Gus is a former Texas Ranger and owns half of the Hat Creek Cattle Company. Gus’s primary characteristics are his argumentativeness, tendency towards the whimsical, courage in a fight, and loyalty to his friends. He is a perfect foil to the taciturn Woodrow Call; their friendship across 30 years (and three novels) is one of McMurtry’s enduring creations. Gus’s primary motivation is the avoidance of boredom. This need for distraction often takes the form of debate: “That was what August wanted: argument. He didn’t really care what the question was, and it made no difference to him which side he was on. He just plain loved to argue” (16). Gus finds silence intolerable and life without chatter dull. He is charming and proud of his laziness. He drinks, gambles, and cheats at cards to have sex with Lorena. Despite his aversion to work, he is a capable ranch hand and a fierce fighter. He has keen eyesight and rarely gets rattled.

Although he is courageous and adept when he wants to be, Gus also refuses to take himself too seriously. The narrator says that Gus reads the Bible because considers himself “a fair prophet and liked to study the