Rod Cameron Western #20

Rod Cameron arrives at Fort Rimrock believing he’s to serve as a civilian scout, only to find the major he was sent to report to is dead—shot and hastily buried. With the new commanding officer, Colonel Mundy, acting suspiciously and the post’s routines off, Rod begins to suspect a deception is afoot, though he keeps his doubts to himself as he digs for the truth.

In a lighthearted western tale, a man named Andrews enlists the sheriff to lock up his nephew Oscar after catching him gambling with a hired babysitter, Horace. The situation takes a comedic turn when Horace reveals the boy used loaded dice—and the real culprit may be the uncle himself, who admits he’s been outwitted. The sheriff must decide whether to arrest Andrews, but the outcome hinges on Horace’s unexpected condition for forgiveness.

Rod Cameron is ambushed and robbed of his guns while riding through the wilderness, only to later be accused of murdering a man and stealing gold dust after the real thief—posing as a lawman—frames him. As he tries to clear his name in the lawless town of Baryville, Rod must outwit both the townspeople and the mysterious crook who stole his weapons and the gold, all while hiding his own innocence from those who see only the evidence against him.

Saddlehead receives a snakeskin belt as a gift, but refuses to wear it after realizing it causes an embarrassing mishap whenever the snake’s mouth opens. Cowboy Cal, fed up with work, declares he’ll quit and spend his days lying in bed—much to Saddlehead’s disbelief.

Rod Cameron investigates a string of mysterious robberies in Red Rock, where townsfolk are looted while distracted by a traveling circus act. When he’s knocked out during a staged fight with the circus strongman and a sneaky performer, he begins to suspect the entertainers are behind the crimes—especially after learning they were fired for stealing. As he tracks them to the next town, he’s captured and left to face a grim fate, but escapes just in time to stop the gang from striking again.

In a dusty frontier town, a young Chinese man named Ching baffles his friend Rod Cameron by tossing his hard-earned money into the woods every payday, claiming evil spirits are after him. When Rod investigates, he uncovers a shocking truth: a local con man, Sporty Evans, has been tricking Ching with a fake superstition to steal his wages, and the "evil spirits" were just a ruse to cover his theft.