 The challenge of the Yukon. On King! On your mountainous! The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of Eskimo lead dogs, blazes the trail through storm and snow for Sergeant Preston, as he meets the challenge of the Yukon. Sergeant Preston's typical of the small band of Northwest mounted police, who preserve law and order in the new Northwest country, was 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. Dusk was creeping over the mountains in the Yukon. At a narrow pass, hidden behind a huge boulder, four men waited for an oncoming dog sled. Father Michael, piloting the sled, was tired but happy, because on the sled in a heavy, strong box, he carried enough money to start his new mission. The men behind the boulder stood tense and silent, until the sled was almost abreast of them. Then one of them suddenly raised his rifle. This'll take care of it! Buck! You ain't gonna shoot him! Don't shoot him, Buck! Hey! Don't shoot him, Buck! Mike! Stop that dog team! Right. Oh, Buck! Get him! You're sure to have shot him? He's a priest! Shut up! Now get that box off the sled and bring it into the cabin. Jake! Carry that old codger off and bury him somewhere. Box is heavy! Good! That means it has plenty of gold in it. It's got a good, strong lock on it, too. Look! Look there on top of it! There's a cross! Sure, it's church money, Ant. Mike, hand me that axe. Oh, you shouldn't have done it, I tell you. It'll bring bad luck. Killing a priest. Ah, quit your whining. Here's the axe. Yeah. Now we'll see how much these saws singing fools saved up to build their church. Oh, don't cut open that top, Buck. You... Buck! He's struck the cross. Bite through the middle. So what? Hey! Look at the money! He must have been saving up for years to get all this. Look at it, Mike! We sure made a hole this time. What's wrong, I say? It's bad luck. We should have let him go. A feature of fool. A law looking everywhere for us. And we should let this old skypilot bring him right back to our hideout, eh? But when we planned that you didn't tell me it was gonna murder him, I thought... Listen, you yellow pup. I'm sick of your squawking. If you don't like it, pack up and get out of here. Yeah. That's a good idea. Get out of here. Now. No, no, Buck. I didn't mean it. I don't care what you meant. You're clearing out of here. I'm sick of your griping all the time. Oh, no, Buck. I always done what you told me. Yeah. That time you shot the prospector I almost had to hold a gun for you. You didn't stop groaning about it for a week. Well, you're done, so you get out. No, no, Buck. Me and Mike and Jake ain't got no doubts about dividing this church money. Maybe you'll save yourself some bad luck if we take your share. Oh, please, Buck. I was just thinking about the law. When the mountains find out that we bumped off a breezeway. They ain't gonna find out. Now, get going. You ain't any good to us, anyway. I don't know where I'll go. I don't want to leave the gang. Did you hear what I said? Or do you want to go to heaven with a pottery out there? But I ain't got no pack. You're not gonna take time for that. Start walking down the mountain just the way you are. But I'll die without food. It's too far. Mike, yeah, fall him down to the pass and see that he gets going down the trail. If he stops, shoot him. Buck, please. And I just want to warn you about any squealing you might be thinking of doing. Remember, we got enough on you to hang you. So don't get any funny ideas about collecting that reward for Buck Nelson dead or alive. Oh, Buck, you know I wouldn't do that. Then you should happen to see your friend Sergeant Preston. You might tell him that someday I'm gonna get him. And that fancy dog of yours. A turning boy. There's a man out there on the plane. Oh, Hawking. That's a boy. All right. On you, Malamute! Help! Help! We're coming. Oh, are you, Malamute? Here we are, man. What's the matter? I can't see you. I'm snow-blind. Snow-blind? And out here all alone? Where'd you come from? The mountains. I don't know where I am. I haven't eaten. Haven't got some food. Well, sure. Wait, I'll get some. What happened to your quag? I didn't have none. Here, chew on this. Well, I'll make you some hot tea. Thanks. Whoa! Wait a minute, man. Don't wolf it down like that. Take it easy. Sit here on my sled. I'll bind up those eyes. What do you mean you had no pack? Somebody steal it? Well, no. Well, yeah. I went blind. You don't have to be so mysterious about it. You can tell me. Did someone steal your food? I can't see. Oh, just a man trying to get along. Will you take me with you? I can't see. I have to go all the way to Circle City, and that's too far for you to go. You'd better get back to Vic's Roadhouse about four miles from here, back the way I came. Vic will take care of it. Will you take me back? I have to make Circle City by tonight, or I would. But I'll do something just as good. I'll send my lead dog with you. He'll lead you there on leash, if I tell him to. I'll be back the day after tomorrow and pick up the dog. Vic will have you better in no time. Bonjour. This Vic's Roadhouse? Oui. Come here. Ah, but wait. I'll help you. Not notice your eyes. I'm snow-blind. It ain't permanent. Sit down here. Come on down. But this is King. You have met Sergeant Preston. He not come back with you? Sergeant Preston? Oui. King here, his lead dog. Oh, Sergeant Preston, yeah. Yeah, I met him. He couldn't come back. He had to get somewhere in a hurry. He go to Court in Circle City. But just a minute. I get you a soup. Here is soup. You meet Sergeant Preston here? No. No, I told him I'd meet him back in town. As soon as my eyes are better, I'll take his dog back there. I fix your eyes. They better soon. But first, better you eat. I've been watching you since you was halfway up the trail. All I told you to clear up. Fuck, quick. We've got to get this dog into the cabin. Come on, King. We've got to find Preston. Find Preston? Say, what's the matter with you? You gone crazy? In here, King. There. We got him. Say, what is this, anyway? Maybe you change your mind about me, Buck. If I brought you Preston's lead dog. Preston's dog. Yeah. That's him. Yeah. Listen to him. Guess he's figured out he's been trapped. Preston's dog. Where's Preston? He'll trail you up here. I took care of that. The trail up the mountain is packed hard. We didn't leave no tracks. I made a big circle before I got on it. Preston can't even find the beginning of our route. I've been waiting for this. I'll put a bullet in that kern. We won't have to be afraid of Preston for a while. Now he'll never find his hideout. Don't you think we could sell the dog? He'd bring a lot of money if we could sell him over the border. You're completely local. How are you going to get him away from here? I'm going to plug him while I got the chance. Sounded like glass breaking. There's the window. There it goes. That plate, Kerr. Pete, come on. Maybe we can hit him. He's going down the other side of the mountain. Can you see him from up there, Pete? No. He just went around the kerb. Back on the swan, I hit him. We got to get him. Keep going. Hello, Murphy. No, there's no sign of him. I've questioned everybody and tried every trail. I'm afraid he's gone this time. We'll farm a suction party. There's not a man among us don't owe something to that animal. It's nice of you, but I'm afraid whoever stole him had a good reason to get him out of the way and didn't waste any time doing it. I wonder if it had any connection with Father Michael not showing up. Father Michael? The new priest who was new here two days ago. He was bringing the money to start a new mission and he ain't showed up yet. Do you know what trail he was taking? He had to come over to the mountains. We can't figure it out. He wrote he'd be here. The weather's been good and surely no one would harm a man of God. Oh, there were men in the Yukon who'd do anything for gold. I just had King. Murphy, did you hear that or am I just a... King, you're back. Murphy, it's King. Glory be! It's really him in the flesh. Come here, fella. His head's cut. He must have jumped through a window. And somebody tried to shoot him. Look at his shoulder. That they did the dirty cars. If I ever find the people who did this... We'll find them, Sergeant. Instead of searching for King, we'll search for his kidnappers. All the prospectors will want to do it. Whenever you want to start it. If King's able, we'll start in the morning. There's just a chance that King can follow his own trail and lead us back to them. I'll go and tell the boys. Let her tell them to come on, Murphy. I have a hunch we're going to meet some opposition. That's the worst crime I ever had. Sure, and it must have been a lot easier coming down than it... than it is going up. King's certainly come out of the back door to the mountain. You coming, boys? Sure, sure, we're coming. I better go carefully now. King seems to be getting excited. You think they'll have lookouts watching the place? Not on this side of the mountain. The trail's on the other side. I might as well keep watch of that. Sure, and if I could be a mountain goat for just a few minutes. Boy, it sure would help. King is doing all right, though, sore shoulder and all. Stop, King. Look, Murphy. Isn't that smoke over there right there on that hollow at the side of the mountain? Yeah, yeah, you're right. It is. Hold it, boys. We see something. I probably have a lookout on the other side of the mountain overlooking the trail in the cabin. Murphy, you take the boys and creep up on the lookout. I'll take the cabin with King. And Murphy, keep undercover the trees if possible. Come to the cabin as soon as the lookout's taken care of. Ah, we acquired him all right. Just give us the time to get over there. Come on, boys. That's the cabin all right. They've boarded up the window. This way, King. Well, nobody here, eh? That's strange. Guess we'll just sit here and wait for them, King. Preston, you all right? Come in, Murphy. Nobody here? No. But we got to look out. Caught him pretty as you please, peering down the trail. The boys got him bound and gagged. We saw you from there coming in here. There's someone coming up the trail, too. Thought I'd better get down here in case for someone from here. Fine. Murphy, stand beside the door there on the shadows. King, lie down here. Right beside the table, fella. Not quiet, do you hear? Quiet, King. Somebody's coming. Put up your hands, all of you. They got you covered. Murphy, keep those two covered. Ain't he Buck Nelson? You are Buck Nelson. Wanted for murder and robbery. You ain't taking me alive, you tiller-horned cop. Throw on the chair, the murdered thief. Lost his balance. He thought King was going to jump him. Come on, Buck, get up. He can't get up. He's not out. Come on, Buck. Why? Why, he hit his head on the corner of this heavy box. On a box? Keep still, you. And keep your hands up. I told him. I knew it was bad luck. He's dead. It killed him. I knew it wouldn't happen. What's the matter with you? What are you talking about? It's the box. The box with the broken cross. Glory be. It must be Father Michael's box. I didn't want Buck to kill him. Mike, you're a witness. I told him not to kill him. Buck killed Father Michael. I didn't want him to. Then the money for the new mission was in this box. Saints preservers. Did the man stop at nothing? Well, Father Michael didn't die in vain. The reward for Buck Nelson will fill this box again and again. You and the boys take care of things here, Murphy. Come on, King. You and I will take these men back to town. Yes, King. The case is closed. These copyrighted drummers originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit. And all characters, names, places, and influence used are fictitious. They are summed to each week at the same time and rate you from our transcription studios. Hal Neal speaking. This is the Michigan Radio Network.