In this Story of the Western Prairies he tells of the dangerous scrapes and close escapes that firmly knot together the hearts of a young man and his closest and most devoted of friends. From his earliest days, the dog Crusoe knows danger -- for young hunter Dick Varley must snatch him from the clutches of a vagrant -- who has clubs the pup and tosses him over a fire! Soon Dick has a chance to win permanent care of Crusoe, in a shooting match. But how can he win? His rifle is but a sorry affair. Even when it does fire, which is not very often, it remains a matter of doubt to Dick whether the slight deviations from the direct line made by his bullets are the result of his or its bad shooting. But Dick Varley has his heart dead-set on winning that wild pup.