 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, showing rare courage in the face of disaster, in the air, on horseback in a screaming squad car. Ranger Bill, his mind alert, a ready smile, unswerving, loyal to his mission, and all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Naughty Pine has had growing pains. Any town does when its population begins to mushroom, as always has in the past few years, and one of the problems that arose is the fact that the growth of new areas made the officials in our city forget about some of the parts of town that have been around for a long time. Our story today is centered about the warehouse district down by the river. Although there is little river traffic, the warehouses there are still used by trucking concerns who need large storage spaces. We call this story death on the waterfront. All right, all right, here's what's next, Kate. Always nagging about something, but still don't need more. Sam, what's the matter? Sam, answer me. This is make your boss. Sam, answer. It's no use talking, boss. He's dead. All right, so a man dropped dead on the riverfront dock. Probably had a heart attack. Those fellas work hard, you know. Okay, Bill. But if you don't think it's strange, then I do. I mean, what's odd about it, Henry? People die with their boots on all the time. Henry, you have a feeling something wrong. Yeah, I can't help it, fellas. Just got a funny feeling, that's all. Well, rest assured that everything is all right, pal, and the coroner agrees with Doc Pike death from natural causes. Henry, get a copy of that paper. Right away, Bill. More trouble, I'm afeard. I think you're right, Stumpy. Maybe Henry right, too. What's it say, pal? Listen to this. Tonight at 6 p.m., a second man dropped dead on the riverfront loading dock. The cause of death is unknown. They have one building inspector, and he manages to cover all the required inspection. And how long does it take him to do this, Mr. Mayor? Does he inspect every building and riverfront warehouse within a six-month period? Well, no, Bill. It takes him a little longer than six months. Nine months? No, not exactly. Truly, not more than a year. Well, he's a busy man, Bill. Lots of work. Takes him about 18 months to make a complete round. 18 months? But that's ridiculous. A building could rot in cave-in during that time. Well, Bill, we've got to think of the taxpayer's money. Taxpayer's money. The taxpayer's money supports the rangers, too. We make sure that there's no neglect. Do you realize the dangerous conditions that could prevail because the buildings aren't regularly and carefully inspected? Well, actually, Bill, this is none of your business. This is out of your jurisdiction. I'm a citizen of naughty fine, Mr. Mayor. Those riverfront buildings need to be inspected at once, or I can't be responsible for what happened. You're not going to tell me how to run this city, Bill Jefferson. I'm not telling you, sir. I'm asking you to send an inspector down to those riverfront buildings at once. There's real danger down there. You keep saying there's real danger down there, but you won't tell me what is the matter. I'm not an expert on these things. I've only a few facts, and I need more proof. If I did tell you, that'd be mass hysteria. That's why I want you to send an expert down there. Bill, my patience is gone. I'll thank you to leave my office. I've had a busy day. All right, Mr. Mayor, but I'll be back. My only hope is that you won't be sorry you didn't listen. As soon as I gather some more facts, I'll be back. That's his kid stuff. Waiting around under these warehouses in the middle of the night. If somebody sees us, they'll call for the guys in the white coats. You could have stayed home, pal. Who, me? I cannot know what kind of wild tricks you're up to. No, sir. You're not going to leave Henry's car at home when something's going on. I didn't think so. Henry, look under this building where the fly slide is shining. Those timbers look pretty well beat up, Bill. Think they'll last very long? That's a good question, pal. Now, let's look a little further. Wait a minute. Let me take this skeet on any of them around my head. These gloves, wow. I'm hot. All right. It's a precautionary measure, pal. But guess what? I'm not at liberty to say. You'll cool down there. Don't pull the muscle, or I'll tart your hair with a 38. What kind of guns on the Akali? Uh-oh. Officer O'Rourke's got a tract. Oh, Patrick, it's me, Bill Jefferson and Henry Scott. Well, bless my aching flat feet if it ain't. Now, what kind of mustrats do you call yourself? We're just looking around, Pat. Okay with you? Just don't let normal people see you down there, or they might suspect you. That's just what I was saying, Pat. Well, I'll admit this does look a little odd. Odd, he says. It's a good thing that I'm a sober-minded man. There are two men in a river looking under a building in the middle of the night. I'd better not tell the sergeant about this, or he'll think I'm crazy in the head. See you later. Hold on, Pat. Bless his old, bad-stotin heart. Come on, pal. Let's get out of here. I'll see him when I came looking for. Okay. Hello, Ranger headquarters, Bill Jefferson speaking. Oh, yes. How are you, Carl? What's the trouble? Where are the bodies of these latest men now, Carl? I can't say now. Meet me at the morgue in half an hour. It's urgent. What do you think, Doc Pike? All the symptoms are here, Bill. Do we agree? Yes, I've seen this before over in China. Seen what before over in China? What's causing the deaths of these men, Bill? Wait a minute, Carl. Are you sure, Doc? I'm positive. I'd stake my reputation on it. All right. Carl, these men died from bubonic plague. Bubonic plague? What a horrible disease. Well, that can't happen here. But it is happening. Bubonic plague is spread by the rat flea. And of course, the rat flea is found where there are big brown wharf rats. Aren't the riverfront buildings being inspected for these rats? Yes, they're being inspected, but not as often as they should be. Now, we've got to take preventive action to keep this thing confined to one area. Yes, I was just going to ask you what we can do to stop it. My plan would be to close off the area with state and local police guards. Close the schools and other public buildings and limit the number of people allowed in the stores. Right, I'll get the guards mobilized. While you get set up to give hypodermic shots, Doc, you can set up at Ranger Headquarters. A cow, something important. Yeah? What? Cow, we've got an epidemic of bubonic plague on our hands. Joke. Not a thing to joke about, Cal. What I want to know is, how many men can I have to guard the riverfront and keep people out until we get this thing in hand? Right away. Have your crew report to my office first so they can get their hypo-injections to protect them. Captain, this is Bill Jefferson. Oh, yeah. Thank you. Captain, we've got an epidemic of bubonic plague here at Notty Pine. Bubonic plague? That's what I said. We've got it now, my friend. How many men would you let me have to guard the riverfront area and keep people out? As soon as I can get them? You're a myth. I ain't no inner tube, you know. And I'm stumpy. You're not that delicate. You roll up your sleeve so I can swab your arm with this antiseptic. That's your service, Doc. Yeah. Now, hold this cotton swab over the spot for a few minutes and then you can roll your sleeve down. And next, man. First, let's have it quiet, please. Okay, Bill, go ahead. Thanks, Captain Bronson. I want to say that you men are going on a dangerous duty. The bubonic plague is a killer in every sense of the word. Of course, shots Doc Pie gave you will protect you from the bite of the rat flea and its deadly consequences, so you don't have to worry. Oh, Captain Bronson, I want you to take your state troopers and guard both sides of the north end of the river, as far as the warehouses go. Okay, Bill. Sheriff, you take your deputies and patrolmen and guard the south end of the river in the same manner. Right. My rangers and I will guard the central section, which is the hotspot right now. Now, just a word of warning to all of you. No one is to enter or leave the area you're guarding. Anyone coming out of the area must carry the rat flea with him on his clothes. You men are not to leave the area until your clothes have been fumigated. Stopping people, Bill. All I've got to say is real tough. Feuding a man to the leg is a small price for him to pay to have his life saved. Bubonic plague kills quickly and quietly. Okay, boys, here's where we go to work. Hey, there's Tom doing guard duty. Yeah, let's get a move on. I'll bring the traps, Henry, Gray Wolf. Right. Tom, see us. We get stopped now. Oh, stop early on. It's all right, Tom. It's Bill, Henry, and Gray Wolf. Oh, sorry, Bill. I didn't recognize you in the dark. Don't apologize for doing your duty, Tom. Everything quiet? Yeah, Bill. Not a thing, sir. Good boy. Keep a sharp eye out. All right, let's get down into the old warehouse, boys. This place gives real grilies. It's hard to realize that death can be moving around so quietly. Yeah. Well, watch yourself going along the riverbank. Look out for this old post sticking up here, Gray Wolf. I see it. Easy to tear rubber boots on. Let's get under that building just ahead and see if we can catch a couple of those wharf rats. And why you want to catch rats, Bill? The plague carried by a rat, please. Well, Doc Pike wants us to catch a couple of rats in several places along the river so he can determine the spread and intensity of this plague. What for? If this thing is confined to a few buildings, then we can attack the problem one way. But if this killer is being carried by every rat along the river, then we'll have to quarantine the whole town and vaccinate every man, woman, tile, and animal. We got them, Bill. Boy, are they big filmers. I'll say they are. Now, label that cage as specimens from the east side of the north end of the river. River. There. As soon as I wire this label onto the cage, we'll be ready to go. Watch your hands, Henry. Rats will bite your fingers if they get close enough. You guys are going to make a nervous wreck out of me. Let's get out of here before we all get killed. So you think that this plague is confined to only a couple of buildings in the central area, Doc? Yes, Bill, but it won't stay there for long. As you know, rats travel about considerably, and all we need is one of these infected rascals from the central riverfront area to take a short trip up or down the river, and the plague will spread like wildfire. Seems to me we'd better do something pretty sudden like to stop those critters from visiting their relatives. That's right, Stumpy. Yeah, we can have the exterminators go after the rats in all the places, but the central area. Why do you leave out the central area? Can't the exterminators kill the rats in the central area just as easy as they can in others? Well, if they do it my way, they can knock them off with one try, not piecemeal. And what's your way of killing the infected rats with one blow, Doc? Cyanide gas. Cyanide gas? Doc, have you got hold in your head? Why, that stuff will kill anything that breathes it down the first breath. You don't get a second chance with that stuff. I know that, old timer, but we can't afford to play hide-and-seek with the infected rodents. They've got to be killed and killed quickly. Not even one can be left alive. But, Doc, don't you think cyanide gas is a little dangerous? Why, even birds flying overhead with... Which is more dangerous, Bill. The bubonic plague or the gas? Okay, Doc, you win. Let's head for the mayor's home. He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to call an emergency meeting of the city council. The gentleman, please come to our room. Thank you. Well, Bill here seems to think that the town is in serious danger because of the plague, which has localized itself in one area along the river. And he's asked to speak to you. Bill? Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Gentlemen, I don't need to tell you the seriousness of this situation. We need funds quickly to hire exterminating contractors to kill the warfrats. This is extremely urgent, so we can prevent the spread of the disease from its present location. Now, if we can find only one area, I don't see anything to get the whole town in an uproar about. I agree with Consumen Ferro. Ain't no sense getting excited. Doc Pike will take care of this whole thing in short order. Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, can't you understand the danger? All we need is for one warfrat to carry those fleas into another section of the river area, spread the parasites to uninfected rats, and the plague will spread faster than prairie fire. We need to kill all the rats now before this can happen. No, Bill. Aren't you sort of being dramatic about this thing? I mean, rather well overdoing it. Gentlemen, do you realize what you're doing, what a measly price you're putting on human life? Gentlemen. Dr. Pike. We've got to move fast. The plague is spreading. Oh, no. Two more men have died. They were working on the north section of the warehouses. Well, gentlemen, I don't think I need to persuade you now. Mr. Mayor, Bill's right, and I think we're wrong. We can't put a cheap price on human life. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, I think that's right. Gentlemen, I'm the one who's been wrong. Bill tried to warn me that this was coming, but I was blind and I wouldn't listen. Now, perhaps it may be too late to listen. I'll entertain a motion that we give Bill the power and authority to use the city's emergency funds immediately. Mid-state exterminators, Ted Graves, manager speaking. Now, this is Forest Ranger Bill Jefferson speaking. We have an emergency condition here in Naughty Pine, a bubonic plague. Bubonic? Stuff dangerous. We'll give your men shots to make them immune to the bite of the rat flea. If you'll help us kill the rats, will you please? Sure. If you'll give us shots first, what do you want us to use? Cyanide gas in the central area where the infected rats are. Cyanide? I'm sorry, Ranger, but we're not equipped to handle that stuff. Not cyanide. Will you come anyhow and work on the other areas? So the infected animals can spread the disease? Sure. We'll be on our way as soon as possible, but no cyanide gas for us. Well, who can I get to do the job with cyanide? You're the fourth big outfit that's turned me down. Somebody's got to do this job. Right off hand, I don't exactly know. Hey, wait a minute. There's a big outfit out in Frisco. Sure, they'll do it for you, called General Doc Sanitation Company in Frisco. They're equipped to work with cyanide gas. Thanks, friend. Thanks a million. Your fellow's got here in mighty short order, Mr. Smith. Well, just a few hours from Frisco and the special plane he can do wonders. Working together with your naughty pine fire department, we should knock those rats off in a hurry. Yeah, they won't have a chance in the world with cyanide. Say, Bill, it seems to me that I hear a cat meowing every now and then. Hmm, is that right, Henry? Uh, how soon will you be ready, Mr. Smith? Oh, I'd see an hour, maybe. Good. Now, this is a very old building here. Probably one of the oldest warehouses in town. Can't figure what's holding it together. Make a good place to stock. Sure, suits me. What's the big idea, Henry? You've been yanking at my elbow every five seconds. It's that cat, Bill. Listen, can you hear anything? I don't hear a thing, Henry. Probably your imagination. I'm going over to the chem tanks to talk with the fellas. See you later. Okay. Before I heard a cat squalled under that warehouse, I sure hate for it to get hit with that cyanide. There is a cat under there. I'm going to get it. Here, kitty. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. Here, kitty. Too much room under there. Well, here it goes. Here, kitty. Here, kitty, kitty. Here, kitty. You're almost jammed in between the timbers on the ground. Come on, come on, kitty. Move these boards here. Ow! Well, Smith, looks like we're all set, huh? Yeah, start rolling any time you want, Bill. The main thing is to get that cloud of gas settling over the ground under the building. That's where the rats are. They got the hose ready, boys? All right. Now then, Robbins, check your gauges. Make sure your pressure is up, and we'll start. Start the gas. I'm trying to get out. I'm trying to get out. Stafford. Okay, man. Oh, wait a minute. We'd better check on all our men first. Can't take any chances, you know. Now, let's see, Smith. Here. Jones. Robbins. Stafford. Jenkins. Henry. Henry. Now, where's Henry? Anybody seen Henry? Well, he was over at the tank talking with us for a few minutes and then wandered off. Don't know where he went. Well, we'd better not shoot that cyanide till we find out. He may be under one of these warehouses. Sift the battles all over, huh? Yes, Bill. Thanks for your being able to talk the exterminating outfit from Frisco into coming here and using cyanide gas. Also, for completing the job of handling the emergency. All right. Here and now I turn the emergency power back into your hands. Thank you, Bill, for the work. But most of all, for keeping after us city fathers till the job was done. You're welcome, sir. Yeah, the situation is well in hand. Chip, maybe Henry here. How are you feeling, Henry? Okay, Stuffy. Outside of a sore leg. Well, sir, if it hadn't been for that cat, meow on its head, or if you might have been under that warehouse yet, young fellas, you could say that again. I've always had a soft spot for cats, but... Or from now on, that goes double. Doesn't it, kitty? See you next week for more adventure with Ranger...