Scouts of the Prairie

A Daughter’s Quest

By: Kevin Grote

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In the late 19th century, Bostonian scholar Cora Thorne finds herself in a "Bostonian Cage" when her father, Elijah Thorne, vanishes while on an expedition to the American Southwest. Desperate, she places an advertisement seeking skilled frontiersmen. This call to action draws the attention of the flamboyant writer Ned Buntline , who, despite his incompetence , leads her to the legendary Buffalo Bill Cody. Cora convinces a recovering Bill to guide her expedition, and he assembles a team of iconic Western figures, including the quick-witted Texas Jack Omohundro and the stoic Wild Bill Hickok , among others. Unbeknownst to them, Cora's academic rival, Professor Alexander Fitzhugh , has orchestrated a ruthless pursuit by a group led by Malachi Grimm. As Cora's team braves the perils of the wilderness and ancient booby traps , they discover her father's skeletal remains and decipher his final notes, which lead them to the treasure: not a pile of gold, but a chamber of "ancient beauty" filled with obsidian statues and historical codices. After a final stand in which Texas Jack Omohundro makes a heroic sacrifice to save the team and seal the mine , they escape the collapsing mine, burying their pursuers. The survivors, forever changed by their ordeal, embark on the long journey home, carrying the artifacts and a new understanding of themselves.