Originally published in 1934.

Dennis Gifford, a courageous lad not quite twenty, had traveled to San Francisco to seek his fortune in the California gold rush. However, Dennis had suffered a fate not uncommon in those lawless times when he was shanghaied by one of the toughest crooks on the coast. Desperate, he determined to seize his one slim chance of liberty and jump ship at the old Spanish town of Monterey. So it was that Dennis found himself taking refuge in the garden of a wealthy Spanish nobleman and, after a daring escapade, defending the Spaniard's daughter Rosita against the unwelcome attentions of the most notorious bandit in California, Juan Castro. Castro and his gang boasted themselves invincible, but their luck started to change when Gifford arrived. Shortly after taking refuge with the Martínez family, Gifford plays a part in stopping an attempt by the Castro gang to steal a gold shipment. Castro vows to kill Gifford at his earliest convenience and Gifford must fight, not only for his own life, but also to protect the Martínez family from those who would seek to ruin them.