Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 69

This issue features "The Irish Captain: A Tale of Fontenoy," a historical adventure serial by Frederick Whittaker, author of "The Russian Spy" and "The Red Rajah." The first chapters establish the story in the Forest of Fontainebleau, where young Gerald Desmond, a gentleman volunteer in the Irish Brigade, encounters the royal hunt. While wandering in the forest, he meets an elderly, enigmatic stranger on horseback who claims connections to the French court. When the stranger requests a guide to observe the hunt, Gerald agrees despite having strayed out of bounds. They proceed toward the Pharamond oak, a legendary ancient tree where the supernatural "Grand Huntsman" allegedly meets with phantom hounds. As they arrive at the glade, a hunted stag turns to bay while a runaway black horse, bearing a lady from the royal party, charges toward the scene of conflict between the pack and the cornered deer.