 Ranger Bill. Warrior of the woodland. Struggling against extreme odds. Traveling dangerous trails. Fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest. Ranger Bill. Pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Hear that sound? Those are sounds that come from the forest and mountain wilderness during a betterly cold spell. It's 30 below zero out there. That's too cold for man or beast. But the ice jams and cracks and glaciers are on the move. And we're going to have to go out in that refrigerator before this story's over. Well, what do you say we drop out to see a friend of mine at one of the large lumber camps near Naughty Pine? Big Frenchie DeSalle and his men are sitting close by the fire these days. And they consume their idle hours with talk about everything under the sun. Hold on to your hats because here we go with the story. The Ice Prison. Hey, lefty. We will not get any warm here by you watching the Sermon Matère. I thought maybe I could stare at it long enough to make it warm up. Oh, Frenchie, you think it will not work. Only way to warm it up is bring it inside. Or else go outside and hold a candle under it. The Sermon Matère. What does she say, huh? Still 30 below zero. Oh, Zanni's too cold for anybody. Even Frenchie frees in weather like that. Sees too cold even for polar bears. They need electric red flanels to keep them warm, man. It's a man. Yeah, and he's in bad shape. He must have fallen in water. Well, those stones are like logs. Catch him before he falls. Hold him up there. Come on, there. Put him over there on the cot. Lefty, George, you fellows take off for town. Get out there. Quick about it now. When can Frenchie talk to him, doc? Right now. You better talk fast. I'm not sure I can pull this fellow through. Can you hear me, friend? I'm Moose McBane. Moose McBane? You are not Moose. Frenchie, no him. Take a closer look. Oh, it is you, Moose. What have you been pulled through, eh? Not holding a large tree? I make three day march, day and night. Not stop once. No wonder I did not recognize you. You look strange. Oh, Frenchie, he not think you are Moose. I found a man frozen to death, standing up in big pine leg. You found a man standing up and frozen to death in big pine leg? That's what I said. You rest now, Moose. Frenchie, he take over from here. That's a wise move, Frenchie. There is only one thing to do. I call my friend Bill Jefferson. How do you like that platform rocker we bought you, Stuffy? Eh, mighty fine. Counter-build an old quilt. Mighty easy to me, old booms, too. We glad you like it. You were other one, not almost to breaking point. Now we'll ever be able to get him outside. Don't let him go to sleep or we'll have to leave him here to sleep like Rip Van Winkle. I'll get it, fellas. Range your headquarters, Bill Jefferson speaking. Huh? Yes, we'll be there as soon as we can. Yes, goodbye. Hey, what's up? I don't know all the details, but we're going out to see Frenchie right now. Can I take my new rocking chair with me? Sure, Stumpy. We taskees are nothing. You be pulled behind car. 30 below zero, not on your life. I'll leave it here to keep warm until I get back. Let's go. How are you feeling now, Moose? Feeling pretty good. Doc thought I was gonna die, but I'm not calling Moose for nothing. You can say that again. Bill, I've never seen a man recover from shock and exposure like Moose has. I wouldn't given him a flapjack for his chances to pull through when I first saw him. Well, I'm glad you were wrong, Doc. So am I. Well, I'll be running along now. You can leave when you feel up to it, Moose. Thank you, Doctor. I'll be fine by morning. Goodbye. So long, Doctor. Uh, Moose, what's this about a man frozen to death standing straight up in Big Pine Lake? I was making a long trip up in a Big Pine country. To find out how to trap him would be for me. I'd like to go up there and trap if it would be good enough for all the work. Yes, Moose, but get to the point. I am. So I came to the edge of the lake I saw it. I mean him. There he was standing straight up in the lake. At first it almost scared a wits out of me. I called to him, but then I realized that it's 30 below zero out there. And it's been almost that cold for a week. I knew the man was dead. Jumping, bullfries. How could a man be frozen to death standing straight up? That good question. Are you think it happened, Moose? I don't know for sure. I wanted to look at him. He showed signs of having traveled a long way. Maybe he looked like you did, Moose, when you first came in here, huh? You're right, Frenchie. I think he fell into the water and then got up. His clothing froze right away, and it was too weak to overcome that obstacle. That sounds reasonable. How far from shore is he? Not far. He's standing waist deep in water. I should say ice. He must have fallen through a soft spot in the ice before the big freeze came. That means he's been out there better than a week. That's right, Snuffy. Moose, will you be able to travel in the morning? Sure, I feel fine by that. You sure? I don't want you to harm yourself physically. I'll be ready to travel in the morning. Moose, you ready to travel? Yeah, Bill. Moose is ready. You got a face mask? Sure. There'll be anything else you need, huh? No, there isn't, Frenchie. Thanks, anyhow. Well, let's shove off, man. Hey, somebody's coming in a double. What's up, you arranging Bill Jackson? I am, sir. Well, thank the Lord I didn't miss you. Now, they told me in town where to find you. I came as quickly as a beastly driving conditions would permit. The roads aren't dangerous. What can I do for you? I'm Harvey Norton, head of the Norton Geological Foundation. Oh, I'm glad to meet you, Dr. Norton. I've heard of your organization and its outstanding work in its field. Oh, thank you. Mr. Jefferson, one of our teams is missing and hasn't been heard from for two weeks. Where were they working? Just north of the Big Pine country. The Big Pine country? Hey, that's where we're going to find you. What Henry is saying is that we're going up there with our friend Moose to check his trappers' rights in a new area for him. Oh, I see. Well, would you be good enough to keep an eye out for our party up there? We'll do more than that. We'll make every effort to contact them or find them. Oh, that would be wonderful. Well, thank you very much for your kindness. You're welcome. We're glad to do it. Let's go, fellas. I'm wringing wet. Sure is warmed up. Yep. Sure is, young fella. I'd say it's no more than five below. That's what I was thinking. I'm going to shed some of these blankets I'm wearing. Okay, but not too rapidly or too much. You'll be the sorryest person alive. Well, I'll be careful. How are you feeling, Moose? Ah, like my old self. Say, I think we'll get blizzard soon. The sky is getting that heavy snow look. Yeah, I noticed that. I've been keeping one eye on the weather, and I'm sure you've hit the nail right on the head. Maybe we should make camp so we don't get lost. Yeah, that sounds like good advice. Right. Let's push on until the snow begins. Then the first good campsite, we'll grab it. If we got lost, we'd lose more time than by making camp and sitting out the blizzard. Hey, here it comes already. Oh, boy, look at those snowflakes. Yeah, as big as half dollars. It'll only take eight or ten billion of them to do some damage. There, a good campsite ahead. Maybe we better take it while taking is good. I think you're right, Gray Wolf. Let's bet down over there and ride this one out. Yeah, it's rest up good because soft snow has roughed stuff to plow through, and new snow is even worse. She's been on the rampage for a night and a day already. Ah, this bad storm, all right. We have tough time after it lets up. You said it, Gray Wolf. We'll have to use your compasses as all the landmarks will be covered up for camouflage. That won't be easy, but I still know the way. We'll move out just as soon as we can see a hundred yards in front of us clearly. Right about now you can hardly see the end of your nose. It's letting up. Yep, it sure is, Henry. Slowly but surely it's letting up, all right. But it's too late in day now. Soon it'd get dark. We'd better stay here for the night. Maybe a second course to this blow, and we've got about the best campsite we could find under these conditions. It's getting colder again. I'd better get my thermometer out of the pack so we can be up to date on the big freeze, huh? I hope it gets good and cold before morning. Sure. It's so hard-crusted and it'll be easier traveling for us. We're dressed for 50 degrees below zero. What's your gadget, say, pal? Uh, 38 below. I'm pro-solid thinking about it. Where's my electric blanket? Let's move along, fellas. We gotta try and make up some of the time we lost. How much farther to Big Pine Lake, Moose? About 20 miles. That's plenty a long way yet. Let's stop and change to skis, fellas. It's downhill the rest of the way. That's what I like to hear. Feet, you're gonna get a rest for a while. There's the lake. But I don't see the frozen man. What is out here for nothing? How skin you like a coober? I tell you, I saw the man. He was right about here. Are you sure you weren't seeing things? Maybe you lost your snow glasses or your sight failed you. No, no, I saw him. I walked up and I could touch him. That's very strange. Who would take away a body? Take it easy, fellas. Are you aware that we're standing in a good-sized pile of snow? Let's dig down and see what we can find. That's it, Bill. The snow has covered him up. Is this the spot, Moose? Yeah, yeah. Just about where you're standing. All right, let's start digging, fellas. You'd better be right, Moose. If you're not, you'll wish you were. I move lots of snow, but not fine men. I'm getting ready to chase Moose back home. Jumpy, stop that kind of talk. Spend more energy digging and less talking. Hey, I've hit something. What is it? Oh, man's hand and it cased in ice. Oh, it's no use, fellas. We can't remove him. He's solid in this ice of the lake. All right, let's break up in his pack and see what we can find. We do. Help me with straps. That strap flows. Hey, who is he, Bill? Professor Emmanuel King. He's part of the geological party reported missing. That's too bad. What do we do now? I'm going to break out the radio and call in and tell Naughty Pioneer's story. And Moose, you stay here and guard the body. I'll have helicopters sent out here in short order with men and equipment to dig Professor King's body out of the ice. And you go back with the copters, Moose. Your job is done. Thank you, Bill. I'm sorry I jumped all over you like a horn toad, Moose. I think nothing of it's dumpy. Even I thought I was seeing things for a while. Let's go over in that grove of trees. You fellas can fix some food while I radio in. That'll be fine, Jim. Have those copters out here on the double. Moose is out there without much protection from the wind. Over and out. Come here, fellas. Listen. What's the matter, Bill? Just listen. Hey, that's an SOS and it's not very far away. It seems to be getting weaker. Right. Somebody's in trouble and we've got to find them fast. But how? Looking for them's going to take time. Before I'm through, this part of the country is going to be busier than Times Square. I'm radioing for copters to bring in electronic equipment. Hey, that'll do the job in a hurry. You fellas eat your food so you can keep up your body heat in this cold. How about you? You've got to eat, too. After I call for the copters. All right, Henry. Let's get this sled full of gear off the copter fast. Right. There it is, Bill. Stumpy. Tell the pilot to take off. He's got his orders. Right away, Shunny! What's he going to do? Get help. Rescue workers and equipment. You're not fooling around. It's too cold to play games. That SOS is coming from the geological party every second counts. Let's get this gear set up now. You fellas walk as fast as the wires will let you, and take them to either side with the antennas. We do plenty quick. Now move them slowly from side to side until I say stop. That's it! Stop! Have you got a fix? Yep. It's that mountain over there. Let's fold up the gear and get going. Snow slide. There's a cave in there and there in it. Sure as I am, knee high to a toadstool. I agree. That snow slide not new. It happened before storm. That fits in with finding that poor fellow in the lake. He must have escaped the slide and tried to get help. Right. So we found them, but now what do we do? Why, there's thousands of tons of snow and ice under that cave entrance. We'll have to climb the mountain and try to find a natural vent or a small passage somewhere. I can't climb anymore, Bill. I've got a rest. Bill, I'll take a rest. Grab my legs before we both go down. I ain't got you, Dray-Wolf! Well, Henry and Bill back now! Thanks, Bill. You saved my life. That snow slid off from under me fast. It didn't slide out from under you, Henry. It gave way. Henry, you found a natural vent down to the inside of the cave. I have? I did? Where? How can you tell? Take a look. That thing goes way down. You can't see the bottom of it. Shake out your ropes and we'll tie them together. Bill, you're not thinking of going down in there. I'm not thinking of it any longer. I'm going down. You might get trapped in there. Why, some of those vents are so narrow you'd get wedged and then your goose would be cooked. Some of them you can't climb back out of either. I think you're foolish to risk your life like that. I agree. Maybe there's other way to do this. There isn't any time for quibbling, fellas. I'm going down. There's usually about a dozen people in a geological party. I think most or all of them may still be alive. What if that rope isn't long enough? Then, pal, I'll be at the end of my rope. Am I hearing things or is that someone up on the side of the mountain? There is somebody up there going. What? The first snow came down the vent and now rocks. I'd say that rescuers are trying to get to us. I didn't want it to get worked up. I thought my mind was finally going. I believed you're right. Help us arrive. Yes, it has, man. You're not going there. We're going to get out of here yet. Here comes more help. I should feel better now. Me too. Hey, rope's stopped paying out. It was either into the cave or he's stuck. He used about 200 feet of this here stuff. I'm going down to the copters and get help up here with gear. That's a good idea. I first get a small microphone and a long wire so we can talk to those fellers in the cave and tell the boys to bring up hot coffee and chocolate bars and we'll pass it down the vent. You're assuming that Bill made it all right? You think there's still some folks alive in that cave? What else? The Lord's still running this universe. Get a hold of your faith and get down this mountain quick like a bunny. Yes, sir. On the double. You're thankful. Mr. Ranger, you don't know how we've prayed. Yeah. We've been out of food and water for two days now. Well, you'll have some shortly. Let's listen. What is it? Strike a match. A metal box on a wire. There's a microphone inside that box. Now I can talk with the rescue party. This is fantastic. Wait till the hot coffee and chocolate bars come down. That'll be even more fantastic, my friend. Hey, you guys up there. Can you hear me? Wonderful job up there, fellas. The coffee and chocolate have revived the party. We're 15 strong down here, counting me. Now I want you to blow open the front of the cave. We can take it in here, all right? Because the cave goes way back. That doesn't work. Then you'll have to snake us up the vent one at a time. Frankly, I don't think some of these men can take it. They're in pretty bad shape. All right, get with it now. See you later. But good news. Yeah, but I... You heard the man. Let's set the dynamite. But that'll start another snow slide. No doubt it will, young fella. And those men inside the mountain will have to be faster than the snow slide. And that's all there is to it. We're all set, Bill. The stronger men are ready to help the weaker men get out as quickly as they can after the blast. Yeah. Yeah, we'll wait until you give us a word, and then we'll move all the possible speed we can. Good. I'll bring up the rear. I take it, Bill, that Professor King got through the civilization all right. Yes. Did you get his message? Yes. We got his message all right. He died in the usual manner. I don't understand. He died in the same thing that you men just broke out of. An ice prism. Well, how'd you like that for a whole bushel basket full of closed shades? It's all in today's work, though. Rangers eat danger, live danger, and sleep danger. See you next week for more adventure with... Speaking for Ranger Bill. And say, and don't forget to hit the trail with us every week at this time for lots of exciting adventure with all the Ranger gang. Henry Scott and Gray Wolf and Bill, of course, and me, the old timer, are all on hand from time to time to bring you the best stories we can find. So you tune in to Naughty Pine and learn the latest that's happening around the Ranger Station, or in the mountains and forests nearby, or maybe even someplace further away. Because that young fellow, Bill, gets into all kinds of situations and troubles and complications when he's trying to help somebody else. So you be sure to join up with us next week for this half-hour of storytelling, and then you won't lose out on anything that's going on. I'll be looking for you, so don't disappoint me.