Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 307

# "The Strange Pard; or, Little Ben's Death Hunt" by Buckskin Sam (Major Sam S. Hall)

This frontier adventure serial, published in Beadle and Adams, June 1883, follows Old Rocky, a renowned Southwest scout, and Turtle, a Tonkaway chief, as they protect a wagon party—including the genteel "Bright Eyes" and Mrs. Meredith—from pursuing Apache warriors. When sixty Apaches attack near the Rio Nueces, the scouts draw the war party away from the wagon by feigning discovery and fleeing southward across the mesquite plains. During the ensuing chase, Old Rocky and Turtle employ tactical rifle fire to thin Apache ranks while their superior horses provide initial advantage. However, as their mounts tire and fresh Apache arrows increase in accuracy, the scouts realize mere shooting cannot guarantee escape to the timber bordering Souse Lakes. The narrative emphasizes frontier combat tactics, scout expertise, and the alliance between the white scout and Indian chief against hostile tribes.