 a cloud of dust and a hardy high old silver the lone ranger with his faithful indian companion tonto the daring and resourceful masked rider of the planes led the fight for law and order in the early western united states nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear from out of the past from the thundery hoof beat to the great horse silver the lone ranger rides again there was a grim look on the lone ranger's face as he and tonto rolled back to their secret camp in the pecos hills they had spent days on the trail of lape tompkins but all their efforts had failed to uncover any evidence of criminal activity tonto was very much concerned late fella plenty smart he made lots friends he quick as tonto and when he finally does something crooked he'll fix it so that one of these new friends gets to blame they can't let that happen again and what we do we just have to keep watching him trying to find out what his plans are once we know that we can expose him before he gets away or maybe me go to town watch cafe him there most of the time good idea once we find out what he's gonna be look there fire yes the valley below us not big fire knowing the havoc an unchecked fire could create in the heavily wooded slopes the two riders raised toward the scene of the blaze at the foot of the hill a clear view of the scene made them pull up short fire out there in clearing and we don't have to worry about it that's the circle our ranch you see many men but they're not touched fire you're right tonto they're all standing around watching it something must be wrong the lone ranger and tonto moved closer to the edge of the wood from here they could see a ranch typical of the west except for one thing instead of a customary ranch house there were two several hundred yards apart each an exact duplicate of the other a huge pile of hay was blazing fiercely in the clearing between them on one side of the blaze a line of bewildered cowboys stood beside filled water buckets while from the other ron bentley and tom smithers the two owners of the ranch kept shouting at them well what are you darn fools waiting for can't you see that hay is burning up put it out that's what we started to do but mr that's right i said leave it alone in a minute i told this big foreflusher to deliver that hay and it's not my head let's put my bar foreflusher am i why compared to a swayed back told goat like you that's a cover well it won't be when i finish saying what i got in my mind listen we gotta do shut up you shut up on Bentley whatever's rattling around in that broken down skull of yours isn't fit to be called a mind i'll bet you deliberately fired that hay because i wouldn't let judge deliver it to you just pour the water over the embers make sure don't spread what's that yeah i get so long there's nothing left to see what now that's a fine how to do i'll get some more feet up here to mom mr bentley and this time i'll put it in a barn where it belongs here that's what you should be done in the first place from the edge of the wood tonto watched the scene with a puzzled frown we hear about fight between owners of circle r this is not good that's just a sample of how far two old men will go to spite each other tonto dumb smithers and ron bentley have been at it for five years now but why them fight nobody remembers what started it both men are too proud to give in so they've been feuding ever since why them stay partners on ranch well from what i hear each wanted to make sure the other didn't get more than he did smithers kept the ranch house so Bentley built one exactly like it and they divided up everything else they could someday maybe there'd be much trouble much better if them be friends as you're right tonto for those hair triggered tempers this thing could go beyond a joke well perhaps we can do something about that later right now our job is to take care of leif tomkins while alone ranger and tonto were discussing the feud between the two ranch owners jud vickers their foreman was wondering whether he shouldn't give up trying to find some way of getting his bosses together anything he did for one owner always meant trouble with the other he was still brooding when he entered the gold nugget cafe in town that evening and sat down at the corner table he looked up sorely as leif tomkins approached well you want tomkins just to sit with you for a minute have a drink not interested i know how you feel heard about that hay burning what business isn't yours except that i know how hard it's been for you for somebody who don't carry anybody's brand along you learn a lot don't you know i get around for instance i know that you'd have quit the circle hour long ago if you didn't think so much of them stubborn old friend now wait a minute sit down just sit down i'm not trying to beat you that's just the plain honest truth and you know it both of them are causing a heap of trouble just because they're too stiff neck to back down a little yeah that's true enough looks to me like there's only one man who can fix things up and that's you they both think a lot of your judge and know it but you're doing a lot of talking and not getting any place tomkins what are you getting that nothing except that if i was in your place i'd do something to see that they stopped all this foolishness what do you think i've been doing for the past five years i tried just about everything maybe where i come from we can't get a mule moving with a whip we light a fire under the critter and uh hey jud you know that red skin who's hanging around who that red skin no i've never saw him before we like getting out of here don't forget about him i keep on talking i'm interested well the way that i look at it your two bosses won't get together unless they can make up without thinking about it like uh well say if they had to fight side by side uh fighting together no no that'd be too dangerous maybe we can fix it so as it won't be look here i got some pals who are always ready for a little excitement now maybe if we pulled a fake raid at the circle are rustled or heard right from under their noses old smithers and bentley had to get together ah that wouldn't work my riders would fight well uh couldn't you get your boys off somewhere that shouldn't be hard to do i suppose i could and now wait a minute supposing this does come off just what do you get out of it just a little excitement that's all i want to make sure that first folks around here don't know too much about you i'm just trying to help you out jud you make the arrangements and we'll do the rest we can leave the cattle for you in the box canyon near los palos i think it over sure jud anytime you say just let me know oh thanks i guess i'll be getting back to the ranch as jud got up to leave the indian who had been lounging around walked out to one south side he hurried to his horse and rode off to meet the lone ranger who was waiting for him just beyond the town quickly tonto told him of the conversation he had overheard so tomkins is up to something at last ah and have good scheme yes i can see that and as usual you'll have someone to take the blame for everything you say jud hasn't agreed to it yet no him say one think it over good where did jud go from the cafe him go back to ranch then that's our chance come on tonto to try to catch up with him before he reaches it huh jud vickers started back to the circle r in a much lighter mood he wasn't too sure how far he could trust leif tomkins but he could see now that leif was right his efforts to get his two bosses together had not been drastic enough he weighed leif's plan carefully as he rode along i guess there's no other way out as tomkins said it'll take something as big as a rustling jive to pull the bosses out of this yeah i'll do it after jud i want to talk to you now who and sunday is there who there who who are you want a mask man don't go for that gun jud i said i wanted to talk to you i don't have anything to say to an outlaw except well you don't hand it over here i'll give you your gun back when we're through talking and what do you want i'm listening leif tomkins tried to talk you into one of his schemes tonight how do you know that tonto overheard you and you're the red skin leif tried to throw out me here planning it not good dad tomkins is a smooth talker but he generally leads to trouble i came here to warn you not to have anything to do with him what's it to you only that i know you have a fine record as former the circle are i wouldn't like to see you spoil it you sound as if tomkins is warned about a law no he isn't but he's never been more than a step ahead of the sheriff it's been the many has worked with who have been caught and sent to jail if that's all you got to say i'll be mosing along that isn't all many horses come keep us up you've got something more to say now mister it'll wait right into the brush until those men go by oh no we won't over here quick that's right you came just in time one of the boys noticed that idiot followed you out when you left the cafe sounded kind of funny for me so i rounded up the boys and found jay i guess it's lucky we did who's this mask um i don't know he didn't try to rob me you said he wanted to talk to me about you and what do you have to say i was warning jude that if he let you talk him into this scheme he'd regret it other people have found that out too what's he mean by that leif just a lot of wild talk that's all you can't trust an owl hoot oh worry you won't have to listen to him anymore why not because i'm going to say the sheriff at job i'm going to shoot him right now hold on leif i don't like road agents but i don't go for cold blooded kill him jud you said yourself he was warning you against me that means he's caught on to our scheme we turn him over to the sheriff you'll talk sure as you that's a sample of what i was talking about jud thomkins won't hesitate to murder to have his own way on listen to him jud he just twisting things around by just trying to save the sheriff a job that's all that's the way you want it you take him in start riding you i'll do that but not where you think let's wait on him a hidden signal from the lone ranger sent silver crashing against tomkins horse forcing the animal back against the others before the men could recover from the surprise movement the lone ranger in tata would disappeared into the black mass of underbrush which bordered the trail this good place kimo sabi we stop here no solo we're going back to camp we not take tomkins him pretty bad no most assured to do be to order him out of town then he could try scheme somewhere else i wanted to have enough room to hang himself i think he's doing it now 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 continue our story the following evening tom smithers half owner of the circle r still at the window of his living room looking across the ranch yard of the home of his partner time he put his light out now i can get to bed can't figure out what makes him stay up so late pretty near 10 o'clock maybe he's planning some way of putting something over on me and if he is he'll have to stay up later in that well don't wear out that door come on in who's there come into the light so i can see you i'm a friend mr smithers don't have no friends put your mask you don't have to draw i said i'm a friend and i mean it i didn't come here to rob you you won't get a chance to you mean put your hands up all right i'll put them up if you'll listen to me speed on your one who now stranger as long as you keep them hands still won't cost me nothing to listen to you now i want your help smithers in keeping your foreman from making a big mistake what kind of a mistake uh jud let leif tomkins sell him on the idea of a fake hole up on the ranch agreeing that if it came to a fight you and bentley would forget your feud and fight together yeah plum foolishness what are you going to do tomkins is to rustle one of your herd what rustle now i know you're lying my boys would make mincemeat out of them wrestlers and they've covered that jud is to get the boys away from the ranch house that night but you said it was to be a fake that's what jud thinks he doesn't know tomkins tomkins wouldn't leave their herd in the box canyon as he promised he'd take it away and leave jud here to face the music when did you find out all this yesterday but i still don't know when it'll happen i can tell you that it's tonight tonight jud told me after supper that he was taking the crew up into the hills he heard that some of the stock was bogged down up there then we'll have to work fast shots are here give us honey you hear shooting yes could you tell where's from tunnel shots come from the house let's get over there they hurt my partner i'll get those coyotes of a half the chase it clear through mexico the three men dash the short distance across the ranch yard to bentley's house there was a rapidly fading drumming of hooves towards the south but they ignored it as they ran into the darkened living room bench bench where are you where's the lamp it's all that table near the window lighted tunnel we'll search the house me do it hurry up vision can't see a thing in this place oh he's not anywhere around here i found him here in the kitchen bring the lamp bench you all right he's wounded got some water huh let me get it what happened ben the only coyotes wanted my cash heard him say they were going to wrestle our beef did you stop him now we came here first soon we heard the shooting hey you dumb galoot coming after me when them critters are getting away with our cattle hang the cattle that flea bitten dried up height of yours more important him cars are just as much mine as he are yours just because you got excited take it easy bentley they can't get much of a start on us with the herds we can make you comfortable first your water you drink good not bad you fix bad don't worry about me get after them wrestlers for the end of the boy showed up you take care of him total huh not hard what are you going to do you know where judging the boys went don't you of course i do i'm going after the wrestlers you got your men in follow wrestlers maybe have big gank him a puppy keep dangerous go along yes the inch is right better wait for us no we let them get too close to the border we might lose them i'll cut sign for you make it as fast as you can what is this that man is mass the boys are going what's going on around here got no time to answer questions now bent if that mask army is willing to stick his neck out for us at least i can do is back up his plane lay tompkins had chosen his trail well he drove the cattle over large stretches of bare rock a surface so hard and smooth that even a herd as large as his left almost no sign by which they might be traced a less trail wise tracker than the lone ranger might have been lost almost at the outset but the masked rider of the planes pushed on slowly painstakingly the precious hours passed and still no sign of the outlaws or the herd then from the distance came the sound he had been listening for we've caught up with them the dim light of the waning moon gave the lone ranger a vague picture of the surrounding territory enough to make him send silver racing off to the side of the men and cattle and tore a rock outcropping ahead of them oh i hope we're still very easy back in here silver there's enough protection for both of us that's it big fella i can't fight off all of them maybe i can slow them down study big fella study boy several shots at the lead stairs might spook them enough to do the trick this is a silver up to us to keep them here as long as possible don't move big fella leaving silver behind the rocks the lone ranger crept to another vantage point from which he could watch the two approaching riders here's a look shot it must be some mistake leaf it can't be anyone within miles ahead oh they can't eh maybe those shots were just something we imagined if they have come from someone in our own outfit no maybe it was a hunter or a trapper or something of the sort this time of the night now the chance even if it was we got to find the critter got to shut his mouth so he can't tell the share of what he saw keep looking around look sharp at every rock hey laif ah look at that rock over yonder right where i'm porting i see you what about it there's something behind it are you sure dead sure oh boy hit the ground right here we're going ahead out for right leave the horses here yeah steady boy you're right you saw something moving back to that rock come on keep your gun handy yeah the lone ranger saw the two men approached the rock behind which silver had been left he knew that his horse would presently be discovered to divert the attention of the outlaws he opened fire over there those shots came from the side here leave this rock get behind it right those shots came closer hurt him i'll show that critter eh that reddit had him given someone to think about i can't get him fire from that side of this rock i'll fire from this i said he oh wait can't get away from us come out of there with your hands high and we'll give you a chance to surrender you hear me i hear you come out of we'll come after you i don't like that laif you got to stick his head out from behind that rock to take aim maybe i can get him worth a try let's go all right if you say so yes those were close that would have just to warm you next time i'll aim to hit you or gonna lay if he can do it that critters a dead shot sure let's back away keeping this rock between him and us you mean leaving there yeah well we can't do that every time we got the cattle quieted down and shoot again get them all spooked up you gotta stay here and shoot it out how long won't have to be for long another half hour and it'll be getting daylight then we can pick them off without trouble if he don't pick us off just keep shooting whenever you see him show himself lone ranger fired cautiously conserving his dwindling supply of cartridges as much as possible each shot had a telling effect the echoing reports goaded the fear crazed cattle into one mad rush after another the sweating cursing outlaws did their best to head off the stampede but with each rush the herd became smaller the lone ranger was down to the last of his cartridges six cartridges left they'll not last long hey you didn't hear me i'm still here you'd better think about the cattle look at them they're running harder than ever you're not the only ones who have been stalling for time look over there it's a sheriff oh food just went up into the hills just like you said that hell is up some lucky your Indian friend waited for us he followed your trail funny fast and we got him all rounded up mr smithy scary look i said most of the boys out here for the cattle you're an old bed would have a fit if we'd have lost any of them tomkins i've been looking for you away from me where's that cash you took from mr bentley i handed over fast my saddlebags they haven't touched any of them go get it john and you can take these mavericks into town while i get back to the ranch then we'll be waiting to hear how we came out then you two aren't feuding anymore feuding where'd you get that idea just because we had a little disagreement why it wasn't nothing i'm glad to hear that mister i want to apologize find apology or advice i wouldn't have got us mixed up in a mess like this forget it john you've ended the feud and we've caught tomkins red-handed that's what counts you won't need us anymore any big fella easy enough oh i bet me you'll be throwing a big shindig tonight kind of a get-together party which you'll appreciate if you could be there you and your indian friend oh thanks mr smithers but we're moving on adios and them too are they sure imagine risking his life to patch up a quarrel that's something that me'll never forget whenever either one of us gets can't anchor us again there's one thing that'll put sense into our heads that's just thinking about the loan ranger you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the loan ranger incorporated