 tired of the everyday grind, ever dream of a life of romantic adventure, want to get away from it all? We offer you escape. Escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure. The frozen slopes of the great mountain, terrified and caught in a blizzard, while the thing for which you've been hunting has suddenly become the hunter. And if it finds you, then for you and your companions, there can be no escape. So listen now as escape brings you Anthony Ellis's exciting story, The Abominable Snowman. Our first bit of luck was when we hired our shepherd guide, Nassang. That was in Darjeeling. When I told Nassang what we were after, he hesitated for a moment and then he said, The Sybes have not come to climb Shomolongma? Oh no, we're a little late for that. It's already been done. The other two Sybes and myself are here for the reason I told you. Meto Akangmi? That's right. The Sybes always hired me to climb the mountain with them, but never this. Are you afraid of them? I have seen one. You've seen one? Yes, many of us have seen them. Wait a minute, Alan. Yeah, what's up? I meant of viewing a Sherpa in here. He says he's seen one of the things. Where's rank? We're not to get some tobacco. All right, come on in. I think this is our man. All right. Nassang, this is Mr. Ferris. Saib. Hello Nassang. Nassang was telling me about what he'd seen. Go ahead Nassang. It has a face that is evil and when it saw me it uttered a strange cry and bounded away. Sometimes leaping, sometimes running with great strides. It was dusk and after a moment I lost sight of it in the snow. Where were you? With the French expedition. It was at nineteen thousand feet on Shomolongma. How far were you from it? Thirty feet, perhaps thirty five. You're sure it wasn't an ape? I am sure. There is no ape in the Himalaya to make such a track. What about bears? These two I have been asked. But does a bear walk always upon its hind legs? Well, that's enough for me. Alan? Yeah, he'll do. But if you want the job Nassang, you're hired. You are going to try to capture a Yeti? Yes. It will be a difficult thing, but I will serve with you. Yeti, wild man, Netokangmi, abominable snowman. That's the name the natives had for the things and Alan Ferris, Frank Davis and I were going to try to get one. We'd all done some climbing but climbing was secondary here. Expeditions since the beginning of the 20th century had heard of the abominable snowman, observed their tracks, and one or two white men claimed to have seen them. Great ape, bear, monkey, wild men. We didn't know but we were going to find out. Four weeks later we were in the wrong book valley for our interview at the monastery with the lama. The journey from our base had been uneventful, the weather was good and our spirits were high. From the lama's wonder we could see the great peak of Everest in the distance. Why, gentlemen, do you desire to capture Netokangmi? Because, sir, we believe it will be an invaluable aid in our prehistoric research, that is, if these things are in any way human. And for this reason then you have formed the expedition? Yes. You are all familiar with climbing? Yes, we are. You would need to be. The Yeti move at high places, dangerous places, so my people tell me. Also, the monsoons are arriving in a short time. I understand that. Then do we have your permission to investigate in the valley and beyond? You have my permission. Thank you. There is one point, however. I must request that no wild animal or being in this valley be shot. Our religion does not allow it. We'll respect your wishes, sir. Now may I ask you one more thing? Of course, my son. Do you believe in the existence of Netokangmi? I myself have never seen them, but I know that they live here above the valley on the goddess mother of the world. It is also true that at least five and possibly more inhabit the upper wrong book and its glaciers. Thank you. Do you have portals? Our guide Nassang is hiring them now. Yeah. I trust that he meets with good fortune. The old man with great dignity bowed slightly to us and we were dismissed. But I thought I saw the shadow of a smile on his lips as he turned away and it wasn't long before I found out why. Nassang returned to us in our quarters and his face warned of bad news. Sir, I am unable to hire any porters. Why not? They know the purpose of the expedition. They will not go. Why? They are afraid. The snowmen? Yes. They live in peace with them. They wish no trouble. They are afraid. Well, all right. It'll be rough but we can't waste time talking them into it. The monsoons will be coming in a couple of weeks. It's not the same as climbing Everest. We'll travel light just the four of us set up a base and start hunting. All right with you fellas? Yeah, sure. Nassang? I will go with you. I am not afraid. Good. Well, let's take a look at the map. Now we'll each carry a capacity load. We should be able to make this point below the glacier in two days. That's 16,000 feet. And if our abominable snowmen are in the vicinity, we've got two weeks to find them. When do we start? Tomorrow. Good. Well, that's it. Paul? Yes, Frank? One thing. What do the natives mean when they say they don't want any trouble with the thing? That's superstition probably. Oh, no, sir. It is not superstition. It is because the yeti are cannibals. That is why the porters are afraid. The weather turned ugly the day we left the village. A cold Tibetan wind blew down from the west and with our heavy packs it took us much longer than we thought to arrive at the point just below the wrong book glacier. We set up a camp and made ourselves as comfortable as we could. The next morning wasn't so bad. There was a heavy overcast, a promise of snow, and the peak of Everest looming over us was shrouded in clouds. The four of us sat in the tent looking at our charts and drinking hot tea. I figured it'd be easiest if we started at the East Glacier. It's only about three miles from here and with the weather as stinking as it is, we won't run too much of a risk. What do you think, Paul? Well, that sounds all right. What do you say we split up? You and Nassong, Alan and me, will work up on either side of the ridge here. And if we spot any tracks, fire two shots. Yeah, good enough. Now the big thing, though, no matter what, don't shoot at the thing if you do see it. Okay? Okay. All right. If we lose touch with each other, we'll meet back here at five. All right, let's get going. Left the base at six that morning and the going was rough. Alan was pretty well shot by the time we got to the 17,000 foot mark. He was having a tough time breathing and the wind had come up again. And with it, a fine powdery snow that blinded Chotis. Hey, I gotta take five. All right. Yeah, move over here. It might cut some of the wind. That's better. Oh, we might as well start back for the base. We couldn't see anything in this anyhow. You know, right now, I don't care what are we doing now. This is good weather. Wait until the monsoon start. No, no, not me. Cool. I never been so cold in all my life. We stayed in the half shoulder of an overhang for 10 minutes. And the wind was quieter and the snow had let up. I noticed that the tracks we'd made coming into the shoulder were gone now. But we didn't have any worry finding our way back. I figured that Frank and Nassang had met pretty much the same thing on their side of the ridge and we'd meet them at the base. So Alan and I picked ourselves up and started off. Boy, I thought I wasn't pretty good shape. But up here, boy, I'm nothing. Well, I'm tired again. We'll just take it easy going down. You haven't got frostbite, have you? No, no, not yet. But what? The left there. Yeah. They're not our tracks, are they? Not unless you took your boots off on the way up. Must have just passed by. Must have seen us. Yeah. Come on. We were looking at a set of tracks newly made in the fresh snow and they'd passed so close to our shoulder that the thing must have known we were there. They weren't the tracks of a bear or an ape, but more like a splay-footed naked foot. The tracks of the abominable snowman. We will return to escape in just a moment. But first, 30 million school children make their way back to class this year. There are just 10 million too many for existing school facilities. Contact better schools to West 45th Street, New York 19 for information on ending this menace to America's educational standards. And now back to escape. And to follow the tracks and for a while perhaps 150 yards it was easy. And then the thing made a leftward traverse down a deep slope. We could see the prince clearly angling with a sidestep as sure-footed as a mountain goat except that it was walking on two legs. This way, Paul. Take it easy, Al. It's getting steeper. Boy, that thing sure can climb. Hold up. And he dropped out of sight over the lip of the crevasse. We weren't roped together. I got as close as I dared to the edge. The loose snow crumbled away from my outstretched body and I looked down into the blue black darkness below falling away into nothingness. He was gone, finished. All I could think of was the noise he'd made when he went over. Surprised, angry, then silence. The crevasse might have been 500 feet or 5,000. Snow started to fall again. Big flakes this time and wet. I stood up. And across the gap 20 feet away I saw the tracks of the thing continuing on and away until they became lost in the blank whiteness of the glacier. It had jumped and landed still upright on the opposite side. I went back to the base and an hour later Frank and Nassong returned. I told them and we were quiet for a long time. Then? Paul, are we going out again tomorrow? Why not? I just wanted it. We should go back. It is an omen. I tell you it was going too fast. He didn't have a chance to see the crevasse. That's not an omen. It's bad sense. Maitokangmi cannot be caught. We'll catch him. But there are only three of us if we had a few more men. I tell you the thing was so close that we'd looked up at the right time we'd have seen it. You think I'm gonna give up now? Next time we'll get it. There was no chance to get Alan out. No. You think if we went back? Listen, you think I don't want to? He's gone. I tried but he's gone. Okay, okay. Wish that wind had let up. Maybe by morning we'll try again tomorrow. It was cold that night and somehow colder because Alan was gone. I heard Frank tossing around and I knew he was thinking about a body broken and lonely lost somewhere in a deep and dark place. In the morning the three of us packed our gear, camera, food. There was a light pack and we started up again. This time to a crest above the ridge. It was tougher than it looked and we weren't even halfway up before we had to rest. But as I looked to the west I saw clouds boiling up. Not white but somber threatening. And below the valley looked grim. Ugly gray. And then the sun was gone. And we kept on going up and then I had a strange feeling. It was nothing I could see, nothing I could hear only a sensation of being watched, followed. Wait a minute. See something? No. I have felt it too, sir. Something following us? Yes. It is made to con me. How do you know? It can be nothing else at this site. There is nothing else that leaves. Maybe it's curious. No, don't turn around Frank. Listen, when we get up to the crest you too flop down, stay inside of the slope here. What are you gonna do? Move around the hump and watch. If it thinks we're all together it may come close enough to give us a chance to get it. You better watch your step. It looks nasty. I will. Now come on. It took us another 15 minutes to get up to the crest and then Frank and Nassang hunched down to rest. They were in clear view of the slope we just ascended. I moved back out of sight and made my way toward the hump which backed a long shelf on the north side of the crest. In a couple of minutes I lost sight of them and of the slope. The wind had increased and the clouds had spread now to become an iron gray canopy over the mountain. It was getting colder again. I don't think it took over five minutes to reach my lookout point and when I did I had a perfect view of the ground we'd covered. There was nothing there. The men were out of sight and I waited a minute, two. There was nothing until on the wind a cry and then shots. I scrambled back to where I'd left them and when I got there, when I got there, Frank was lying on his back and I couldn't look at what was left of his face. There were terrible deep rints in his clothing and he was dead. Nassang lay huddled a few feet beyond a gun in his hand. Saib. What is it? What? Metal gun me came from behind us. I thought I could throw the gun. It had killed and it sprang at me. It is strong Saib with a strength of ten men. All right. All right. Can you sit up? My leg. It struck at me. My leg broken. I shot at it but I missed. It jumped away and was gone. Okay. We'll have to figure out a way to get you down. We were four hours from camp and with Nassang practically helpless it could well be four days or never. I buried Frank where he was lying then began to work down the slope. Nassang was in great pain. He half slid and crawled as best he could. That part of it wasn't too bad then we were at the bottom and there was a ledge to climb. It took well over two hours to do that and we still had three miles of difficult terrain to cover. The stops became more frequent. Stop. Leave me here. Go back. No. My leg is frozen. There is no feeling anymore. I shall not live much longer. Don't be a fool. After a rest you'll be able to go on. Soon the night comes. If we are both caught here we both die. There will be snow. Much snow. Leave me. No we're going back together. Please let me sleep. Let me sleep here. I cannot go on. You've got to Nassang. No. No more. The ridge is only about a half mile from there it won't be too bad. No. No let me stay. Nassang. Let me sleep. No. No come on Nassang. Come on you're not going to sleep. You'll be all right. I turned and for an instant I saw it outlined against the snow crotching of medium height. It was covered with thick hair. The face was reddish and bare. A semi-human face. And it was not an ape. The thing made it tremendous sleep and was gone but I'd hid it. I knew I hid it. Did you kill it? No I don't think so. Then it will be back. It has tested blood. You must leave me. Get up. Get up. Come on. Let's go. Nassang. I am very sorry sir. Will you ask the lama to make a prayer for me? Sure. Sure I will Nassang but... If I pay to my wife in daddy's healing. I'm sorry sir. I die. Nassang. Nassang. Darkness came and with its shadows and the snow every hillock mound became the thing motionless waiting. In my mind I kept seeing it. Its long arms powerful and the dreadful claws it must have possessed. I carried my gun and my gloved hand but I knew that I couldn't fire it unless I was bare handed. And that meant my hand would freeze to the gun. And then suddenly I felt myself slipping. It was a short incline but when I reached the bottom the gun was gone. I'd lost it. I've got to find it. I've got to find it. I saw a glint of metal in the snow 10 feet away. And at the same time above me at the top of the bank the thing it stood swaying a little looking down at me. I moved slowly slowly inch my way toward the gun. And as I drew closer I kept my eyes looking up but it didn't move only stared down at me. And I thought I saw its little eyes glittering. And I thought if the gun's frozen now if it's frozen it doesn't fire. And I was nearer to it near enough to tick off my glove. But that moment in which I'd have to bend to pick it up that's when it would leap down at me tear my throat out tear and I had the gun and I pulled the trigger. Terrifying its blood staining the snow until the sound died away. It was dead but the eyes kept on staring. It must have been the shots that loosened the snow and ice on the ridge above. I heard the sound and I ran ran past me and swept on down toward the valley the thunder of a dying in the distance. And when I went back there was nothing there it was buried somewhere under tons of snow. I made my way back to the wrong book village. I don't remember how I didn't remember anything for two weeks after but I'm alive and I'm not going back there again. That's all I know or want to know about the abominable snowman. Escape has brought you the abominable snowman written and directed by Anthony Ellis starring William Conrad as Lane. Featured in the cast were Anthony Barrett, Pye Everback, Jack Krushen and Edgar Berrier. The special music for escape was composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Next week. A passenger aboard a submarine making its last peaceful voyage across the sea. While unknown to you the captain has a plan which if it succeeds will mean for you and the entire crew a fate from which there can be no escape. So listen next week when Escape will bring you Marion Mosner and Francis Rosenwald's exciting story The Log. The station is right, the network is right too. Check all timepieces and then check your local radio schedule. Let's have no slip-ups. Everybody wants to hear the Jack Benny show right from the beginning when it returns to CBS Radio tonight. This is Roy Rowan speaking. Is the CBS Radio Network.