The Cowboy Captain

# "The Cowboy Captain: Ranger Ralph's Ruin" by Col. Prentiss Ingraham

This serial romance concerns a band of thirty Texas cowboys camped in the chaparrals near the Rio Pecos. Old Bitters, a weathered scout and Indian-fighter, joins their bivouac. The cowboys plan to pursue Mexican cattle rustlers across the Rio Grande, and debate choosing a captain. Bitters dismisses Ranger Ralph as insufficiently courageous and opposes Lucky Luke, a gambling card-sharp. A mysterious, well-dressed youth suddenly appears alone at camp, volunteering himself as captain. Elaborately armed and adorned with gold-set gems, he displays wit and sharp language, mocking Lucky Luke and sparring verbally with Bitters, who finds him amusing. The youth's confident intrusion provokes hostility from both Ralph and Luke, who threaten violence, though the narrative breaks before their confrontation concludes.