Part 3, Chapter 26 Summary

Red takes Tom all the way to the rodeo at Bernalillo, a four days ride, to make sure they will not run into anyone from Aztec. Red advises not to take along the bronco saddle, so they will not give away that they are professional bronco riders. They arrive two days early and start conning the townspeople by saying Tom has never ridden in a rodeo before. Making the rounds of the saloons, selling their story, soon everyone thinks it a joke that the Indian kid thinks he can ride. The trap is set.

Tom makes an amateurish ride and Red pays off his first bets and gets odds on the second, keeping his bets small. Playing the drunken braggart, he sets up the final round and makes large bets. Tom wins and they get out of town before the town...