 The challenge of the Yukon It's King's swiftest and strongest lead dog of the North country Blazing the trail for Sergeant Preston of the Northwest mounted police in his relentless pursuit of lawbreakers 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 Battled through storm and snow to preserve law and order as they met the challenge of the Yukon Jed Norris came into his isolated trading post and slammed the door behind him The tall slightly stooped man had a worried expression on his clean-cut features as he looked at his 18 year old daughter Mary Yeah, honey, let me help you into that cold Bear skin's not exactly lightweight dad. The coat weighs nearly as much as I do. Yes, but it keeps you good and warm though And the dogs are already I got a hitch to the sled and set to travel. Thanks. Oh, I wish you didn't have to make these trips alone It's a hard run every two weeks into pine crossing to pick up the mail and supplies the mail alone is worth the trip I'm always happy to get news from the outside. I like visiting the McDuff's and buying the supplies Kind of lonesome way out here with Reneers cabin the only one between here and town a fine neighbor He is well, don't you worry about me. I can't help it worry with you on the trail alone four hours each way Dad rat this bad leg of mine. I wish I could go with you. I'll be all right. I always have been Well Here's your mittens Thanks now Mary if you happen to see Jack Reneer at the halfway point You might tell him that he was wrong and saying I'd never sell my trading post Tell him I got a buyer and he's meeting my price. I sure will I'd like to see his face when he hears it Won't it be wonderful to go back home again? Yes, honey. We'll go back to the States in fine style That's scheming Reneer thought he'd be able to talk me into selling at his price Now sure to take your right. All right. You got your list of supplies you want to buy in my pocket One thing more Mary here's a box for sergeant Preston. It's that silver buckle I made up for him. Good I hope I see him in case you don't his name was written on the outside of the package It's not much of a present considering what I owe that money. I'm sure like it now leave the box with Macduff if the Preston's not at the crossing. I will and There's a letter from mr. Johnson open it up the calls for an answering you can answer him and mail the letter while you're in town Expecting he'll write and let us know when he's come to take over the post. All right dad. I guess I'm all yeah You be careful Mary. Don't worry dad. And don't forget I won't goodbye Mush you melon you Jack Reneer had been a gambler and the crooked one until his various tricks with cards made him unwelcome in the Yukon settlements While he made plans for a bigger score You're taking over a deserted cabin halfway between the town of pine crossings and old Jed Norris's trading post His wife Dolly had gone with him Jack listen to me. I'm a it's no use arguing. I Want Norris's trading post and what I want I get but capture and marry Norris That girl's never done anything to you my plans are made and Mary Norris fits right into them If I'd only known you were bad all the way save it darling. You didn't marry me because you love me. I Haven't been fooled for a minute You just wanted to get out of the towns so that Marty wouldn't find you It's crossing all right And he's got the girl Good for him. I know I could count on him not Jack. Listen listen to me Please change your plans. Please let that girl go It's me that's that shut up Dolly Stood up that fire. It's getting cold in here, but I don't do as I said you're making a mistake Your crooked damblin got your run out of the town This trick of yours is gonna get your run right out of the Yukon Keep moving. Don't try to pull me Here she is boss You was making the supply trip right on schedule come in Mary Norris make yourself at home You'll never get away with this. I don't believe you've ever met my wife Dolly miss Norris. What's the idea of sending a man to capture me make a prisoner of me and Bring me here at the point of a gun the rifle and this package was all she had in the sled boss Rifle come in handy. See what's in the package. It's a gift for Sergeant Preston. He's a friend of mine You don't say he is when he hears about my capture. You'll be in more trouble and you can handle I'm used to threats Dolly you see if there's anything in the pockets. All right You might as well stand still Mary. Why was I captured? Why was I brought? Look at this. What is it silver belt buckle? Oh, so that's what you were taking the Preston, huh? It's a gift from my father The fact that he was sending it to Preston means that he doesn't expect the money to visit the trading post very soon That's just fine Anything in the pockets. Dolly just this I'll list the things to get in town. I'll take it now. Look here miss Norris You just follow orders and you won't get hurt. I want to know why I was brought here I told your father. I wanted to buy his trading post at your price. That's right my price Well, my father has a buyer for the post who's willing to pay what it's worth, but Mary now. I'm ready to increase my offer I'm going to offer him the same amount of cash as I did before and your life is well Why you hold a break? Sit it down on that chair. Dolly get that hunk of rope You wait. You just wait check and you're you won't get away with this And I will just tie you up so you don't make trouble Dolly you'll stay here and keep an eye on you until we get back See how tight you can make those ropes Jack mind your own business Dolly All you've got to do is see that she's here when we get back If you don't I know That'll hold her what about this buckle sergeant Preston's buckle give it to Dolly She's always taught a lot of sergeant Preston. He'll remind her of him And remind her of the way she double crossed him. I'll take that buckle. We're all set bradie Get into your pocket and hurry up. It won't take me a minute. It's like a bad blizzard coming I don't want to get caught in it I'll take the girl's rifle and dog team and a shopping list to prove to her father that we've got it My father will kill you for this Yeah, you're right boy I'll be right with you bradie Dolly. Yeah get this If anything happens so this girl gets away while I'm gone The Yukon won't be big enough to hide you You know what I mean, you know, I mean it Yeah, I Know you mean All right, let's go break. Well kid I'm sorry. Your husband must want my father's trading post mighty bad to go this far He wants anything that'll make money The ermine pelts that are trapped up here or worth plenty. I know that my father buys them from the trappers He pays fair prices for them Jackals deal with the trappers like he deals with everybody else They'll take it or leave it. Why doesn't he open up his own post? That'd mean competition He won't stand competition Size is not time not time No, he's got a contract lined up with a buyer in the state to deliver skins at the end of this season for a fancy price He needs the post so he can get the skins Trappers won't deal with them as he is now. They trade with your dad. Oh of all the dirty Mary There's no use cutting your wrist by pulling against those ropes. Don't hurt yourself kid. I Wish I was going to sell out and then we were going back to the state That was why he made the buckle for such impressed It was well a sort of a farewell present. He'll sell out all right, but it'll be to Jack Do you really want that buckle? Suppose you wonder what Renear meant when he said I double-crossed sergeant Preston. I'm not interested Guess you and Jack have double-crossed a lot of people listen Mary in my time. I've done a lot of things I've been sorry for But nothing I've regretted as much as the deal. I gave that mouth He's one of the finest men that ever lived. He certainly is he staked me to go back to the state Staked you yeah, I was a singer I went to work in a dance hall up here You sang in a dance hall. Yeah, the only men you see in those places are dirty sweaty miners and the crooks that are out to take their gold I Didn't think I'd be there long. I Needed money. That's why I took the job But the manager of the place saw that everybody working for him stayed broke He'd take so much out of our pay for food and costumes By the time he was finished there wasn't much left. Oh The rotten kind of life for anybody. I wanted to get out of it. How did this country? And I got a letter from a friend in the state Offer me a job. Well, why didn't you go? I didn't have the fare kid That's when I met Preston He came to the dance hall to arrest a man who robbed a bank in big rock I got talking to the Monty. He let me the money to go back home. I Said I'd pay it back just as soon as I got to the state what happened I Thought I could double what he gave me on one of Reneers crooked gambling wheels in your lot Why would I be here if I didn't I? Was so ashamed of faith Preston after that that I've been dodging the towns ever since I Married Jack and we've kept moving but sergeant Preston would have understood how could he marry? He was trying to help me get out of those places He gave me a one-way ticket out and I turned right around and got myself in even deeper Couldn't face him now My hair has grown in natural since I've seen him last but he'd recognized me I That's too bad dolly. I've owed Preston that money all this time He thinks of it. He probably figures. I'm a deadbeat I've worried about it many a time trying to figure out some way I could repay Preston Without letting him know I didn't take the chance. He tried to give me but I what's wrong dolly? Here I've got it. I just bought a spot a way to pay Preston back, and I'm gonna do it There's a knife in this drawer back here. What are you gonna do in a bad way, honey? Jack knows Preston's a friend of yours. He don't care like you go But he'll have to let me go if my father meets his term. He promised promise His promises don't mean nothing He wouldn't dare turn you loose so you could tell about being captured If you're here when he gets back he'll kill you Now hold still Getting out of here. You're cutting the rope. I'm paying that debt. I've owned Preston kid This will even things up. He gave me a break. I'm giving a friend a his one. What about you? There Now you're free stand up. I heard what he said when he left dolly. I'm sure he'll kill you Jack My honey, I could handle that tin horn the best day he lived Besides, I got a gun hit anyway If he gets too tough, I'll kill him. I kid him along all the time, but he's dangerous. Oh, don't worry about me, honey I can take care of myself. I'll get your coat. But what about the weather? They were talking about a blizzard There's a blizzard coming all right, but it looks like it will come from the north You head south for the crossings Go there and get prepped tell them to go to the trading post your dad might need help Mary Norris started south toward pine crossings at a fast pace Her concern for her father kept her traveling rapidly for a quarter of a mile and then almost imperceptibly She began to slow down Funny the wind's dying down Maybe it'll be easier now But the ominous quiet was the calm before the storm suddenly As if of the signal from an unseen hand the storm broke a roaring ramble A roaring rampaging blizzard struck with stunning force The storm it's come I could hardly see Snow so thick Getting dark too Oh gotta go faster. I've gotta get to the crossing The wind drove particles of ice and snow like stinging needles to strike whatever lay in its path Mary had her back to the blizzard But it was even worse for two men a sled a dog team and the wonder dog king Who traveled in the opposite direction The mighty king was blazing a trail into the very heart of the fierce arctic blizzard For sergeant Preston and a man named johnson who was traveling north with the mountain King looked back at his master through the snow expecting in any moment to hear a command to halt The great dog wondered what could be so urgent that sergeant Preston and this stranger traveling with him Would continue bucking one of the worst storms the dog could remember At last the welcome cry came We'll stop here johnson till the storm dies down Sergeant Preston There's no shelter here Don't even see any trees see those drifts. They won't give us any protection The winds polished the surface to an icy crust We can cut right through and scoop out the soft snow to make a shelter. Come on get out your knife Come on king You can help dig out the snow. What do we use for digging snow shoes? When we get this drift hollowed out, it'll be snug and warm inside King helped scoop the snow from inside the snowdrift Then the mountain unharnessed his dogs broke out provisions and fed the team King ate apart from the others He watched the pack of huskies wolf their food ravenously while he finished his own dinner slowly He watched his master prepare to wait out the storm And kept an eye on the team of sled dogs until they curled up beside the snowdrift Come on king and here with us Sergeant what's that a wolf but don't worry about it. They won't bother us while king's around That's it fella. You settle down between us. You certainly know how to meet the wilderness It's surprisingly warm and comfortable inside this snowdrift I never expected to find shelter tonight I wanted to cover as much ground as possible, but there's no use pushing on against a storm like this We'll be much better off spend the night here and shove on in the morning. Here that suits me I'm tired Both men were soon asleep inside the snowdrift But Mary Norris had found no shelter from the storm Darkness as well as the blizzard had overtaken her With the sky blotted out her only sense of direction was the furious storm at her back Wind seems to be dying down Which way was it coming from? I I can't tell which way is north. I don't dare stop Tell it to have closing Gotta keep going In spite of her resolution Mary's weary feet stumbled she fell And then with an almost superhuman effort began to crawl dragging herself through the snow on hands and knees In the snug house of snow the great dog king raised his head listening King heard the sharp howls of a wolf and then a second wolf could be heard But these were familiar and expected noises in the night Then suddenly the great dog's nostrils caught a scent that gave a new significance to the howls King sniffed and tensed then sounded an alarm King What is it king? What's the matter boy? What's the matter sergeant? Jesus king, what are you trying to do to drag me out of here? Anything wrong? King seems to think so You heard something out there. I stick my head out Is it snowing? No, it's no start I hear wolves, but nothing else Quiet for us. I want to listen For an instant king stopped breathing He knew from a pitch of a wolf's cry that the ranging beasts of prey were out for blood What the- it's a wolf Straighten past the sled and sleeping dog team king ran through the snow toward two prowling lurking creatures He knew his enemies he saw the gleaning eyes of the wolves closing in on a dark form lying on the ground beside a huge boulder King barked a challenge as he placed himself between the wolves and a motionless form in the snow The wolves snarled in acceptance of the challenge and leaped at the dog The battle between dog and wolf began King saw hatred in the flashing eyes and the threat of death and cruel fangs That tried to grip a vital spot beneath his heavy fur The husky dodged and lunged using every tricky new He leaped at one of the wolves lashed out and reached with his powerful teeth then quickly turned to meet the other One wolf would retreat while the other charged and as king turned to meet the charge the retreating beast would leap King fought desperately so neither of the gray monsters could get a death grip with its fangs This way king give ground fella It's for a bristling king move back a pace still protecting the form behind him One of the wolves half mad from a throat wound king had inflicted hesitated king's broken away. That's it king All right, Johnson. Let him have it. They're running away. They won't stand up the gunfire steady king. Let him go fella Why did he go after those two wolves? I'll soon find out the answer may be over there Yeah, there seems to be something in the snow. Come on. We'll find out what it is might be another wolf I've heard that they'll turn on their own looks like an animal of some sort But I don't think king would fight to defend a wolf. It looks about the size of a large wolf. Yes, but I King watched his master reach down to turn over the furry form The husky knew it was no animal. What is a girl on the fur coast? Why this is mary norris mary norris Is she alive? She's breathing and not wounded must have been caught in the storm traveling on foot too Yes, I'll carry her to the shelter when I walk ahead and make a wider pathway. All right king if this girl lives She'll owe her life to you She can just swallow a little warm broth I wonder what she's doing so far from the trading post without a dog sled They've got to take her someplace where she'll have better shelter and more warmth. She can't stay here. All right sergeant Yellow storms died down now. Yes. I think we'll shove on to the trading post See if you can get her to drink more of this broth while I harness the dogs A short timely here king was breaking a trail for the team of dogs while sergeant Preston jogged alongside of the sled on snowshoes Johnson rode the runners and mary norris still unconscious lay on the sled heavily wrapped in blankets The blizzard that had forced sergeant Preston to seek shelter had also stopped jack runnear and his outlaw friend breed clausen It was midnight when the two finally reached jet norris's trading post Norris You hear right back there Probably turned in for the night Well, what can I Renear that's right jedd I've got a friend with me. What are you doing here? You don't seem glad to see me jedd. I'm not No, that's too bad. I can't turn men out on the night. Renear, but I can't refuse to be friendly with him You know where to find bunks get out the first thing in the morning. I'm here on business jedd I've got no business with you and you know it You and your pal have done too much stealing to get your furs. You will do well to listen to renear tonight norris You have something to sell. I don't want anything either of you are selling slightly stolen. I'm gonna pack breed I'm going back to my room. You can't go or stay as you please. You're here alone. That's your jedd That's not your business here Take a look at this norris rifle What about it the girl who carried this rifle might have trouble getting home That's my daughter's rifle. That's right You had this list of things with her You recognize this paper but Mary's handwriting you've captured it. That's right Jed You wanted to sell your trading post so you and mary could go back to the states I'll buy it. I told you before I wouldn't sell at your price Ah things have changed I offered you a couple of hundred dollars in cash Now I offer you the same amount Plus the life of your daughter. Well, I'll drop the bill of sale and you can be on your way You'll meet mary on the way to dorsen just keep right on traveling until you get to the states. You never mind the comments You've heard my terms. You can take them or leave them if I Refuse If I don't sell out to you, you'll know what will happen You weasel face tin horn that ought to have been run out of this country. You you sign up, don't you? How do I know you'll keep your part of the bargain? How do I know mary's not dead right now? Now look Jed all I want is a trading post Sign the bill of sales everything's legal And give me your word you'll clear out without going to the law and I'll keep my part of the bargain I don't want to kill mary But if you don't sign I've got no choice I'll have to kill both of you if you just bring mary here. Let me see that she's alive. You've heard the proposition. Hi I've got to think it over. There's no time to think it over. I've heard you got a buyer all lined up That's why I want to close the deal now my way Are you gonna sign fighter? All right, we need Hand me that pen. Yeah, I get the pen for you. You're showing good sense. No, it's shant Sign your name on this line right here Now that's that jet in here if you've lied about mary's being alive. He's alive I'll breed you sir. Yeah Wait, wait, someone's coming. Let me look out the window. Can you see who it is? It's a money money press give me that bill of sale. Hey, you don't have to snatch it Listen or if you want to see mary again get rid of Preston Wait now go into the next room, but we'll listen to every word come on break. Be careful jet. Remember, we'll be listening How can I get rid of him? Quiet king I know boy Anyone here Jen? I know Nobody's here. You sure Oh, you mean the wet foot marks on the floor I saw a snowshoes at the door. It was out for a little while Oh, I see It was quite a blizzard we had Jen King walked at sergeant Preston's heels heading toward a door leading to another room good thing you weren't out in it King and I had to take shelter till it blew over Otherwise, we'd have been here before this Sergeant wait take him king That dog look out. He's jumping wait sergeant. No. I'll show you. Oh, you don't oh read steady king Oh boy, get this dog away. You're covered in air I'll take that gun How did you know we were here? I saw your tracks You made a mistake. There's no mistake. I've heard about the game you're playing drop your guns. What? Jed Put that gun down before king jump show. You know what it's taking on us keep that gun where it is I'm sorry sergeant, but you have no reason for coming in here. I have reason to arrest these men Breed Clausen's been wanted for a long time. Oh, no lower your gun Jed. I don't understand sergeant. I can't I'll say he can't Jed If you're thinking of marry, she's safe She told me Reneer would be here. I'm pressing your crazy. She's on my sled Johnson the man who came here to buy you out will be along with her any minute now. Wait, Jed Don't lower that gun. How do you know he's telling the truth? It's a trick. You're those dogs outside Reneer. They're no trick You're funny Oh dad did Reneer hurt you he was coming so no Mary he didn't hurt dad of woman named dolly helped me get away She's married to Reneer Why that double crossing little Wait till I get my hands on her you won't have a chance to do anything You're going to jail. Oh dad. She saved my life dolly her I never heard of dolly Reneer sergeant Preston knows her. Oh, yes. I do know her I'd heard that she married this gambler Reneer told her to keep me at their cabin But she let me go because she said she owed you a debt sergeant. She remembered. Well, she won't regret it I'll reward her you won't have to dead There's a reward out for breed Clawson and I'll see that dolly gets it It should be enough to take her back to the states as she wants to go. Oh, she does she does She can go back with dad and me. We'll all go back home together. Well, Sergeant Preston I see you got your man. Yes, Johnson. I did my case is closed The challenge of the Yukon a copyrighted feature is a George W. Trendl production brought to you each week at this time All names and incidents used are fictitious Listen again next week to another exciting adventure during the days of the gold rush Fred boy speaking this program came to you from Detroit Be sure to join us tonight for gangbusters Here's a radio program that brings you true dramatic accounts of crime cases Taken right from police flutters in towns and cities all over the country The exciting dramas broadcast on gangbusters mention actual facts names and places Bringing to life the criminal cases you read about in your daily newspapers Week after week if you've tuned into this program in the past You've heard actual police cases of brutal killings and bank robberies You've heard petty thieves who cheat old people out of their savings and flag waving racketeers who lead our youth to vandalism You've heard what factors lead to crime and you've learned again that crime does not pay even for the smartest type criminals So for thrills and suspense don't miss gangbusters tonight when it goes on the air