 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill, pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Fire, forest fire. The most dreaded enemy of the woodland has broken loose and is racing across Pendleton Valley with the speed of a panther. This hungry monster devours everything in its path. It must be stopped. Colonel Anders, Ranger Bill's boss, rushes to stop the progress of this dreadful enemy. The Colonel commands an army of men using trucks, bulldozers, plows, axes, shovels, picks and dynamite. These men fight desperately to defeat the enemy that threatens to destroy the countryside. Things are not going so good and the battle gets fiercer by the minute. This is terrible. The fire's getting out of control. Ralph, yo Ralph, come here a minute. Yes sir, Colonel? What did you want? Ralph, take a bulldozer, 30 men, and make a new fire lane a thousand yards behind it. We may have to get out of here. Yes sir. Hey fellas, come with me. We can't let this fire get out of the valley. I'd better get out of here. The boys are cutting the trees down. Hey Colonel, look out. You fellas all right? Oh boy, Burgess, that was some tackle you made on the Colonel. Just moved him enough. Thank for saving my life. I'll not forget this. What's your name? Burgess, sir. Burgess, tell Ranger Tom that I'm going to contact Ranger Bill. Come to take command while I'm gone. Yes sir. Fine. I'll be back soon. We've got to stop this fire and I think I know how to do it. Hey, things look pretty bad. The Colonel has got to help stop the fire. What kind of help is he going to get? Oh, wait a minute. He was going to contact Ranger Bill. What do you say we run over to Bill's cabin outpost? Hello, Ranger Bill speaking. Yes sir, Colonel Anders. Say, that sounds bad. Very bad. Well, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Yes, take the horses in the truck. All right, I'll take my pal Henry along too. Yes sir, Colonel. Right away. Well, we sure didn't learn much from that conversation did we boys and girls? You know, I have a sneaking suspicion and we'd better tag along with Ranger Bill and find out what this is all about. He's busy packing. Henry, his young friend, is talking as usual. Bill, that fool calls sure packed a powerful wallop by the way you're packing things together. What's up? Trouble, Henry. Plenty of trouble. In fact, this is going to be such a big job that you will have to help me. It be. You mean you're letting me go with you? Let it. Those are orders, Ranger. Now, get cutting and pack your knapsack. My knapsack? I don't need a sack to knap you. All right, funny face. Get packing and don't forget your New Testament. Will we have time for Bible reading where we're going, Bill? Perhaps we won't have time, pal, but we're going to take time. Remember, when you're so busy you can't take time to talk with the Lord you're too busy. Come on now, let's go. Okay, I'm right behind you. Be sure the door's locked, Henry. She's locked right in her drum. Henry, run over and get the horses while I fetch your saddles and wagons. Sure thing, Bill. Modern best could stand some exercise, very sure getting fat and sassy. Oh, now easy does it, girls. That's it. Come on now. Come on, cut that out. Stop this shenanigans. Too much eating and no work ruins your horse sense. Why can't you behave like best does? Here now, you moth. What's the matter, having trouble, Henry? Yeah. Yeah, let me handle moth. Come on, Miss Briskey. Up into the truck. You go, best. There you go. All right now, help me with the tailgate, Henry. Yeah, this thing is heavy enough to hold an elephant. Yeah. Now watch your fingers. Okay. There we are. All right, hop in, Henry. Time's a-wasting. Oh, let's get fuzzin', cousin. What is the special task Colonel Anders has assigned to Bill? While Henry and Bill are traveling down the road, I'd like to tell you something about them. As you've probably guessed by now, Bill is a United States forest ranger. After he completed forestry school, he was assigned to Colonel Anders for range and forest patrol work. Bill can call every kind of tree, shrub, grass and animal of the forest by its Latin name as well as its regular name. When Bill is off duty, he lives with his mother in the town of Naughty Pine. Now a word about Henry. Henry's the same kind of boy you are. He loves the outdoors, he likes to swim, fish, hike, hunt. Yeah, and I'd rather be outside than go to school. Say, young fella, you're supposed to be riding with Bill. Huh? Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, almost forgot. Several hours have passed now. Ranger Bill and Henry are still riding along the wilderness road. Boy, my sleepy. How far have we got to go yet, Bill? About a hundred yards or so, Henry. Huh? What? You serious? This is just plain old wilderness. There isn't anybody around here for miles. What's stopping here for? There's a trail that begins where this old pine tree, and we're going up that trail frontal. Come on, Henry. Let's get the horses off the truck. We got a heap of riding to do. What's the matter, Henry? Hey, I smell smoke. Yeah, wood smoke. Hey, Bill, Bill, that smoke means there's a forest fire, doesn't it? I'm afraid so, Ranger. Look at all the animals running across the road. Look at Bill. Deer, bears, skunks, rabbit. Wow, take a gander at the size of that panther. Oh, boy, let's hurry and help put out the fire so these poor animals don't lose their homes. Okay, give me a hand with the tailgate. We'll get started. All right. You know, this tailgate gets heavier every time we use it. You need more flapjacks at breakfast, Henry. You're not talking too much. You'd be stronger. Come on, best. There you go. Easy, girl. Come on, boy. Easy now. There we are. Well, hold the lines, Henry, while I saddle up and put our gear on the horses. Okay. I sure hope no animals get hurt. Look, there's a baby deer. I mean a fawn. Doesn't he the sharpest little fella he ever saw? Oh, oh, my God, best. Horses smell of bulls and smoke, don't they, Bill? Yeah. I guess they do smell of smoke. Getting pretty restless. In just a minute, we'll be ready to go. Here, Henry, give me a hand with the tailgate. Again? That doesn't... All right. All aboard, there. All right. Get up, best. Come on, boy. Watch that branch, Henry. You'll be hanging by your chin. Hey, what's the matter with Maude? Must be a rattler close by. Let's see. Yeah, yeah, there he is. I'll be careful, so best doesn't throw you. How long we've been riding, Bill? About two hours or so, Henry. The boat's getting thicker, Bill. How much more riding we got? About ten more minutes, and we'll be there. Be there? Be where? Pine Ridge Dam. Pine Ridge Dam? I thought we were going to help fight the fire. We are, pal. But how are we going to fight the fire from up here? We'll be five miles away from the place. Remember the phone call from Colonel Anders? Sure do. Well, the Colonel told me to come up here to Pine Ridge Dam and set up a watch system. That's why I brought you with me. You mean I'm going to stand watch all by myself? Yes. We'll each take four-hour shifts watching for a signal light message from the Pendleton Fire Observation Tower. I can read Morse code, Bill. Learn it in Boyce Club. We'll run all the message come. If the fire gets out of control, he'll signal us to blow up the dam. Blow up the dam? Why? What a flood that'll be. You said it, Henry. The water in Pendleton Valley will be so wide that the fire can't possibly jump. It's a good plan. And it's up to us to make it work. But I hope we don't have to do it. Boy, oh boy, I'm just as important as a real Ranger is. You certainly are. I want you to take the first watch beginning at sunset. Now, there's the dam over there, but we'll camp on top of this hill. We can see the fire tower better from here. Oh, boy. Whoa, miss. As I'm getting arthritis or something, I feel pretty stiff after several hours in the saddle. All you have to do is quit eating so much of your mother's apple pie. Oh, is that so? No remarks from the nickel seats, Hank. Oh, you know I was only joking, Bill. Please don't call me Hank. That reminds me of the business end of a mob. Sorry, pal. Just thought I'd even up the score a little bit. Henry, Henry, take it easy with that box. Why? Oh, for no particular reason except that the box is full of dynamite. Dynamite? Well, why didn't you tell me? Listen, young fella, listen to your old grandpappy. If you ever drop a box of dynamite again like that, you can plan on a fast one-way trip to the moon. Ah, yes, Henry. You'd get quite a long ride up in the air if the dynamite went off. While Bill and Henry make camp, we find out how much progress Colonel Landers is making with the fire. Phew, but it's hot and dirty close to the fire. Say, the men are being driven back to the fire lane Ralph's men are building. Ralph, get the men out of here before we're trapped. Yes, sir. All right, men. Landers, Colonel Landers, Ranger Tom fell and broke his leg. What'll we do? Take him to the hospital and truck number three and be quick about it. Getting too dangerous to stay here any longer. Back, sir. Things look pretty bad, don't they? That's right, Ralph. We don't stand a chance and let Bill help us. You take charge. I'm going to signal Bill to blow up Pine Ridge Dam. The Colonel is really desperate. Will Bill be able to blow up Pine Ridge Dam in time? How's Henry going to stand the tough grind of a midnight watch? Listen again next Monday at 4.45 for more adventures with Ranger.