Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 154

This issue of Beadle and Adams' weekly contains the opening installment of "The Sword Hunters: The Land of the Elephant Riders," a sequel to "Lance and Lasso" by Captain Frederick Whittaker. The narrative follows three young Americans—Manuel Garcia (a Spanish-descended heir in mourning for his father), Jack Curtis, and Tom Bullard (nicknamed "Wiseman," "Pickles," and "Plug")—aboard the French steamer Imperatrice bound for Algiers. Manuel's deceased father's will directs him to explore unmapped African territory; the executor has provided funds. The boys reach Algiers, observe Muslim prayer calls from a mosque minaret, and decide to hunt lions while learning Arabic from local Arabs before penetrating inland toward the continent's unexplored central regions. French officers and Colonel Legal assist them in acquiring horses for their expedition into lion country.