Two-Handed Man

"Two-Handed Mat; or, The Angel of the Mountains," by Jos. E. Badger, Jr., is a frontier adventure serial set in the Apache country of the Mogollon Range. Six diamond-seekers establish a camp in a valley: the grizzled guide Matthew "Two-Handed Mat" Anderson; the mysterious James Cook; and four younger men including the taciturn Paul Jayne, a Confederate veteran. While Jayne stands watch, an Apache arrow strikes near him; the party discovers footprints in sand proving the shot came from a woman. Mat's detailed examination of the tracks—foot arch, toe positioning, stride—leads him to conclude it was an Apache squaw, not a man or white woman. The identity and motive of the archer remain unexplained as tensions rise. Cook suggests searching for gold in a dried streambed using California mining knowledge.