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Chapter 88
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Lonesome Dove, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
American Mythology
Family
Luck, Fate, and Chance
The Good Life
The Meaning of Masculinity
Feminine Strength
Summary
Analysis
Dish isn’t happy when Gus returns without Lorena. A few days later, when the Platte River starts curving south, Call turns the herd north into Wyoming. Po Campo leaves the river reluctantly. He stands on the bank looking south and thinking of his boys, whom Blue Duck killed, and whose graves he so long ago abandoned. The men, especially Lippy and Jasper, are worried about running into Indigenous people this deep into Indian Territory, but the more pressing danger is thirst. The water sources grow smaller and farther apart each day.
Po Campo’s reluctance to leave the river—especially combined with his insistence that Call and Gus procure water barrels—foreshadows dry country to come. And it’s notable that he seems to be taking on some of Deets’s wise-man role. Nor is Po Campo just worried about what’s to come. The river with its endless flow also reminds him of the past and his own family. He still loves his sons even though they are dead and buried, and his sadness here offers another quiet rebuke to Call’s refusal to acknowledge his living son.
Themes
Then one day, Deets finds no water to the north. They’re camped by a small stream, so Call saddles the Hell Bitch early the next morning and sets out to the west in search of Salt Creek. He rides nearly 80 miles before he finds it. After a brief rest, he turns the Hell Bitch back toward the herd. When Call rides back into camp, Deets is helping Pea Eye trim his horse’s hooves and mournfully pointing out how far they are from their own country. Call decides that they have no choice but to make for Salt Creek, getting as far as they can overnight, when it’s cooler. Before they leave, a fierce dust storm hits, spreading the herd out and draining everyone’s energy. Fortunately, it’s short-lived.
The 80-mile stretch of high desert is the hardest thing the men have had to face. Previously, trials like sandstorms, thunderstorms, and locust storms were fleeting. But even at a frantic pace, this phase of the drive will require several days’ endurance. Yet again, Deets frets over his distance from home and expresses his abiding desire to return. Yet, his loyalty to Call and the others overrides his instincts. Besides, it’s a long way back to south Texas alone.
Themes
What isn’t short-lived is the thirst that follows. Po Campo rations the water, but it still runs out on the morning of the second day. By that afternoon, some of the thirst-crazed cattle are turning around and trying to head back to the last creek. Allen becomes delirious. Call, who hasn’t slept in days, falls asleep in the saddle and wakes from a dream of his Ranger days to find Deets leading his horse by the reins. This lapse of alertness bothers Call greatly. But by then, the animals are picking up their pace. They can smell the water of Salt Creek ahead. Amazingly, only six have perished on the thirsty drive.
Despite his own misgivings, Deets remains a loyal companion to Call. His allegiance may also point once more toward Call’s leadership and ability to get others to fall in line with his orders. Still, the drive takes a toll even on him because it’s so very difficult. And true to form, he can’t forgive himself for his weakness even though it seems perfectly explainable to readers—he’s ridden long and hard to find water.
Themes
