Chapters 17, 18 and 19 Summary

The next morning Tobias and his party reach Punta Rassa which is in stark contrast to the exotic destination evoked by the town's name. Tobias locates Cap'n Hendry, the man who buys cattle and sells eight hundred sixty five cows at sixteen dollars per head. Tobias, almost faint at the amount, takes an advance and takes his crew to the only restaurant in town for a good meal. After lunch, the crew heads to the general store to buy new clothes, boots and hats.

When Tobias returns to Cap'n Hendry's office to retrieve his money, Tobias learns that Cap'n Hendry wants to race his horse against any takers for the prize of a piece of land nearby. Zech takes the challenge and the smaller Ishmael easily upsets Cap'n Hendry's big horse.

Tobias surprises Emma with a new cooking stove and pays...