 the speed of light, the cloud of dust, and a hardy high old silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the masked rider of the planes led the fight for law and order in the early days of the western United States. His strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness, blazed the trail for progress and finally made possible the winning of the west. No greater champion of justice can be found in the pages of history. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. We're heading for the gold country. There's going to be trouble. Young Jerry Lee returned to Virginia City after a six weeks prospecting trip in the hills above the town. His first stop was Sheriff Park's home and he found the sheriff's daughter Betty on the front porch. Jerry, you've come back. Yes, ma'am, but there is left of me. How much gold did you find? When are we going to get married? Not so fast. Do you want me to be an old maid? As a kid, keep quiet. Oh, Jerry, didn't you have any luck at all? I had all the luck I thought I would. I found the richest ore in this part of the country up on Lookout Hill and I staked out my claim. Then you're rich. Far from it, honey. The gold's up there, but there's no way to wash it out. No water at all? Not a drop. Oh, you shouldn't have wasted your time. Why didn't you stay down here around the creeks? Lots of men are washing out a hundred and two hundred dollars a day. You could pump all the water you needed up to Lookout Hill. How? Well, I'm not saying it wouldn't cost a lot of money. Thousands and thousands, but... Well, then what's the use of talking about it? Nobody believed you when you told them there was more gold up in the hills than around the creeks. It's only common sense. They won't believe you now, so you can't expect anybody to lend you money. Well, I won't give up until I've tried. Who are you going to start with? I don't know. I thought maybe you might give me some idea. Well, Paul might be able to let you have a little, but you said thousands. Yep. I need big money or none at all. Well, I don't know either. And to tell the truth, Jerry, I wish you'd give up the idea. Can't you understand? I might get a stake from Placid Mining, but that's all. There won't be any Placid Mining in another year. That's just plain loco. No, it isn't. I'll find somebody who's willing to take a chance. If I have to, I'll go to Frisco or Chicago. I wish you wouldn't. I've got to, honey. You think you're awful smart, don't you? Oh, it's only common sense. Jerry, if somebody who knows a lot more about this country than you do, if that somebody was to tell you that you were wrong, that you couldn't get gold out of the hills without it costing too much, would you give up the idea then? You've got somebody special in mind? Uh-huh. Who? The Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? That's what I said. Well, sure I'd take his advice, but where is he? I can tell you, Jerry. Yeah? He came here last night to talk with Paul. Must have been two or three o'clock in the morning and I didn't know anything about it until breakfast. Paul couldn't keep it a secret any longer than that. He didn't tell me what their business was, but he did tell me where the Mask Man was camped. Where? In the woods beyond Crystal Falls. You can find him there tonight. I will, honey. And you'll take his advice? I'll do whatever he says. I promise. Well, that's what I believe, Mask Man. But I promised Betty that if you thought I was wrong, I'd give up the idea. I don't think you're wrong, Jerry. The only reason they're finding gold in the creeks is because it was washed down from the hills. The big strikes are still to be made. That's all I need. That's the way I figure, too. Isn't it a job for one man, though? You'll have to have men and machinery. Companies will have to be formed. And I'm going to start the first one. You won't find it easy. The miners haven't realized that... What's the matter? There's someone riding this way. It's all right. I think it's Tonto. I saw that paint horse in town tonight. Was he on the stage, Tonto? I wonder if he'll try the same thing again. Me hear him talk. Him open office in town. I think he will. But we can't let him succeed this time. You think him break law? We can't prove he did, but... Say, what's this all about? Jerry, you might be able to help us. Huh? And help yourself at the same time. I know the man who'll back you. You do? His name is Carl Miller. He just arrived in Virginia City tonight. Carl Miller? Wasn't he the president of the Great Western Company? That's the man. But everybody connected with that lost their shirts. Everyone but Miller, Jerry. You go to him and you'll get all the money you need. That sounds too good to be true. Go to him the first thing in the morning. Tell him your theory, but don't be too optimistic about it. Well, how could I convince him... Just follow my instructions. Make a point of how much money will have to be spent. Don't say that it should have a payout, but ask his advice. Let him make the decision. That doesn't sound like good business to me. It will, the Miller. And when it comes to signing a contract, there are only two things to remember. A contract? You must insist on 50% of the stock. Yeah? And that you have full charge of the mining operations. That's the most important thing of all. Well, sure. I'd want to have full charge. Oh, if this works out the way I think it will. It won't, Jerry. It won't. But you'll get your money and a chance to prove your idea. Besides that, you'll help us put a cook in jail. Thousands and thousands, sir. Are you absolutely sure the oral lookout hill is rich? I'll be honest, sir. I only washed out a little of it, but if you wanted me to, I could go back and wash... No, no, that won't be the same. And you want to have complete charge of the mining operations yourself? Yes, sir. I insist on that. Have you had any experience with the job of this sort? No. But then no one has. It's a new idea. Of course. You're a good businessman, Mr. Miller. I'm just putting it up to you. Does the idea sound good enough for you to invest money in it? It does, my boy. It does indeed. This great new country can never be developed unless we take a chance. I believe in progress in the glorious destiny of the West. You say there'll be no more placer mining in a year? Well, it won't pay after that. Exactly my feeling. Look out hill will be the... I don't like that namely. Look out hill? That's what it's always been called. We're dealing with the future, not the past. Now it is going to be called... let me see... Nugget Mountain. That's it. Nugget Mountain. A mountain of gold. It isn't exactly a mountain, sir. You leave the words to me, my boy, and I'll leave the deeds to you. I'll drop a contract right away. You drop a list of the machinery of tools we need. Don't try to be economical. Include everything. I may be able to think of a few things myself. Eh, come back here at four o'clock. Four o'clock this afternoon? This afternoon, of course. We can't waste time. I'll take the stage for the Easter night. Within a month, your machinery will start arriving. Within six months, Nugget Mountain will be the talk of the West. I'm not so sure. Don't worry, my boy. You do your best and leave the rest to me. It worked, Mask Man. I still can't believe it. But we've signed a partnership agreement, and Miller's gone east to buy machinery and tools, and look, he left me a thousand dollars. That's just to hire a few men to get the ground ready. When will he be back? Three months. But the machinery will start arriving before that, and he'll send more money too. The time he gets back will be ready to start work. And when I get through, folks won't be laughing at me anymore. Are they doing that now? Yes, some. They won't even believe that Miller's backing me. You're going to surprise a lot of people, Jerry, including Miller himself. Three months past. Three months of hard work for Jerry from morning till night. The first machinery and tools were shipped from St. Louis to Fort Benton by steamboat and then by wagon to Virginia City. He was forced to hire more and more men, and the laughter of the miners turned to open amazement. Last word was received that Miller was returning from the east, and Jerry waited for his stage to arrive with Betty at his side. I don't see why you're so nervous, Jerry. I can't help it. After all, it isn't your money that you've been spending. That's all the more reason for me not to make mistakes. I have, Betty. I made a lot of it first. Well, you're not going to make any more. When I show Miller my figures, I... gosh, I hate to think of it. There he is. Leaning out of the window. Betty, I want to take him straight to the office and get it over with. You mind? No, it isn't I. Let me through, guys. Let me through. Howdy, Mr. Miller. Hello, Jerry. Hey, what you to me, Donald Norton? Oh, howdy. You from the east? I'm not a tender foot, Jerry. As you say he isn't. He's going to work for Nugget Mountain. Fine. But you, Jance, must be tired, I know. Maybe you'd like to go straight to the hotel only... could you come over to the office first? Anything wrong? Not exactly. I'd just like to make my report. We'll be glad to hear it. Come along out. There's the figures. From the bills that came with the machinery and the wages I've paid, we've spent 30,000. And you haven't washed out an ounce of dust yet. Well, not yet. We haven't even crushed any quartz. The mill runs by water power, you know. And well, I've done my best, but there it is. I didn't expect you to be any further ahead in this game. You didn't? Of course not. It's tremendous undertaking. I picked the wrong spot to build the dam at first. We had to start all over again. I'm glad you discovered your mistake before the dam was built. It cost us money. We'll get it back if you'll worry about money. Just get over to your work and do the best you can. As a matter of fact, from now on, I'll take charge of all the financial details myself. You stay at Nugget Mountain, I'll stay here. That suits me. I never did like figures. I do. I think I'll go over these again. Hey, run along, Jerry. You're doing a fine job. Thanks, Mr. Miller. So long, Al. Yeah. Carl. Wait. This whole scheme's local. $30,000 are not an ounce of dust. I can trust you are because I knew you so well. I'm going to explain a few things. It's about time. According to the partnership agreement I signed with Jerry, I won a half interest in Nugget Mountain. Yeah. But while I was in the East, I decided it might not be a paying investment. It hasn't got a chance. So I sold my interest. You did. And what are you hanging around here for? I sold it six times. You mean six people got together and bought you out? No. I sold my half interest to six different people. Each of them thinks he owns a half interest in Nugget Mountain. How much did you get? Not a cent. You sold and you didn't get any money? No. But each of them agreed to pay half the expenses and losses of a man. Of course they're supposed to get half the profits, but there'll never be any profits. I can follow you now, boss. Let's see how we stand. So far, $30,000, $15,000. Six people pay me $15,000 a piece. $90,000 for the 30,000 I invested. It's like... It's the same thing I worked on. Great Western. Who are the six? Here's the list. Colonel Fares in St. Louis, Roger Mason, New York. I was careful picking them too. They all believe in the future of the West and they all have plenty of money. I can get $10,000 a month from them for at least a year. $10,000? Then Nugget Mountain will stop operating. Very simple, Al. As long as you keep on losing money. How can we have it? The whole idea is absurd. Yeah, but just the same. If it started making money, where would you be? In jail, I suppose. Say. What's the matter? I just saw an Indian at that window. You sure? That's him out in the paint. I don't like Indian snooping around. Get him out of the house! What the hell are you doing? This isn't too soon. You won't come snooping around again. Mr. Miller! Mr. Manager. Nothing. Everything's swell. One of the boys just rode down from the mine. They got the mill started this afternoon and threw some of the ore in the sluices. We're rich. What? Sure. $200 for half an hour's work. We run $1,000 a day. $1,000? Maybe two or three. We'll pay off that $30,000 in two weeks. And from then on, it's all profit. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments to our story. A week after the first gold was washed out on Nugget Mountain, the sluices were cleaned out a second time and precious dust put into bags and weighed. A Lone Ranger and Tonto watched the men at work from the cover of some trees high up on the hill. All men happy. Yes. Jerry's the happiest of the lot. Plenty gold dust there. He thinks his troubles are over, Tonto. But they're only beginning. You tell him what Miller do? I don't think I will, Kimosabi. He's young and headstrong. He might spoil our plans. Ah. It's time we went to work, though. The first thing we have to do is find out the names of those six men. Oh, Miller, have a list? We'll pay him a visit tonight. Uh, Jerry, bring gold into town tonight. We'll follow him to the office. Maybe Miller keep gold, not tell men about it. That won't work for long. Nugget Mountain will be talked about from one end of the west to the other. Even if we didn't take a hand in it, the east would hear about it sooner or later. Ah. Our job is to make it sooner and protect Jerry's life. Yep. Your scales make it the same as mine, Miller. $10,000. We'll apply these sooner expenses. Sure thing. And next week we'll pay him off. Good night. Hey, where are you going? To see Betty and, uh, set the date for our wedding. Come on. $10,000 in one week. Get in a full car. Shut up. Just too smart for your own good. Now, wouldn't it be nice if you had kept your interest in the mind and you were getting half of everything that came in? Who could have guessed whatever amount to anything? Yeah, that kid, for instance. Yeah, get to think. You can't wriggle out of this. Not in stay inside the law. That doesn't bother me now. Up with your hands. Come here, Smith. The ninja we saw. I'm glad you're being sensible. We, uh, we aren't making any trouble. That's, uh, that's gold, uh, still on the desk. You're welcome to it. Do we want it? No. No. Turn around and walk it near the room. Didn't, uh, didn't you hear me? I said, I'm fast. You move. That's your thing. Lock it, Tonto. Ah. List on him. Even if there isn't any list, there must be letters. You have to keep in touch with him. Here. What you find? Just names. No addresses. I know where some of these men can be found. Colonel Ferris lives in St. Louis. We'll get the others later. Uh, we go now. Yes, Tonto. And, uh, we'll take that gold with us. Why do you do that? So, Miller won't know why we came here. Now, come on. Yeah, he's gone and he took the dust. Yeah, good riddance. We'll have to notify the sheriff. Didn't time to get away. This was a lucky break that we can't expect an outlaw to hold us up every week. I know one around here that might oblige you. You, uh, mean that? Yeah. We could, uh, try. Another who leaps out of the question. Do, uh, you know an outlaw? Sure. Lefty Dawson. He and his boys are making their headquarters just outside a panic. Good. We can use them. Oh. Somehow the work at the mine must be stopped. Just make me the head man and I'll stop it for you. We won't try that until later. Why not? Because it's Potta Lee's contract that he have charge of the mine. To let you step in, we'd have to get rid of him. Lefty could arrange it. That's it. Let him, uh, let him arrange accidents and delays. Let him do everything he can to slow up the work. An, uh, explosion maybe. An explosion is good. You're going. We saw you in total right up, Mask Man. Is the sheriff here? Pa! I'm coming. Did you say it was the Mask Man? Good evening, Sheriff. Well, I've just held up the Nugget Mountain office. You what? I had to get some information from Miller's desk and I didn't want him to know what we were after. You're still working on your skin? Yes, Sheriff. Yes. Take the gold, Jerry. But I don't savvy. You don't have to. Keep it here until everything's all over. And when Miller describes Tata on me, don't let him know you recognize us. You can trust me. I won't give him a tumble. Tata and I won't be here for a week. Take care of Jerry while we're gone. Take care of me. Adios. Adios. Three months ago, he talked about a crook. I wonder. Another month and you won't have to wonder anymore. Get out, scum. Don't sit there. Hello, Jerry. You up here this time and I say, can you put me up? Oh, sure thing. Figured I might stay around if you did. What the... Hey, grab that lantern and come on. What was it? A blast. It sounded like it came from the mine. A blast? Yeah. I can't understand it, though. The men all quit work hours ago. They're running out of the bunkhouse. There's the address just ahead there. Something's wrong there. I'll say there is. That blast started a landslide. It's blocked. Tough luck. You'll have to dig it out again. We'll have to... Al. Al, look at this. Sure took a hunk out of the hill. Look, a vein of pure gold. Gold. We might never have hit that vein. I don't know who set that blast off, but I'd sure like to shake his hand. Come on. Come running, boys. Take a look at Nugget Bob. The week's take, Miller. 20,000. I'm gonna lock it up. And you don't have to worry about outlaws getting it. My deputies are pushing all around. Whitey's gonna stand guard all night and tomorrow morning he'll go with you when you take it to the bank. Thanks, Sheriff. Thanks for your trouble. No trouble at all, Miller. After all, half of that belongs to my future son-in-law. That's right, Pa. 10,000 belongs to Jerry and the other 10 belongs to you. But you gotta pay out 60,000 with your 10, Miller. Well, it has been going on. Week after week. The word's going up from Virginia City. It won't be long before your backers start showing up. You've got to stop him. There's only one way to do that. I told you before. Once I'm running the mind, you won't have any more trouble. But until then... All right. Go ahead. You mean it? Yes. Get him. Get him out of the way. Kino. I'll pass the word along to Lefty tonight. There he goes, Tonto. You better follow him and find out what they're up to now. Oh, Tonto, do it. All right. Back to the camp. You can report to me there. Get him out of the scout. Mr. Hubby. Here's Silver. Alfeller, him go to Outlaw Camp. Lefty Dawson's camp? Tell him kill Jerry tonight. Did they make any plans? Lefty take men up to mine hour before dawn. Cabin, where Jerry lived, plenty small. Then put plenty bullet through window. They'd be sure to hit him. Not right. Kill him. Then right-way fast for men catch him. Another few days and Colonel Ferris would have been here, Kimo Savi. I hoped we could put Miller in jail without any gunplay. That's impossible now. We'll ride to the sheriff's first. Then we'll pay a call on Miller and Al. Come on, Silver. Get him off the scout. What, the same one that held up the office? Don't go for your gun, Al. You're covered. What do you want here? The ghouls in the safe of the office under that gun. You're taking a little ride. Both of you. All right. Where? To Nugget Mountain. Al, if you've double crossed here. No, no, I swear I haven't. It's all set like I told you. Why do you want us up there, Mass Man? There isn't time to answer questions. There's only a few hours before dawn. Get moving. This is Jerry's Cabin. Hurry up. He won't make us go inside, are you? That's the idea. Get the horses out of the way, Tunnel. Ah, time to do it. Come on, scout. Knock on the door, Miller. You're an outlaw. Jerry will have a gun. If you want to get the drop on him, you can open the door yourself. He never locks it. He has been lately. Knock. All right. Call the commotion out there. I can see him. He's lighting a lamp. You don't need that for long. It's nearly dawn. Mass Man and Miller and Al. Inside you two. He took his business journey, but the three of us could... Good what? Nothing. Put out the lamp, Jerry, and open the window and sit over there in that far corner. Sure. Look, what's this all about? He's an outlaw. He's the one that stole the gold. You're a local. He's the lone ranger. Lone ranger? In that far corner, Jerry. Sure. Miller, you and Al can sit on Jerry's bunk. No. Why not? No reason. Then don't argue. Lone ranger. He knows about it. Good. We'll do what you say, Mass Man. How long are you going to keep us here? Until sunrise. No, you can't. Why not? I was left to Dawson to scan this road up. A riddle of Kevin with bullets in another minute. Let us get down the floor anyway. Say where you are. It's mud right there. How do you know there's left to Dawson outside? I can see him. You can't see a thing. I want the truth. If you don't tell him, I will. Go ahead. Please. We... We hired him to kill Jerry. Why, the dirty low-down coyote? Now you get a little... Yes, Miller. You can get out on the floor if you want to. Sheriff. Wait right outside the door, Mass Man. And I think you heard all that's necessary. Now you're prisoners. And that just about winds it up, don't it? I think so. Adios. It was a shift. It was a lift at all. And what happened to him? The Mask Man let me and the Posse to lift his camp. They rounded him up before we went after you. It was only a trick to make us confess. Yeah, did a fine job, boys. You're both under arrest for attempted murder. And Miller. What? All those men who invested in Nugget Mountain will be paying you a call before long. Hey, you know about that? And I guess all you can do is divvy up your share among the six of them. Sometimes it just don't pay to be so all-fired smart. You just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.