Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 20

Catalog Note "The Bandit at Bay: Pirates of the Prairies" by Gustave Aimard, serialized in this Beadle dime novel (No. 20), is an adventure narrative set in the Far West. The story opens with an extended descriptive passage cataloging the desert flora and fauna before introducing Red Cedar, "the Prairie Outlaw," who emerges on the banks of the Rio Gila in desperate circumstances—weaponless, horseless, and alone except for his faithful mastiff. After enduring a nightmarish night in a tree surrounded by howling beasts and a day of starvation, Red Cedar discovers what he believes to be a cache, a hidden supply repository buried by hunters and traders. The narrative emphasizes his physical and moral deterioration against the sublime yet hostile landscape, while explaining trapper methodology for concealing goods.