Rancho Del Muerto, and Other Stories of Adventure: by Various Authors, from "Outing"

In Short

Gathered from the pages of Outing magazine, this collection brings together tales of survival, romance, and misadventure across the varied landscapes of nineteenth-century America. A paymaster’s escort navigates lethal betrayals in the arid Southwest; a midnight bear hunt in the southern woods turns chaotic under flickering torchlight; a small-town shooting match decides a champion; and an unexpected cloud-burst puts lovers to the test. Bound together by themes of courage, resourcefulness, and human frailties, these stories capture the rugged spirit of the frontier and the quiet dramas of everyday life.

The Story

The volume opens in the shadow of Canyon del Muerto, where Major Sherrick and his paymaster’s clerk, Staines, make camp alongside a cavalry escort. Though Staines claims the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, his suspicious eagerness to ride ahead and his odd concern for a previously lame mule raise faint doubts. A desperate warning from Isabel, a captive woman at the nearby ranch, comes too late to prevent violence. The morning journey into the sunlit gorge reveals deep-laid treasons: Staines is no clerk, but the notorious outlaw Sonora Bill in disguise. He has plotted with local conspirators to ambush the detachment. After blood is spilled and the conspiracy collapses, the true history of Isabel and her mother, Señora Dolores, comes to light, freeing them from the shadow of their captor's crimes.

From the desert canyons, the scene shifts to the southern woods for a midnight hunt. Mounted on a tall gray horse while his squire Beverly rides an old mule, the eccentric sportsman Blount sets off with a blazing pan of pine knots to spot game. When a pack of howling wolves sets the mounts on edge, Blount mistakes a pair of glowing eyes in the brush for a buck and fires his weapon. The thunderous blast startles the gray, sending the hunters scrambling back to camp in a flurry of flying hoofs and panic, bringing a abrupt, comic end to their quest.

In a quiet rural settlement, community pride takes center stage at a local shooting match. Tensions run high between the reigning champion, Abraham Lawson, and his determined challenger, Dick Martin. As spectators hold their breath and young Melissa covers her face in anxiety, Lawson lands a near-perfect shot, only for Martin to step forward and test his mettle against the favorite.

In the northern wilderness, autumn woods turn grim when hunters discover their companion has vanished into a foul, bottomless muskeg. Guiding their skiffs toward the marsh, they watch two ravens circling low over the black water, signaling a tragic end beneath the misty Indian summer sky.

Elsewhere, lighthearted domestic misadventures unfold alongside life-or-death crises. A hunter returns home to discover his sudden, mysterious stupor was caused by accidentally drinking the laudanum his infant son had un-corked. In the high mountains, a sudden cloud-burst sweeps away a camp, forcing a brave rescuer named Herne to pull a woman from the raging floodwaters at the cost of his own safety. A persistent lover courts a woman by learning to operate "Antaeus," a massive steam-roller. An heiress's true identity comes to light over an Acadian winter, while in the Western mountains, a wounded hunter and his faithful dog Shep uncover a hidden cache of gold left behind by a foraging grizzly bear. Finally, an old woman’s stingy past haunts her when a wandering stranger brings news of her long-lost son, and a desperate father finds hope for his sick child during a town-wide strike.

How It Unfolds

The ride to Canyon del Muerto Major Sherrick and his escort stop at a suspicious ranch on their way to camp. The clerk Staines insists he does not know the area, yet his eager suggestions about pushing ahead through the canyon raise quiet suspicions.

Warning in the dark Isabel sneaks to the camp at daybreak to urge the party to wake their men and ride hard. She warns them never to return to the rancho, revealing that a deadly trap has been set for the paymaster.

Outlaw unmasked As the trotting mule accelerates toward the gorge, the ambush unravels and Staines's true identity as Sonora Bill is exposed. The troop surrounds the ranch, taking the conspirators into custody and uncovering Señora Dolores’s painful past.

Torchlight in the timber Blount and his timid squire Beverly head into the dark forest with a long-handled pan of burning pine knots. Hearing wolf howls, Blount fires at a pair of shining eyes, causing his horse to plunge and sending the mule fleeing toward camp.

The champion's shot At a crowded rural contest, Abraham Lawson struttingly takes his position and fires within half an inch of the target's center. The crowd falls silent as Dick Martin steps up to take the final shot.

The ravens' circle Concerned by a missing companion's delay, hunters paddle their skiffs to a repulsive, green-scummed muskeg. They watch two ravens spiral down toward the black water, confirming their worst fears about his fate.

The unexpected dose A hunter returns home late to find his wife frantic over an empty bottle of laudanum. He soon realizes that while the baby spared the liquid, he had unknowingly drunk the poisoned mixture himself.

Flood in the hollow A roaring cloud-burst strikes a mountain hollow in the dark, sweeping away tents and gear. Herne the Hunter braves the rising waters to carry Alice to high ground, shielding her from floating debris before collapsing.

Uncovering the cache After surviving a grizzly attack with the help of his dog Shep, a wounded hunter watches his companion examine the brush. The dog drags out a buckskin pouch, revealing gold nuggets and hidden supplies buried beneath the stones.

The People

• Major Sherrick: A paymaster traveling through hazardous Arizona territory. He relies heavily on his clerk's advice, eager to reach safety, but remains cautious enough to keep his cavalry escort alert.
• Staines (Sonora Bill): A cunning outlaw posing as a paymaster’s clerk. He uses his position to orchestrate an ambush, maneuvering the party into the canyon while hiding his history with the Mexican family at the ranch.
• Isabel: A young woman held virtual prisoner at Rancho Ruiz. She risks her life to slip out in the darkness and warn the soldiers, driven by a desire to prevent bloodshed.
• Señora Dolores: Isabel’s mother and widow of a Mexican officer. After being tricked into marriage by the scoundrel Ruiz, she endured years of flight and hardship, keeping her daughter's legal papers safe.
• Blount: An overly confident, eccentric sportsman who insists on hunting at night with a primitive lightwood torch. His stubborn belief in his mount leads to a chaotic retreat.
• Beverly: Blount’s reluctant and easily frightened squire. He trembles at the sound of distant wolves and barely manages to control his mule when the gun fires.
• Abraham Lawson: The arrogant shooting champion of the settlement. He expects to win every contest effortlessly, strutting before the crowd while boasting of his marksmanship.
• Dick Martin: A pale, determined young shooter who steps up to challenge Lawson's title under the quiet, anxious gaze of the townspeople.
• Herne the Hunter: A quiet, rugged woodsman harboring a hidden affection for Alice. When a mountain flash flood strikes, he selflessly endures severe injury to carry her to safety.
• Joe: A weary worker struggling to care for his sick child, Cynthy, during a severe factory strike. He faces overwhelming despair until a compassionate doctor offers assistance.

In Its Own Voice

“Quick! Wake your men! Saddle! Ride hard till you catch the paymaster! Never leave him till you are beyond Canyon del Muerto, and then never come to the rancho again--never!”

Isabel whispers a desperate warning in the dark before the party enters the dangerous canyon.

“Beverly! Beverly! breathed the knight eagerly, 'gimme the gun! gimme the gun! I see a pair of eyes as big as saucers!'”

Blount demands his firearm in the black woods as distant wolf howls unnerve his squire.

“I had learned that Antaeus was neither a native nor a naturalized citizen of our town, but that he owed allegiance to a firm of contractors in a distant city...”

The narrator humorously describes his efforts to master a town steam-roller to win the favor of a lady.

What It's Really About

At its heart, this collection examines how human character reveals itself under sudden pressure. Whether facing an outlaw's trap in an Arizona gorge, a destructive flash flood in the mountains, or a bitter strike in a cold city, the characters are tested by forces beyond their control.

The stories weigh the contrast between quiet integrity and flashier forms of ambition. Scoundrels like Staines and blustering figures like Lawson rely on deception or pride, whereas figures like Isabel, Herne, and Joe find strength through selflessness, honesty, and endurance. Across varied landscapes, the text asks what it truly takes to protect one's home, family, and self-respect when security vanishes.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy classical late-nineteenth-century storytelling will appreciate the variety in this collection. It moves easily from suspenseful frontier encounters to humorous domestic mishaps and outdoor sportsmanship. The prose carries a straightforward, authentic rhythm, capturing the distinct voices and regional backgrounds of its era.

Modern readers should be prepared for period conventions, including occasional phonetic rendering of regional dialects and older social attitudes. Some subplots rely on traditional melodrama or dramatic coincidences, but these elements reflect the popular magazine fiction of the period.

What remains compelling is the collection's energetic movement and vivid environmental detail. The descriptions—from the sunlit red rock entry of Canyon del Muerto to the gloomy, rain-swept woods of a night hunt—create an immersive sense of place. It serves as an entertaining mosaic of nineteenth-century American adventure fiction, ideal for anyone interested in classic wilderness tales and rural character sketches.