Beadle's Dime Library No. 851

Buffalo Bill's Double Dilemma, or The Great Scout's Big Three: A Romance of the Pony Riders of the Overland

By Col. Prentiss Ingraham. This serialized western romance centers on Buffalo Bill as a Pony Express rider confronting threats from outlaws known as the Cloven Hoofs. A mysterious warning is posted threatening certain death to any rider attempting the western run carrying valuables. Jess Jordan was recently killed on this route. Despite the danger and no volunteers stepping forward, Buffalo Bill promptly accepts the assignment to deliver a large sum of money by horseback. He departs on his exceptional horse Red Devil. En route, Buffalo Bill discovers a second message from "A Friend in Camp" directing him to look to the mountainside for a mysterious guide who will help him evade traps. The narrative involves genuine Pony Express figures—Wild Bill Hickok and Pony Bob are mentioned as Buffalo Bill's companion riders. The story examines the historical Pony Express service operating through hostile territory amid Indian attacks, outlaw threats, and Mormon opposition.