Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 519

The Reservation Castaways By J.C. Cowdrick, this serial follows Old Riddles (Zebulon Horn), a weathered sixty-five-year-old mountain ranger known for his riddle books and keen hunting skills, accompanied by his faithful dog Napoleon. Three men—young Philip Kingsley, Eugene Priestly, and Major Arlington Kendrick—recruit Riddles to help search a valley for a mysterious rock marked with a cross, supposedly linked to valuable documents. After a fruitless day of searching, the group prepares to return to camp when a rifle shot grazes Riddles's beard. The party takes cover behind rocks, debating whether to wait out the unseen shooter or attempt escape. Riddles volunteers to investigate the shot's origin, crawling toward the opposite hillside to identify the assailant, leaving his companions sheltered.