Mattie and Cogburn continue the journey and form a kind of kinship during their journey. Cogburn records the information that Tom Chaney is not too far ahead and that he may have become a member of another bandit, Lucky Ned Pepper, and his gang. They seek shelter from the cold and discover a hut at dusk. Cogburn recognizes the two residents as crooks associated with the gang of Ned Pepper, one of them badly shot in the leg. Believing that Ned and his gang will soon arrive at the cabin, Cogburn proposes to take the injured man to a doctor and give them a flight time when they provide information. The injured man, desperate for medical care, begins to speak, but is stabbed by the other man, who is then shot by Cogburn. When he dies, the man with…show more content… They see LaBouef approach the cabin for the first time and only search further. However, the band from Ned Pepper arrives a few moments later and Lassos LaBouef, on the back of a horse. From the blanket, Cogburn shoots two of the gang members (involuntarily robbing LeBouef in the arm) and the others run away. He and Mattie take LaBouef to the hut. Cogburn drinks all night and is incredibly drunk the next morning. He and LaBouef compete for each other's marksmanship, but Mattie tries to keep both men on the…show more content… Cogburn agrees not to sue the gang if Mattie is not injured and appears to be moving away from the hills. Pepper is impressed by the will of Mattie and assures him that she will not have any pain. While Ned and the three other gang members leave to deal with finances, Chaney must stay with Mattie and leave her in a safe place. Chaney tries to leave the mission, but it did not help. Mattie, despite the certainty of Lucky Ned, fears that Chaney will kill her if they are alone. After the band leaves, Mattie Chaney offers an affidavit if he releases her. Chaney refuses and says that Mattie just keeps silent what he needs. He attacks her and hands him a knife in the throat, but LaBouef, who had stayed in the area and heard the shots, knocked him unconscious. He explains that he has returned to the forest, met Cogburn and set out a plan for Mattie's salvation. He says that Cogburn himself organized a confrontation with Lucky
