 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, showing rare courage in the face of disaster, in the air, on horseback, or in a screaming squad car. Ranger Bill, his mind alert, a ready smile, unswerving, loyal to his mission. In all this, in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. So the judge says to him, I'll let you off with a fine this time, but if you arrest it again, I'll send you to jail, and the man says to the judge, that there sounds like a weather forecast, judge. What did he mean? Yeah, there's plenty of hot air coming from both the stove and stumpy. What are you two up to? We're just talking about the weather. The only way stumpy could talk about it, with jokes. Well, this cold snap is no joke. It's about the coldest I can remember it being around here. Well the Weather Bureau warned us. They said it'd get plenty cold for a few days. Hey, did I ever tell you about the weather forecaster who was always wrong about what the weather was going to be like? I'm glad you're here, Bill. At least I don't have to suffer through his jokes alone. What amazes me is that he always seems to have new ones, and all the time we've worked together all the time, and I can't remember you repeating a joke, at least not very often. I never thought about that. But that's true. Where do you want to hear this story, or don't you? Oh, listen to him. Now that we've almost paid him a compliment, he thinks he's somebody important. Yeah. We await your jewels of laughter, old teller of funny stories. Be silent all ye in attendance. The potentate of prank, the commandant of comedy. The bearded jester desires your attention. Well, I can see that my little attempts to keep things in a lighter mood around here ain't needed. You, too, seem to do pretty well for yourselves. Oh, don't feel unnecessary, old timer. It wasn't for your constant barrage of humor. We wouldn't have anything to kid about. Yeah. Tell us that joke you were going to tell. What was it? I don't think it seemed funny now, not after that outburst. Oh, sure it would, Stumpy. Go ahead. Something about a weather forecaster. Well, ordinarily I wouldn't, but this one is so funny, I can't keep it to myself. Tell us then. Well, there was this here weather forecaster who was just never right about the weather. When he said it rained, it was sunny. When he said it snowed, it'd be 90 in the shade. So what happened? Well, everybody got to laughing at him, not paying any attention at all. So he requested that he be changed to a new area. And the weather people asked him why he wanted to be changed. What did he say? He said, the climate out here don't agree with me. This weather doesn't agree with me either. I'm sure glad we don't have to go out in it. Don't even say anything like that, Bill. You know what happens every time you say something like that? Henry's right, Bill. We can be sitting here in the nice warm office. We can't get bad off at all. But as soon as any one of us mentions that we're glad we don't have to go out in it, the phone rings. And yet somebody in some sort of trouble. I'll get it. Ranger station, Bill Jefferson speaking. Mr. Jefferson, this is Gundre Neves. I own the little rabbit farm on the north end of town. Oh, yes. Mr. Neves, I know who you are. I don't think we've ever met. Well, I think it's about time we do. I got me a little problem over here, and I think it probably comes under a ranger business. Can you tell me about it over the phone, Mr. Neves? Why do you think it called? I'm losing rabbits, fast enough so that somebody's better do something about it right away. You know what's causing your rabbits to die? I got no doubt in my mind whatsoever. Wolves. Wolves? That's right, wolves. Well, do you think it sounds like one of your problems? Yes, it does, Mr. Neves. We'll be right over to take a look at your place. Well, you'd better hurry, Mr. Jefferson. I ain't got a large enough outfit to keep losing rabbits the way I've been. There's even more than that at stake, if what you say is right. Oh? That's right, Mr. Neves. If your rabbits really are being attacked by wolves, that means that they're much farther south than usual and hungry. The whole town of naughty pine could be involved. This here wasn't much concerned with a neat job. Yeah, it's a mess, all right. That's a seventh rabbit I've lost in the last week. You see all them tracks? They look like wolf tracks, all right, and more than one. Well, Mr. Jefferson, what are you going to do about it? I'll have to investigate. See whether just a few wolves running around this far south or a whole pack. That way I'll know better how to approach the problem. Investigate? While I go on losing rabbits? If there are just a few stray wolves and they've singled out your farm here, it'll be a simple matter to stop them. But if there's a pack or more, it'll be another story. Huh, how do you plan to carry out this investigation? I'll go straight back to the station, Mr. Neves, and then to the airport. By cruising around the area, I'll be able to see any large packs of wolves or any signs they might leave. Well, I won't pretend I'm happy about the way you're handling this, Mr. Jefferson. I'd expect you to get the whole thing cleared up right away. No, you listen here, you young whipper snapper. Bill, here's a lot more experience at these things than you are. What he decides ought to be done is what ought to be done. Well, that's so. Well, you rangers listen to me. If I lose so much as one more rabbit to a hungry wolf, I'm packing my shotgun and going out after myself. If there are too many wolves out there, Mr. Neves, that wouldn't be a very wise thing to do. Hungry wolves aren't particular who they attack. I don't think they'll argue very long with a shotgun. That's true. They wouldn't. So? As soon as you were out of shells, the argument would be over. Ranger headquarters. Henry Scott speaking. Bill? No, he and Stumpy went out about... Oh, just a minute. Hold on. He just came in. Bill, it's for you. Thanks, pal. Hello, Bill Jefferson speaking. Oh, hello, Miss Cassler. What's that? In the schoolyard, huh? Well, we have had word of them being in the area. Sure thing. We'll get right to it. Right. It's a good idea to have someone there, too, when the children leave this afternoon. Maybe Cal can give you a man. Yes. Thanks for calling, Miss Cassler. Goodbye. What was that all about? Looks like we've got a real problem in our hands, fellas. That was Miss Cassler at the grammar school. She said that there were a couple of wolves wandering around the schoolyard this afternoon. Sounds bad, Bill. We've had this kind of situation before. When the weather gets this cold, wolves migrate far the south than usual. When they do, they satisfy their appetite on anything that happens to be in their way. Which, in this case, looks like it's not a pine. Right. Another one? If this really is a plague of wolves, this phone will be busy almost all the time from here on until we somehow ease the situation. I told you what I'd do, Ranger. One more rabbit and those wolves would have to answer to me. Well, I lost two last night. But what you don't seem to understand, Mr. Neves, is that those wolves are hungry enough to attack you. Well, I'm angry enough to attack them. That makes us about evil. We've been getting reports all last night and this morning about wolves attacking animals around here. All the more reason somebody better go out there and stop them. How can I convince you that you're no match for them? Well, you can't. Besides what you plan on doing with them, setting traps. We're going to drive them back up north. Gonna send off to the television people for some cowboys and have a big round up, eh? Mr. Neves, I can understand you're being angry at this whole situation, but there are factors that you aren't aware of. The wolves may be very harmful this far south, but they are essential to the balance of nature up north. Well, I think there's something wrong with your balance. Them wolves are killing animals they must be gotten rid of. They kill so they must be killed. Even the Bible says something about an eye for an eye. Is that the way you want to be dealt with by God? Ah, why waste my time chattering with you. I'm going into the woods and there's nothing you can do that'll stop me. When I take care of them wolves, you'll be thankful for me. I hope you'll be around to thank Mr. Neves. All right, man, may I have your attention? By now you're all well aware of Naughty Pine's problem, the wolves. It appears that they have come south looking for warmer weather and food. What are we going to do about them, Bill? Well, that's why I've called you here. I've worked out a plan to drive them back north, but I need your help. We're going to be dropping food for them at these spots marked here on this area map. What are you? These deposits of food should draw the wolves to them and give us certain knowledge as to where they are. Then we can ride out and drive them north again. We'll also use the plane to send them on their way. Aren't we going to kill them? It'll probably be necessary to kill some of them, but it would be unwise to kill them all. Now all of you who want to and can help out, please stay and we'll arrange you in the groups and work out our plan. Get out of here! Go on! How many of you do I have to kill? Oh, look at her. No wonder they attack animals. They must be starved. They're eating the dead ones. Go on! Get! Get! I'm getting low on shells. They scared my horse away. They got me surrounded. A tree there. Only a few wolves between it and me. Maybe if I blast in that direction and then run for it, I've got to do something. They're closing in. Hey! Get out of here! What am I going to do? There sure are a lot of wolves down there. I never thought there were so many in the world. Sometimes I think if people knew how much of everything there is in the world, they'd act a lot differently. What do you mean? Well, take, for example, gunner-needs. If he had had any idea at all of how many wolves there were out here, he never would have started out to stop them. That's for sure. Boy, I hope he's all right. I think he is, pal. He's impetuous, but once he sees what he's up against, I think he'll turn back. I suppose so. I know I sure would. How are we doing with that food supply, pal? Oh, there's still some left. About enough for two or three more drops, I guess. Good. I'll swing a little farther north. Maybe we can start those wolves on their way home. Look, Bill, there's a pack of them right down there. Hold on, pal. I'll circle around and buzz them. If I come in at them from the south, they ought to start running for home. Some of them seem to be a little bothered by us up here, but they aren't running yet. There ought to be far enough away to start in for a buzz. You watch them start to run when they see us coming out of the sky at them. Here goes! Well, that's one pack that we won't have to worry too much about. Looks like they've spotted that food we left for them. Well, that puts them a good 20 miles of nutty pie. The way they took off, I don't think they'll stop before they arrive back at Home Sweet Home, way up north. Not so much with a little sidetrack. You'd better get to dropping the rest of this food. Right. The men start chasing those big fellas up this way. I want them to think they're going in the right direction. Hey, look down there, Bill. Where are you looking, pal? See? Over there. Is that what I think it is? Looks like a horse. Now, what would a single horse be doing out here? Now, let's bank over a little closer and see what's going on. Looks like he's alone. There's something I didn't see from where we were before. What's that? That's not just a wild horse, Henry. Look, he's got a saddle on his back. That horse belongs to someone. Unless I miss my guess, that someone is out here and in trouble. Push this tree over. Position to begin. I ought to listen to the rangers. But I had to get out here and collect my eye for an eye. If that's the way I wanted to be treated by God, no worse than anybody else besides I... Hey, what's going on? Hey, there's a stranger! The direction of whoever left it. We should see something pretty soon, Henry. All I can see is a lot of wolves running around down there. I know. That's why we'd better find whoever it is. If he's in trouble, that trouble might well involve those wolves. Would they attack a man, Bill? They've been known, Dupal. Hey, do you think that horse might belong to Mr. Naves? That's what I was thinking, Henry. Up here, it looked a lot like the one he rode out on this morning. Well, he went out to hunt wolves, didn't he? That's right. Boy, if he gets into a scrap with a pack of them and his horse came away alone... Now you can see why I'm so anxious to find... Hey, look! Look over there! Where? Oh, I see. Looks like a couple of dead wolves down there on the snow. More than that, Henry. Look over there! About a hundred feet from those dead wolves. By that tree! It's a man! It's Gunner Naves. I recognize his jacket. But he doesn't seem to be moving. Do you think he's... I'm not sure what to think, pal. I don't think the wolves have been at him. If they had, it wouldn't be a very pretty sight. What are we going to do? We've got to get down there and help him if we can. But where can you land? This is so hilly and rocky. We can't set the plane down here. I'm looking around right now for a landing spot, Henry. I don't see any place. Neither do I. But what I do see makes it even more important for us to get down there. What's that, Bill? Almost in every direction. Wolves! Gee... Branch broken. Oh... Looks like that branch wasn't the only thing that broke. Wolves... I forgot about them. Where's my gun? Oh... Over there. We should be able to reach it. Got it. I don't know how much more good it would do me. I've only got four shells left. Oh... Can't get up. Looks like I'm stuck here. A lot of good that'll do. Nobody in their right mind would be out in this country with all them wolves around. No, it's just between the wolves and me. Why did I have to go and get angry like this for? If I'd have kept my temper, the Rangers would have settled a whole thing and I wouldn't be here. My temper? How many times has it gotten me in trouble? Oh... Oh, well, some people have tempers and some cheat. Don't make anybody worse off than anybody else. But you don't make any better than anybody else either. I guess you could look at it that way. Maybe I'd better not look at it that way. And it puts us all in a pretty bad position. I wonder if that's what Bill meant. If God treated everybody on an eye-for-an-eye basis, I guess nobody'd make it to heaven. But wait a minute. How does God treat people? Oh, I didn't see him sneaking up on me. So you come for dinner, eh? Well, some of you are gonna taste lead! Wait a little enough I'm gonna get to gather in a little area and hope the scatter of the shot will get more than one. That's a nice little quartet over there. That'll discourage him for a little. Uh-oh, not for long. Watch it come around and back, eh? That's got him off for a bit. Just about time to reload again. I guess only these two shots left. And then, oh God. God, are you gonna let me die? For the first time in my life, I ain't sure about myself. I don't know what to do. Oh God, help me. What? There are a lot of shells. I'll fight you with my bare feet to die! Have your attention, man. I have some good news for you. Two things, actually. Our little scheme to send the wolves home has, for all practical purposes, worked. There have been very few sighted in the last 24 hours in this area. And the second piece of news is that the low temperatures that brought the wolves to us are on the way out. I'm sure that's good news for all of us. So I want to thank you for your help in all this. And I want to especially thank the businessmen of Naughty Pine for allowing many of you time off from your regular work to help handle this problem. That's all right, Bill. We all enjoyed the vacation. Fine. Well, that about wraps things up, I guess. Thanks for coming, man. Bill, I wonder if I could talk with you for a minute. Sure, Gunner. What is it? First of all, I guess, you know, I'm thankful that you came along when you did. I wouldn't be here at... well, you know. We were glad to find you still alive. That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Bill. Out there, when the wolves were moving in on me, I... I did some straight thinking. Probably the first I've ever done in my life. Oh? You know, it's real easy to sit back and call God unfair to make him out to be some sort of a bully as long as you don't really look at yourself and how much real punishment you deserve for what you've done and what you are. When a fellow sees that about himself, well, then it seems he's got it coming to him. I know what you mean, Gunner. But you know, somehow I felt that wasn't the whole story, Bill. And I believe my life was spared so I could... so that I could find out what the whole story is. Uh-huh. That's possible. Nobody can really explain the way God works. That... that's why I want to talk to you, Bill. I know that, well, it's you're a religious man and you got things all worked out. Not me, Gunter. God has. If we're willing to accept His way. What is His way? You realized yourself out there that the wages of sin is death, didn't you? Yeah, I've heard that saying before, but I really never put any meaning into it. Did you ever think about the other half of the verse, Gunter? What's that? The free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Yeah, I've heard that too, but what does it mean in Jesus Christ? Well, simply it's this. None of us are good enough to spend one minute in the presence of God. So God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live a life good enough for Him and to suffer death for our sins. He lived the way you and I ought to. And He died because of our sins. So we would become good enough to face God. God did that for me so that I could be in His presence? That's right. And what we're asked to do is accept this free gift from God, eternal life in Jesus Christ. With this gift comes power to live the way that God wants us to live. The only real way to live. I need that gift, Bill. I want you to help me to get it. I guess I don't have to tell you what happened. When a person really sees who He is and who God is, then He must act. And until God's gift is accepted, life is truly empty. It's hopeless. We hope you've accepted His great and free gift. Well, see you next week for more adventure with... This program was produced in the radio studios of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.