 The challenge of the Yukon on King, on your hastings. The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of Eskimoly 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 Mounted 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. Mark Jackson and Bert Holt strode to the wet snow on the outskirts of the town of Selkirk. It was early spring, but the ice still coated the rivers and the sun had melted only the surface of the snow. As they neared a small creek that ran near a log cabin, Mark stopped. Wait a minute, Bert. I'm thirsty. That ain't far from town. Can't you wait till we get there? No. I'll just break the ice and get some water out of this creek. It's probably froze clear to the bottom. Nope. There's an inch or two of water. You got a tin cup? Yeah. You picked up some gravel. Don't swallow it. Let her try again. You ain't a bird, you know. Hey, Bert, look. Look in the bottom of this cup. What? Say, it's a nugget and a good-sized one, too. Give me that cup a minute. Find anything? Husty, I did it. Here's another one. Bigger than the first. Now that this creek is full of them. Look how Bert has a big dog coming out of that cabin. Talk to him, Mark. You can handle dogs. They don't like me. There's a man coming out of the cabin, too. He must have seen us. Hello, boy. Nice dog. Come on, fella. Good dog. Let me pet you. He's all right. Bert, he won't bite. What's the matter with that old codger asking where the dog is? He can see him right here. Look how funny he's walking. Hey, I know what's wrong. That man's blind. Hey, look. He put a leash on the dog, and the dog is leading him down here. Maybe we better get out of here before we're messing around these claims. No, we're staying here. He won't know we booked the ice in the creek. It would look funny if we ran now. Hello there, partner. Hello. My dog must have hurt you down here. Oh, me and my partner were just passing by. Run away to Selkirk. You, uh, live here by yourself? Well, yes, I do. Temporarily. I had an accident a while back. Guess you noticed. I can't see. You've got a claim around here? Yep. Ain't much, though. I'm waiting for my nephew to come up to work it for me. He'll be up here in the first boat from Seattle as soon as the ice breaks. How do you get along by yourself, not being able to see? Well, I ain't exactly alone. I got Champ here. He's as good as a pair of eyes. That's a fine dog you have there. I don't say he is. We'll be all right when that gets here. I hope you get along all right. Well, Mark, I guess we better get going to town. Yeah, I guess we better. Nice to talk to you. It's kind of lonesome out here. Come back again. I will do that. Come on, Mark. Goodbye. Goodbye. So long. I'm not being able to see. Lucky he has that dog with him leading him around. Yeah. Mark, that claim is going to be ours. Ours? But Bert... What? It's a perfect setup. All he's got is that dog and dogs like you. All you have to do is get that dog away from him. I'll do the rest. But I don't get it, Bert. What would I do with the dog? You want to be rich, don't you? Sure. This is opportunity knocking. You get that dog and take him away. Far enough away so that nobody can hear the shot when you shoot him. Shoot that nice dog? You crazy? Listen, Mark, I always do the bossing, don't I? Sure, Bert, because you're smarter. We always come out right when we do as I say, don't we? Sure. Well, here's the idea. You take that dog out and kill it. I just happen to go by the old man's cabin when he's looking for it. I tell him I can see where the dog tracks lead. And I take him in the other direction. When I get him far enough away, I'll... Fine, you? Not where I take him, they won't. If they do find him, it'll be too late. It was two days later when Mark Jackson walked through the woods about two miles from Ben's cabin. With him, tugging at his leash was champ. Come along, champ. That's the boy. I know all to stop here with you. We're far enough away. You do like me, don't you, pup? I like you. You just gotta forgive me for this. Bert's a boss, and I gotta do what he says. Maybe if I just shut my eyes and think how much money it's gonna get us, like Bert says. If I shut my eyes and hold a gun here behind your ear, you won't know what done it. Oh, still, champ. What is it? It's a dog team. Well, at least I don't have to shoot you for a while to let go. Hey, he's turning the team this way. Quiet, champ. You're a meldy. How are you? You're hunting? Yes, we're just out seeing what we can find. That's a fine dog you have there. Yeah, he's a wonderful dog. Yours is nice, too. Why, head king? I suppose this fool used to ask you, but you wouldn't sell that dog, would you? Sell him? To you? Yes. You see, one of my dogs has gone lame, the one tied to the sled, and I have a rather heavy load. I'm king supplies up to the Indian village north of here. Your dog looks like a good strongman. Oh, he's a fine strong dog. He's young, too. He's fun, doesn't he? I don't suppose you want to pry it with him. Which way did you say you were going? I'm going north. That's away from Selkirk, isn't it? Yes, why? Well, I just thought that if I did sell him, I'd hate to see him around. Not only, my man. Well, how much do you want for him? Would fifty dollars be too much? Fifty? Why, no, not at all. I'll take him right now for that, just a minute. All right. Goodbye, champ. I like him. He's awful friendly. Yes, I can see that. Here's your money. Now, you better watch him. He might try to run away. I'll keep an eye on him and put him right in harmless. Come on, champ. I can use you, fella. You'll be good to him, water. Well, of course. You seem rather eager to have me take him. I want to define a good home for him, a good master. You're going north now, aren't you? Yes. Well, then, goodbye. All morning, Bert Holt weeded around the cabin of the old blind bend. Time and again, the old man called champ. Here, champ. Here, champ. Where are you, fellow? I heard you calling your dog. Yeah. He sure can help me. Remember my dog, champ? That big husky that was here with him? That's the one. He disappeared. He's never done anything like this before. I can't understand it. He's been gone since early this morning. He'll come back. I'm not worried about him. He never leaves me. I can't get along without him. Maybe he got caught in a trap or something. His tracks are all around here. Could you follow them to your sink and find him for me? I wouldn't do any good. He wouldn't come home with me. Dogs don't like me much. Well, if you lead me, I'll go with you. Just let me find him, that's all. I'm strong enough to walk a long way if you just follow his tracks for me. Oh, sure. I'll do that. Come on. They go through the woods here. I don't know how to thank you, mister. A dog means everything to me. Come on. I'll take your arm. The following morning, Sergeant Preston buffed to the trading post in Selkirk. Hello there, jewels. Aren't you opening up a little late this morning? Hello, Sergeant. I'm glad to see you. And there is King. Hello, boy. Good to oversleep this morning, jewels. No, no. I have just taken some things out to my old friend Ben Norland. He is blind, and twice each week I take him supply. Well, that's nice of you. Doesn't anyone take care of him? Only his dog. His funny thing, though. Today, Ben, he is not there. He must have gone off with Champ somewhere. Well, that's no dog I bought. Thanks for calling him or something. That's his name, too. Which one? Why the third one there? Sergeant, that is Ben's dog, Champ. He knows you. Of course they do. I bring him bones all the time. But Ben would not sell you Champ. Champ is Ben's eyes. He is blind. The man who sold me this dog wasn't blind. Come to think of it, he acted kind of funny. Kept asking me if I were going north. I didn't tell him I was coming right back again. Maybe he's still Champ for to sell him. And maybe that blind man has tried to find him and gotten lost. Poor Ben. Can you show me where he lives, jewels? Come, we go right now. King and Champ can pick up his trail. Champ will lead us to him, I'm sure. On King! On you, Husky! It was late that day when, far from town, over a twisting mountain trail, Champ led Sergeant Preston and jewels to an hour's crack to the side of a cliff. Oh, King! Oh, you, Husky! They're here with the dog team, jewels. I'll squeeze through there after Champ. Did you find him, boy? Ben, are you all right? I'm sitting pressed. I was very walking and moving, so I wouldn't freeze. I'm sure glad you came. A man brought me here and left me. Well, you can tell me about it later. Let me help you, Ben. You can write back on my sled. It was two days later when Martin Burt neared the creek beside Ben's cabin carrying shuffles and pans. There's no sign of anybody around. No smoke coming out of the chimney. He ain't back now, he never will be. Will a claim be ours now, Burt? If the old man don't show up, we put in our claim for it, it's ours. In the meantime, we can work it while nobody's here to find out. And here's a place. But what if someone comes looking for it? We'll just say we decided to look around a little. I'll start bringing up that ice and let's get out some of the gravel. Look, Burt, coming out of the cabin. They must have found the old man. It's a mountain. Run, Mike! It's the mountain. Don't try running. I won't. You shouldn't have tried to run away. Now get up and get back to your partner. I don't see why you made him catch me. We weren't doing anything. We want you for what you did two days ago. There's a little charge against you for attempted murder. Murder? You're crazy. We found old Ben, where you left him, Burt. He saved Joe's cabin in town. You shouldn't have tried to run, Burt. A dog will always chase anyone. Get together. I'm handcuffing both of you. Handcuffing us? Why? Burt left him. His dog. Why you? I'm sorry, Burt. I just couldn't kill him. Shut up, you fool! We could have arrested you yesterday. But we wanted to find out why. You discovered ghoul on his claim, I see. But we didn't kill him. Mark, shut up! I'll see that your sentence is light, Mark. After all, you didn't kill Champ, and I think your partner here is the brains of all this. Get along now, you two. Yes, King, the case is closed. Here is an important announcement. Next week, daylight saving time ends. If your community has been on standard time, the challenge of the UConn will come to you one hour later. Consult your local newspaper to be sure. These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit, and all characters, names, places, and incident-used are fictitious. Hugh Holder speaking. This is the Michigan Radio Network.