 Action and danger. Hundreds of dramatic behind-the-scenes adventures are all part of the Clyde Beatty story. Here is the story of the white rogue of Siam. My wife Harriet and I once made an expedition to the Far East, to Siam, a land of pagodas and smiling people. It was in this strange country that I heard about one of the rarest of all animals. We'd stopped at the village of Lampong, upcountry from Bangkok, and happened to wander into the Siamese version of a general store. They seem to have most everything here you'd see in a store-back home client. I've noticed that. I bet they've even got my brand of shaving cream. How are you about it now? Oh, look. That man back there talking to the shopkeeper. You think he shouldn't be? Yeah, probably from some plantation or anything. See here, creature. Get those things put up quickly, will you? I want to leave it an hour or so. Yes, sir. You don't forget the tobacco. No, sir. Could somebody help us here? Well, hello there. I didn't see you folks come in. The shopkeeper's just finishing my order. All right. Americans, aren't you? Well, yes, we are. I thought so. Welcome to Lampong. David is my name. Baby's mine, and this is Mrs. Baby. A pleasure, I'm sure. Thank you, Mr. Davis. Do you live in Lampong? Good heavens, no. I just come in once a month for supplies. I have a teak plantation up near Cheg Mai. Seems there are quite a number of those around here. Too many if you ask me. You say your name is Betty? That's right. Betty. Betty. Has a familiar ring? Quite jove. You're not the circus man, wild animal trainer, and all that sort of thing, are you? The same. Well, that explains it. Looking for animals, eh? Yes, we hope to get a few elephants at least. Would you like a rarely unusual elephant, Betty? Yes, but one's pretty much like another, isn't it? You're not the one I'm thinking of. You see, this one is white. Really? Well, where is it? Is it for sale? How can I? Steady, steady, Betty. Perhaps I'd better explain. Please do, Mr. Davis. Well, this white elephant is up on Sutherland's plantation. It's also up near Cheg Mai, about 50 miles from here. It belongs to Sutherland's foreman, Leeds, if I'm not mistaken. But whether or not it's for sale, I don't know. Brother, one of the rarest animals in the world, a real sure enough white elephant. It's gotta be for sale. Oh, what a pride to take back with us to the States. Well, there might be a problem, Betty. But perhaps you'd better talk to the man who owns it. Fine. I'm going by the Sutherland place tonight. If you like, I'll stop in and tell them to be expecting you tomorrow. Now, back to Clyde Betty and the white rogue of Siam. The Englishman Davis is keeping his promise to the Bates to arrange a meeting with the owner of a white elephant. Davis arrives at the Sutherland plantation, and after considerable pounding on the door, succeeds in arousing the foreman who owns the elephant, Leeds. Well, well, Davis, old man, come on in. How are you, Leeds? Yeah, yeah, let me pour you a drink. Thank you, no. Where's Sutherland? He's gone into Cheg Mai. He won't be back until tomorrow afternoon sometime. I see. How's everything going? Oh, as usual. I hate this place more every day. Leeds, why don't you settle down? Cut out this... Now, don't start preaching to me, Davis. I know I'm about to be set, but I don't care. If I'd had any money, I'd have gotten out of this year long before this. I'm sorry. Ah, forget it, forget it. Is that all you stop by for? No. No, I stop by to tell you that you have visitors tomorrow. An American couple named Betty. I ran into them in Lampong this afternoon. Visitors? Americans? Well, what do they want up here? Well, Betty's a circus man from the States. I told him about that white elephant you've got. He'd like to talk with you about buying it. That's a good one. I'd just love to see that white robe performing as circus. Didn't you tell him nobody could handle her except them a hug? No, I didn't tell him anything. I thought it better for Betty to get all the facts from you. You didn't tell him anything? Just that the animal belonged to you. I see. Of course, they might be able to hire them a hout to go along with the elephant. I suppose they could arrange to take them both back to America. Ah, I mean, it wouldn't leave this country. And he wouldn't approve of my selling to a crew either. Well, I guess the Betty's trip will be for nothing then. I say their trip will be for nothing. Oh, yes, yes, yes. I'm afraid so. Too bad. Well, I must be going. Give Sutherland my best when he gets back, will you? And tell the Betty's I'm sorry if I led them on a wild goose chase. Yes, I'll tell them. Any idea when they'll arrive? Oh, morning, some time, I should imagine. Treat them well, Leeds. They seem like a good sort now. Don't you worry. I'll treat them right. Armit! Armit! Come here! Good morning, Eats Up. You wish to speak with Armit? Why else would I call you over here, fool? Yes, Sub. You told me the other day you wanted to go into the village. I decided to let you go this morning. But I not understand, Sub. Am I not to work today? No. You may go to the village. You needn't be back until tomorrow. Well, thank you, Sub. For crew and I will leave at once. Now, wait a minute. You're not to take the elephant. Not take for crew. But Sub always... Don't argue. It's a new rule. You can walk. You will, Sub. I go. This is the place, Card. I guess so. I never thought this old crate would make it. Look at her boy. We could have come by Ockard, of course. On this super highway of Siam, it might have been better at that. Come on, Harriet. We're getting closer to our prize. I can't wait to see it. We can put it in the center ring. And don't you think a bright red howler would be striking? Well, good morning. You must be the baiting. Yes, we are, Mr. Sutherland. I'm Leeds, Sutherland's foreman. Mr. Sutherland won't be back until light this afternoon. Well, you're the man we want to see, anyway. Fine, fine. Come in, won't you? I guess Mr. Davis stopped in and told you we were coming. Yes, he did. Please, sit down. Davis said you were interested in my white elephant. We certainly are. Interested is hardly an adequate word, Mr. Leeds. Well, you caught me at an opportune moment. I must confess. By the time, I wouldn't think of selling to a crew. But there's a piece of land up country that I'm interested in buying, so I might listen to an offer for her. Oh, then it is a female. Oh, yes. Oh, yes, good. We've found a male elephant too difficult to handle. I dare say a white elephant should prove to be quite an attraction in America. Might it be a sensation? Mr. Leeds, you've no idea what it would mean if you were to sell her to us. Oh, I have a fine idea, I think. Well, could we see her right away? Of course. Let's get down to the compact. Oh, so that's still crew. Right. What do you think of that? Well, she's wonderful. She's bigger than most of the others, isn't she? Yes, she's good-sized and still growing, I think. Let's go up closer. I want to get a good... No, I wouldn't go closer just now, Betty. She's not used to you, you know. Of course, once she gets to know you, she's as gentle as a kitten. I see. Does she have one special behalf? Oh, yes. Arm it's gone for the day, though. Poor fellow's brother passed away yesterday. Oh, that's a shame. Yes, yes. You'll be back tomorrow and put the crew through her pices for you. And, of course, he'll accompany her on the trip to Bangkok when you're ready to ship her. Well, that's fine. Why is she chained over there, away from the others? Oh, well, the natives think she's something special. They don't think she should mingle with a common herd. Well, Leeds, I'm ready to talk business. Fine. Suppose we go back to the house and have a spot of tea while we do it. And I'll have your things brought in. We have a nice room in the house for you. I think 5,000 is fair, Leeds. It's a deal. I know she's probably worth much more than that, but, well, I'm not one to squeeze the last penny from a man. We appreciate that. And I'll be glad to get this cash off my hands. As you can see, we came prepared for a quick transaction. And that adds some influence on the price, you can be sure. There you are. I think you'll find that's right. It seems too good to be true, Cloud. It's true enough, honey. We are now the proud owners of a genuine Siamese white elephant. Harley, Harley, Harley. That's practicing. Well, what say we go rest and maybe write some letters, honey? We'll do some of the gang back home here, what we've got. After the drive up here, that rest part sounds good to me. I guess there isn't much we can do until Toe Cruz, now it comes back tomorrow. That's right, Mrs. Beatty. Just make yourselves at home. I've got some things to attend to around the plantation, and if you need anything, just call for one of the bearers. They'll bring lunch to your room if you like. Thanks, Leeds. We'll see you later then. Why is there so much for crying? Oh. You look at it something's bothering you. What is it? I don't know exactly, but somehow I get the feeling that all is not ship-shaped in Siam. What do you mean by that? It's elephant to you. It's all too easy. I've got a hunch there's a hooker in it, but I'll be darned if I can figure out what it is. Clive, your imagination is working overtime. The man had an elephant for sale and we bought it. What could be simpler? Yeah, that's just what I mean. It was too simple. You always thought imagining things when you get up too early. Come along. Let's go to our room and take a nice nap, dear. I'm sure when you wake up, everything will be fine. Your father leaves, sir? What? Oh, Amit. Must you sneak up that Y? Why are you back here? I started for Village Sub, but I changed mine. Oh, you did, did you? I'm not like going without the crew, sir. You fool. You and that cry of the elephant. Sub, it is not true what other mohawks are whispering. Is it, sir? What are they whispering? Pick up. They are saying that strange white man looked at a crew this morning. They say, you sold a crew. Well, what if I am? But, sir, they will take her away. They will not treat her well. She will cause big trouble, sir. That's not my worry on it. No yours either. These people, they not know this about a crew, sir. What they don't know won't hurt them. Amit will tell them. They must know. You won't tell them anything. But I must, sir, it is my duty. I've sold that elephant. Now, leave things alone. They will not take the crew when they know. You'd spoil everything for me, wouldn't you? I guess there's only one way to settle this. Sub, no. You've asked for it, Amit. You've gone into the village like I told you. Sub, you will put down knife. Not come closer. Sub, no. Let go my wrist, you. The cold steel is not to your liking, sir. Amit, thank you. You would beg for mercy, Sub. Allah, forgive me. Now I shall be hunted for the rest of my days. But they will not find me. Clive, wake up. Oh, what is it here? I think Mr. Sutherland just came in the house. I saw a car stop and a man head for the door anyway. What time is it? 4.30. Hey, that was some nap I had. Where's my comb? Oh, here it is, dear. Okay. Well, let's go see if that was Sutherland. Hello there. Are you the ladies? That's right. You must be Mr. Sutherland. This is my wife. Oh, how are you doing? I'm glad to know you indeed. I came back earlier than I anticipated after seeing Davis in Chiang Mai. He told me about your being here. I see. Where's Leeds, do you know? He was around all morning. I don't know where he went after we settled our business. Business? Don't tell me you bought that white elephant of his. Well, yes, but... That explains why I can't find him then. He skipped. Can't find him with... But why would he skip Mr. Sutherland? So you wouldn't find out the truth about that animal until it's too late. I still don't understand. Well, let me explain. You bought a rogue elephant, practically wild. Nobody can handle her except Amit, her Mahout. Well, surely another Mahout could be trained. We've tried them all, baby, and they're all terrified of Takru. Won't even get close to her. Neither will the other elephants. Hmm, now it's beginning to make sense. Oh, Claude, and you had a feeling all along something was wrong. Well, what do we do now? That's a good question, but I haven't the answer. I'm afraid you've been taken, Beatty. Maybe we can persuade this Amit to come along. I guess it's worth a try. In maw! In maw! You'd still have to get permission from the authorities for Amit and Takru to leave the country. You call, sir? Yes, bring Amit here, Bilma. That cannot be done, sir. What do you mean? Amit ran off into jungle like wild man. We not see Amit again. Oh, that's just dandy. And here I am with seven tons of walking dynamite. I'm sorry, Claude. So am I, Beatty. But I'm afraid you've got a white elephant on your hands in more ways than one. Clyde and Harriet Beatty purchased a rare white elephant at a teak plantation in Siam. Only to discover later that the animal was an unmanageable rogue. The plantation foreman disappeared after the transaction and the native Mahout who handled Takru the elephant was seen fleeing into the jungle. Mrs. Beatty, shake hands with the world's biggest chump, your ever-loving husband. Oh, Claude, don't be too discouraged. I'm sure we'll be able to work this problem out all right. I wish I had your confidence right now. Any suggestions, Sutherland? Well, I'm afraid Leeds won't be easy to find. From the look of his room, he must have just thrown a few things together and left him a big hurry. But where could he go? He's had several hours' start. He probably got into Chung Mai, possibly hired a car there to take him to Bangkok. And what about Amit, the Mahout? I imagine when Amit discovered his elephant had been sold, he decided to leave for good. Natives are funny that way. Once they get attached to an animal, they consider it their own personal property. Well, if he'd come back, he'd get really feel that way. But he's our best bet. If we can locate Amit and explain that you didn't know the whole story, perhaps he'll come back and continue to handle the crew. Where would you go to look for him? Chances are he's gone to the village. He's got a family there, I think. You mean in Chung Mai? Oh, no. There's a small village through the jungle. Only three or four miles from here. There's a fairly good trail, and that was the direction Amit was seen to take. It's worth a try. Come along, then. We'll get a couple of elephants and Mahouts. I don't fancy walking through the jungle, and it'll be almost dark by the time we're back. Maybe you'd rather wait here, Harry. No, thanks. I'll tag along if you don't mind. Okay. Shall we go, then, Sutherland? Yes. Just one moment while I get a couple of express rifles. One can never tell when they might be needed. In the half-light of dust, we made our way through the jungle trail and soon arrived at a small native village. Sutherland's Mahout took us straight to a small bamboo basher with thatched roof and dirt floor. And there we found Amit's brother. Several other natives gathered around as we tried to find some trace of the missing Mahout. How long ago was he here, boy? He lived one hour, maybe two hours ago, sob. He was like crazy man. What has Amit done? He hasn't done anything that I know of except act like a fool over that elephant. Where did he go? Do you know? Amit, say he's going away. Never come back. What? Amit, come get things which belong him. He go far away, but cannot leave Tokuru. Say he must go back for Tokuru. Get Tokuru? Surely he wouldn't steal her. Well, Betty, we'd better get back to the plantation as quickly as possible. It looks very much as if Amit's coming to us. Let's stop by the house here a moment first. I want to tell my number one boy to be on the lookout for Amit. Hey, isn't this your boy coming? Why, yes. He seems awfully excited about something. Sutherland's son, I'm glad you return. What's the matter, bin Ma? What is it? It is Lidzab. Lids? What do you mean? Speak up, boy. Lidsab, he is in house. He's come back. He is dying, Zab. He hurt their back. Good heavens. Come on, Betty. What happened to him? I don't know. Here. Right through here. Right. Easy, honey. He's been stabbed. He's still alive, but I don't know what his chances are. Bin Ma, how did this happen? I do not know, sir. I went into the closet of his room and found him. You found him this way in his closet? Yes, sir. This is starting to make sense, Sutherland. Albert Armit discovered Lidsad's soul to crew to me, so he tried to kill Lidsad. That account is running off. Well, if that's what happened, he might have done it in self-defense. Well, what makes you think that? Because this knife belongs to Lidsad. Maybe he tried to use it on Armit first. This is hardly the time to worry about who is responsible. We've got to do something for him. Bin Ma, get me hot water and clean bandages. I'll send someone into Chiang Mai for the doctor right away. In the meantime, I know you'll do what you can for him, Mrs. Betty. Then we better get on down to the elephant compound, Sutherland. Yes, if the beggar comes back after Tuck Crew, we'll be ready for him. Come on. Sutherland, look, that native running toward the compound. I get it. It's Armit. He's running straight toward Tuck Crew. It doesn't look like we're going to make it, Sutherland. He slipped the chain off Tuck Crew's leg. Blast the luck. Look, that white rogue acts like she knows what's going on. She's swinging Armit up to her back. Armit, see that? He's heading into the jungle on the other side of the compound. Armit! Armit, come back here, you fool! Too late. He's made it. He won't make it for long. We'll get some elephants in my house and track him down. There are his tracks. He's heading for the river, but he can't be far ahead. Keep on moving, Drutto. What happens when he gets to the river? He's apt to give us the slip once he reaches it. We've got to catch sight of him before he gets there. Brother, I never knew elephants could move so fast. That's where we've got the advantage. These elephants can move along the trails faster than the white one. She's bigger, but not so fast. He seems to be doing all right at that. We're gaining on her. Don't worry. Looks like a fork in the trail up ahead. There is. The trail going to the left is the one that leads to the river. Hold up, Drutto. Let's have a look here. What's the matter? That's odd. Armit's taken the trail to the right. Who were does that lead? That's what's strange. It leads into a clearing and stops. He can't possibly get on through. He must have thought we'd follow the river trail, huh? Exactly. He figured we'd pass by, then he could double back the way we came. Lucky we spotted his tracks here. All right, Drutto. Follow this trail. Here's the clearing just ahead, Betty. I see it. And there's Armit and Tokru in the middle of it. He knows his tracks now. All right, Drutto. Stop here. Some of you move around to the either side there. Now the elephants seem uneasy again. They always are around that white rogue. We'll stay right here and block the trail. Armit! You must return with us to the plantation. Never, sir. Everything will be all right. If only you'll come back peaceably. I used to kill Leeds, sir. He made me do this. But you didn't kill Leeds. He's alive. Those are big lies, sir. Armit! What Sutherland says is true. You'll have a fair trial and you'll also have your elephant. It's no use. He doesn't believe us. That's poor devil. Armit! This is your last chance. You must come back with us or we'll have no choice. Another ten feet and he'd have trampled me. I'm afraid Armit may be in bad shape. You're going to ask him to fall once the crew went down. Let's have a look. All right. We'd better get him back to the plantation. Right. I don't think he's hurt too badly, though. We'll have the doctor fix him up. Let's go. What's the doctor's verdict? He says Armit has a slight contusion. But we'll be all right in a few days. And Leeds is going to pull through, too, he thinks. That's a relief. I'm glad for both of them. I'm glad you were here to help, Mrs. Bitty. You seem to be quite a nurse. Thank you. It seems such a shame all this had to happen, though. I know what you mean. I wish I'd never heard of that white elephant in the first place. If I'd had any idea... Now, you can't blame yourself for what's happened. What's so amusing, Clyde? I was just thinking, how many people in the world can hope to equal my accomplishment? What do you mean, Bitty? Why, for six whole hours, I was the worried, if not proud, owner of a white elephant. No other wild animal trainer can make that statement. Clyde will return in just a moment to tell us about his next exciting adventure. But first, and now, here is Clyde Bitty again with a few words about our next story. That great old showman, P.T. Barnum, had a way of fooling his customers and making them love it. We all remember his motto, there's one born every minute. So, he'd probably have given a right arm for a sideshow attraction like the Wild Man from Borneo that was tossed into my lap. But as for me, well, I'd have given a right arm to get rid of the Wild Man. It's an amazing yarn that I think you'll enjoy. All stories are based upon incidents in the career of the world-famous Clyde Bitty and the Clyde Bitty Circus. The Clyde Bitty show is produced by Shirley Thomas. The White Rogue of Siam was written by Robert T. Smith and Frank Hart Tossi. All names used were fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is a Commodore production.