17 h 3 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 17 h 3 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does it take for a young English newcomer to find his way across a hard and dangerous frontier?
In Redskin and Cow-Boy, G. A. Henty follows a young Englishman who leaves a settled life for the American West. Cattle ranches, mining camps and danger on the plains demand more than courage. Honest and willing to learn, he must gain the experience this unfamiliar country requires.
The adventure moves quickly, but Henty also pauses to show how frontier life works. Herding cattle, keeping camp and staying alive become part of the story. The young newcomer's journey puts hard work, sound judgment and fair dealing to the test, with justice at stake in a demanding land.
What you’ll discover
- A newcomer learning fast Follow a young Englishman whose honesty and willingness to learn face unfamiliar demands.
- The cowboy's working world Step into cattle country, where herding and ranch work shape the rhythm of adventure.
- Life beyond the ranch Explore mining camps and the practical details of keeping camp on the plains.
- Courage with a purpose Discover a frontier tale that places hard work and fair dealing beside danger.
- A Victorian adventure outlook Read a brisk story whose treatment of Native peoples reflects its Victorian perspective.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love frontier adventure, cowboy life and gold camps, and who enjoy a young hero who earns his skills step by step.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An advertisement reaches the gold camp
- Bill's inheritance leads toward danger
- A charming uncle raises suspicions
- Hugh flees after defending his aunt
- Ranch work turns practice into skill
- Quick thinking offers a way out
- A signed paper protects Hugh
- Loyalty supports an uncertain social order
- Preparation and restraint define Hugh's strength
Who’s who
- Hugh TunstallA quick-tempered English schoolboy who flees to America, learns the cowboy trade and earns the nickname Lightning for his fast draw.
- Limping Frank, the DoctorA gentle white-haired nurse and fast shot who keeps order in the mining camps and hunts a murderer for years.
- Sim HowlettA broad, steady miner and the Doctor's partner, loyal through every scrape and ready to follow him anywhere.
- William Tunstall, called English BillA generous gentleman gold digger, cut off by his father, who is called home by his brother's will.
- Bill RoyceA well-traveled former sailor and trooper who teaches Hugh frontier ways and becomes his steady partner.
- Broncho HarryA skilled cowboy who first doubts Hugh, then becomes his friend and explains the code of the range.
- Steve RutherfordA stubborn old frontiersman who knows Indian country and wants his daughter Rose back from raiders.
- Don Ramon PeralesA rich, honorable Mexican landowner near El Paso who is searching for his missing son and his lost horse.
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- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
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- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Redskin and Cow-Boy
by G. A. Henty · 1891
A boy flees Cumberland after a fight with his uncle and learns to draw a revolver faster than any cowboy.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What does a boy do when he thinks he has killed his own uncle? Hugh Tunstall, a Cumberland schoolboy, snatches up a poker in a drawing room, sees a man fall, and gallops to a lawyer for a bag of gold.
Redskin and Cow-Boy at a glance
- Reading time
- About 8 h 45 min6 h 55 min fast, 10 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 124,900 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1891by G. A. Henty
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Three partners in Cedar Gulch read an advertisement
The story opens in 1851 at Cedar Gulch, a busy gold camp. One of the best claims belongs to three partners. Sim Howlett is broad and silent, English Bill is tall, quick-tempered and generous, and Limping Frank is a slight, white-haired man with a gentle face.
Frank is called the Doctor because he nurses the sick. The camp also knows a darker side of him. He once faced down a murderer named Texan Jack and two of his friends, then went home and cooked dinner.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1891
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Henty, G. A. Redskin and Cow-Boy. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/redskin-and-cow-boy.
Henty, G. A. (2026). Redskin and cow-boy. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/redskin-and-cow-boy (Original work published 1891)
Henty, G. A. Redskin and Cow-Boy. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/redskin-and-cow-boy.
@book{henty2026redskin,
author = {Henty, G. A.},
title = {Redskin and Cow-Boy},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/redskin-and-cow-boy},
note = {First published 1891}
}
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What is Redskin and Cow-Boy about?
It follows Hugh Tunstall, a young Englishman who flees to America after a violent family quarrel. He works in Texas, becomes a cowboy, joins a raid rescue and then travels to El Paso, where old mysteries from California meet him.
Who is Lightning in Redskin and Cow-Boy?
Lightning is the nickname the cowboys give Hugh Tunstall after he draws and fires his revolver faster than any of them have seen. It marks his shift from a newcomer to a respected hand.
Is Redskin and Cow-Boy based on a true story?
It is fiction, but Henty says in his preface that the cowboy scenes come from a relative who worked several years as a cowboy in New Mexico. The adventures are drawn from those real experiences.
The author
G. A. Henty
1832–1902 · English historical adventure novelist
George Alfred Henty (1832–1902) was a British novelist and war correspondent. He was born in Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, and lived in London. During the late nineteenth century, he wrote historical adventure novels for young readers. His books include The Cat of Bubastes, The Dash for Khartoum, and With Cochrane the Dauntless.
More by G. A. Henty
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