mattie hears that chaney has joined an outlaw gang led by the infamous "lucky" ned pepper and wishes to track down the killer. upon arriving at fort smith, she looks for the toughest deputy us marshal in the district. that man turns out to be reuben j. "rooster" cogburn, an aging, one-eyed, overweight, trigger-happy, hard-drinking man. mattie is convinced that he has "grit" and that his reputation for violence suits him best for the job.