 The Challenge of the Yukon On King! On you Huskies! The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of Eskimo League dogs, blazes the trail through storm and snow for Sergeant Preston as he meets the Challenge of the Yukon. Sergeant Preston was typical of the small band of Northwest Monty Police who preserved law and order in the new Northwest country where the greed for wealth and power led to frequent violence and bloodshed. But in spite of the odds against them, Sergeant Preston and his Wonder Dog King met that challenge and justice ruled triumphant. Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Monty Police was making his usual patrol from Dawson to Selkirk. With him was Andika Rothers, a trapper who lived between the two towns. King, Preston's big, huge husky lead dog, was breaking the trail ahead when suddenly a gray sheep appeared. Preston, look up ahead! Oh! Oh! Oh, King! Oh, here, King! Andi, come in right here. You got him! Right on, King. Stay right here, boy, and don't move. That's the first time I ever saw a timber wolf try to attack a dog team. It wouldn't unless something were wrong with it, Andi. Let's have a look. That wolf would have attacked King if he hadn't called him back. Something funny about that. Should have run away if it sounded a dog team. Gee, what a big fella. Careful, Andi. Don't touch his head or mouth. What do you think was wrong with him? You see that thick saliva coming out of its mouth? Yeah. This wolf has rabies in an advanced stage and it would attack anything it saw. Gosh! It was lucky you shot it before it got to King. The trouble is it may have infected other animals in this territory. Yeah? There's an Indian village near here, isn't there? Well, there's one about five miles west of here. And they may have dogs and horses. I guess I better go over there. Some of their animals may have been bitten. I don't like to take my dogs. But either animals have been infected. It may be dangerous. Well, why don't you leave them with me? My cabin ain't far from here and I got a shed. I can put them in. It's a good idea, Andi. I'll leave King and the team with you. I'll go over by myself. About a mile the other side of the Indian village toward which Preston was traveling, two men were filling bottles in a small cabin. The pale liquid they were pouring filled the cabin with a ranc odor. He he he he he. Them redskins can drink this. Steph is more than I can drink it. I love it. It's enough to take the inside off a steel boiler. What do we care? As long as they're willing to trade good furs for it, we don't have to worry about what is doing to them. I'll be glad when we get enough furs to pull out of here. I'm sick of making this. Heck, we ain't even started. We're staying here a long time. Why, is this the best trap in territory in a hundred miles? Those fox skin there bring an inner worth of fortune. As long as we don't tangle with the law, there's no danger of that. This village ain't near a town and the Indians have always been peaceful. We're far off the trail, too, as Redbird got back from his trapping. Yeah? And that last batch of furs today while he was away. Six of the finest pelts he ever saw. Give them to me for two bottles. Redbird's our best customer since he learned to drink. He's sure a good trapper. Redbird put his small bundle of furs in the corner of his hut. White fawn, his young squaw, looked at it anxiously. You not have good luck? No, trap's empty. This not good. Everyone say Redbird best trapper in village. This not true. Me good trapper. Maybe trade furs for firewater? Oh, stop talking. Someone come. Looks like white man. Any of you speak English? Redbird, come make fun. Redbird? Huh, you speak English? I'm Sergeant Preston, Northwest Mountain Police. Police? What police want? I want to find out how many dogs and mules you have in this village. Can you tell me? Many dogs, three mules. Any of them been bitten by anything lately? Or any of them sick? No. Our mule will come back with the bite on leg. Oh. Redbird away trapping. Our mule will get loose. Come back yesterday. I'd like to see it. Mule in shed, come. You say the mule was bitten. Hind leg bleed, maybe wolf or dog bite. Squaw talk too much. Here, mule. Yes, it was bitten all right. Part of the flesh torn off. That heals soon. Bite not bad. You say the mule's been loose? How long? Him gone two days. Maybe wolf or dog bite him. Redbird, I'm going to have to stay in your village for a few days. Will you take me to the chief? Come. Breakfast tasted good. We better get out to the still and get to work. Not many hours a day like this time of year. I guess you're right. Hand me that Parker, will you? I swear, you get lazier every day. I ain't too lazy to have good ideas. Here comes Redbird. I wonder what he wants. Ain't that time to drink up all that tarantula juice he bought yesterday? Hello, Redbird. Come on in. You want more fire water? No, me want to talk. White man come to village. White man? When? Yesterday. Who is he? Him say him police. Police? He say anything about the fire water? Him not know. Him say him come. Look at animals. Look at animals. Sounds crazy, Nick. Him make talk with chief. Him say maybe him shoot Redbird's mule. Maybe you help Redbird stop him. Why does he want to shoot your mule? You'll go away, get bite on leg. Leg not hurt bad. Him say mule get sick must shoot. Him say mad wolf bite mule. He ain't after us, Nick. Must be a rabies scare. Yeah, but it ain't healthy to have him around. Redbird, he ain't got no right to shoot your mule. Don't let him do it. Chief say him law. Chief say Redbird do what law say. We know white men's law better than the chief. Well, you need that mule. They cause many furs. Me know. Me trade furs for fire water. Any other animals in the village he wants to shoot? Dog of Kula, him sick. Police say him watch dog two, three day. Maybe shoot. Kula not like. Nick, maybe we better get up. Well, if I were you, I wouldn't stand for it, Redbird. Why don't you and Kula get rid of him? What you mean? Well, he's all alone, ain't he? Him sleep intent. You've got a good knife. Tonight when he's asleep, use it. You mean kill, but Nick a mountain. You and Kula can take a mountain barium. Why you just disappear? Nobody know what happened to him. Then you won't have to shoot your mule. Me know like kill white man. Maybe more white man come. We'll talk to him if they do. We'll say no white man was here. Oh, you see, we got a mule too. I don't want him shot. I'll tell you what I'll do. Here are two bottles of fire water. I'll give them to you if you get this white man out of the way. You give fire water? Yep. And you don't have to give me any furs for it. Me ask Kula. You better do it tonight. He might shoot your mule tomorrow. And it'll be too late. Maybe. Oh, hello white fawn. You want to see me? Redbird gone. Him not know me talk to you. I hope you understand why I think your mule should be shot. Redbird doesn't. Redbird angry. Me come to ask you not shoot mule. Redbird got no furs to trade now. Him poor. Why, I thought Redbird was the best trapper in the village. Him get many furs before white men come. White men? Well, there aren't any white men in the village, are there? Them near village. Does Redbird trade them furs? Me no tell. Redbird beat me. Does he trade them for bottles? You know? You know about fire water? Not exactly white fawn, but I may find out tomorrow. Not shoot mule? Not unless I have to. You are a good man. Thank you, white fawn. Darkness had fallen over the Yukon and King Preston's big lead dog paced back and forth in Andy Carruthers' small cabin. Well, poor old fella. You're lonesome for your master, ain't ya? I wish I could explain to you that's where your own good is making you stay here. Now come on. I'll put this rope on your collar, take you outside for a while. You're going to have to quiet down. It's way past my bedtime, but I can't sleep with you whining and scratching out all the time. Come on, will you? Hey, come back here! King! God, you shot him, pulled that rope right out of my hand. Here, King, come back here! He's gone. Preston's going to take my head off for letting him get away. Well, nothing I can do about it. Sergeant Preston was sleeping soundly in his tent in the Indian village when he was awakened by a warm tongue licking his face. What? What? King old fella, how'd you get here? Oh, I see. Rope on your collar. You book away from Andy. You shouldn't have come, boy. All right, fella. Lie down here beside me. Can't help being glad to see you. I missed you. Everything was dark and silent in the Indian village. The wind had died down and the trees stood motionless. Beneath their shadows, two figures stole silently toward Sergeant Preston's tent on Moccasin's feet. As they neared the tent, one of them drew a long knife. As the other silently pulled back the flap of the tent. Then suddenly a gray form hurtled through the air. Take your boy! Take your boy! What is it? All right, fella. Good boy. Got him, King. Don't move whoever you are. That dog will tear you to pieces. Well, it's a red bird. Guess I better take that knife. All right, King, off him, boy. Get up, red bird. I'm going to tie you and keep you here until morning. Preston sat in Red Bird's cabin as the pale Yukon dawn broke over the hills. Red Bird sat stolidly before him as Preston talked to him kindly. I know you're not a bad Indian, Red Bird. Last night you were full of fire water. That's why you did what you did. The mounted police are here to help the Indians and the Yukon, not to harm them. You want to shoot me all. I know it's hard for you to understand that, but if you'll help me, I'll see that you got another mule. Him good man, Red Bird. I could arrest you and have you hang for trying to murder me. But if you'll help me, I won't do that. What, what me do? I want you to get more fire water from these white men today. Have you any furs to trade? Them give me two bottles today for kill you. Aw, so it was their idea. They'd be rid of me and you'd get to blame. I want you to go and collect those bottles, Red Bird. I don't know what happened last night. King and I will follow. Come on, we'll go to their cabin. Gosh, I guess Red Bird ain't wasting any time collecting. Hello, Red Bird. Come in. Oh, did you do it? Do you want Kula to get him? Sit down, sit down. Tell us what happened. Yeah, I got you fire water already. One bottle for you and one for Kula. Here it is. Tell us, Red Bird, did you kill the white man or did Kula? Look your hands under arrest. That's better than that. You're selling liquor to the Indians. Well, we wasn't selling it. You were giving it to him as a reward for murdering me. Thanks to this dog, it didn't work out that way. Get together. I'm handcuffing you. What's these men, King? Red Bird, can all the furs these men have, the furs that you and the rest of your tribe traded for liquor? We'll take them back to the village and distribute them among your people. If any dogs or mules are sick, these furs will get more for you. You can't take our furs. I'm taking you back to Dawson. You won't need them in jail. These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit, and all characters, names, places and incidents used are fictitious. They are sent to you each week at the same time.