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

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Summary

Call and Augustus ride into San Antonio for a wagon and a cook, Call sunk in one of the blue spells that little accidents rather than real crises bring on. At the Buckhorn saloon, where their photograph still stands behind the bar, they find Willie Montgomery gone and a slick young bartender who calls them old cowboys and dawdles over the whiskey. Augustus breaks his nose on the bar, shoots a tossed glass out of the air, and pistol-whips him a second time when he swears. The new owner, a hothead from Mobile, threatens to have them arrested — and the sheriff who arrives is Tobe Walker, who rangered under them as a boy and now looks wistfully at their Montana plans. Riding out past the neglected Alamo, Augustus argues that they are remembered less than Travis because they did not die, and that in twenty years men like them will be the ones penned on reservations: they spent their best years fighting on the wrong side.

Analysis

The obsolescence chapter. Their own photograph sits unregarded behind a bar where nobody knows their names, and Augustus draws the conclusion: they were remembered less than Travis because they failed to die, and men like them will next be the ones penned up.

Plates

Augustus watches Bolivar ride away south from the wrecked chuck wagon, and pronounces the outfit doomed.
00 Augustus watches Bolivar ride away south from the wrecked chuck wagon, and pronounces the outfit doomed.
Call stands off to one side of the broken wagon in one of his blue spells, lead in his legs, before deciding to ride into San Antonio.
01 Call stands off to one side of the broken wagon in one of his blue spells, lead in his legs, before deciding to ride into San Antonio.
On the road to San Antonio the two men pass one of the new settlements — a church house and a few little stores — and Augustus argues that the towns are their own fault.
02 On the road to San Antonio the two men pass one of the new settlements — a church house and a few little stores — and Augustus argues that the towns are their own fault.
They reach San Antonio late in the day, passing near one of the old missions, where a Mexican boy in a brown shirt is bringing in a small herd of goats.
03 They reach San Antonio late in the day, passing near one of the old missions, where a Mexican boy in a brown shirt is bringing in a small herd of goats.
Inside the Buckhorn, the slick young bartender polishes glasses and will not be troubled to serve the two dusty old men at his bar.
04 Inside the Buckhorn, the slick young bartender polishes glasses and will not be troubled to serve the two dusty old men at his bar.
The bartender lifts his head from the bar with his nose broken and his shirtfront gushing blood, and finds himself looking into the barrel of Augustus's big Colt.
05 The bartender lifts his head from the bar with his nose broken and his shirtfront gushing blood, and finds himself looking into the barrel of Augustus's big Colt.
Augustus slings the polished glass into the air toward the cardplayers and shoots it apart; everyone scatters but Ned Tym, who blows the flying glass off his hat brim.
06 Augustus slings the polished glass into the air toward the cardplayers and shoots it apart; everyone scatters but Ned Tym, who blows the flying glass off his hat brim.
Call looks at the old picture Augustus has fetched from behind the bar — himself, Gus and Jake Spoon, taken in the year they chased Kicking Wolf to the Canadian.
07 Call looks at the old picture Augustus has fetched from behind the bar — himself, Gus and Jake Spoon, taken in the year they chased Kicking Wolf to the Canadian.
Tobe Walker sits down with the whiskey bottle to talk of old times and turns wistful about Montana, while the hot young owner stalks back upstairs and the bloodied bartender staggers out the back way.
08 Tobe Walker sits down with the whiskey bottle to talk of old times and turns wistful about Montana, while the hot young owner stalks back upstairs and the bloodied bartender staggers out the back way.
They leave San Antonio by moonlight with the new wagon and mules, past the neglected Alamo where two stray goats nose the walls for grass, and Augustus says they were forgotten the way the Alamo was.
09 They leave San Antonio by moonlight with the new wagon and mules, past the neglected Alamo where two stray goats nose the walls for grass, and Augustus says they were forgotten the way the Alamo was.