Alba di sangue

Tex is sent by the Rangers Command to Cedar Mines , a small mining village in the hands of ruthless bandits, to bring aid to a ranger who no longer gives any news of himself. Even if he acts alone, Tex will manage, in a very close confrontation, to get the better of the bandits and avenge the killed ranger.

This story was created by reassembling the strips of previous stories (to be precise, a good portion of the adventure "Missione a Devil’s Hole") with new dialogues. The reason is to be found in the need to give Galep some rest from the exhausting rhythms imposed by the production of the weekly strip issue (almost 11 tables per week created alone or with a few helpers) and allow him to calmly complete subsequent stories.

In the drawings of this story it is possible to notice the intervention of another hand. This is certainly Mario Uggeri , who, at the time of the release of the adventures from which the strips of this story were taken, was Galep's trusted inker as well as the creator of two complete Tex adventures, one of which is the one following this one.

Called back by Tiger Jack to the Navajo Reservation , Tex goes with his faithful companion to the region of the Shining Mountains where strange things seem to happen. In reality, the tribe of the Children of the Sun lives in the mountains and jealously defends, even with violence, the secret of the gold found there. In the end, Tex will manage to convince them of his good intentions.

This story, like the previous one, is also a fill-in published to give space to Galep.

Curiosities

• This story is the second and last drawn by Mario Uggeri.
• The first reference to paranormal powers appears in this story. The Grand Father of the Sons of the Sun is, in fact, able to see from a distance, albeit for a short time, and spies on Tex and Tiger's moves.
• It was originally intended to come out immediately after "Avventura sul Rio Grande". This can be understood by observing that: Tex's separation from the pards to return to the Reserve appears specious and forced, as does his subsequent return to their side. Tiger Jack's clothing and his way of speaking are typical of his first appearances (dialogue now corrected in the New Reprint) and finally, at the opening of "L’orma della paura" there is an explicit reference to the return of Tex and Tiger from the Shining Mountains .