 Obsession fiction writers have long been seeking that plot, which is known as the perfect crime. But like the elusive will of the wisp, it is always just beyond reach. Murder will out, say the wise ones. And the pursuer is often that shadowy ghost known as conscience. In a moment, you'll hear such a case in the story of cry-vengeance, starring Barton Yarbrough and Michael Raffetto. A tale told in the Belgian Congo of violence, death, and greed, which brought two men to a stern justice. True men, trapped in a pitfall, are their own obsession. The Belgian Congo is a vast place where strangeness is as commonplace as the puratory animals which roam the jungles. It is a place also of loneliness, and where isolation is a thing of necessity, not of choice. On a back trail, two men ride toward a destination charted on a map of greed. Their names, Harris and Pitkin, and their plans, are as dark as a blackness of their own obsession. Can we be sure that Canning has got any money? Why, he must have. He stands for reasons, don't it? He's lived out there on that farm for years. He must have some money, and he's never spent any. What do you mean? He's kind of a miser? Yeah, that's it. Too stingy to even have any help on the place. He's all by himself. That's why it's going to be easy. The nearest farm to him is that place we passed later nine kilometers back. Well, I guess they won't hear him holler then, anyhow. Well, it's a chance. Well, they probably won't even find him. Nobody ever comes along here. Hey, ain't that it? Right over there? Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Well, just how are you going to go about this now? Well, we've got to stall, and see if we can find out where he's got his money, see? We'll write up and ask him if we can stay for supper, offer to pay him, and we'll keep an eye on what he does with the money we give him. That might give us an idea where the rest of it's hit. In fact, don't work why. I'll try to draw him out a little. So don't be too anxious with that revolver. Hey, wait a minute. I thought you was going to do the killing. Well, all right. I just as leave is not only if I'm going to do the talking, somebody else has got to do the dirty work, don't they? I can't do both. No, I know. And I'll do it. But listen, how am I going to know when? Well, let's see. I'll tell you. After I found out all I can find out, I'll say to you, it seems to be a little bit cooler this evening. And then you let him have it in the back. OK. I'll be listening for you to say it. Let's see. We ought to be able to get started again just after dark. By morning, we'll be in Portuguese territory and safe. And we'll be in Luanda and on a boat before they ever find him. Maybe they'll never find him. There are trees there. Yeah, I see the smoke from the chimney. The old boy must be getting supper just in time. We'd better tie the horses outside the gate here. Well, are you coming? Yeah, wait a second. Oh, come on, come on. And close the gate. Hello. Hello in there. Maybe he ain't there. Oh, he's there all right. Come on, we'll go up to the door. Hello, who is it? Mr. Koenig? Yeah, yeah, I'm Koenig. Well, my name's Clark, Mr. Koenig. Oh. This is Mr. Anderson here. I see. They told us we might be able to get some supper here. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. Just I'm getting ready to eat. Come right on in. Oh, it's fine. Come on, Anderson. I am just putting supper on the table. Well, of course, we want to pay you for what we eat. Oh, never mind about it. You're very welcome. I put on some extra plates. Oh, no, no, no, no. We always pay our way, Mr. Koenig. Sort of a, well, sort of a principal with us. Anderson? Sure. Yeah. Yeah, well, this cover? Oh, no, no, no. No, no, I couldn't. I couldn't take it. I haven't much of a supper, but what it is, you are welcome to. No, no, no, that's out. Yeah. Yeah, you take this. Sure. Go ahead now. We'll feel better about it, you know? Well, well, if that's the way you feel, well, don't go showing. Just pull up some chairs there. I put out some things right away. Yeah, pull up a little chair, will you? Well, thank you very much. Yeah, yeah, I'm done. Look, looking at coffee din behind the stove. Yeah, yeah, I see. Well, that soup certainly smells good, Mr. Koenig. Yeah, we're kind of hungry. You boys been riding a long ways today? Oh, don't know whether that soup bowl is hot. Here, here, here's some plates. Yes, we've come quite a ways, eh? Now, just help yourself. Yeah, well, just leave that to me. Uh, Mr. Koenig, we are, uh, we're thinking of taking up some land around here. Oh. Uh, how is it for farming? Can a fellow make any money? Well, a little bigger, maybe. Well, that's not so bad if he can save it, eh? Of course, in five or ten years, the man ought to be able to lay away a nice little nest egg, shouldn't he? I, I, I don't know if things go very, very well. Yes. Huh? Hmm? I see. Well, tell me, uh, how, uh, how things been going with you? Oh, so so. Um, must be kind of lonesome out here, though. No friends or... Oh, I, I, I, I have lots of friends. Huh? Who? The animals. Oh. My horses and cows and chickens and, and then there's the birds and they... I see. Well, then you, you must be pretty fond of animals, eh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Do you know what sometimes I think I can almost understand them? No just what they are thinking. And they know just what I am thinking. I never heard an animal in my life. And no animal would ever hurt me. Yeah. They wouldn't, eh? No, sir. They, they are all my friends. Even the wild animals. By one time, one time a leopard broke into my chicken pen and I walked right out there without even a clump. I don't even keep a firearm in the house. Oh. And, and I just spoke to him nice and told him to go away. And he did. Why, why, I bet even a lion, if I saw one, wouldn't hurt me. All animals is my friends. Well, that makes it nice. They would all protect me. Um, tell me, must get pretty hot here. Oh, Joe, Joe, at this time of the year it is warm. But it seems a little bit cooler this evening. I never knew I'd hear them. Sir, I hope nobody heard the shot. Ah, there's nobody around here who could hear what's matter with you. Sounded louder than I thought it would. That's because it was in a closed room. Well, let's see what's in that tin. Mm-hmm. Is it there? Yeah, it is. Yeah. Yeah? You're all right. I don't know how much we can count it later though. That suits me. I ain't so keen about hanging around here. All right, all right. Then come on, come on. But how long do you suppose we was in there? Five, maybe 10, no more than 10 minutes. What? Well, seems to me it got dark awful fast. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'll open it. Yeah. It seems like it's been a year. Bittgen. Huh? Now what's new? Look, the horses. They're gone. Wait a minute. What? Well, look, this board you tied them to is busted off. Say, what do you... I bet you they heard that shot. I told you it sounded loud. Now what are we going to do? We got the hare horses. We can't cover that distance on foot. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Don't get excited. Yeah. The old man must have horses. Why, sure, don't you know? He said he did. Come on. Wait. Listen. Listen, there's somebody coming up the road. Oh, listen. Listen, I tell you there is. Well, whoever it is, all right by. Nothing to get excited about. Come on. Duck into the bush. Come on. Can I squabble? The way it is, sure enough. Must be something in old man Kearney's chicken run. Oh. I'd hate to see him lose all his chickens. Let's ride in and tell him. Hey, Kearney. Oh, Kearney. Hey, hey. Good Lord, well, they'll find them. Well, what if they do? They're not going to get us. Well, we'll be aboard ship by this time. We can't get over the line in the Portuguese territory without horses. We can't go on foot. It'll take days. Don't worry. We're going to have horses. Yeah. What do you mean? We're going to take their horses when they come out. There's only two of them and there's two of us. And we've got a gun. Say, where is that revolver? Well, that's right. What? What bitkin? What's the matter? I left it in there, in the house, on the table. In the house? Yeah. Fine chance of holding them up and getting their horses out of gun. We'll have to go on without horses. We can't. We can't. Now, we've got to get into Portuguese territory by morning. Say, the wise ones, as they also have said that the best laid plans of man will oftentimes go awry, and no matter how vast the jungles, there will always be the pursuers and pursued. It is the law of the jungle. In a moment, we'll return to our story. Here is the unexpected that wreaks vengeance in the formula of the stern law of justice. Pitkin and Harris had planned the perfect crime. But the shot that went crashing into the brain of gentle old Koenig frightened their horses and they broke away from their tether. Now, Harris and Pitkin are attempting the perilous journey to the Portuguese territory on foot. In the jungles, the monkeys chatter and their bright plumage birds fill the creeping vine-laced air where there are earthly cries. Every sound of the dank, steaming growth of untold centuries now resounds in the minds of Pitkin and Harris as two words cry vengeance. Two words that have become their obsession. We're lost, I tell you. You know we are. Oh, stop your whining. I know where we are. We'll be inside of the river within an hour. That's what you said this morning. It must be long past noon now. I tell you, we've been going in a circle. We'll never get out of here. We'll die here. We'll die in rot here. Such a mouth, will you? Come on. What's that? Oh, it's only a couple of monkeys up there. Will you stop wasting your breath talking? I can't go any further. I got a rest. I can't. Shut up and come on. I can't. I got a rest. I'm not going any further until I... Do you want to spend the night in here? Well, if you don't, you'd better get out. It's a long time to duck. We can afford to rest a few minutes. Well, I'm going to. You can go on if you want to. There's only walking in circles anyhow. I'm going to stay right here. All right. All right. Five minutes. Keating said animals were his friends. Well, he's certainly been friendly to him so far. If it hadn't been for animals, we... we wouldn't be in this fix. What do you mean? The horse is running away and leaving us to go on foot. The chickens are attracting the attention of those men. You know, I wonder what started them squawking. Oh, rubbish. We could have taken their horses if you hadn't left your revolver in the house. Do you suppose they'll be able to find out who that revolver belonged to? I don't know. It won't do them any good if they do find out. Nobody could track us through this jungle. So we're not as mad off as we might be. We'd had horses and gone by the road. They could have followed us easy. The jungle here, they... they wouldn't have a chance. They could pass within 50 feet of us right now, not seas. Yeah, I never thought of that. And another thing. They never expect us to cut through the jungle in the first place. They'd naturally suppose we took the road. That's where they're looking for us more than likely. If they are looking for us, by the time they find out that we're not on the road, we'll be across the river. Yeah, if we can find the river. Oh, we'll find it. I lost my parents for a while this morning, but I'm all right now. We'll be at the river. Listen, did you hear that? Keep quiet. Curse them monkeys. He's coming this way. Get out. Get out. Keep quiet. But we can't make our way through the jungle at night. And we'll wait till morning. They'll soon get tired of beating through this bush. We'll save here just as long as we... with dogs, like him. Horses, chickens, and now dogs. Everything's against us. Everything. Come on. Come on, don't be a fool. We've got to keep moving now. What they use. We never reach the river. Come on. Come on, will you? Don't talk. Don't talk. Keep moving. That's no use going on. They've got us. Horses, chickens, dogs, animals. Betraying us. Are we? We can't beat them. I'm... I'm going to give up. Come on. Come on, I say. I'm not... I'm not going. I'm going to give up. Come on. Come on. Do you hear me? Come on, or I'll kill you. Go ahead. Go ahead. Kill me. I don't care what those dogs can follow. I'm not afraid of them men. I'm going to give myself up. I'm going to call them. I'm going to tell them. You do, Horses, and I'll choke you to death with my bare hands. And I mean it. I'm going to get to the river and I'm not going to let you or anyone else stop me. Do you hear that noise? I don't care. I'm going to give up. I'm going to give up. Here we are. Over here. Hey, listen. I want you to take me across the river. Across the river. That's all. Bad to cross river. I'll pay you anything you want. See? Yeah, look. Look, I'll give you all this. See? Magic to cross river. All right. All right then. Twice this. See? Here. Here. Take these. Here. Take them all. But, but get me across. Get me across. I thought that would bring you to your senses. Well, come on. Come on. Get in. The courts do not always meet out the law. The blind goddess of justice will have her way in many forms. And the scales will always be in balance. Such is the case with Pitkin and Harris. Old man Kinig is avenged. And the jungles close in the faithful chapter. And no longer does it cry vengeance through the dark corridors of a guilty man's obsession. In a moment I'll return and tell you about our story for next week. Mary Sullivan will join us in a story called Faith is the Evidence. In which a man walks a lonely path in a search for that elusive thing we know is contentment. But wanders not knowing that his lamp of discovery casts the black light that was produced and transcribed by CP McGregor in Hollywood.