Beadle's Pocket Library, No. 207: 'Kentucky Talbot's Band'

Kentuck Talbot's Band: The Red Lasso by Captain Mark Wilton

This frontier adventure serial opens during the Mexican-American War along the border. Texas Rangers arrive at an adobe dwelling to find five comrades, including Luke Brastow, hanged by lasso. Guide Nathan Maxwell, Brastow's intimate friend, vows vengeance with the blood-stained lasso, swearing to pursue the murderers across continents if necessary. The Rangers pursue the Mexican killers westward. Among them rides young Edwin Talbot, a Kentuckian whose local knowledge proves valuable, though some Rangers suspect his loyalty. As the pursuit continues toward the Rio del Aguila, Maxwell and Talbot scout ahead. The narrative balances detailed tracking with character development, establishing Talbot's trustworthiness despite suspicions and Maxwell's obsessive quest for retribution through the symbolic red lasso.