Beadle's Pocket Library No. 165

Buffalo Bill's Bet; or, The Gambler Guide

This 1887 serial story by Col. Prentiss Ingraham follows Kent King, "the Gambler Guide," a bound prisoner of the Revolver Riders—Texas cattle herders transporting him to execution in Texas for past crimes. Facing death when they reach Santa Fe, King uses cunning to secure his freedom. He tempts his guard, Poker Dick, into betrayal by offering a thousand pesos and diamonds in exchange for release. King gnaws through his bonds, strikes Dick unconscious, and escapes on his horse Mephisto across moonlit prairie. Captain Dash pursues but cannot catch him. Poker Dick, wracked with guilt over his treachery, confesses to his leader that Kent King bought his betrayal. The story explores themes of survival, temptation, and the conflict between sordid gain and conscience among frontier characters.