 The challenge of the Yukon! It's King, swiftest and strongest lead dog of the North Country, blazing the trail for Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Monod Police in his relentless pursuit of lawbreakers. I'm King! Gold, gold discovered in the Yukon, a stampede to the Klondike in the greedy race for riches. Now back to the days of the gold rush when Sergeant Preston and his wonder dog King battle through storm and snow to preserve law and order as they met the challenge of the Yukon! Sergeant Preston, with his dog King at his side, knocked at the door of Jim Crane's cabin on the outskirts of Dawson. The door was opened by young Tommy, Jim's 12-year-old son. Hello, Sergeant Preston. Come in. How are you, King old fella? How are you, Tommy? Your father here? I don't know if he'll be here any minute now. I think he went over to Tim Lacy's to look at some furs. Take your park off and sit down, Sergeant. Thanks, Tom. I came over to have a look at those sled dogs your dad has to sell. They're out in the kennels. Did Dad tell you that Vixen had her pups? Yes. They're about 10 days old now, aren't they? Yeah, and the cutest things you ever saw. I've got one of them right here in this box. Well, will King hurt him if I show him to you? Oh, no. King won't hurt a puppy. Come here, King. Don, boy. Oh, look at him, Sergeant. Isn't he a beauty? Oh, I should say so. Sad to look at you, young fella. Well, he's a good dog. Nice bones and build. His stomach is all swollen up. I guess he ate too much dinner. That reminds me of the last case I was on. Wasn't that bank robbery? Yes, Tom. I just got back a few days ago. I heard something about it. Gee, Sergeant, what happened? Will you tell me about it? As long as you're going to be waiting for Dad, you'll have time. Well, I'm sure that you'd better put this little fella back in his box. I think he's sleeping. Yes, I'd better. He always gets sleepy after he eats. There, spot. What a sleep. Gee, Sergeant, I've been waiting to hear about you getting those robbers. You discovered that the bank is in robbery for anybody, didn't you? Yes, I did. But the robbery was evidently planned about a week before. There were two men who arrived in Dawson about that time with the names of Hank Sims and Tim Johnson. They came into the gold nugget bar quite often, but didn't mix for the other men very much. However, they did manage to meet Jed Wilcox, the old man who sleeps in the back room of the bank. They called him to their table one night. Look over there, Tim. That's the old codger I was telling you about. He don't look very dangerous. You sure he's the one who guards the bank? I'm pretty sure. He's coming this way. This is as good a time as any to find out. Hello, mister. Well, I don't remember seeing you in town before. You strangers? Sit down and get acquainted. I won't be able to stay with you long. I've got to go to work. You don't work at night, do you? Yep, I do. I came up to the Yukon to look for gold. I put my luck ran out on me, I guess. Before I hit any pay dirt, I had a bad accident. I slipped on some ice and hit you in the back. I was in a pretty bad spot, I can tell you. You the bank clerk? Oh, no, no. I ain't very good at figures. I just sleep in the back room, watching it from there. That sounds easy enough. It ain't too hard, but it don't pay much. I guess I'm lucky to be working at all, though. Anken Term waited almost a week before going ahead with their plan. They bought a good dog team and loaded up with supplies. Then at midnight, one night when it was snowing and cold and the sound was quiet, they drove up to the bank. Opened, Tim. Getting locks open is my business. This is nothing. There, it's open. You get over and turn that lantern down, though. Someone might see us from the street. I'm going to need a little light to crack that safe. There ain't anybody on the street. We're safe enough. Oh, Jed is a sound sleeper. Yeah. Oh, you clumsy. I couldn't help it. I slipped out of my hand. You woke the old man up. Get over there beside that door. Who's Jed? Hey, what are you doing? You won't give us any trouble now. Good. I wonder if the old duffer saw me. You didn't get a chance. I got him the minute he stuck his head in. Now tie him up and gag him. Now you get back and see what you can do about that safe. We better get out of here fast. I was coming home from a patrol north and got into town early that morning before anybody was up. When I passed the bank, I noticed that the door was open. I stopped the dog team and decided to have a look. Hey, King. Hey, King. Hey, King, come along, Tom. I'm hurt, but... I'll untie these ropes. There's much fire in it, but... Rob, Sergeant. Tell me about it while I fix this fire. Oh, I got a lump on my head the size of a hensie. They hit me with a butt of a gun. Lucky I got a good, sick head. I wouldn't be here to tell you about it. Did you get a look at them alone? Yes, I saw one of them. It's a man who's been hanging around the gold nugget bar for about a week. He's a big fella with a scar on his face from his left eye down to his lip. His beard don't cover it. I heard the bartender call him Hank one night. Maybe he can tell you something about it. I'll check there later. Now, tell me what happened. Well, I sleep in the back room here, you know. Yes. Well, last night I woke up and thought I heard a noise. I keep a letter burning in here all night, so I got my gun and came to see what was wrong. When I opened the door, I saw this hank standing in the middle of the room. Just then, something hit me from behind. His partner was probably waiting to sight the door when you opened it. I never knew what hit me. When I woke up, I was tied and gagged and couldn't move a muscle. I wonder they didn't kill you. This hank fella didn't know what a good look I got at him. He probably would have. He just happened to be standing where the lantern light showed up that scar on his face. How much did they take? We had over $50,000 worth of gold in this bank. It took every bit of it, I suppose. Well, we checked and the thieves had taken everything they could carry. $50,000 worth of gold in dust and nuggets is a heavy load. It snowed early that morning, but I remembered seeing rather a fresh trail when I came into town. The tracks were deep and the snow hadn't quite filled them. I hadn't passed a sled or a team on the way, so they may have heard me coming and hidden. I reported the case to headquarters and asked to be assigned to it. Inspector Grayson gave me my instructions. Oh, Sergeant, I'm sending a man with you on this case. It's Corporal Terry. He's just been transferred here from Montreal. You've met him, haven't you? I met him this morning, sir. Tim Terry's a good man, but this is his first trip north. Knowing the north the way you do, Sergeant, I can't think of a better way for him to learn than going on a case with you. Well, thank you, sir. We have a very accurate description of these men who robbed the bank. You can't miss Hank Sims as he calls himself, but that scar on his face. The man who's with him has two fingers missing on his left hand. His name is Tim Johnson. I'm sure they must have left town by the trail that I came in on, sir. That's very possible, Sergeant. I think you and Corporal Terry had better try that direction. Perhaps you can pick up some information at trading posts or from trappers along the way. At least it's a place to start. Remember, they have a heavy load, Sergeant. You won't be able to travel very fast. I was glad to have young Corporal Terry with me. We seldom travel alone at this time of year because the temperature's liable to drop to 50 or 60 below zero. And it's very dangerous to be alone on the trail when that happens. Corporal Terry's initiation to the waves of the North Country wasn't easy. First day we were out, the temperature fell to 65 below zero. So we holed up in the trappers' cabin for a day or two. But the men we were after didn't bear to stop. They had a heavy load on their sled and didn't want to be seen by anybody. Hank Sims and his partner Tim Johnson were mushing along the trail that led along a creek when the temperature dropped. Tim wasn't used to the North. Hank, we've got to stop and build a fire. This coal is eating right into my bones. Yeah, we can't stop. This ain't the time to go soft. We'll have our Mountie on our trail by this time, sure. But my foot's numb. Keep moving. If you stop, you'll freeze. Uh-oh, my foot. Hank, wait. Hold on. Hold on. Hank, my foot broke through. It's wet. You fool. I told you to watch out for spots like that on this creek. I get that boot off right away. Yeah. How can there be water when it's so cold? This creek is fed by springs. The snow and ice freezes over the top, but there's a pool of water under it. I told you to watch out. Now get a fire belt. Hank, my hand, my fingers are numb. I can't open these places. You should have caught them open. Your hand is frozen. Don't you know you can't take off a mitten at this temperature? Oh, why did I bring you with me, you stupid fool? Hank, my foot, there ain't no people in it. I can't walk. By the time I build a fire and get your foot fixed, we'll lose hours of time. Maybe I could ride on the sled. Maybe we could like it. I got too big a load now. If you think we're going to drop off supplies so you can ride, you're crazy. But, Hank, my foot's so solid. It's like a piece of ice. I ain't going to lose time just because you're a fool. I told you to be careful. Hank, Hank, don't leave me. I can't walk. Merse! Merse, your husband! Merse! Hank, come back. Don't leave me. Hank! Two days later, Corporal Terry and I were mushing along that same creek. We weren't at all sure that we were on the trail of the thieves, but I was heading for a trading post where a whole tank might have stopped. All of a sudden, King Barked up ahead of the team. Oh, hurry, your husband. Sound any wrong, Sergeant? Yes, Corporal. Look there, beside the creek. You mean that white figure? Like a snowman. It's a man covered with snow. Come on. Look out, Terry. Go around that place. That's one of those traps I was telling you about. There's a spring under the ice right there. I forgot to watch where it was going. Yes, King. It's a man, all right. Well, look. He froze to death setting up. They were fools to try and travel at low temperatures. They didn't know the country too well. Sergeant, do you think he's one of the men we're after? Yes. Now we know we're on the right trail. Look here, Corporal. That's left hand, the one without the mitten. Two fingers are missing. But the other one, the other man, Hank. Why didn't he take them on a sled or something? Well, you see this foot? As I saw over it, I can I see boot. Tim probably stepped into a hole and Hank didn't want to waste any precious time saving him. But to leave him like this to freeze. And now we know what kind of a man we're after. Well, he's left a clear trail in the snow. Yeah, but look. It's beginning to snow. Big flights, too. This trail, they covered in less than an hour. At least we know what territory he is in, Sergeant. We covered Tim's body with branches and went on. The temperature was higher, but the snowfall was very heavy and we lost a lot of time breaking the trail. Complete darkness had fallen and we were about five miles past the trading post. And I headed for the lights of the Cranston cabin. The Cranstons were friendly. The Cranstons will put us up tonight, Corporal. They're a nice family. You'll like them. A family, you say? You mean a wife, maybe children? Yes, a little girl. Her name's Jane and she's about ten years old. Why would a man bring a wife and child way out here in the wilderness? Jim makes a good living trapping in winter and he takes a lot of gold out of the creek in summer. You'll have enough to retire soon and go back to civilization. Oh, uh, they must have heard us coming. There's Jim now. Who is it? It's Preston, Jim. Hello, King. Hello, your husband. Well, Sergeant, I'm sure glad to see you. This is Corporal Terry, Jim Cranston. Hello, Corporal. Can you put us up for the night? Sure can. Good. Molly has supper ready, too. Come on in. I'll take care of the dog, Sergeant. You go on in. Well, thanks, Corporal. Give them a lot of food. They've had a tough day. I'll take King in with me. Come on, boy. Sergeant Preston. Hello, Molly. Sergeant, how are you? Sergeant Preston. Oh, goody. Hello, Jane. How's my best girl? Oh, Sergeant. I'm so glad you came. I've got something to show you. Look, over here by the stove. Jane, give the Sergeant time to take this park off. Oh, he can do it later, Mommy. Look, I've got a new puppy. Oh, King won't hurt him, will he? No. Go on back, King. Why, he's a beautiful pup. Do you want to hold him? Come on, Trisky. Oh, he's nice. But, great, Scott, look at that stomach. He's swollen up like a balloon. Jane fed him too much. Oh. Jim and I went to the trading post this afternoon. We got back just a little while ago, and Jane had just finished overfeeding him. I see. I thought he must be very hungry because he ate half of one of my moccasins, so I gave him all he could hold. He sure can't hold a lot, too. Puffs are little buttons, and they like to eat. But getting all they can hold isn't too good for them. He swells up like that after all his meals. So would you if you ate the way he does. Well, he'll get skinny again. He always does. I never thought anything gets so fat and skinny so fast. Put the puppy on the floor, Sergeant, and take your parkour. There you go, Frisky. I'll be nice to him, King. Jane, you say that they make friends with each other. I will. Oh, look at Frisky. He's so afraid of King. He's lying on his back and waiting his feet in the air. Let me take your things, Sergeant. Oh, thanks, Jim. Make yourself comfortable beside the fire. Thanks, I will. Dog's all right for the night. Oh, Molly, this is Corporal Terry, Mrs. Cranston. How do you do? How do you do, Mrs. Cranston? Jim will take your parkour, Corporal. Just sit down and get warm. Oh, thanks. I'll have supper ready in no time. There you go, Jim. Oh, this fire certainly feels good. Are you boys up here for any special reason? We're trailing a bank, Robert, Jim. He got away with a fortune in gold. You haven't seen anything of a man with a scar on his face and a black beard, have you? Well, a couple of days ago, right after that coal spill we had, I saw a man with a six-dog team. Oh? I was coming home to my trapline. He crossed the trail just as I was coming to it. I yelled at him, thinking he might be someone I knew, but he didn't stop. He just waved and kept on going. Was he packing a heavy load? He sure was. His dogs were having a rough time breaking the trail. He was like our man. The time would be about right, too. He was headed towards the mountains. He may hide out somewhere around here for a while. If I were you, Jim, I'd keep Jane close to the house for a few days. It's lonely around here. I'll do that, Sergeant. By a streak of good fortune, we picked up Hank's trail again the next day. My team was fresh, and we made excellent time over the hard snow crust. That night, we camped out and got an early start the following morning. He's been close now. It was noon, and we came upon a campsite. Working! Oh, Husky! This looks like the place Hank slept last night, Terry. Do you think we're that close on his heels? Yes, he's lost time somewhere. Of course, he hasn't given his dogs much rest and they're pulling a lot of weight. We can go about twice as fast. How do you suppose he figures to get out that mountain trail with a tired team? I think that's where we'll catch him, Corporal, unless he outsmarts us some way. He's not going to get through those mountains. He might be able to make the border. He's not going to get through those mountains. Come on. We had no trouble following Hank's trail, then. The wind had blown the loose snow away and left a hard-packed crust. But here and there, Hank's sled had made an imprint. And now and then, we saw footprints where the snow was protected from the wind. There was very little daylight left when we approached the mountains. The trail led up like a great curve snake and jagged rocks hung over it. Suddenly, there was a gunshot. I heard the wind of a bullet past my head and a dull plot as it hit the snow. I shouted at the dogs, Okay! I cut down Terry behind the sled. Quick! Say that was close. I hear a king. Come on, boy. Hank must have seen us coming. He's up on that mountain trail to the left behind those rocks. He's probably been watching for us. I saw him that time. He couldn't wait any longer. He's getting dark. Hope he doesn't shoot the dogs. Guess we were closer to him than we thought we were. We should have had more shelter. Maybe I can get a bead on him. That worked from this side. It's hard to see him in that shadow. Sergeant, look! Up above him! Those rocks! Those shots started in Avalanche. No! I never saw anything like that in my life. Looked as if half a mountain fell on him. I'm afraid that's the end of Hank. And I'm afraid that's the end of the bank's gold, too. It's buried with him. Look, and a shot started in Avalanche like that? Oh, yes. Rocks got loaded with ice and snow, and it's like Jarrah can start them down. And once started, they take everything in their path. It was the most horrible thing you ever saw. But we weren't any closer. I think it's safe to go over there now. Come on, Terry! Let's see what we can find. All right, Sergeant. Hard to believe. A shot can do that. Of course, our task was a hopeless one. But near the spot where Hank had last been seen. There were tons of ice and rocks covering the trail that Hank was buried far beneath them. We camped at the base of the mountain that night and started back the following day. I decided to stop on the way home to tell the Cransons that they no longer had to worry about a criminal in that vicinity. It was about noon, two days later, when we arrived at their cabin. Walking home! Sergeant Preston, hello, Corporal. We were back sooner than I thought we'd be, Molly. Come on in. Jim and Jane aren't here, but they will be soon. Sit down and take your coats off while I make some hot tea. Thanks. I could sure use some. Did you get the man you were after? Not exactly, but he won't bother anyone anymore. He's dead. Dead? Oh, dear. He got caught in an avalanche right in front of us. He buried him and all the gold he stole. Won't they be able to recover it? I'm afraid not. Well, at least the country's rid of a thief and a murderer. When I think of him leaving that man to freeze, it's worth all the money to be rid of him. The bank won't be too happy about it, I'm afraid. What'd you say, Jim, was? He's out with Jane looking for Frisky. Pup's been gone for a day and a night, and Jane's almost frantic. Oh, Sergeant Preston! I'm so glad you came back. You and King will find Frisky. I know you will. Tell me about it, Jane. Jane, dear, Sergeant Preston can't waste time hunting for puppies. He's on duty. Oh, but I love Frisky. He's the only thing that's on mine, and if I don't find him, I'll just die. Now, Jane, dear, don't cry. Of course we'll help you find your father. Sergeant, I just know you would. Really, Sergeant? It's too much to ask you to do this. It will take too much time. Jane, dear, you've got to... Now, Molly, after all, Jane's a citizen. She lost her puppy, and she has a right to ask the law to help her get it back. What do you say, Corporal Terry? I agree with you. You see, Molly? Oh, thank you. I knew you'd know how I felt, but you loved King so much. Now, tell me about Frisky. When did he disappear? Well, it was yesterday morning. He ran away from me. I couldn't go after him, because Mother made me promise not to go away from the house. I'm so afraid he got caught in a trap or something. Daddy's still looking for him, but I thought I heard King barking, so I came back to the house. Oh, there's Daddy now. Daddy, did you find him? No, Jane. Hello, Sergeant. Hello, Jim. All right, Terry. That's fine. Did you lose track of the robbery you were chasing? No, we got him, but I'd better tell you about it later, Jim. Sergeant Crest and Corporal Terry, you're going to help us find Frisky. Well, I'm afraid it's hopeless, Jane. I've looked pretty thoroughly. Didn't he leave any tracks? Well, there were some leading away from the cabin where the snow was loose, but they end over here a ways. The snow crust is hard. The wind blew the loose snow away. He was delighted to leave any tracks on the crust. Well, at least you know what direction he took. Well, he was a strong pup. I'm afraid he wandered a long way off. Maybe got caught in a trap or a wolf may have got him. Oh, Daddy, no. Sergeant Crest... No, don't worry, Jane. Maybe King can help us finding him. Oh, King knows it. They got to be good friends when you stayed here that night. Well, this is too much to ask of you, Sergeant. You lose too much time. After being on a manhunt, it seems rather foolish. Not at all, Jim. Frisky means more to Jane than that gold does to the bank. I know how I'd feel if King were missing. Well, can we start looking right now? Well, first of all, we have to let King know what we're looking for, dear. Have you anything here that smells like Frisky so that King can get the scent? Oh, dear. I brushed Frisky so much and kept him so clean that he didn't smell at all. Well, that's not what I mean, Jane. You see, dogs can smell things that humans can't. Everything has some sort of scent, and a dog's nose is very keen. He depends on that more than he does his eyes. Frisky's blanket is in his box. Would that do, Sergeant? That'll be fine, Molly. I'll let King smell that and we'll find Frisky if he's still alive. I'll get it, Sergeant. I just know King will find Frisky. I've trained King to find things by giving him the scent and telling him to search. We found a lot of people that way by letting him smell a garment they've worn. Well, we took Frisky's blanket with us and followed the tracks he'd left. They went north and ended, as Jim said, where the snow crust was hard and shiny. I let King smell the blanket, and thereon he took over. We crisscrossed back and forth for a time, and then a light wind came up from the north. Suddenly, King sniffed the air of wine and started off in a straight line. We were almost a mile from the cabin, but little Jane struggled along with us. King would wait for us and continue straight ahead. All right, King, we're coming. Oh, I think he knows where Frisky is, Sergeant. He seems to be after something, Jane. Jane, aren't you tired? Why don't you wait here for us? I'm not tired, Jane. Sergeant, King seems to have found something stopping beside that big rock. I see King, but I don't see any sign of Frisky. Maybe he found a rabbit or something. Oh, King knows what he's looking for. Oh, I hope it's Frisky. There's a pile of small rocks piled up against that big one. What is it, fella? He's scratching at those rocks, looking through that crack between them. Move these rocks and get him out of there. Come on, Terry. I'll help you. See how he got in here. Look at him. How fatty is that stomach after being in there for two days. Wait a minute. Come on, boys. Help me move some more of these rocks. Oh, sure. I'll get this one here. Yeah, that does it. There's something in that hole on the side of the big rock. Oh, what is it? It's a sack of dried fish, ripped open. And there's more food in there, I think. Wait. I get it. This must be somebody's cash. What's a cash, Daddy? Well, it's a place where someone hides food due, used later. He comes back from a trip along the same route. There's more than food in this one. Look at this, Jim. It's a bag. It's a bag of gold. The bag belongs to the bank in Dawson. Corporal, I think this gold was hidden here by Hank Sims. You mean the man you were chasing? That's right. He hid the gold here along with a lot of supplies. And that gave him a light load to carry, and he planned to lead us off into the mountains, where he could ambush us. Then he'd come back, pick up the gold and supplies. Or maybe he thought he'd get over the border and come back after we'd stopped chasing him. You see, he couldn't have made it with a heavy load of gold. And now you can take the gold back to the bank. Yes. Thanks to Frisky. But how did Frisky get in there? And why didn't he come out the same way and come home? Well, Jane, I think Frisky went exploring. He must have smelled the food in here with the gold, squeezed to a crack between the rocks. But after he ate all he could, his stomach was too big to get out again, so he probably just lay down and went to sleep. But he always gets thin when he hasn't eaten for a while. But when he's thin, dear, he's hungry. So when he woke up, he filled up again and couldn't get out. Well, come on, Gorgon. Just get the rest of the gold out of here. That pup is sure a little glutton. Oh, but I love him. And I love him, too. So, Tommy, that's how we got the gold back for the bank. Some of it was your father's, I think. Jeez, Sergeant. And that was swell. I hope I can train my pup the way you did King. Oh, it isn't hard if you were patient. We're sure lucky that you thought the pup was just as important to find his gold. What was important, Tommy, a dog is a good friend and a faithful friend is much more important than gold. Isn't it, King? The Duke of the Yukon, a copyrighted feature, is brought to you each week at this time and all characters, names and incidents used are fictitious.