The Dark Raiders — E.E. Halleran

The story goes that when the Mexican emperor Maximilian was captured by rebels, he sent his personal fortune into Texas with the intention that it would be shipped to Europe - but the cargo was waylaid and lost. Many have followed rumor and legend to Perdita Valley in hopes of finding the missing treasure, including Owen Ward, who runs a lumber mill there now that his fortune-hunting days are over. But when a small wagon train arrives in the valley and is raided by Apaches, all hell breaks loose. What are these travelers really after, and who is behind the attacks on Ward's lumber mill if not the Apaches? In a place where friends and enemies are not what they seem, Ward must unravel the mysteries surrounding him before a bellyful of hot lead puts him out of action permanently.