Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 731

This Beadle and Adams dime novel, The Rivals in Buckskin by Col. Prentiss Ingraham, follows Dick Drummond, a mysterious gambler called "Devil Dick," as he intervenes in a Comanche ambush on a Texas wagon train. Drummond kills several warriors and feigns a larger force, stampeding the attackers and saving the emigrants. The train includes Ruth Redmond, a capable frontier woman whose mother died in an Indian raid. Drummond reveals to the train's leader, Mr. Redmond, that their guide Luke Harber has betrayed them, secretly allied with the Comanches. Ruth corroborates this, disclosing Harber's unwanted romantic pursuit and threats. Drummond promises to settle his debt with Harber when the guide returns. The narrative combines Western action, romantic tension, and frontier suspense typical of the adventure serial format.