Lonesome Dove: Chapter 91 Summary & Analysis

Under normal circumstances, Gus’s odd comment about Call being his father would have given Newt something to think about, but he’s too sad over the loss of Deets and too tired out by the trip to care much. And he can’t ask the Captain, anyway, because Call has assumed Deet’s scouting duties. He avoids the rest of the company as much as possible. Call is acutely aware of the threat of encountering more Indigenous people, but while he occasionally finds tracks, the drive encounters no other humans in the vast wilderness.

What they do run into is a grizzly bear, which Dish Boggett—riding point, as always—accidentally flushes from a thicket. The cows, horses, and cowhands all panic. While Call and Gus try to regain control of their horses and figure out what to do, the Texas bull breaks off from the herd, marches up, and attacks the bear. They fight ferociously as everyone watches. The battle ends in a draw, with the bear limping off into the woods and the men tying down the bull so Po Campo can try to sew up his wounds. No one expects the bull to survive, and at first, he falls far behind, but within a week, he has recovered enough to resume his spot at the head of the herd.