Defying his banker father, Pratt decides to pursue the life of a writer and heads west to San Francisco where he becomes an apprentice reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. A chance meeting with Mark Twain changes Pratt's life, and inspires the young man to set to work on his first successful book, Solitary Knight of the High Plains , which introduces the dashing hero, Nicodemus Legend. Pratt's gimick of writing in the first person gives his readers the impression that Legend's exploits are real. In 1876, when our story opens, pratt is 40 years old. Nicodemus Legend Nicodemus Legend is the fictional hero of fifteen popular novels by Ernest Pratt.
Legend is a champion of the underdog, a crusader for justice and truth.
His perfect manners, good looks and beautiful hand-beaded buckskin outfits make him a dashing and romantic figure. In reality, Legend is tough and quick-witted, with an impressive knowledge of science. He hates violence, preferring to use brains instead of a gun. Since Pratt's novels are written in the first person from Legend's point of view, many readers fail to realize that Legend is a fictitious character. Janos Bartok Janos Bartok was born in Hungary in 1840.