The Silent Rifleman: A Tale of the Texan Plains

Catalog Note: "The Silent Rifleman" This western adventure tale by Henry W. Herbert, serialized in the November 1901 issue, follows a solitary, well-armed traveler crossing the Texas plains between the Nueces and Rio Grande. The protagonist is a spare man of remarkable dexterity, distinctive for his extraordinary arm length, equipped with an English rifle, sword, hunting knife, pistols, and tomahawk. Riding a scarred dark-brown thoroughbred bearing marks of past combat, he traverses arid prairie seeking water. Upon reaching a river bordered by forest, he tends his horse with meticulous care, prepares venison for supper, and settles camp beneath an oak tree—his weapons arranged within immediate reach. While finishing his meal and humming opera, his horse alerts him to approaching danger. Counting eight riders by ground vibrations, he quickly saddles his mount, abandoning comfort for readiness to flee or fight the mysterious pursuers.