 Now as howling winds echo across the snow-covered reaches of the wild northwest, the Quaker Oats Company, makers of Quaker Puff Wheat, and Quaker Puff Rice, the delicious cereal shot from guns, in cooperation with the Mutual Broadcasting System, present by special recording Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. It's Yukon King, swift as the strongest lead dog of the Northwest, breaking the trail for Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police, in his relentless pursuit of lawbreakers. Come on, King! Come on, you Huskies! Gold, gold discovered in the Yukon, a stampede to the Klondike in the wild race for riches. Back to the days of the Gold Rush, and the adventures of Sergeant Preston and his wonder dog, Yukon King, as they meet the challenge of the Yukon. What are you doing about the future? Are you talking about it, thinking about it, or really doing something about it? The smart way, the right way to ensure your future is by investing regularly in United States savings bonds. In all the world, there's no safer, sure, better way to save. A part of everything you earn is yours to keep. And remember, a little set aside each week for savings bonds, soon adds up to a lot. Before you know it, your savings have grown so that a bright future isn't too far away. What do you want, a home of your own, a trip to faraway places, an education for your children, security in your old age? They're all possible, you know, if you start saving today for tomorrow. The payroll savings plan where you work, or the bond a month plan where you bank, can be the key to unlock the door of your future. The future you plan for wisely by investing in United States savings bonds. This message is brought to you as a public servant. It was a cold, blustery night. There was no snow falling from the sky, but the wind whipped it up in the ground and in such dense clouds, the sergeant might just as well have been traveling through a blizzard. Even with King working as a loose lead and breaking the trail, the team found it hard going. And when they reached the ghost town at the mouth of Midas Creek, the sergeant decided to stop for the night. He guided the sled up the bank and down the main street. His destination was the Ramshackle Hotel at the far end, deserted now for nearly two years. When he reached it, he was surprised to see a light inside. Well, looks like some other traveler has the same idea, King. I'll sled her dogs around, though. Just then, the door of the hotel opened and a grizzled old prospector stepped out on the veranda. This here shotgun's loaded. Get out of here or I'll fill you full of lead. What's that? I said why? Never mind what you said. This hotel belongs to me. This whole town, including the mine, belongs to me. You're trespassing on private property and I'm ordering you to get out. I'm willing to pay for shelter. Pay? Yes. How much will you charge to put me up? A side of bacon. Good enough? Not so fast. I could use the bacon, but I'm not taking in any crooks. Step up here where I can see it. All right. That's far enough. Now, who are you? Sergeant Preston. What's your business? Huh? Did you say Sergeant? That's right. Northwestern motor police. You're not wearing a uniform? Yes, I am, under my pocket. See? Yeah. Satisfied? Why didn't you say you were a Monty? I didn't have much of a chance. Is it all settled? I guess I shouldn't charge you to stay here. That's all right. So you can spare the bacon? Yes, I have plenty. I'll bring it in after I've unharnessed my team and fed them. There's a run out in back. Well, they'll be fine where they are, thanks. They'll burrow down in the snow and be warmer than you and I are inside. Especially if I don't get this door shut. Don't forget the bacon. After the team had been fed, King burrowed down in the snow with the other dogs. The sergeant picked up his sleeping bag, took a side of bacon from his grub box, entered the hotel. The old prospector was sitting at a table close to the stove. He was reading what appeared to be a legal document. Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Thanks. My name's Zeke Gower. Glad to meet you, Zeke. Here's your bacon. I bet you think I'm crazy. Oh, not at all. Claiming I own this town and the mine. Well, the town and the mine used to belong to the Midas Development Company. I knew they'd start working the mine about two years ago, but I hadn't heard they'd sold it. They did. To me. And here's a paper to prove it. No, I believe you, Zeke. Are you working the mine all by yourself? For the time being. Anything wrong with that? No. Think I'm crazy, though, don't you? Paying good money for a mine that's worked out. It wouldn't have bothered if you'd thought it was worked out. That's right. And I'll let you in on a secret. You got the promise you won't tell anybody? Of course. I found the vein again. Pure gold, Sergeant. Congratulations. That's why I have to be careful. I wish I wasn't so close to Beaver City. You're ten miles away? It isn't far enough. They come snooping around. Who does? Crooks. Crooks who want to steal my gold. There were three of them here yesterday. Did you agree to muddy a shotgun? No. I kept undercover and watched them. They went all through the town. They even went into the mine, into the main entrance, that is. Not that they'd find anything there. You wouldn't guess about the others. Others? The other entrances. Nobody knows about them but me. What made you think the men you saw were Crooks? The way they looked. The way they acted. They'll be coming back too. Maybe tonight, Sergeant. I doubt if you'll have any other visitors tonight. You can't tell. We're going to have a first-class blizzard before long. That's what I mean. There won't be many people on the trail. A wild night like this is just what the Crooks like. Well, if someone else does turn up, let's make sure they're Crooks before we start shooting. You don't believe me. You figure those men I saw yesterday were just travelers. I could have been if you were only judging by appearances. It's almost impossible to stay presentable when you're traveling in this weather. You mind if I turn in the sink? Nope. There's cots in some of the rooms upstairs. Want me to bring one down? No thanks. I have my sleeping bag on the stretch out here by the stove. Suit yourself. Where do you sleep? Out in the kitchen. But I have a fearful hunch I won't be doing much sleepin' tonight. And I have a fearful hunch I shall. What's that thing? What thing? That you just took off from around your neck. No. It's a gold cord. What's attached to it? A whistle. Regulation equipment. Let's hear it. Some other time, Zeke, I never call King unless he's needed. You understand? I'm sure. I'll give you a demonstration to the boarding. Good enough. Sergeant undressed and crawled into his sleeping bag. Zeke said good night and went out to the kitchen with the lantern. Good night, Sergeant. Good night, Zeke. A few minutes later, the house was dark but not quiet. As the wind rose, the old building began to creak and groan like a sailing ship driven before a typhoon. But the sergeant didn't wake him. With King it was different. Although burrowed deep in the snow and completely covered by it, all the sounds of the night reached him in his sleep. And every now and then he would start into complete wakefulness. He would poke his head up through the drifted snow and search the wind with his nose. Toward morning on one such occasion, he growled low in his throat. Two sleds were being driven up the street toward him. The drivers were lashing the dogs and wanted to stop at the hotel. The men drove them on toward the mine entrance. The storm swallowed them up and King settled back into his burrow. A few minutes later the door of the hotel opened and the old prospector came down the steps. King barked. Quiet, King. I'll call you if you need it. King settled back once more. Fifteen minutes later he caught a fresh scent driven toward him by the wind from the direction of the creek. There were more dogs down there and a human being. King heard a faint cry. King tossed aside his snowy blanket, raced down the street to the banks of the creek. There was an overturned sled there. A team hopelessly tangled in his harness and a girl lying in the snow beside the sled. This called for the sergeant's attention and King ran back to the hotel and up the steps. He threw himself at the door. It seemed a long time to King before the sergeant opened it. What's the matter, boy? King invited the sergeant to follow him. Wait a minute. I'll get dressed. Come on in, boy. King waited by the door as the sergeant hurried into his clothes. The only light came from the glowing stove and it was not until the sergeant was buttoning his tunic that he noticed the gold whistle was gone. What? Zeke! There was no one out in the kitchen. Zeke! He's gone. You'll have to wait a minute, King. I need a lantern. I think there's one hanging on the wall in the stove. Yes. I'll put some oil in it. Now, my partner, King. All right, now, fellow. Go on, now, fellow. The sergeant followed King down the street to the creek bank. The dogs were still in a tangle and the girl still lying in the snow. No, Sergeant Preston, I'm the first one out of police. Where are you here? In Lightersville. I just happened to be spending the night here. What happened to you? I fell off the sled as we were going up the bank. My ankle, I can't stand up. Oh, let's see. Yes, it's framed. I'll get your team straightened out and your sled righted and we'll drive to the hotel. We'll continue our adventure in just a moment. Golly, look at that picture wind up. I hope he doesn't spike our man out. It's a home run. We win. Say, kids, wouldn't you like to go to a real major or minor league game with your dad or mom? Well, come out to the ballpark now as guest of a major or minor league team. Admission is absolutely free if you're 12 years or younger and your free baseball ticket is as close as your grocery store. It's right inside packages of Quaker Pop Wheat, Quaker Pop Rice, Muffet Shredded Wheat and two tickets inside Quaker Paco 10. The tickets tell the name of the teams and dates of the game. So rush over to your store. Get a free baseball ticket package of Quaker Pop Wheat O'Rice, Muffet Shredded Wheat or Quaker Paco 10. Now, if these special packages are not yet in your store, just do this. Send a box top from the regular packages of these Quaker serials to baseball box 5205 Chicago 77 Illinois. Go now, free. Now to continue. The girl was taken to the hotel. There, the sergeant banished the ankle and as the girl huddled close to the stove, he questioned her. You asked me what I was doing here. I'm just as curious about you. How do you happen to be traveling on a night like this? My name is Laura Hope. I'm from Beaver City. Well, that doesn't exactly answer my question. I'm looking for a friend of mine. An old prospector named Zeke Gower? No, who's he? The present owner of the Midas Mine. He lives here. I don't know him. My friend's a young man, Jerry Hall. I think he's been taken prisoner by some men. I followed them from Beaver City. At least I tried to follow them. I don't see how they could have taken any other trail, but of course there were no sled tracks. No, wait a minute. Who is Jerry Hall and why do you think he's been taken prisoner? What's the matter with the dog? Someone at the door, it's probably Zeke. Corwin! Up with your hand! Put your gun away, Mr. Corwin. This is Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mounded. Policeman? He is. Sorry, son. The light was so dim, I didn't notice your uniform. Glad to meet you. I'm John Corwin, Alaska Company, manager of the Beaver City branch. Oh, how do you do? Sir, you followed me, Corwin. Of course. I started after you as soon as they told me you left town. Oh, what's the matter with your foot? I sprained my ankle. You're lucky something worse didn't happen. You're lucky you didn't run into Jerry and his crooked friends. Was one of you mind telling me what this is all about? Not at all. I'll tell you, Sergeant. He wouldn't tell you the truth. Well, let the Sergeant decide about that. If you please. Sergeant, I'm a singer. I work in the El Dorado Cafe in Beaver City. There wasn't much of a crowd tonight because of the storm, and I left early. I knew Jerry was working late at the store. Jerry is my chief clerk. Oh. And I decided to stop in and say hello. Well, when I was half a block away from the store, I saw two sleds pull away from in front of it. I watched the men drive down the street and turn west out of town. That's the trail to Midas Creek, I said to myself. I wonder if anyone's working the old mine now. By that time I'd reached the store. There was a light inside and the door was unlocked. So I just walked in. But the door of the safe was open and the safe was empty. Why did he do it? Jerry didn't do it. Go on, Miss Hope. I ran down the street to Mr. Corwin's cabin and told him. He came back to the store with me. What was stolen, Corwin? About 10,000 gold the miners had left with me for safekeeping. 10,000? At least. And the company's responsible for it? Oh, yes. We're practically a bank. Why do you accuse your clerk of taking the gold? He was the only one who knew the combination of the safe outside of me. And he and the gold are gone. It was a hold-up. There'd been a fight in the store. You can't deny it. A few overturned chairs. Sergeant, I told him about the two men I saw and he said one of them must have been Jerry. Well? It made me so mad I ran straight home, harnessed my team and started out after them. Which you must admit, Sergeant, was a very foolish thing to do. I was only thinking of Jerry. My dear, even his deep regard for you wouldn't prevent a certain resentment at your interference in his affairs. I say he had nothing to do with stealing that gold. I say those crooks must have knocked him out and then taken him with them so he couldn't testify against them. They may even have killed him. He may be dead. Oh, Sergeant, you've got to find out. You've got to help him if he's still alive. I'll do what I can, Miss Hope. Have you seen anyone here tonight, Sergeant? No. And obviously, they must have kept on. Up Midas Creek. Perhaps. You'll go after them. Out until I find my host. Host? His name's Zeke Gower. He lives here. As no one lives here. You're an extremely positive man, aren't you, Mr. Corbin? Well, I meant to. I thought that... Just as you thought your clerk must have stolen the gold. But that stands to reason. The safe was open. Someone who knows the combination must have opened it. Don't you keep your ledgers in your safe? Why, yes. Couldn't Jerry have opened the safe to take them out? Yes. The ledgers were out, Sergeant. I saw them. They proved it. No, Miss Hope, it doesn't prove a thing. We can't prove anything until we find Jerry and the gold. Come on, King. We're going to look for Zeke. Oh! What was that? A wind. No, a whistle. That's what I thought. Zeke must have taken my whistle. I recognized it. So does King. It sounded as if it came from below the ground, below this building. Perhaps it did. There it is again. Go on, King. Answer it, boy. He's going out into the kitchen. The Sergeant Corbin and the girl followed King into the kitchen, the Sergeant carrying the lantern. The great dog ran to a far corner of the room, began to scratch at the flooring. When the Sergeant reached his side, he saw that it was a trap door. All right, boys. Stand aside. What's down there? A solar. But the whistle sounded farther away. You two stay here. We'll continue our adventure in just a moment. Boy, oh boy, that was a curved pitch. It would fool any batter. Say, kids, wouldn't you like to be in the ballpark and see how a star pitcher makes the ball curve right over home plate? Golly, everything about a major or minor league game is exciting. The crowd's the goody. Get in on that excitement. Come out to the ball game as guests of a major or minor league team. Walk right through the window. Golly, walk right through the gate free if you're 12 years or younger, and have mom or pop with you or another paying adult. It's as easy to get a free baseball ticket as going to the grocery store. Get it right inside packages of Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice and Muffet Treaded Wheat. You get two free tickets inside Quaker Packo 10. Names of teams and dates are on every ticket. Golly, why wait? Get a free baseball ticket package of Quaker Puffed Wheat Rice, Muffet Treaded Wheat or Quaker Packo 10. If your store doesn't have the special packages yet, send a box top from the regular package to Baseball Box 5205, Chicago 77, Illinois. Now to continue. The sergeant climbed down the ladder to the cellar. As soon as he had reached the bottom of the ladder, King jumped down after him. The sergeant held the ladder high and he could see a narrow passage leading out of the cellar. King started for it and the sergeant followed him. Inside the passage, he had the stoop low. This must lead to the mine, King. One of the league's new entrances. Go on, boy. Finally, the passage opened into a wide tunnel. One of the main shafts. Which way? King knew. He turned to the right and followed the shaft for about 50 feet. Then stopped. When the sergeant caught up with him, there was a man lying on the ground, face down. Seek. Sergeant, I'm glad you heard your whistle. You're being shot. Yeah. Who did it? Crooks. Near the main entrance. What happened? I thought I heard dogs. Went out to investigate. Took your whistle in case I needed your help. I found a couple of dog teams outside the main entrance. Saw the light of a fire inside. Heard voices. You were shot outside the mine, Hunter. Went in another way. Circled back to the main entrance through tunnels. I saw the crooks. They got a man with them bound hand and foot. They saw me. They shot. Hit me. I got away from them. Lost them. Tried to make it to the cellar and couldn't use the whistle. Glad you heard it. I can't do anything for you here. I'll get you back to the hotel. Get the crooks. Afterwards, Seek. I'm done for. No, you're not, man. I'll carry you. The sergeant carried Seek back to the cellar. The foot of the ladder, he called for help. Corwin. He's gone. Gone? Gone where? I don't know, Sergeant. He ran out the front door and jumped after you went down the ladder. I've got a wounded man here. Will you lend a hand? Of course. With Laura's help, Seek was lifted up and into the kitchen. That's it. Then the sergeant turned to King at the bottom of the ladder. Come on, boy. Jump. I'll help you up. Good boy. Quickly, the sergeant went to work. And as he cleaned and bandaged Seek's wound, the old prospector described the two men he had seen in the mine. They were big and tough. One of them was wearing a bare-skinned pocket. Why, they're the same two men I saw in Beaver City. What about the man who was tied up? Couldn't see much of him. But he's alive? Yeah. I saw him move. It's Jerry, Sergeant. I'm wondering where Corwin's gone. Sergeant, could it be that... It certainly could. Sergeant, there's someone coming in the front door. Quick, down in the cellar. All right. As Laura disappeared down the ladder, the sergeant blew out the ladder and took his position at one side of the door that led to the front of the hotel. He could hear men talking. One of them was Corwin. He opened the door slightly. There's only one thing to do now. Get rid of them all. Put them all in? The girl first. She's out in the kitchen. Well, I don't like it. I don't like the way you bungled things after all my plans. Look, we helped the girls see it. Yeah. And I suppose it was our fault that a mommy should show up here. You never should have picked this place to hide out. I'll prospect your living in this hotel. I don't know where he didn't see any sign of him. Never mind now. Come on. Well, Fomali's out there. I told you. He went down into the cellar and threw a passageway that must lead to the mine. Yeah, but if he's come back... He found the man we shot. ...of all the lily-livered coyotes. Stay here. I'll take care of the girl and I'll be waiting for the sergeant when he comes up through that trap door. Laura. You're under arrest, Corwin, and you won't leave that gun where you're going. It's the work of a second to twist the gun on a Corwin's hand and snap a pair of handcuffs on his wrist. There. The others have beat it, sergeant. I heard the front door slam. They won't get far unfortunate if they try to use my team. They'll never get them honest. All right, Laura. Come up now. Sergeant, this is all wrong. What do you mean by arresting me? Zeke and I heard you talking to your men in the other room. The charge against you is robbery and attempted murder. Mr. Corwin, you're charging him with robbery? I'll explain later, Laura. Here. Take this gun and keep him covered. Come on, King. As the sergeant and king went to the front door, they could hear a wild barking outside. Corwin's two confederates were trying to harness the sergeant's team. Grimm Purpose was in the sergeant's face and a ready gun in his hand as he opened the front door. He thought he'd stop short, stared for a second, then began to laugh uproariously. The sergeant's team was well trained, but they were all one-man dogs. And to be wakened from their sleep and forced into harness by two perfect strangers was a supreme indignity. The two men were knocked to the ground, and by the time the sergeant stepped out on the hotel veranda, eight howling huskies were swarming all over them. The sergeant controlled his laughter and walked down the steps. All right, King. Call the motel. Get up, you two. We never... Save it for the judge. You're under arrest and anything you say will be used against you. The sergeant had no need for any confession. After Jerry Hall had been brought to the hotel from the mine, he was able to give the sergeant all the facts he needed. All right. I let them into the store, because they said they had to leave town right away, and they needed supplies. And they proceeded to knock you out? It was about the same. Yeah. I didn't come too into... well, until we were out in the trail. It must have meant to kill me eventually because they topped the whole thing over. That's right, Jerry. Let's call him as planned. Sure. And I was to disappear and take the blame for it. Jerry, thank Heaven you're safe. Well, seems to me I should thank you. Oh, no, not me. Well, I'd say... The sergeant... I'd say Zeke. Well, personally, my thanks go to that gold whistle of yours, sergeant. If I hadn't thought about it, you'd never have found me till it was too late. I told you it was a mighty useful piece of equipment, Zeke. Sergeant, what are you going to do with Corwin and his gunman? Well, I'm going to take him to Dawson. He'll be charged with robbery and attempted murder. We have all the evidence we need to convict him, and when the judge says 20 years, this case will be closed. We'll return in just a moment with a word about our next exciting adventure. The warm weather and long daylight hours mean more fun out of doors, especially for the younger members of the family. But sometimes it's not possible to be outside, or it's important to relax and sit quietly for a little while. Then is the time to tune to mutual. Every weekday afternoon at five o'clock, there are programs of imaginative entertainment that bring all of the adventure and excitement of the wide open spaces. Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, member of the famed Northwest Mounted Police, braves the dangers of a wild and lawless territory in the days when gold was king. With his faithful dog Yukon King, Sergeant Preston is a challenging example of courage and daring. And following Sergeant Preston every day, Monday through Friday, is Bobby Benson. Every weekday afternoon at five o'clock, the doors open wide on a whole world of adventure with Sergeant Preston of the Yukon and Bobby Benson, both on mutual over most of these stations. So race against time for Sergeant Preston and King as they head southward toward Whitehorse. But maybe they'll find that killer trigger strong has managed to get there before them. And they'll find death waiting at the killer's hideout. Don't miss this next exciting adventure. These Sergeant Preston of the Yukon Adventures are brought to you every Monday through Friday at this time by the Quaker Roads Company, makers of Quaker Pop Week and Quaker Pop Rice, the delicious cereals shot from guns by special recording in cooperation with the Mutual Broadcasting System. They are a copyrighted feature of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon Incorporated, created by George W. Trendle, produced by Trendle Campbell Muir Incorporated and directed by Fred Flower Day. The part of Sergeant Preston is played by Paul Sutton. This is J. Michael wishing you good-bye, good luck and good health from Quaker Pop Wheat and Quaker Pop Rice. So long. This is Mutual Radio Network for All America.