit.
When Dish spots Pea Eye in the distance, he and Call ride over to him. They dress Pea Eye in a rain slicker, begin to feed him, and question him about Augustus before Pea Eye passes out. The other men consider the possibility of ghosts after Pea Eye recounts being guided by Deets. Call immediately rides off to help Augustus, leaving Dish in charge. All the cowboys feel terrified at being left alone.
Chapter 95
Once Pea Eye leaves, Augustus sits and waits with his pistol ready. He becomes delirious and slides in and out of consciousness of reality, but he is aware enough to realize the bad state he is in. His leg turns yellow with black streaks, indicating the possibility of blood poisoning. Augustus decides to move himself to a different location. Using a carbine as a crutch, he hobbles southeast toward Miles City. Direct action appeals more to Augustus than sliding into the indifference that precedes death.
Augustus passes out and wakes to the sight of a small, old white man wearing patched buckskins. The man introduces himself as Hugh Auld. Old Hugh (as he is nicknamed) tells Augustus that his leg is "rotten" from blood poisoning, and he loans Augustus his horse to go to Miles City. Once there, Augustus asks for help and promptly passes out as Old Hugh's horse throws Augustus and then races out of town.
Chapter 96
Augustus floats in a red sea of consciousness, seeing various people from his past. These include Lorena, Bolivar, Lippy, his two wives, dead rangers, Pedro Flores, Pea Eye, and a sex worker. When he wakes up, he finds that his left leg has been amputated. The alcoholic doctor complains about the loudness of Augustus's voice and also tells him that they need to saw off the other leg, but Augustus refuses. The doctor advises his patient to write down his will while still sober.
Call arrives and berates the doctor for not having removed Augustus's leg when he had the chance. Augustus threatens to shoot Call if he and the doctor attempt to remove Augustus's leg by force. Call asks Augustus if he has any special requests, and Augustus voices his desire to be buried in Clara's orchard all the way back in Texas. He also leaves his share of the herd to Lorena and tells Call that he mistreated Newt by not admitting to being the boy's father. After writing notes to Lorena and Clara, Augustus eventually passes away.
Chapter 97
Call regrets not having tried harder to save his friend, but he makes arrangements with the doctor to store Augustus's body for the winter in order to honor Augustus's final request. Later, Call buys winter clothes and supplies for the outfit, but he does not feel in a rush to return. Resentment and incredulity fill Call. Eventually he rides out and delivers the news to the outfit.
Newt cries all afternoon, stricken that yet another companion who helped raise him has died. Dish also feels sad, but he makes plans to ask Call for his wages as soon as possible so as to ride to Nebraska and try to win over Lorena.
Chapter 98
Old Hugh replaces Augustus as the outfit's most vocal member. The commander at an outpost near Fort Benton buys 200 cattle. While crossing the Missouri River, Jasper's horse throws him into the icy water and he nearly realizes his fear of drowning.
Call lapses into extreme silence after Augustus's death. He continues leading the outfit northwest. Newt and the Rainey brothers discover one morning that the old steer was killed by grizzly bears. Finally, the outfit approaches the Milk River, where Old Hugh informs them that just north of the river lies Canada. Call rides off alone, aware that it is time to stop and build a house. The men would be forced to spend the winter in Montana whether they wanted to or not. Sometimes he dreams of Augustus telling him to ride eastward toward Chicago.
After the deaths of various crew members, Call has lost his sense of purpose. He keeps moving forward out of habit, but he understands that he must break this habit or else more men and cattle will die. But when Dish asks for his wages so that he can go on his way, Call tells Dish that he is needed to build headquarters. This angers Dish, who did not sign on to work as a carpenter. However, he consents to follow Call's orders despite being terrified that someone will win Lorena's favor in the meantime.
Some of the other men work lazily, but a blizzard changes their behavior. Within 10 days of the blizzard, the men build a sizable rough log house. Po Campo is the only one to thrive in the weather, and he urges the men to shoot a bear to use for meat and clothing.
Call sleeps in Wilbarger's tent outside, which surprises the other men. He ensures that they continue working to improve the house and build the remaining infrastructure. Newt accompanies Call in checking the livestock and killing buffalo for meat. Old Hugh leads the outfit to catch a herd of wild horses. A day later, Dish collects his wages and leaves. His leaving causes a feeling of sadness to sweep through the crew. Call could have ordered Dish to stay, but decides not to. Newt discovers that he has a talent for breaking horses.
Call goes on several trips to Fort Benton and Fort Buford to establish himself as a cattle merchant. Native men often frequent the forts, and Call battles his desire to seek revenge for Augustus's death. Newt stays at one of the forts for a month working with horses.
Chapter 99
July proposes to Clara in January, but she does not answer directly. As she continues to make her cake batter, she urges July to try it, and then tells him that he is not the best judge of sweets.
Martin falls ill with a cough. July briefly comforts Clara as they wait for the doctor to arrive. The next morning, she is angry that July did not come sit with her and Martin during the night. She tells him to wait a year before proposing marriage again.
Dish brings the news of Augustus's death and decides to stay the winter in order to try and court Lorena. Lorena is deeply saddened by Augustus's death, but the years apart have distanced Augustus and Clara too much for Clara to feel intense grief. Rather than try to coax Lorena out of her mourning, Clara lets her be in silence for the most part. Lorena eventually asks why Clara did not tell Augustus to remain with her in Nebraska, and Clara explains that it would have been a struggle if they had ended up together.
Dish remains living at Clara's ranch for the winter, and resolves to return to Texas in the spring if Lorena does not show any signs of encouragement. However, he changes his mind and stays to help Clara with the colts.
Chapter 100
It irritates Call that Augustus left his half of the herd to Lorena. Call sets aside a portion of money each time he sells cattle, though he does so disapprovingly. Po Campo and Old Hugh become friends and sometimes go off together to travel, leaving Jasper in charge of the cooking. Soupy Jones replaces Dish as the top hand. Though there are minor disputes among the men, they generally get along fine.
In early spring, they discover 15 horses missing. Call had taken the precaution of accompanying Old Hugh to speak with the nearest Native leaders to establish a diplomatic relationship. It saddens him to find that Augustus "had merely struck the wrong bunch at the wrong time, in the wrong manner." Call, Pea Eye, Newt, Needle, and Old Hugh pursue the thieves, who they discover to be a father and son duo. The father (an old drunk man) strikes Needle with a hatchet, and Call shoots him. The son begs for his life and promises to work for Call as a blacksmith. To everyone's surprise, Call agrees. Ten days later, Call catches the boy (named Tom) attempting to ride off with four of the men's wallets. Call hangs Tom.
Determined to fulfill Augustus's last request to be buried in Texas, Call decides to leave Newt in charge of the ranch. Tension boils over between Soupy and Newt since Soupy refuses to take orders from a younger boy. They fight, which causes Soupy to lose popularity among the others, and he and Bert later depart together for Texas. Other men show up to work after having heard about Call's ranch. They start branding the cattle early since Call knows other ranchers will soon come.
May arrives and Call still does not leave for Texas. He spends some afternoons observing Newt work with the horses, and this is the only activity that makes him feel like himself. He feels equally proud of Newt and anguished at how he had never claimed the boy as his son. But he cannot bring himself to do so. Finally, he does tell Newt that he plans to leave him in charge of the ranch while he spends a year taking Augustus's body to Texas.
Later that day, Call brings Hell Bitch over to Newt and tells him to place his own saddle on her. He also switches his gun with Newt's since Newt will need it for "big bears." To Call's immense shame, he chokes up at the idea of telling Newt the truth about being his father. Instead, he squeezes Newt's arm, gifts Newt a pocket watch passed down in his family, and shakes hands with Pea Eye and Needle. The whole affair astonishes Pea Eye, who remarks that Call treated Newt as though they were kin. In response, Newt says, "I ain’t kin to nobody in this world...I don’t want to be. I won’t be."
Though the work feels empty, Newt proceeds out of habit to do what must be done.
Chapter 101
Once Call arrives in Miles City to pick up Augustus's coffin, he finds that an animal broke in and made off with Augustus's leg. He buys a buggy to transport the heavily reinforced coffin. On the way, he meets a group of a hundred Crow people traveling south. They ask him about the coffin but he is reluctant to talk about it.
The day of Call's departure weighs heavily on his mind as he makes his way to Nebraska to deliver the letters. When he arrives at Clara's ranch, she immediately tells him to leave Augustus to be buried there in Nebraska. Even Clara herself does not quite understand why her reaction is so strong, just that Call arouses feelings of hate and disgust in her. Dish and July greet Call, and Lorena goes out to stand near Augustus's coffin.
After a tense dinner in which Clara's silence dominates the table, she goes upstairs to read Augustus's letter. He requested that Clara look after Lorena, and wished her luck with her horses and her daughters. Clara gives Lorena her letter from Augustus and offers to read it since Lorena is illiterate, but Lorena wishes to keep the content private. She stands by the coffin all night.
Clara feels angry that Augustus's final request separated Call and Newt. She herself would have given anything to raise such a sweet and well-mannered boy. Lorena faints and the men carry her inside, allowing Call to leave with the coffin. Clara tells Call one more time that a living son matters more than a dead friend. As Call rides away, Clara voices her bitter dislike of him, saying that he uses promises as an excuse to leave without showing up for others in his life.
Chapter 102
Shame and regret engulf Call as he rides away. Other travelers hear word that Call is transporting a coffin to Texas, making Call known on the trail. To avoid the crowds of questioning people, Call rides through Denver. Later, a rider named Charles Goodnight shares the news that Blue Duck has been caught and will soon be hanged. Call hurries to Santa Rosa and has his wagon repaired as he waits a week for the hanging to take place. He also stops by the jail to speak to Blue Duck, who taunts him by listing out every unlawful thing he did in Call's territory. Call tells him that he doubts Blue Duck will escape unless he can fly, to which Blue Duck claims that he indeed can fly.
On the day of the hanging, Blue Duck jumps from the windows, having pulled the Deputy with him. In this way, Blue Duck chooses a murder-suicide.
A reporter for the Denver paper asks to interview Call, who refuses.
While traveling through New Mexico, Call gets shot. He crashes the buggy into the river and waits for his attackers, who seem to have departed. Without the buggy to transport the coffin, Call decides to remove Augustus's remains and carry them on his mule. As the days pass and their water runs out, the mule dies. Call continues on his horse, suffering from the wound in his side.
Finally, Call reaches the hill with the oaks above the Guadalupe. He hand-digs the grave and displays Augustus's sign over it, though much of the lettering has already rubbed off. A family of settlers passing by sees that Call is wounded and offers him help. He thanks them and refuses, instead heading back to Lonesome Dove. Once there, he hears someone ringing the old dinner bell, and discovers that it is Bolivar himself. Bolivar went back to Mexico only to find that his daughters had married and left home, leaving his angry bitter wife behind. Bolivar feels emotional at Call's return.
A one-legged town resident named Dillard Brawley informs Call that Xavier started a fire in his saloon a year ago, burning himself to death after Lorena left town.
Analysis
The changing American landscape and ecosystem become apparent in Chapter 94 when Augustus explains to Pea Eye that he wants to chase buffalo because soon "there won't be no buffalo to chase." At the beginning of the 19th century, approximately 30-50 million buffalos roamed the Great Plains. Many different Native American tribes relied on these animals for survival by using their meat, hides, and bones for food, clothing, and tools. However, in the early 19th century, European settlers and their descendants began hunting buffalo in unsustainable ways, leading to the animal's near extinction. Although some settlers hunted buffalo for their own survival, others did so as a means for controlling Native populations. For example, in 1867, one US Army colonel instructed his troops to "kill every buffalo you can. Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone." Buffalo symbolize early Western American culture, and so their near-extinction also marks the end of an era for Augustus, Call, and the others.
After sustaining extensive wounds from bullets and arrows in Chapter 94, Augustus is able to keep fighting due to the adrenaline coursing through his body. Adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) is a hormone and neurotransmitter that allows a fight-or-flight response. Physically, this response increases the body's heart rate and blood pressure, opens airways, and allows for extreme focus and attention, among other changes.
Notions of leadership and self-sufficiency appear in Chapter 94. Although Call "had consented to lead" and committed to this responsibility for the entirety of his adult life, he feels irritated at the helplessness the men exhibit when he quickly departs to search for Augustus. Self-sufficiency is necessary for survival in the rough conditions that the outfit travels through, and Call knows that most of the men are well-equipped to deal with difficult situations. As in earlier chapters, Call's pull toward leadership and his distaste at being needed by others give rise to an inner conflict. Once Augustus dies, Call loses his sense of purpose so utterly that he feels tempted to leave the others to make the best of things alone. Even when the ranch is fully operational, Call is uninterested in the work (Chapter 100).
Augustus refuses to have both his legs amputated in Chapter 96 because he rejects the prospect of having limited mobility. Used to being extremely capable and self-sufficient, Augustus prefers death over having to rely on others to live. Although he might still be able to move around with both legs amputated, Augustus cannot handle feeling so incapacitated. When explaining the situation to Call, Augustus says, "I’ve walked the earth in my pride all these years. If that’s lost, then let the rest be lost with it. There’s certain things my vanity won’t abide." Self-sufficiency and style define Augustus's sense of himself, so he chooses death over losing his chosen identity.
Throughout the novel, communication mainly occurs through word of mouth, including across vast distances. When Call undertakes the long journey back to Texas to bury Augustus, people hear about his endeavor and try to speak with him. Cowboys and soldiers spread the word that a man is transporting the body of his friend, and this garners much interest. Some people wonder if Call's journey is due to spiritual reasons. Call himself does not wish to speak with anyone, including a reporter who begs for the chance to interview him.
