Beadle's Pocket Library No. 160

About this issue

This 1887 dime novel by Col. Prentiss Ingraham features "Buffalo Billy, the Boy Bullwhacker; or, The Doomed Thirteen." The narrative follows fifteen-year-old Billy Cody, a skilled marksman and rider dressed in fringed buckskin. Pursued across the prairie by Sioux warriors, Billy escapes by dropping onto a fleeing buffalo bull and rides it while firing at attacking Indians. He reaches a supply train commanded by Wild Bill Hickok, who employs him. When five miners arrive seeking a guide to transport two wagons—one containing silver ore—eastward to Leavenworth, Wild Bill recommends Buffalo Billy despite his youth. Billy accepts the dangerous assignment, which involves guiding thirteen miners (the "doomed thirteen" of the title) across hostile territory. The narrative emphasizes frontier action and Billy's exceptional competence despite his age.