 The challenge of the Yukon The Wonder Dog King, swift, distanced, strongest of Eskimo lead dogs, blazes the trail through storm and snow for Sergeant Preston as he meets the challenge of the Yukon. The Yukon Sergeant Preston was typical of the modern band of Northwest mounted police. Law and order in the new Northwest country, where the greed for wealth and power led to frequent violence and bloodshed. But in spite of the odds against them, Sergeant Preston and his Wonder Dog King met that challenge and justice ruled triumphant. King had been injured in a fight with Timberwolves and as Sergeant Preston was on patrol duty, he had left the dog with some friends, Terry and Beth Clark, in their cabinet's silver point. It was afternoon of the day on which Sergeant Preston had promised to return. Beth Clark was giving some final instructions to Yukon, her Indian cook. Here, Yukon, I've made out a list of the supplies we need. Give it to the factory at the trading post. He'll help you load everything onto the sled. Have you hitched up the team? Me do. Then there get started so you'll be back home before sundown. What's the matter, Yukon? Me not like the trip now. Why not? It's a nice day. The trail's packed hard. Early this morning, Yukon Hunt shoot rabbit. Well, I know. But we can't live on a steady diet of rabbit for the next two weeks. We need bacon, flour, coffee and stuff. Me not mean that. When Yukon hunt rabbit, me go near Chinook Indian camp. What? What's he there? Plenty bad. Chinooks? You mean the... Drink fire water. Make bad medicine. How can the Indians get whiskey? There isn't a trading post in the Yukon that they're at the south of them. Chinooks not buy fire water. White man give to him. White in it? You mean renegades? That's why Yukon think maybe bestie not make trip. Stay here. If Chinook go on warpath, not good you'll be here alone. No, you go ahead Yukon. King is here with me, aren't you boy? And Sergeant Preston is coming back today. I'll be alright. Maybe better you go up to mine. Stay with Mr. Clark till him come home. Well, yes. Yes, that's a good idea Yukon. King and I'll go to the mine and wait for Terry. Me go now. I think Yukon's borrowing trouble. Talking about Chinooks on the warpath. Well, we'll go up to the mine anyway, huh? How about it King? I can do us good. Oh, will I strap on my shell shoes? Oh, thank goodness we're here. King, I couldn't keep up with you if I run every step of the way. Oh, Terry must be working at the end of the chair. Terry! Oh, Terry! Doing up here. Oh, Yukon went to the post to get supplies. So King and I decided to take... Good. I'll finish working about an hour and we'll all go home together. Sergeant Preston will be there for several weeks. I hope so. And I know that King... but Terry, where'd he go? Who? King. He must have gone into the mine. He'll get hurt again. Don't worry. All you'll find at the end of this shaft is there's a wall of solid rock that I've been picking at for the past six months. He'll come out in a minute. I'd hate for... There he is now, right behind you. How could he possibly... I mean, I didn't see him come out of the shaft. I guess he's too fast for you, Beth. There's no other way out. He's a boy, huh? Terry, did Yukon tell you about seeing anything unusual while he was hunting rabbits this morning? Seeing anything? Uh-huh. What do you mean? Well, I don't think it's important. Wait a minute. Well, what's wrong? Look over there. Just the side of the ridge. That's a big crowd. Chin out. But if I'm any good at reading in the inside, they're on the warpath. Well, that's what Yukon said. Some white men have been giving them whistle. No matter what cost it we've got to get out of their way. I'll get my snowshoes. We'll head for the training post. Oh, Terry, they'll burn our cabin. That's better than burning us. Look, couldn't we stay here in the mine? It's too dangerous. The mine won't stop half a hundred dukes when they're loaded with whiskey. Come on, before they spot us. It's all right. King will break trail for us. Come on, boy. So far, so good. I don't think they've spotted us. Look, Terry, they're not going toward the cabin. They're heading south toward the river. Yeah. Wait. I think King's found something. Look, sled tracks. Reading back toward our place. Oh, thank heaven. Maybe Sergeant... No, this is our sled. I can tell by the runner marks. Luke Hunt? He's passed here on his way home with the supplies. Yes, and if the Chinooks find him they might... Beth, you go on to the post. What do you mean? I'm going to try to find Luke Hunt. If you go back, so will I. Be sensible, Beth. Go on to the post. Don't worry myself to death. We'll stay together, Terry. All right. There's no time to argue about it. Come on, King. How about it, Joe? Take care of Luke Hunt. Me, get him good. Nice and bang. All right. You jabber this Chinookling, go. Tell a couple of those drunken redskins to drag him away from here. Where? Any place. Your eye-neck clump of pine trees down the trail will be all right. Where's the wash car? Where's Kevin? Hold up. Sayung, what we do with dog-tea? Keep him here? Why not? Be a good piece of bait for Clark and his wife. We burn cabin? Not yet. I'd scare him off. She decided to pay dirt in his claim. No, sir. Come on. I'll show you. Now, give me a match. Almost dark. Time to light the lamp. Put it in the window. Now, come on. Why are you laughing? I'm just thinking. A lamp in the window means somebody's waiting for you. That's what we're doing. Waiting for a gentleman, a lady named Clark. There's a light. Luke Hunt must be here. Yeah, I guess the Redskins didn't see him. Honey, he didn't unharness the dogs or take the supplies off the slab. That's not like Luke Hunt. Terry! What's wrong? Look at King. He acts as a... See, he won't stay here. He's heading back toward the post. King! Here, King! He's drawn us home. I guess he figures his job's done. Maybe he thinks it's time for the sergeant to show up. Let's go in and ask Luke Hunt. Blood's outside. The lamp's lit. But something's wrong, Terry. It does seem kind of queer. Oh, Terry! Quick, close the door. Just crease my shoulder. The lamp. Oh, what now? Hurry! Yes, sir. I don't understand. They must be in those pine trees, the other side of the clearing. Wait until we make targets of ourselves with the light behind us. Oh, Terry, who's trying to get... I don't know, but I'll bet it's not in him then. This is no Redskins trick. The safest place for us is up at the mine. We've got to get out of here, head for the mine. But how can we... Backdoor. They don't know about that. If we can make it, it's dark enough outside. Come on, Beth. Your shoulder, Terry. You've been shot here. I'm in for that later. Right now, we've got to run. Keep your head down, Beth, and run. Yes, King, I'm glad to see you. What are you doing out here on the trail? I thought you'd be waiting at Terry Clark's cabin. What is it? What's wrong, boy? Hmm, a deserted Indian village. And the report that Mort Bracker and a half-breeder in this facility isn't so good. Up in front, King. On King! On your man, you... This is what you were trying to tell me. A war party of Chinook Indians in front of Terry Clark's mine. We'll leave the team here and see what's in trouble. Terry's trying to hold them off, single-handed. We're outnumbered if we try to... What is it, King? You mean... Yes, boy, we could circle and come up behind the ridge, but that wouldn't help us reach Terry. All right, you know this ground better than I do. We'll try it. Lead off, King! I'm afraid you guessed wrong this time, King. We're too far away from the mine to... Wait, King! Well, I'll be a natural tunnel under this overhang, and it must lead... Well, go ahead, boy. I'm right behind you. I'm off much longer. Oh, Terry, why is this happening to us? What have we ever done to cause the Indians? Here is something Chinooks. The answer is right over there at the edge of the crowd, but I can't get him under my sights. I mean, who? Renegade a white man. Name's Mort Bracker. I have seen him in Dawson in Circle City. I never thought he'd do so. What's that? Sounds like a dog behind us. That can't be true. Nothing back there but the end of the shaft. Wait, it's King. King, how in the world did you get... This is his own private entrance, Mrs. Park, but I'm glad he found it. Sergeant Preston. Sergeant! Did you get in here? I'm just as surprised as you are, Terry. All I did was follow King. There's a tunnel from the outside ridge that cuts into a cross-bid for main shaft. Well, I'll be... Well, King must have used it before, but we didn't realize it. Can all of us get out that way, Sergeant? These direct and red skins are moving closer all the time. With Mort Bracker egging them on. Mort Bracker, eh? That all adds up. But... How did you know? Well, I've been chilling him in a half-breed called Coback Joe. They're both out there. Look. Can you see them? I'll handle them later. The important thing to do now is to get out of here the same way King and I came in. Lead off, boy! Evidently, Mort Bracker wants to be sure Terry and you aren't still alive in that shaft. Do you think he'll come back here to the cabin when he finds out that you didn't... I'm sure of it. He'll want to burn the cabin, wipe out all traces, and then blame it on to the Indians. Why? Why does he want to go there? The idea is to steal a gold claim on a Bracker's favorite tricks. Then he must have murdered Luke. I will find out. Quiet. Someone's coming. King has their sense. No rest, Bracker. The mountain's after them, but it's too early. Not with King. He's equal to three men on a fight like that. Pop on the other side! Drop those guns and reach. Both of you. All right, we got him up. I'll turn around and start walking. You're both going to headquarters and the charge is murder. Now march. You've done another good job, boy. Yes, King, old boy. Thanks to you, the case is closed. These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ, Detroit. And all characters, names, places, and incidents used are fictitious. They are summed to you each week at the same time and reach you from our transcription studios. Al Neal speaking. This is the Michigan Radio Network.