In the spring of 1875, J. B. Gillett enlisted in Company D of the Texas Rangers, at the tender age of seventeen. He spent the next six years living the adventurous frontier life: fighting Indians, bringing the Ranger's brand of law to the frontier, and having a glorious time sleeping under the broad Texas sky. Jeff Dykes placed it on his list of the ten most outstanding books on the West. He said, "I heard Capt. Gillett tell this story and it reads like he talked - you simply live those six years with him."