Beadle's Dime Library No. 247

This issue of The New York Weekly from July 18, 1883 features "Alligator Ike; or, The Secret of the Everglade," a serial by Captain Fred Whittaker, noted author of adventure tales. The story concerns Julian Grey, a wealthy Northern sportsman lost in the Florida swamp after pursuing a heron from his steam yacht, the Lily. Attacked by a large alligator, Grey is rescued by a rough frontiersman named Ike Strang—"Alligator Ike"—who efficiently kills the creature and skins it. Strang, dressed entirely in alligator leather, mocks the inexperienced Grey and offers to guide him back to his steamer for ten to fifteen dollars. The narrative establishes the contrast between the refined, helpless urbanite and the capable wilderness hunter.