The Black Wizard

This is a serialized novel titled "The Black Wizard; or, The Fatal Circle of Invisible Fire" by Frederick Whittaker, published by Beadle and Adams in 1871. The story follows an elegantly dressed young man named Herbert and his twelve-year-old sister Juliet as they traverse the Jornada del Muerto, a desolate New Mexico desert, in a fine New York wagon drawn by dapple-gray horses. Herbert pursues a caravan ahead, avoiding a man named Disco, while seeking his beloved Rose Geranium. When fifty Apache warriors surround the travelers, Herbert reveals a horrifying disguise—a blackened face with protruding tusks, glowing green eyes, and the ability to emit flames and smoke from his mouth. The terrifying apparition paralyzes the Apache chief and his warriors with fear. The narrative blends frontier adventure, romance, and supernatural spectacle in classic dime novel fashion.