 is the story of a man who never belonged anywhere. Whose backyard is the world. The man whose ways of life are the dreams of escape for those who want action, but never find it. The man, John Steele Adventurer. How far down under the crust of the earth must you go to get an idea of the world a million years ago? I went down just about half a mile. It was far enough. Far enough, even though I had company, the kind of company any guy should like. She was a blonde. Oh! A gal named Eva Gaxon, or at least if you like her, may be the reason I never got around to marrying. The type scares me. It also fascinates me. Which spells danger any way you look at it. Eva happens to be a natural blonde, though I wouldn't swear to it. She wears her hair down to her shoulder and suits her that way. When it even looks like rain, she wears a trench coat. And you guessed right. She wears an off-the-shoulder bag. If she were an actor, she'd be cast as an American newspaper woman. The fact is, she is one. Every so often, I run into her. The last time was down in Valparaiso, Chile. I pulled in the day after they'd had a mild earthquake down there, and I met Eva in the most natural place, a boss. Well, tall darts, slightly gray at the temples, and not too bad looking. You're just the guy I'm looking for. You're very unpopular with me. Go away. Oh, just because you're mad about me. Be quiet. Somebody may believe you. Stop pretending you're not secretly in love with me. You and your infallible woman's instinct. I'll buy you drinks. I'll save your money for your old age. I should live that long. You may. You're lucky. Look, said he, planting one foot firmly on the brass rail, I'll break the news to you very gently. Oh, you've been fired. What? I'm married. You? Married? Yeah. And it's not funny. Well, how did this happen? Up in Panama. It's been that lousy moon. You've seen the moon before. They aren't a special one out that much. Who's the guy? Steve Courtney. You even had to marry a newspaper man. Seems to make sense. In Panama. But not in Chile? Married a monster where I want to stop. Lasted that long, huh? Well, never mind my troubles. Look, how'd you like to explore a thousand leagues under the ground with me, huh? Not even if you were not married. Have you heard of any? No. The earthquake did things up in the hills, opened up the entrance to some subterranean cave. I'd like to go exploring. They say it's not safe. One more quake, and the caves would close up again. And you want to take a chance? Oh, I don't know what I want to do. Oh, why didn't you marry me years ago? You want me to tell you? Never mind. I'm on the hotels and cafes. Within reach of man, a million years of long as old. A lot of people tried to speculate what might be found in the depths of these caves and how far down they went. Maybe miles under the earth, but no one cared to explore. Just the slightest primer of the earth could easily close off the cave entrance for another million years. Next day, either Gaston and a brand new husband viewed the situation of the caves from their personal perspective. Where have you been all day? I went up to see the big hole in the ground. Alone? Except for about 100 other people? Without telling me. Would you have cared to know? Maybe not. That's what I thought. In short, we make a pretty indifferent pair, don't we? It happened all for fun, didn't it? Not a jerk I was. Were you? To think you'd give up your job. I never said I would. Now, like a dream, couldn't I? Oh, please. Why should you give it up? There isn't a reason in the world. After all, you make almost three times what I make. It'd be silly to give that kind of money up, Steve. Of course, of course it wouldn't. I came up here to ask you something. Go ahead. Steve, I've never written my big story. I've covered big ones. I've had a few exclusives, but I've never written that one big one. If I could, maybe I'd quit then, quit while I was ahead of the game. Steve, maybe this is it, my big story, that cave. Oh, here it comes. Would you go with me into that cave? Are you out of your mind? I'm not crazy. You're off your rocker. There'll be danger, all kinds of danger. Maybe we get lost down there, and never find our way back again. But we'd be sharing a big, adventures, Steve. And maybe, somewhere along the line, we find each other again. Let's not find each other again. All right. Now, all we ought to be crazy ideas. I'm an offbeat girl, Steve. I never make much sense. Maybe I'm too romantic. I don't know what I am. What time do you find out? I'm about to, I guess. Eva Gaxon, an intrepid newspaper woman defies death to venture into the unknown. Eva, you make me sick. You must hate me. Story of Steve Courtney, third-rate reporter. He married a byline, the closest he ever got to one. All right, Steve. Maybe you are a third-rate reporter. Goodbye, huh? Sure, sure, goodbye, Eva. Have fun. Courtney was your average nice guy. He did a nice average job. He could be depended upon. The world needs guys like Steve, but he didn't have that spark that Eva had. She was a top operator in the field, a first-class correspondent. Not always too ethical in what she did if it meant getting a story, but underneath it all, she was a good kid. Kid, she was 32, with 15 years of newspaper experience behind her. About 4 a.m., someone knocked at the door of my room at the hotel. It was Steve, and in a bad mood. Oh, she's smart, you know? She's a dame. A dame knows she'll be rescued if she gets into trouble. A dame always knows that. That's why I despise courageous dames, because they know somebody will bail them out. Where is Eva? I don't know, but I can guess. And you're worried? Me? Worried about her? Don't make me laugh. When did you last see her? Midnight. She was on her way out. And you waited until now? I came here for last, John. I'm not worried. You may not be, but I am. She's gone to that cave, and that's where we're going. The beginning of danger and the peace of the unknown. There is much of these when, in a moment, we hear more in the story of John Steele, adventurer. It was dawn. A lot of people watched. Steve and I lowered ourselves down the walls of the big opening in the earth. About 50 feet down, we stood in the entrance to the first subterranean cave. It was as big as the Yankee Stadium, and there was the remains of a petrified forest in it. It was like looking through a telescope and getting an idea of how the world could have looked a million years ago. The air was cold and damp. The water dripped from the roof. Where did this cave lead to? How far down into the boughs of the earth did it go? What was down there? Eva! Come on, Steve. It's been crazy to come down here. I'm a guy, I'm with you, but I'm scared out of my life. Yeah, yeah, come on. How do we know what's over there? We don't. We have a walk here before. Eva did clear tunes. I'll tell you much about it. Love and character. Yeah, yeah, so that's where you're part. Eva! Come on. We're having a red outside of those mountains. Please, stop it. That's what I thought. Just a sip, a little talk. Eva! Come on. We ran through the cave towards the sound of the screams. Maybe in another age, the police to see man had called where we now ran, but a saber-toothed tiger had hunted. But suddenly the cave ended, and we stood in the entrance to a subterranean tunnel and lost itself into a green duct. Our flashlight cast a sort of pale mist around us. Eva! Eva! Let's try the tunnel. Let me go first. We may hear a lot of queer sounds down here. That was an animal. If it was one, it makes no sense. Anyway, I've got it done. Come on. Oh, I can't go on. You've got no choice. I can't go on. I'm scared. Imagine what Eva's going through. Stupid little boom. That can come later. Right now, we've got to find her. Suppose it wasn't an animal. Big one. Steve, there are no big animals under the ground. How do you know? What? I hang over from maybe thousands of years ago living in these underground tunnels. Don't be an idiot, Steve. I'm going back. I'm going back alone. All right? Oh, come on. No. He's your wife, Steve. I don't care. Okay, stay here. I'm going back. And go back. I'm scared. I know. You just told me. Don't go. Don't leave me here. Don't leave me. Stay around, Steve. Come on. And no further. As I said, Steve was the average guy. Only he was scared. He was out of his element. I was scared too. Only I was accustomed to being in jams of all kinds. That was the only difference. Besides, I kept thinking of that blonde hair. And I thought I knew why Eva had forced herself to take this crazy chance. I walked along the tunnel. I could hear water running. I figured I was about half a mile under the earth. Eva. Eva. Can you hear me? Say something. Somebody's coming. What? Where are you? Keep talking. Keep talking. I'm here. Just keep talking. I'll find you. I'll find you. It's okay. Hi, Don. Hi. Can we always make you the don this place? Don't we? Always. We never miss. Bring my thread with me. Here. Think of everything. Here's a light. Where you at? I like my pretty, pretty legs. Can't move. Don't try. Glad you see me. We'll have to figure something out, won't we? Hold it. That's so bad down here. Not so good, Eva. I don't mind. Crazy, huh? I don't mind it. I'm not even scared. Just now when I was by myself, I wasn't even scared. That's fine. No. No, you don't understand. You're not scared. I can understand that. That's not really what I mean. No. I'm kind of peaceful down here. Nobody around. All this rock is... Feel it, Johnny. So soft. Real soft. No taxi cabs down here. No subways. No new spaces. No Sunday drivers either. You don't know what I'm talking about, do you? I'm not sure. Who's that? I don't know. Where's Steve? He went back for help. No. No, he didn't, sir. Yes, he was with me. I was unconscious for a while. I started coming too much. I heard someone yelling at me. Steve. He was scared. Oh, it's all right. Why wouldn't he have been scared? I don't know. We've got to get out of here. Happy? There must have been a storm up in the mountains. The water's beginning to filter through down here. We've got to get back up and put that down. Why? The cause will be drawn. It's placed down here. It'll be further. Look at that water already. Falling onto a ledge. Below the ledge, there was a bottomless space. Above the ledge, there was a 20-foot climb to get back into the tunnel. There were places where you could hang on. David could still use her hands, and I somehow managed to pull her up inch by inch. And the result we'll hear in a moment with a climax of another adventure with John Steele. The rush of water over the ledge where I'd found Eva would have carried us both to oblivion if we'd stayed there another 10 minutes. In the tunnel above the ledge, the water was about a foot deep by the time I was halfway along it. I found a rock formation and hoisted Eva and myself up onto it. That was when I felt my hand come in the contact with some alien object, something small that fell apart as I touched it. I turned my flashlight on it. I stared at it for a moment. It had once been a small pearl-handled pocket knife. I was too exhausted to think much about it and put the pieces in my pocket. Eva was suffering with the pain in her leg. I know. I won't be. We'll have a doctor take care of those legs as soon as we get out of here. We're not getting out of here. Why not? I feel it. We'll get out of here. I hope so, for your sake. Thanks. I mean it's true you do. Because you went through so much trouble for me. You did save my life. It'd be a shame if we didn't get out. Yeah, it would. For Steve. He may be trying to help us. No. No one can help us down here. They'll try. They'll give us up by now. Look. We have to get out of this tunnel. You can't carry me any further. Once we're in the cave, all we have to do is cross it and we'll be in the sound of the people up there. All right. Leave me here. Steve, you can make it. You think I will, lady? I guess not. Keep that in mind. No. I don't understand what I'm saying. Oh, what a mess I've got you into. The water's still shallow enough for me to wade. Last night. What about it? Trying it that way. What's the matter? It's not something moving in the water. It's possible. There. There, look. A log. No. It's always something alive. I don't know where. I'm not even sure. It was alive. It was. There was some sort of. Did you see that awful head? Whatever it was, it's gone now. But what was it? It may have been a piece of petrified wood. You know, pushed it into a real cougarly shape. No, no. It was making a sound. Well, maybe that was caused by some very unnatural phenomenon. No, no, no. The pain was alive. It wasn't very aggressive. We tried to make the other cave. Bring pain. Too much pain. But we can remedy that for a little while anyway. I hate doing this, Eva. But I must. This time her limb body was over my shoulders. The water in the tunnel was rising rapidly now. I was walking through places where it was knee-high. I was sure it was the end of the line. When I did reach the outer cave, it was flooded. It looked like the Colorado Rapids. I found another lock and lifted Eva up on top of it. There was a room for me and I stood there in the water, resting, getting back my breath. I will be all right. That was a long time ago. We're in the outer cave now. You know why I did this. In a minute, we'll try crossing the cave. All at once. We can still make it. Still, what are you having? What do you think? I think you're crazy about her. You're feeling much better. And your secret heart, you know it. Come on. Let's try it again. Don't make me again. I'll be okay, man. They've seen none now. There's not much pain. Hold on. Sorry, your head has to hang down. I have a good view of the water. I'm getting a free shampoo. For a few seconds, I grazed against the path of my free self submerged in the water. Once, my foot struck something that was rather than salt. I touched the object a second time with my foot and kept walking. I didn't want to think about what I thought. Halfway across the subterranean cave, I saw something at the far end. A white misty light swung back and forth. See that? They lowered a lantern. A lantern? A lantern at the end of it. We're all white, and we can make it the rest of the way. You'll be sure you'll make it, John. We'll both make it. I know. We've got to land. Don't worry about it. Sounds like another quake. John? Was that big hole in the air that closes up before we get there? Stop using your imagination. Trying to kid myself at that moment. It was another tremor on the crust of the earth. I could feel the rot rind under my feet and could feel it shaking as I walked through the twirling waters. But I kept my eyes on that swinging lantern ahead. The opening above the cave entrance was still there, I was sure of it. But it could close at any moment, and even I would be trapped. Trapped into eternity under the ground. Another 50 yards? Sure. You're in pain again. What's the matter? You'll be all right, soldier. Don't fight it. I have a thing that starts with that. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing? Yes, sir. But he said they'll pick up some kind of letter. Just pull us up with it. Hang on, baby. Hang on. Just a while longer. Steel returns with more of his story. This transcribed adventure was Don Douglas. Script was by John Fleming. And the entire production was under the direction of Robert Monroe. And of course, all names and characters heard are fictitious. And any similarity to a person's living or dead is purely coincidental. But here again is John Steel. It was six months before Eva could walk again. And at that time, a group of scientists toyed with the idea of an expedition down into those subterranean caves and passages. But the rainy season had come and the expedition had to wait. All it took was just one more tremor and the crack in the earth closed again. That end is planned for any expedition for the moment. Steve Courtney didn't get back when he left me in that cave. It must have been his body my foot touched in the water. It's just one thing that baffles me, however. The little pocket knife I found. How it had got down there in that place? By human hands? Or in the stomach of some animal or reptile? When I show it to people, they just look at it, shake their heads. For me, I have no explanation for it. Oh yes, Eva wrote her big story. She's still a newspaper gal. I still run into it here and there. Well, this is John Steele. Be around next week, huh? And don't forget now, adventure is where you find it. But don't look for it. It may find you.