 the challenge of the Yukon. On King! On Your Huskies! 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 was typical mounted police who preserved 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. In a small cabin on the outskirts of Dawson City, three men had just finished supper. The fire crackled in the fireplace as Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police sat before it with his big lead dog King at his side. Zeke Craig, an old sourdough laughed as he noticed Pat Kelly picking some food out of his bushy red beard. I don't know why you don't cut off some of that red bushy yours, Pat. You're always getting something tangled in it. Put your brother, Zeke. It takes a real man to grow chin whiskers like these. What if it does catch some of the food that would otherwise spot my clothes? So washing the beard is easier than washing the coat. And I suppose it keeps your chest born, too. You're right, it does. I can't understand why you don't grow, Sergeant Preston. Being out in the cold as much as you, your face needs protection. Now, Mountie is supposed to look neat whenever possible. If Preston had a beard like yours, they'd think I'd reasonably had joined the force. I suppose for old friendship's sake I should cut off the end of it and paste it on the top of your head, Zeke. Your feathers have bolted clean away up there. Someday I'll learn never to trade pamphlets with an Irish man. Well, speaking of pasting on a beard, I tried it once. Couldn't you grow one under your own power? Well, it wasn't time, Pat. The experiment almost cost me my life. It would have, but it hadn't been for King. Well, tell us about it, Sergeant. I'll tell you about it, if you like. It was a couple of years ago. Inspector called me into headquarters. Another Mountie was there. Yes, I do, sir. We had part of our training together, Inspector. That's fine. I'm sending the two of you north on an important case. You mean the mail robbery, sir? Well, you've wanted that assignment, haven't you, Sergeant? Yes, sir, very much. I've worked out a plan that I wanted to follow. The mail has been robbed three times in the last six months. Yes, sir. Each time a valuable shipment has been stolen. Last time it was a quantity of gold from a trading post. Have there been any clues at all, Inspector? We haven't had much to go on. But we're slightly suspicious of one of the mail carriers. He was robbed, too. Doesn't quite ring true. However, we have no definite proof of his guilt. Who is he, sir? His name is Joe Creedie. Oh, yes. Yes, I've met him. I hesitated to send you, Sergeant Preston, because you know so many people in the north. And worst of all, they know you. But you're just about the same size as Joe Creedie. What? What does that to do with it, sir? I want you and Corporal Wilcox to stop Joe on his trip from Dawson to Selkirk. Get him just after he leaves Dawson. Wilcox will stay with him. And you, Sergeant Preston, will wear his clothes and drive the mail team south. If we're lucky, and they think you're Joe Creedie even for a short time, we may find out where these men are hiding. But Creedie has a black beard, sir. I'm not going to ask you to grow one in that much of a hurry, Sergeant. But you can wear a false one. You'll have to disguise yourself. Can you imagine that? What did you do, Sergeant? Hang it around your ears? No, Pat. It had to be pasted on. It wasn't comfortable. Oh, stop bothering him about the details, Pat. Go on with the story, Preston. Well, Corporal Wilcox and I went up to Dawson City. I took King and my team. And when Joe Creedie started on his trip south, we were waiting for him about four miles south on the trail. Stand right up on the trail where he can see us, Hank. There's a chance he may be innocent, and if he is, he'd be a little jumpy if two men came out at him suddenly. He's coming now. I hear dogs. Yes, there he is, turning around the bend. Do you think he'll give us a trouble? Oh, I doubt it. Joe's tricky, and you'll have to keep an eye on him. But he'll use his brain rather than put up a fight. Hello there, Joe. Hello. Oh, Sergeant Preston. This is Corporal Hank Wilcox, Joe. How are you, Joe? Glad to see you. I was scared for a minute when I saw you two. Thought maybe the mail was being held up. Well, Joe, in a way, it is. What? What do you mean? I'm going to take your mail route from here. What are you talking about? I ain't gonna let anybody... I am afraid you're going to have to do it, Joe. Turn your team off the trail to the right. There's a cabin back there in the woods, and we'll explain things when we get there. You think you'll look like me with that false beard and then close your mind? You're crazy. Well, not much of me will show when I put your park of hood on. I don't see why you're doing this. Well, in case the Sergeant is held up, maybe he'll put up a little more resistance than you would, Joe. Let's talk a gun in my back, I'll tell you. What would you have done? Well, I should think you'd be glad to have me take your place, Joe. You'll be a lot safer sitting here. Well, your dog doesn't seem to like that beard, Sergeant. What's the matter, King? He's all excited. No, son, you're not going with me this time. Aren't you taking, King? No, leaving him here with you, Hank. Too many people know him. If King were with me, they'd know who I was. Besides, I want to leave him here for another reason. Now, if I'm not back here by tomorrow, let him out and follow him. He'll lead you to me, and I may need you. What if you're not stopped by the thieves? I'll continue on down to Selkirk, and you follow with my team and bring Joe here. Very well. Oh, and Corporal, don't let King out of this cabin unless you have him on leash. If you do, he'll follow me, and that would spoil everything. I won't let him out alone. Joe, you stay here with Corporal Wilcox, and don't give him any trouble. This is the craziest thing I ever heard of. I may see you tomorrow, and I may not. But this time, I go alone. Well, good luck, Sergeant. Thanks. I may need it. It was a clear day, and I hurried the team to make up for the time lost taking Joe to the cabin and changing clothes with him. I couldn't decide whether Joe was guilty or not. He'd been smart enough not to put up any resistance. As I marched along the trail, I tried to plan what I'd do if someone did meet me on the trail thinking I was Joe. The early darkness started, and I kept on going. Darkness would be on my side in this crazy masquerade. I hoped if anything happened, it would happen soon. As I turned to bend in the trail, I saw a man up ahead. He waited a moment and inhaled me. Yeah. Well, I am here. What's been Peter waiting at the cabin? You'd better walk ahead of the team. I've got to stay with the sled. You sound funny. I've got a cold. Hurry up. Push! Push! The man who stopped me walked ahead of the dog team. We left the trail and went back into the hills. After going about a quarter of a mile, I saw the lights of a small cabin today. We stopped in front of it. Oh, oh, you hussy! They got gold this hip or first. Gold. Help me carry that with it. Yeah. Yeah. Joe's here. We're coming. You went your own way. I'll say you ain't. What? Who is he? What'd you bring him here for? Well, Joe couldn't come. I came in his place. Is he giving you a cut of his share? Yeah. You got a report that you was robbed? Why, sure. What else could I do? Joe was afraid if it happened to him more than once, they'd get suspicious. Oh, he was. Get me up your hands. I got a gun in your back. Sergeant Slim Sharp. Yeah, there's the gun. Why are you doing this? Joe didn't send you. Joe was going with us. He didn't plan to report being robbed. And what's more, that beard of yours looks funny. It don't grow exactly right. Don't pay us for this. Yeah. Look who was hiding behind it. Sergeant Preston, the Northwest Marine. Preston? Yes, sir. You let him stay in this cabin. I thought he was Joe. It was dark and he's the same size. There's no sense in shippin' about it. No, it's done. Should I let him have it butchered? No, I'm not here. We kill him, Marty. The whole force will be on us. But we've got to kill him. He knows... But it's got to look accidental. How are we going to do it? As soon as it's light, we'll take him up the mountain trail south of here and we get to the highest part of it along the edge of the cliff. They'll push him and the team and the sled over. It'll look like an accident when they find him. They won't know any more about us they did before. After falling a hundred feet straight down, he won't be able to tell him. Which wouldn't hesitate to kill if I got troublesome. They tied me in a chair and we waited for Don. I felt quite hopeless, but I didn't know what was happening back at the cabin where I'd left Joe with Hank Wilcox. I found out later that at bedtime, Hank made Joe undone. What's the idea of that? It'll be cold. You can cover up with that fur robe. I'll lie on your clothes. In case that draws a bit, I want to make sure you don't get ideas about running away. You won't do none to close in this weather. Don't worry, I'm not run away. Here's my coat. Sleep on it if you want it. Don't go near that door. You think I'd go out without a coat? All I'm going to do is get a drink. Shut that door! King! King, come back here! Why'd you let that dog out, Joe? He wanted to get out. He'll come back. He did that purposely. King! Oh, he's gone. King! King! I had a knife strapped under my arm beneath my clothes, which they'd missed, and they searched me. Alone against three of them, I stood little chance, but I determined to use it as a last resort. Whatch and Pete were asleep, but Slim sat in front of me holding a gun. My hands were tied separately to the sides of the chair. If I could just get one hand free, and then suddenly I heard a bark in a distance. I thought my imagination was playing tricks, but then I heard it again. It was King. I tried to speak as calmly as possible. Slim, would you care if I smoked my pipe? How are you going to do it? Well, you could untie one hand. Surely you aren't afraid with that gun. I'll promise not to throw my pipe at you. I ain't afraid of you. This'll be the last pipe you ever smoke on. Use one hand. The other one stays tight. Thanks. Yeah, wonder what's wrong with them dogs. Hey, Slim! Yeah, I thought it was hard to shut them up with you. As Slim stood for the door, I reached for my knife and sliced the rope to tie it in my other hand. As he opened the door, I swung the chair at the lamp on the table and shouted to King. Get him, King! Get him, boy! Get away! Hey, Slim, what the hell are you doing? That's for you, but... Where I am, Slim! Stop pestin' us! I'll know you won't. Watch him, King. Good boy. Watch him. That's about the most exciting five minutes I'd ever spent. Fortunately, the chair had knocked Butch out, and he'd made the mistake of talking, so I find him in the dark. King, the good care of Slim. And you mean to say he got all three of them? By the time Butch and Pete were conscious, I had them tied up along with Slim. I met Corporal Wilcox on the trail the next day, trying to find me. He had Joe with him, and we took all four of them back to Selkirk. Well, it's a lucky thing you recognize King's Bark. King's Bark at that time was the most welcome sound I'd ever heard. Well, you can have the life of a mountain. None of that for me. Too much excitement. Well, King and I like it, don't we, boy? These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit, and all characters, names, places, and incidents used are fictitious. They are sent to you each week at this same time. This is Larry McCann speaking.