Old Double Fist; or, The Strange Guide

Old Double Fist; or, The Strange Guide *Old Double Fist; or, The Strange Guide* is a western adventure serial by Joseph E. Badger Jr., published in this 335th issue of Beadle and Adams' weekly publication. The story follows a diamond-seeking expedition of six men in Apache country in the Mogollon Range valley. The party includes the grizzled guide Mathew "Double Fist" Anderson, named for his ambidexterity and violent past during California's gold rush; James Cook, a taciturn man harboring secrets; and four younger men—Harry Gilmore and Sam Bryan (Kansas cousins), Ed Dane, and Paul Jayne (Virginia). After a month finding no diamonds, Cook suggests searching a dried streambed for gold instead. During night watch, an arrow strikes near Jayne, fired by someone whose footprints in sand indicate a female Apache. The party debates whether to flee or remain as Apache threats materialize.