Lobo explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Survival and Adaptation

  Lobo's exceptional ability to detect and avoid traps, poisons, and hunters demonstrates his adaptation to human threats.

• Kinship Between Humans and Animals

  Lobo's mournful howling for Blanca reveals a deep emotional bond, paralleling human grief.

• Human Conflict and Exploitation

  The relentless hunting of Lobo for bounty and the use of traps and poisons highlight human exploitation of wildlife.

Characters to notice

• Lobo

  The wolf king who evades all traps and poisons, but is undone by his attachment to Blanca.

• Blanca

  Lobo's mate, whose capture and death lead to Lobo's downfall.

• Tannerey

  A Texan ranger who attempts to hunt Lobo with wolfhounds but fails due to the terrain.

Key passages

• “Old Lobo, the werewolf, knew as well as the shepherds that the goats were the moral force of the flock, so, hastily running over the backs of the densely packed sheep, he fell on these leaders, slew them all in a few minutes, and soon had the luckless sheep stampeding in a thousand different directions.”

  Lobo understood the goats' role in keeping the flock calm, so he killed them first, causing the sheep to panic and scatter.

  Demonstrates Lobo's strategic intelligence in attacking the flock's leaders.

• “He had trotted along in the darkness, and although the traps were so carefully concealed, he had instantly detected the first one. Stopping the onward march of the pack, he had cautiously scratched around it until he had disclosed the trap, the chain, and the log, then left them wholly exposed to view with the trap still unsprung, and passing on he treated over a dozen traps in the same fashion.”

  Lobo detected every hidden trap, carefully uncovering them without setting them off, and continued on his way.

  Highlights Lobo's extraordinary ability to detect and avoid human traps.

• “She was the handsomest wolf I had ever seen. Her coat was in perfect condition and nearly white. She turned to fight, and, raising her voice in the rallying cry of her race, sent a long howl rolling over the canyon. From far away upon the mesa came a deep response, the cry of Old Lobo.”

  Blanca was a beautiful white wolf who fought back and howled for Lobo, who answered from a distance.

  Emphasizes Blanca's beauty and the bond between her and Lobo.

• “As evening fell he seemed to be coming toward the home canyon, for his voice sounded continually nearer. There was an unmistakable note of sorrow in it now. It was no longer the loud, defiant howl, but a long, plaintive wail; 'Blanca! Blanca!' he seemed to call.”

  As night approached, Lobo's howls grew closer and more sorrowful, as if he was calling for Blanca.

  Shows Lobo's grief and emotional depth after losing his mate.