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Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Summary

Elmira, pregnant and bounced raw on the hide wagon, begins to doubt the whole enterprise. Zwey is kind in his slow way and asks nothing; Luke is the danger. He engineers separate hunts so he can circle back, climbs onto the wagon seat, offers money, cuffs her, shoves her off into the path of a wheel, and threatens to shoot Zwey in his sleep. She holds him off once with a buffalo gun. When he finally pins her in the wagon bed among the hides, Zwey drags him off and smashes his head into the iron wheel rim several times, remarking mildly that he will have nobody to hunt with if he kills him. Elmira sews Luke's nearly severed ear back on, badly. He lies feverish for two weeks and is beaten out of all passion. But he denies firing the shot that hit their cooked turkey, and after that she is afraid of the nights.

Analysis

Elmira between two kinds of male attention, neither of which she chose: Luke's predation and Zwey's devotion, which the novel declines to rank. The unexplained shot that hits the turkey is left permanently unsolved — a rare loose thread, kept loose to make the plains feel occupied.

Plates

The hide wagon bogged again on the soaked Kansas plain, Elmira on the seat in wet clothes wondering whether any of it was worth it.
00 The hide wagon bogged again on the soaked Kansas plain, Elmira on the seat in wet clothes wondering whether any of it was worth it.
Night camp: Luke sitting at the fire sucking his own fingers as if they were candy, watching Elmira across the flames while Zwey sleeps like a rock.
01 Night camp: Luke sitting at the fire sucking his own fingers as if they were candy, watching Elmira across the flames while Zwey sleeps like a rock.
Luke has circled back with Zwey miles away hunting, tied his horse to the wagon, climbed onto the seat beside Elmira and is holding out his card winnings.
02 Luke has circled back with Zwey miles away hunting, tied his horse to the wagon, climbed onto the seat beside Elmira and is holding out his card winnings.
Shoved off the wagon seat, Elmira lies in the grass a hand's width clear of the iron-rimmed wheel with her hand at her belly while Luke rides away cursing.
03 Shoved off the wagon seat, Elmira lies in the grass a hand's width clear of the iron-rimmed wheel with her hand at her belly while Luke rides away cursing.
The runaway mules stopped, Luke turns from the reins with his pants half down and finds Zwey's buffalo gun pointed at him from among the hides.
04 The runaway mules stopped, Luke turns from the reins with his pants half down and finds Zwey's buffalo gun pointed at him from among the hides.
Zwey gnaws the turkey drumstick by the fire, pondering what Elmira has just told him about Luke, and cracks the bone for the marrow.
05 Zwey gnaws the turkey drumstick by the fire, pondering what Elmira has just told him about Luke, and cracks the bone for the marrow.
The shot out of the dark passes between them and knocks the cooked turkey off its stick into the ashes.
06 The shot out of the dark passes between them and knocks the cooked turkey off its stick into the ashes.
Zwey drags Luke over the side of the wagon before good light and smashes his head into the iron rim of the wheel, smiling as though playing with a child.
07 Zwey drags Luke over the side of the wagon before good light and smashes his head into the iron rim of the wheel, smiling as though playing with a child.
Elmira sews Luke's nearly severed ear back on with a needle, making a bad job of it because he yelps and jerks at every stitch.
08 Elmira sews Luke's nearly severed ear back on with a needle, making a bad job of it because he yelps and jerks at every stitch.
Luke says he never fired at the turkey, and after that Elmira huddles in the wagon at night, afraid of whoever is out there, wishing them to Ogallala.
09 Luke says he never fired at the turkey, and after that Elmira huddles in the wagon at night, afraid of whoever is out there, wishing them to Ogallala.