History in Books the world's story, told by its literature

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Summary

Clear dawn after the storm. The outfit has come through better than Call feared — Dish reckons no more than twenty-five cattle lost, and he has kept the main herd together, which even Call seems to notice. The wagon is roped out of a gully, leaving Lippy caked in mud to his lip. Only Sean disgraced himself, unable to rope his own night horse, bucked off the one Bill Spettle caught for him, and forced to spend the night riding with a resentful Bolivar. The men strip and dry their clothes on bushes, brown at the face and hands and white everywhere else, and argue over how many rivers lie between here and the Yellowstone. Augustus is missing; Deets is sent to look. The mottled Texas bull stands fifty yards off watching the two pigs root under a chaparral bush, and Needle Nelson keeps his rifle propped against a wagon wheel while he eats.

Analysis

A recovery chapter, comic in register — the book's method for pacing catastrophe is always disaster followed by men drying their clothes. The Texas bull is quietly promoted here to standing menace, a slow setup that pays off against the grizzly six hundred pages later.

Plates

Dawn after the storm — the rain has stopped completely, the sky is cloudless, and the first sunlight sparkles on wet thickets and hundreds of puddles.
00 Dawn after the storm — the rain has stopped completely, the sky is cloudless, and the first sunlight sparkles on wet thickets and hundreds of puddles.
At the head of the main bunch, Call surveys the situation without too much apprehension — the cattle have walked themselves out and are docile for the time being.
01 At the head of the main bunch, Call surveys the situation without too much apprehension — the cattle have walked themselves out and are docile for the time being.
The hands get enough ropes on the wagon to pull it out of the gully — Bol refuses to budge from the wagon seat while the pullout takes place, and Lippy gets out to push.
02 The hands get enough ropes on the wagon to pull it out of the gully — Bol refuses to budge from the wagon seat while the pullout takes place, and Lippy gets out to push.
Lippy, having got out to push, stands beside the freed wagon covered in mud practically up to his lip.
03 Lippy, having got out to push, stands beside the freed wagon covered in mud practically up to his lip.
Newt, back in his natural position behind the herd and too tired even to feel relieved, dozes off sitting straight up in the saddle while Mouse keeps to a slow walk.
04 Newt, back in his natural position behind the herd and too tired even to feel relieved, dozes off sitting straight up in the saddle while Mouse keeps to a slow walk.
Deets reports that all hands are accounted for except Mr. Gus, and offers to go look; Call tells him to have a look, wanting to cross the river as soon as possible.
05 Deets reports that all hands are accounted for except Mr. Gus, and offers to go look; Call tells him to have a look, wanting to cross the river as soon as possible.
Sean O'Brien's disgrace — bucked off the horse Bill Spettle roped for him and left to ride out the night in the wagon with a Bolivar who has made it clear he doesn't like passengers.
06 Sean O'Brien's disgrace — bucked off the horse Bill Spettle roped for him and left to ride out the night in the wagon with a Bolivar who has made it clear he doesn't like passengers.
While breakfast cooks the cowboys pull off their shirts and spread them on bushes to dry — burned deep brown at the face, neck and hands and stark white everywhere else, with Pea Eye walking about in his long johns with his knife and gun belt buckled on over them.
07 While breakfast cooks the cowboys pull off their shirts and spread them on bushes to dry — burned deep brown at the face, neck and hands and stark white everywhere else, with Pea Eye walking about in his long johns with his knife and gun belt buckled on over them.
Breakfast around the wagon, and the argument over how many rivers lie between here and the Yellowstone — while the Rainey boys sleep on under the wagon and the Spettles sit apart, as silent as always.
08 Breakfast around the wagon, and the argument over how many rivers lie between here and the Yellowstone — while the Rainey boys sleep on under the wagon and the Spettles sit apart, as silent as always.
Needle Nelson eats with his rifle propped against a wagon wheel while, fifty yards off, the Texas bull goes on watching the two pigs root under a chaparral bush.
09 Needle Nelson eats with his rifle propped against a wagon wheel while, fifty yards off, the Texas bull goes on watching the two pigs root under a chaparral bush.