 Blair of the Mounties, a story of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We present the 25th episode in Blair of the Mounties. Since our last episode, many changes have taken place. Inspector Blair's police service is at an end. He is now retired on pension for his farm in the Fraser Valley. All the survivors of the old days are gone from the ranks of the police. Only Mike Rafferty, now a sergeant, remains to tell of the days of the old Northwest Mounted Police. And at times, Mike's reminiscences become a little irritating to his new comrades. Our story opens back in the old Yukon Trail at Whitehorse on the Yukon River, where we find sergeant Mike Rafferty sitting in Spike Malone's restaurant. Very lonesome for the old days. What do you have to eat, Mr. Rafferty? No, Sally. The appetite's gone from me entirely. Oh, but you've got to eat something? Yeah, sure. I'll be waiting for the inspector. Here he comes now, big fella. Oh, hello, Rafferty. Good evening to you, Inspector. Hmm, you're looking more just more unusual tonight. What's the matter? Ah, I was thinking of the old days, Inspector. No time of stuff, eh? Well, no. Them was great days. Now, you remember when the trails was crowded with prospectors all hungry for gold? There were some fine men in the place, didn't there? So I've heard you say. I and it's true. Dibble the one of them left, pardon myself, of course. And here I am, big fella. All I have to do is to stand on the station in a red court for them tourists to take pictures of. Oh, come on now, Rafferty. You seem to be having a good time talking to that bunch of good-looking girls at the train. Well, some of them's not so bad. Ah, but the questions they do be asking. Where is the Arctic Circle? Mr. Placement, I want to see the grave of dangerous Dan McGrew. Ah, for the love of McGinty. Did you see that little long-nosed woman? Yes, I saw her. She was taking you over a ride. If she asked me one question, she asked a hundred. Where did she go to? Oh, such me. I suppose she's gone down the river. I don't wish her any harm, but I hope she falls off at the board. You mean the little woman with the red hat and the spectacles? Ah, that's her, Sally. Well, she's staying over. What? Sure, she took a room at the hotel. Ah, look. There she is now. She's coming in here. Ah, what the devil knows. Sure. He just wants to ask you a few more questions. Oh, is that so? Well, here's our officer. Well, I declare, I've been looking all over for you. There's just one little question I want to ask you. It's about those curious totem poles. You see, I just... Now, just a minute, ma'am. Just a minute. Sure, now, it's fortunate you came in just at this moment. Indeed. How's that? Let me introduce you to my friend Captain Mulligan here. Yeah, hold on, rapidly. What's the idea? That's the man, ma'am. You see, Captain Mulligan here is the gentleman appointed by the government to give information to the tool. Oh, but just a minute, don't you? That's true, ma'am. Sure, if there's one thing my friend Captain Mulligan likes more than anything else, it's totem poles. Yeah, look, my dear madam, am I sure you are? Not very, Captain Mulligan. I know it's late. I won't keep you more than a minute. Yes, ma'am. You see, I'm from the University of Brenton and oh, I'm so interested in totem poles. Very well, all right. Sally. Oh, Sally, darling. Yes, Mr. Ratton. Bring on your hotcakes. After me appetites come back again with a rush. About 15 of them will do for a start. Captain Mulligan, big up. Big up, that's a good one. You sure pull the fast one. And on that inspector, he's going to be awful, ma'am. Yeah, sure, he'll get over it. He wouldn't be taking liberties like that in the old days. But times has changed. Sally, now, I'm sure he's a good boy now, but he'll make a fine placement someday. Fortunately, he has Michael Rafferty to be looking after him, though. Look out. Here he comes. Rafferty, I have a good mind to ring your neck. If it wasn't for this something important, come up just now. And what's that now? Well, I've been talking to the U.S. Marshal at Skagway. He says those two men, Joe Levine and Tony Pirelli, were on the boat today and we missed them. I wouldn't say that, Inspector. What do you mean, Rafferty? I clan forget to tell you. Them two boys were on the boat. What? On the Dawson boat? And you let them get through? See here, Rafferty, this is abominable. And you didn't even question them? Be good. I kept as far away as whom they could. And they wanted for that Peterson burglary in Vancouver. Do you know what this means? As you know, Inspector, if you'd been in the police as long as I have, you'd know that you can't be doing that kind of... Listen, Rafferty, don't try to pull that old-time soldier stuff on me. I'll report you for neglect of duty. You mean the last time you did that? Well, yes, I'll admit that was a mistake. But this is different. Are you sure it's different, Inspector? Rafferty, I'd like to take you to a quiet place and strangle you. Just think of that now and me trying to help you. Well, come on, spill it. What is this secret dope of yours? You see, Inspector, Barney Dogen, the breakman on the Skagway train is an old friend of mine. Rafferty, this country is simply lousy with old friends of yours. That's a fine compliment you're after paying me now. Well, what next? Well, Barney was telling me about them two fellas. They were asking him the whereabouts of the old Arctic Express office in Dawson. Moral time of stuff. Hold on, Inspector. You mean this burglary was in the house of a man named Peterson and this same Peterson was a clerk in the Arctic Express Company? Sure. Trail of 98 stuff. And you let these two crooks go sailing merrily down the river. Rafferty, you ought to be in the old man's home. Maybe you're right, Inspector. I'll remember that. But I'm thinking of what old Sandy Blair used to say. Yes, I thought we'd come to Blair in a minute. Pity he wasn't here. Well, no, that's one thing we'll agree on anyway. Well, go ahead then. I'll bite. What did he say? He says to me, says he, rafferty me right, when you get a line on a crook, don't be after pulling them in in too much of a hurry. If your line taught and let him play a while, you'll often save a lot of questions. All right then, let's have the thrilling story of the Arctic Express. Well, it was a small company with an office in Dawson. One time they lost a shipment of gold. What happened? Was it stolen? Oh, nobody ever found out. It was plaster gold shipped in a box. And when it got to Seattle, there was nothing in the box but lead. And on the strength of that story, you let those men go. Listen now, Inspector, the old force had a mighty fine reputation in these parts. That Arctic robbery was the only flaw, the only unsolved crime in the whole picture. Them crooks can't get out of the country, and they might have a line on that gold. Don't you say what it means if this hunch of mine is right? Don't it mean anything to you? Well, yes, of course. It might. What's your plan? Well, there's plenty of time. We've got the police port. The steamer won't be in Dawson for 24 hours. We'll slip past her. Well, you have to go back to Dawson anyway and we'll be there ahead of the steamer. All right. Well, sit down in about the boat. I'll be ready in half an hour. Okay, Inspector. Yonder's the all-moose-hide mountain, Inspector. We'll be at the Dawson Land in a few minutes. Yes, we're hardly a mile ahead of the steamer at that. Head into the landing. We'd better get somewhere out of sight and watch those birds land. But you live them alone, Inspector? Oh, sure. I want to make sure they're on the boat. Then I'll go along to the barracks and see Morrison. You can trail these two fellas and see what happens. All right, Inspector. Hop assured. There's the all-white horse coming round the bend now. Okay. We can leave the boat here for the present. Ha, ha, big girl, look at the old town with you. Sure it's different to the old days. There's hardly a human being in sight and the old town's dropping to pieces. Yeah, it doesn't look very prosperous right now. Where is this old express office? Ready? Anything doing? I'll say so. The funniest thing you ever saw, Inspector. Well, them two fellas went to the boarding house. As soon as it got dark, they headed out for the old express office. What happened? Well, nothing until about a half an hour ago. I heard them moving the boards and the rubbish inside there. Man, if you'd seen them two city fellas digging down through that stuff and the sweat running off of them. Ha, ideally they'd laugh at them. Perhaps we'd better take time off and have a laughing duet, eh? Hold on now. As I was saying, they dug down to the floor and there's a square of bricks where the old stov used to stand. Ah, be dead. Many of the time I warned me fate of that same old stov. Rafferty, you'll be the death of me. Ah, hold on now. Inspector, I believe that stuff's buried under them bricks. Well, what are you doing here? Where are these men? That's what I'm telling you. They had a couple of dozen of them bricks out and... Ha, ha, ha, ha! They would laugh at them, which they fell over and all bored and amazed that they'd developed a racket that they both beat it out to the boarding house. You came back to tell me this outlandish story and you didn't get a thing? Well, hold on now. There was a piece of paper they had when they were digging. I'm thinking it was some kind of directions. I picked it up when they let out. Let's see it. Hmm, evidently a plan of that brickwork you spoke of. Well, it might be. Holy smoke. Why, don't you see your big sap? The gold must be in those bricks. In the bricks. Here, hold on now. Of course. See, there are quite a number for the brick shaded darker than the rest and numbered. What's an old trick? The gold must be run into the bricks and covered with a coating of clay. Listen, what's that? It'll be Brennan's boat starting down the river. Holy smoke. There's the answer. What's wrong now, Inspector? What don't you see? There's the neatest getaway they could wish for. Brennan's gas boat runs to the Alaska border at Eagle. He has the fastest boat on the river, while they'll be over the line before daylight. But how do you know they're on that boat? Oh, it's a hundred a one. Come on, Rafferty, get the boat out. I'll check at the boarding house to make sure they're gone. Well, there they are, Inspector. Yes, there they are, about a mile ahead. And that's where they've been for the last five hours. Can't you get any more speed? Oh, I'd give a chance. I have it wide open. Hm. How far is it to the Alaskan territory? Yeah, that white bluff yonder is Eagle. It's an Indian village just inside Alaska. It's about 10 miles. And a big lay for the US police. Not often they get anything on us. And you were the guy that was going to save the reputation of the old force. Oh, don't fear of needing it, Inspector. Hold on. I have an idea. One more crack like that and I'll crown you with this boat hook. Right now, Inspector. You see that big bend we're coming to? Yes, I see it. Well, now, the old river's portiful for this time of year. And it's about six miles around the bend. But there's another shallow channel close to the bank. And it's about two miles shorter. We have a shallower bottom, Brandon. And if we can make the channel, we'll be ahead of them. And we can pick up them crooks before they cross the border. All right. We've no chance of catching them this way. And if they get stuck, it'll be a better story. All right, go ahead, head into the channel. Fine. There you are. Didn't I tell you? These are deep water close to the bank. Hey, look out. We're stuck tighter than blaze. Never mind. Open to the bows, would you? And take the weight off of the stone. We'll make it. All right. Put your weight on to her, Inspector. All right. There we go now. Glory be to you. She's gone. He won, Inspector. Oh, be that. She's over. And deep water ahead. Oh, come on. I'll start that engine then. There you are now. Didn't I tell you? Piter Lord Harry, I believe we'll make it. Of course we'll make it. Now, what about the old man's home now? Oh, shut up. We'll be across the bar in a minute. Stand by and have your gun ready. Here I have it. Look out now. Hey, there. Oh, look out. What up? I think you're going there already. Stop that engine. Your red-headed spulpeen. Hold tight, Inspector. Put your hands up, Levine. I want you. Hey, what's the idea? I have done nothing. Get away from those sacks and keep still. All right, Rafferty. Hey, you can't do this. You ain't got no right. All right. Now don't be talking me, boy. I have a fine pair of bracelets for you. Hold still now. There you are. Just step over into the other boat, will you? Grab those sacks, Mike. Looks like the plunder. Sure. This is the end of the rainbow. But did I tell you? Well, I will say that was a lucky shot of yours. Now what do we do? Well, we'll just up down the river a little. My friend Casey Shack is just around the bend, and he'll be waiting with his shotgun. I telephoned him from Dawson just in case we didn't make it. What? And you mean there was no danger of those birds getting away? I wish now, Inspector. I was just after creating a little excitement for you. That's all. Rafferty, someday I'm gonna murder you. You have heard Episode 25 in Blair of the Mountains. Tune in for Episode 26, and title the return of Inspector Blair.