Lonesome Dove: Chapter 62 Summary & Analysis

Newt—and Pea Eye and Allen and the rest of the crew—begin to worry more about running into Indigenous people after they cross the Red River. But the only thing they run into is a lot of bad weather. Not far from the Canadian River, a thunderstorm of unrivaled ferocity blows in. When the lightning starts, the herd panics and runs. The cowhands spring into action, and after the storm has passed, they’re able to regather all the animals. But 13 were struck by lightning. So was Swift Bill Spettle, whom they bury.

Call wants to cross the Canadian before they stop for the night, lest another storm blow through. So, once Deets has identified a likely crossing, Call orders the cowhands to strip naked (so they can each keep a dry change of clothes) and swim across. It starts storming—this time with hail—as soon as they reach the riverbank. For a moment, the inexperienced Newt thinks it must be snow. But, Needle says, snow doesn’t hurt so much. Ultimately, despite the weather, they all make it across in one piece. Most everyone is facing toward the river still when Pea Eye mounts his horse and sees Gus approaching from the north.