 Now, as gunshots echo across the windswept snow-covered reaches of the wild northwest, Quakerpuff wheat and Quakerpuff rice, the breakfast cereals shot from guns, present the challenge of the Yukon. It's Yukon King, swiftness and strongest lead dog of the northwest, placing the trail for Sergeant Preston of the northwest mounted police in his relentless pursuit of lawbreakers. Yukon King, on your hushies! Gold, gold discovered in the Yukon, a stampede to the Klondike in the wild race for riches, back to the days of the gold rush, with Quakerpuff wheat and Quakerpuff rice bringing you the adventures of Sergeant Preston and his wonder dog Yukon King as they meet the challenge of the Yukon. And the game is on! Whether it's football you like to play or any other sport, you need a hearty breakfast. So start tomorrow to enjoy a breakfast of delicious Quakerpuff wheat or Quakerpuff rice with milk or cream and fruit. Quakerpuff wheat and Quakerpuff rice furnish extra health benefits of restored natural grain amounts of vitamin B1, niacin and dion. And they're shot from guns to make them crisp and tender. They're shot through and through with swell nut like flavor too. Don't wait, it's the hearty breakfast you like to eat. Quakerpuff rice or Quakerpuff wheat. Joe Sanford was awakened by a wet tongue licking at his face and the excited wines of a big black and white husky rearing up beside his bunk. For several moments Joe struggled to shake off the mists of sleep and then as he gradually remembered what had happened the night before he gave a joyful shout. Spot old boy, oh thank heavens you came back to me. I think I sold you for 25 bucks. I must have been crazy. What I'd like to know is how you got away from scarring Baldy. From the looks of that piece of rope attached to your collar I'd say you chewed through your leash. Is that what happened? It is. Well that was mighty smart. The next question is what are Scar and Baldy going to do when they find out you're gone? I'll tell you what we're going to do Sanford. We're going to take the dog back. Scar and Baldy? Pretty slick the way you've got that dog trained to come back to you Sanford. Yeah it's pretty slick but it don't make no difference. The dog still belongs to us. Come here pooch. I'll show you how to handle that much. You touch spot with that whip and I'll beat your ears off. Sit down Sanford before you get hurt. Don't go pushing me around Scar. Scar recovered and rushed to Joe Sanford. The dog eluded Baldy's whip and sprang to his master's aid. In a moment the three men and the husky were tangled in the savage brawl. Sergeant Preston was riding into Selkirk with King trotting at his stirrup. As he passed Joe Sanford's shack and the outskirts of town he heard the fight going on inside. Baldy rained up his horse. Come on King we better see what's going on in there. All right two three, wake it up. That's better. While you're at it Baldy maybe you'd better hand over that whip. All right take it. Now suppose you tell me what this is all about. Why we came here perfectly peaceable to get our dog and Sanford tried to... Your dog I thought spot belonged to Joe. Sanford sold into us last night. That right Joe? Yes it's right but I... I didn't know what I was doing I must have been out of my head. What happened? I was playing poker at the cafe. I drew a full house and bet everything I had. And someone raised me and I had to get more money to stay in the game. Scar and Baldy were watching. They offered me twenty five dollars for spot and I took it. They promised me I could buy him back later if I won. But you didn't? No. I got cleaned out. I see. You have a family back in the States don't you Joe? That's right. I got a wife and two kids. How much money have you sent them in the last month? Not a red cent. Yet you didn't hesitate to go out and gamble away your last dollar? No it was a crazy thing to do I realize that now Sergeant. But I only did it for their sake. I thought maybe I could win enough at poker to grub steak me on a new prospecting trip. Well I hope you've learned your lesson. So help me Sergeant. I'll never gamble again. Never mind this sob stuff. Just give us the dog and we'll be on our way. Hold it Scar. You too Baldy. I'll lend Joe enough to pay you back. Ten twenty twenty five there. Take it. Hey now just a minute Preston. You've got no business putting in this way. You've got your money Scar. The matter's settled. Listen Joe. We'll give you a hundred bucks for the dog. He's not for sale. We'll give you three hundred. I said he's not for sale. Why is it you and Baldy are so anxious to get your hands on spot. Mind your own business Manny. Sanford will give you five hundred bucks. That's our final offer. Take it or leave it. If a job will make any difference in your decision Joe. I know where you can find one. Sergeant. Do you really mean that? Yes I'm sure of it. In that case Scar you and Baldy can clear out. Spots not for sale at any price. All right all right we'll clear out. But get this Preston. Next time you go butting into our affairs. You're going to find yourself in a peck of trouble. You're scaring me to death. Come on Baldy let's get out of here. Sergeant. How about that job you mentioned? It's at the Phantan Mine up near Muckluck City. Mother hired hands just quit. And they're looking for someone to take his place. Carly Sergeant. I don't know how to thank you. Not just for telling me about the job. But for lending me the money. That's all right Joe. It's funny why Scar and Baldy were so anxious to buy a spot. Yeah. Why do you funny? Look here Sergeant. You suppose those two are up to some sort of monkey business? Well they must have some motive for bidding so high. Knowing Scar and Baldy I'd say the motive was probably crooked. Just out of curiosity I think I'll follow them and see where they go. Scar and Baldy went directly to the office of a shyster lawyer named Jasper Billings. Billings, a heavy sat red faced individual, was at his desk chewing on an unlighted cigar as the two men entered. Scar told the lawyer what had just happened at Joe Sanford's cabin. And after he heard that, Sanford told us to clear out. He said that dog wasn't for sale at any price. That confounded Monty I'd like to ring his neck in. Yeah, so would we. But that ain't gonna get the dog back. I've got to have that dog in my position by the time the will is open. What do you figure I'm doing boss? I don't know. You two go back and keep your eye on Sanford and the dog. Watch every move they make. Report back to me sometime this afternoon. In the meantime I'll try to figure some way to get the position of the dog. Unknown to Scar and Baldy, Sergeant Preston had trailed them to Jasper Billings' office. The sergeant was well acquainted with Billings' unsavory reputation and felt certain that he was somehow in back of Scar and Baldy's mysterious attempt to buy Joe Sanford's dog. Rather than question Billings directly, Sergeant Preston went to see a lawyer named Henry Morton, who was a close personal friend of the sergeant. Henry, how much do you know about Jasper Billings? Well, not much, except that he's crooked as a corkscrew. Is he handling any criminal cases at the moment? Well, now let me see. Yes, I believe he is handling a couple of cases. It's petty stuff though, nothing important. Why, what's up? I'm not sure, but I have reason to believe that Billings has hired two crooks to get hold of a certain dog, belonging to a sourdough named Joe Sanford. I also have a hunch that a lot of money's involved in the deal. By Jingo, Sergeant. What's money? When you mentioned that a lot of money was involved, I just happened to remember something. Jasper Billings is handling old Duncan Penfields' estate. Duncan Penfield? You mean the man who owned the Penfield mine? That's right. He left the estate with a million dollars, so they say. He and Jasper used to be pals back in the old days, before the Klondike stampede. So Jasper became his lawyer after he got rich. Do you know anything about the terms of his wealth? No, the will hasn't been opened yet. From what I hear, it won't be read until all of Duncan Penfield's relatives arrive here from Selkirk. I wonder what connection Joe Sanford's dog can have with the Penfield estate. I hope Sanford hasn't left town yet. Was he leaving town? Yes, he's going to Muckluck City to take a job. He has to be on the safe side. I think I'd better warn him to watch out for his dog and for himself. While Sergeant Preston was speaking to his friend lawyer Morton, Scar and Baldi came rushing back to Jasper Billings' office. Well, it doesn't matter with you, too. Hey, boss, Joe Sanford just blew town and he took the dog with him. He headed north, up the Yukon Trail. Well, maybe this is just the break we've been waiting for. What do you mean? Just this. You and Scar get yourself a pair of horses. Circle past Sanford so he doesn't see you and pick yourself out of good spot for an ambush. An ambush? You heard me. Don't forget this dog is worth $100,000. Or aren't you too interested? Well, we're interested, all right. Go ahead and tell us your plan. When Sanford goes by, gun him down, then bury his body a good long way from the trail. Some place where no one will ever find it. What about the dog? Bring him back here to me, naturally. Kind of risky, ain't it? If anyone ever gets suspicious about what happened to Sanford, you're the first person they'll suspect. Let him suspect me only, please. As long as they can't find Sanford's body, they can't prove a thing. I'll, uh, I'll claim Joe sold me the dog just before he left town. And they won't be able to prove different. We'll continue our story in just a moment. Stand back. This is it. Oh, that's Quaker Puff Wheat. And there goes Quaker Puff Rice. A famous ready-to-serve cereal shot from guns. Yes, fellas and girls, I wish you could see it yourself. In the big Quaker mills, huge guns are loaded with only the premium wheat or rice grains. Then these choice kingpin kernels are exploded up to eight times normal size. Yes, actually shot from guns to make them crisp and tender, bigger and better tasting. Quaker Puff Wheat and Quaker Puff Rice are puffed to perfection. Shot through and through with bang-up nut-like flavor, too. You get such crisp, tender puffed kernels they fairly melt in your mouth. The wonderful part of it is, the more you eat, the more he-man nourishment you get. Because Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice have added food values of restored natural grain amounts of vitamin B1, niacin and iron. So don't wait. Enjoy both delicious kinds. Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. Remember, the original crisp, fresh, wheat or rice shot from guns is never sold in bags or bulk, but comes only in the big Quaker Red and Blue package with the smiling Quaker Man on the front. Now to continue our story. Scar and Baldi set out from Selkirk to ambush Joe Sanford. To avoid being seen, they skirted up through the hills. Ten minutes of hard riding brought them within sight of the sourdough and his dog. A few minutes later, the two gunmen were crouching in position for the ambush. Here he comes now. You got a good beat on him? Yeah, I got him all lined up on my sights. I'm just waiting till he gets a little closer. All right, Sanford, this is where you get your ticket to Kingdom Come. You got him! Yeah, that's the end of him, all right. Listen to that moth howl for his master. Come on, let's go grab him and bury Sanford's body. Hey, wait. Someone's coming along the trail. All right. Holy smoke, he's wearing a red coat. It's a bounty. And he's got a dog with him. That's Sergeant Preston. Scar, I don't know about you, but I'm getting out of here pronto. You and me both. Come on, Baldi. Get up! Get up! Get up! Come on! A moment later, Sergeant Preston rained up sharply on the trail and hurried to Joe Sanford's aid. Hold on. He's been hit pretty badly, Spalter will do what we can. He's also still beating. I guess the bullet went too high for his heart. Joe, Joe, can you hear me? You stopped the bullet, Joe. Someone fired at you from ambush. Let's tear off his shirt and take a look at the wound. Joe was lucky you happened along. I was following you, Joe. Following me? What for? Because I was afraid something like this might happen. I wanted to warn you to be on guard. Why should anyone want to kill me? I haven't got any money. No, but I have a hint to spot. Maybe a mighty variable dog. Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt. I guess I'm not quite as tough as I thought I was. You've lost a lot of blood, Joe. That wound's no joke. What are you going to do next, Sergeant? Find out where that bullet came from. I'm afraid there's no time for that. Right now, the important thing is to get you to a doctor. Sergeant Preston took Joe Sanford to the hospital in Selkirk. Then he went to the office of Jasper Billings. Good afternoon, Sergeant. Do I owe the honor of this visit? I'm investigating the shooting of a sourdough named Joe Sanford. The shooting, did you say? I tell you, Sergeant, the lawless element in the territory must be stamped out. I quite agree. This morning two hoodlums called Scar and Baldi paid a visit to Joe Sanford. They offered Joe up to $500 for his dog, but Joe wouldn't sell. After leaving Joe's place, they came here to your office. Well, I don't deny they paid me a visit. What was it they wanted to see you about? No, Sergeant. No reputable lawyer divulges the affairs of his clients. The law itself recognizes that such matters are confidential. You're handling the estate of Duncan Penfield, aren't you? That is correct. Does Joe Sanford's dog enter into the Penfield will in any way? I've already told you that my clients' affairs are confidential. In other words, you're not talking. Put it that way if you like. Very well, Billings. I can't force you to cooperate. Well, here's some information that may interest you. Joe Sanford has turned his dog over to me for safekeeping. As long as I'm in charge of that dog, he's not for sale at any price. And I'm not letting him out of my possession for one minute, is that clear? Perfectly clear, Sergeant. Perfectly clear. Later that afternoon, Jasper Billings spoke to Scar and Baldi in the back room of a small cafe. That mountain is too smart for his own good. He's going to gum up the whole works. What's wrong? He suspects there's some connection between Sanford's dog and the Penfield will. What's more, he's taking charge of the dog while Sanford's in the hospital. He says he's not going to let the dog out of his possession. What are you going to do? I've got a hunch I could talk Sanford into selling the dog if it weren't for Preston. The problem is how to get the mountain out of the way. Got any ideas? Yes. You ever hear of a place called Grizzly Gulch? Yeah, I've heard of it. About two miles west of town. That's right. On the far side of Grizzly Gulch, there's an old deserted shack. To get to the shack, you have to cross over a rickety bridge. I suppose Preston got a message asking him to come to that shack tonight. And I suppose someone had sawed through the timbers of the bridge beforehand. I'm beginning to catch all of them. It's a 200-foot drop to the bottom of the gulch. If that doesn't take care of Preston, I don't know what will. Darkness had fallen when Sargeant Preston returned to his cabin that evening. A violent storm was raging. Well, King, this is one night I'm glad not to be out on the trail. As the Sargeant and King entered the cabin, Joe Sanford's dog greeted them with a joyful bark. Hello there, spot old boy. It's like somebody slipped a note under the door all night the land. If you want evidence, which will convict the person who ambushed Joe Sanford, come to the deserted shack on the edge of Grizzly Gulch tonight after dark. Sounds like a trick, King. But just the same, I think we'd better investigate. Sargeant Preston and King left the cabin and headed out of town in the direction of Grizzly Gulch. To reach Grizzly Gulch, it was necessary to pass through a dense stand of pines. Sargeant Preston dismounted the edge of the woods and proceeded on foot. As he approached the bridge, the wind shifted. King halted abruptly and faced around with his nose raised to sniff the air. Does the man have fallen? Is there one following us? Hold it, King. Hold it for him. If we try rushing, he'll be asking for a bullet. Somehow I don't think they intend to shoot us in the back, if they've done it already. Let's go on across the Gulch and see if we can't draw them out into the open. The scent which King had caught was that of scar and baldy. The two crooks were trailing Sargeant Preston at a safe distance. Hidden in a thick clump of shrubbery, they saw the mount he revealed by a sudden flash of lightning just as he stepped on to the bridge. Here he goes. He just started across the bridge. Won't be long now. That was it. Come on, let's go take a look. Hey, that's Preston's dog. He must have gotten across the bridge before it busted. Maybe ought to plug him just for good measure. No, don't do it, Scar. They found the dog's body with a bullet in it. They'd know Preston's death was no accident. Yeah, I guess you're right. Too bad it's so dark. I'd like to see how Preston landed. Don't worry. That ball must have broken every bone in his body. Let's get back to town and tell Billings how he made out. The following morning, a grim and silent trio of men made their way into Selkirk. At the head of the group was Constable Alex Ross of the Northwest Mounted Police. The other two men were carrying a blanket-covered figure on an improvised stretcher. As the group passed by Jasper Billings' office, the lawyer came out and called to Constable Ross. Constable! Yes, what is it? I don't want to seem morbidly curious, but what happened? Sergeant Preston was killed last night. Good evidence. You mean that's the sergeant's body they're carrying? That's right, Mr. Billings. How was he killed? Apparently, he was crossing the bridge over Grizzly Gulch. The bridge gave way and the sergeant was killed in the fall. Tell me, what a ghastly business. I know you and the sergeant were good friends, Constable. Believe me, you have my deepest sympathy. Later that morning, Jasper Billings approached the bedside of Joe Sanford in the big log building that served as the Selkirk Hospital. A black-and-white husky lay curled up on the floor beside Joe's head. Sanford, my name is Jasper Billings. I'm a lawyer. Perhaps you've heard of me. Yeah, I've heard of you. What do you want? Yesterday morning, two men named Scarlet and Baldi made you an offer of $500 for your dog. Incidentally, is that him on the floor there? That's right. What about it? I'm prepared to raise that offer to $750. $750? Holy smoke. How come you're so anxious to get a hold of so much? That's my business, Sanford. I'll only say this much. Spot has certain definite markings. Those markings give him a striking resemblance to a very famous show dog. A blue-ribbon champion, in fact. Oh, so that's the game. You're planning to pull some kind of a switch with this other dog. You're free to think anything you please. All right. Give me the money and the dog's yours. At noon the following day, seven people gathered in Jasper Billings' office. They were the heirs and relatives of Duncan Penfield. Listening to lawyer Billings read the will. First, to the owner of the black-and-white Malamute dog answering to the name of Spot, which saved me from drowning on the 18th of June, 1899, I devised and bequeathed some of $100,000 in cash. That's a very unusual bequest. Who's the owner of the dog? As a matter of fact, I am. Billings, there's something fishy about this. If you're the owner, why aren't you specifically named in the will? I can explain that. It so happens that Duncan Penfield didn't know who owned the dog that saved his life. I myself learned that the owner was a man named Joe Sanford. Yesterday I bought the dog from Sanford. But does Sanford know about this provision in the will? Frankly, no. Billings, that was nothing less than a swindle, and you know it. If you really have the dog, where is he? How about producing him? The dog is in the next room. Two friends of mine are taking care of him. Oh, Scar, bring the dog in here, will you please? I'll be glad to bring him in. Question that. I thought you were dead. So did Scar and Balday. Incidentally, they are both being detained by Constable Ross. The Constable said you were killed when the bridge collapsed over Grizzly Gulch. If you'll remember, it was raining heavily that night. As a result, it was a good six feet of water in the bottom of the Gulch. So I got off with nothing worse than some bad bruises. King Wetton got Constable Ross, and he pulled me out. What about that dead body of the Constable Rodback? The whole business was just a trick to make you think I was out of the way. Well, you're a pretty smart person. Wetton, does it make any difference? Sanford sold me the dog, and now the $100,000 is mine. There's not a thing you can do. Sorry, Billings, but you're wrong on two counts. What do you mean? In the first place, that dog you bought from Joe Sanford is not the dog mentioned in the will. He's just a husky out of my own dog team. Cut stuff with a little black dye to make him resemble Spock. In the second place, there is something I can do, and that is place you want to arrest for attempted murder. Attempted murder? Of whom? First of Joe Sanford, and then of me. I knew someone had followed me that night. I went to Grizzly Gulch, so after I was rescued, I put King to tracking the person down. He led me straight to Skr and Bouldy's cabin. Yeah, that may prove they tried to murder you, but it doesn't prove a blessed thing about me. Long again, Billings, because they've both confessed and spilled the whole story of your part in the plot. All right, Prisley, now I guess you've got me. Finally, come along quietly if you... just let me clear these papers off my desk. All right, put up your hands, all of you. Better put that gun down, Billings. If it goes off, the charge may be worse than attempted murder. If this gun goes off, you won't be around to tell about it. Keep your hands up high and don't make a move, anybody. All right. Keeping the occupants of the room covered, Jasper Billings backed slowly toward the door leading to the street. But as he opened the door, he was knocked off balance by the sudden attack of a sterling husky. Where'd this dog come from? Help me, somebody. All right, Billings. I've neglected to inform you that King was on guard just outside the door. Get him away. Keep away from it. First you'd better let go of that gun. Yes, I'll let it go. Just get this dog away from it. All right, King. You can let him up now, boy. Billings, you're under arrest in the name of the Queen. I think you'll have a hard time finding a legal loophole to crawl through now that this case is closed. In just a moment, Sergeant Preston will give you a preview of Friday's adventure. Eenie, meanie, minie, moe. Ibbity, bibbity. Oh, why bother with that? When you can't decide which you want to get, Quaker Puffed Wheat or Quaker Puffed Rice, just do this. Don't miss out on either of these delicious, ready-to-serve breakfast cereals. Keep a supply of both kinds on hand. Eat Quaker Puffed Wheat one time, Quaker Puffed Rice the next. Remember, wheat or rice shot from guns is never sold in bags or bulk. Look for the big red and blue package with the smiling Quaker Man on the front. Get the original crisp, fresh, Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. Listen, Friday, when Sergeant Preston and Yukon King meet the challenge of the Yukon in the case of the Phantom Witness. When a friend of mine in Dawson suspected of the murder of his partner, it was hard for me to believe that he could be guilty, but the circumstances were all against him. So, King and I set out to try to clear him. I thought of a scheme, but it didn't work out as I'd planned and resulted in a thrilling adventure. Be sure to hear this exciting adventure Friday. These radio dramas, a feature of the challenge of the Yukon Incorporated, are created and produced by George W. Trendle, directed by Fred Flower Day and edited by Fran Stryker. The part of Sergeant Preston is played by Paul Sutton. They are brought to you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the same time by Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. The breakfast cereals shot from guns. Remember, for delicious hot breakfast, enjoy Quaker Oats. The giant of the cereals is Quaker Oats. Delicious, nutritious, makes you feel ambitious. The giant of the cereals is Quaker Oats. And here's why Quaker Oats is called the giant of the cereals. There's more growth, more endurance in oatmeal than any other whole grain cereal. So make your hot breakfast nourishing Quaker Oats. Quaker and Mother's Oats are the same. This is J. Michael wishing you good bye, good luck and good health from Quaker Puffed Wheat and...