Tensions among the characters build, and who will prove to be the one w/ True Grit?

The adventure of Charles Portis's 1968 novel, True Grit, continues as narrator Mattie (14-year-old girl) insists on accompanying the bounty hunter, Rooster (whom John Wayne memorably played in the movie) and the Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (sp.) as the ride through the Chocktaw Nation in pursuit of the man who shot Mattie's father (she has hired Rooster to get this man) as well as any other outlaws they can pick up en route (Mattie's not thrilled about this, but the two men are trying for as much bounty as they can acquire on this difficult journey). Much of the 3rd quarter of this novel concerns the difficult and dangerous pursuit of outlaws, culminating in a shootout that killed 4 men, wounded LaBoeuf, and recovered some valuables from a gang retreating from a train robbery. All of this delays the purpose that initiated the narrative - vengeance for the death of Mattie's father - but introduces us, through Mattie's eyes, to the risks and hardships of the life of a bounty hunter in the 1880s. Portis (via Mattie's trenchant and powerful voice) develops memorable scenes of ambush, difficult rides across unforgiving terrain, terrible provisions, and utter exhaustion - and the need for constant vigilance. Mattie proves herself tough and almost fearless (though she refuses to be alone tending the horses as the men stake out an area for an ambush), and he keeps the tension level high by building increasing hostility between the two men - while showing that the extremely tough Rooster has a dangerous proclivity for alcohol, all of which would make Mattie (and the readers) worry that he may not be as trustworthy in the clutch as he'd at first appeared. He has "grit," which is why Mattie hired him, but we suspect that the only one with true grit, in the end, will be the narrator. At least we know she survives into her 60s (the narration takes place ca 1930).