Black gold" was replacing green grass as a source of profit in Gunlock, Texas, when Wait Slade rode in to investigate a case of cattle rustling. Like the Comanches of old, a vicious gang of renegades had suddenly swept out of the barren Cito Hills, and Slade's orders were to track them down -- single-handed! The Ranger ace took one look at the tall derricks dotting the blue skies of Gunlock and knew that the stakes were far higher than local short-horners imagined. His suspicion fell on a smooth-talking businessman from back East. When lead slugs hammered into his blanket one night and a heavy beam barely missed his head the next morning, Slade figured he was right. But the Ranger had to match bullets against five outlaws on a shaky oil rig before peace came at last to Outlaw Land!