Beadle's Dime Novels No. 226: The Mustang-Hunters

This issue of Beadle's Dime Novels contains "The Mustang-Hunters; or, The Beautiful Amazon of the Hidden Valley," by Frederick Whittaker, a tale of the Texas Staked Plains.

Young Frank Weston, impoverished after his father's death and the loss of the family plantation, lies despondent on the prairie. His father, Colonel Weston, squandered the estate through gambling and drinking after the war, and was murdered by a desperado named Austin. Frank has been wandering Texas seeking revenge while saving a thousand dollars and retaining one thoroughbred horse. He encounters grizzled frontier hunter Pete Wilkins, an old friend and mentor from his childhood. Frank reveals his real purpose: Gabrielle Moreau, daughter of a wealthy French planter, has challenged him to capture the legendary Black Mustang—a wild horse no hunter has successfully caught—within a year to win her hand. She has given him a locket containing her hair as a pledge. Pete, though skeptical of the task's feasibility, agrees to help, noting that Frank's fine horse may stand a chance against even this untamable beast.