 The challenge of the Yocan The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of Eskimo League dogs, blazes the trail through storm and snow for Sergeant Preston as he eats the challenge of the Yocan. Sergeant Preston was typical of the small band of Northwest Monty Police who preserved law and order in the new Northwest country where the greed for wealth and power led to frequent violence and bloodshed. But in spite of the odds against them, Sergeant Preston and his Wonder Dog King met that challenge and justice ruled triumphant. When the arctic night grew shorter and the sun appeared again, a deep melancholy spread over the spirit of the Eskimos in their village on Mackenzie Bay. Everyone dreaded the power of Uluck, the Eskimo wife of Derlach, the half-breed. Since she had come at the beginning of the long season, the entire village was under her power and had to keep her appeased. For it was well known and had been proven that Uluck had only to cast her shadow on man or beast and he died. Arak, the last young hunter in the village, saw her squat waddly figure coming toward them as he walked toward his igloo with his mother. Keep to the left, Kima. There is Uluck. See that you do not pass to her shadow. We have nothing to fear, Arak. We have put our best furs at her door as we did last year. She is evil, Kima. Just best to be careful. Times when I could run my harpoon through her ugly body. Cause of her that you cannot marry Ibnek. Ibnek would go away with me, but she fears for her father's life. Uluck has threatened to kill him if she leaves. Sometimes I think it is only to keep you here that Uluck does this. You are the strongest hunter in the village and get the most furs, the best of which she demands. Be still, she will hear you. Good morning, Uluck. Morning. Fat, wildling cow. She even smells of evil. Do not think about it, Uluck. We go on a long hunt tomorrow. I will take five men to the bear traps, and then we will conceal. Your mind will be off your troubles. The leg still troubles me from the fall I had yesterday. This time, Arak, I think you should leave me here to rest. Just as you say, Kima. It was two nights later, a low moon hung over the sleeping Eskimo village. Suddenly the stillness was broken to sharp bark of a dog near the igloo of Derlach, the half-breed, and Uluck his squaw. Derlach set up quickly. Uluck, did you hear? It is only wolf. He barks at the moon. Stay in the shadow. Wolf, look to the right. If I untie him, he will get him. Quiet. See, there is shadow near that rock. I saw it move. Yes, I see it. Give me room to aim. You will shoot before you know what it is. I will know afterwards. You have missed? I did not miss. See the shadow moves. It is man. You have hit him. You shoot again. No. Let him go. Tomorrow we will know who tried to come to our igloo. Tomorrow you will know, Uluck, where next to cast your shadow. It was the following day when Ibnak, the young Eskimo girl, hurrying toward the igloo of Kima was met by Derlach. You are taking food somewhere, Ibnak? Yes. It is for Kima, the young brother of Errak. You are kind to take him food. Errak has gone hunting. There is no one to care for Kima. He is old enough to care for himself. Oh, Kima had an accident. He was cleaning his gun. It went off and creased his shoulder. He will be well soon. Too bad. I will give you some carbo meat for him. That is kind of you, Derlach. Now I must go to him. He waited for his dinner. I found the man. The man whose shadow we saw? It is Kima, the brother of Errak. You will go to his igloo tomorrow. But Derlach brings us finest fur of all. When he returns from his hunter, we will be fortunate for you. Kima looks with hate in his eyes. He talks against us to the tribe. They must not doubt your power. But what of Errak when he returns? His anger? His fear will be greater than his anger. Tomorrow when the sun is setting, go to Kima's igloo. Kima lay on some skin in his igloo while Ibnak mended the sleeve of his parka. The bullet went through the back of your sleeve, Kima. How could it do that when you cleaned your gun? My arm was raised. Ibnak, that was a fine meal you cooked. Derlach gave me the carbo meat for you. Derlach? It is right that he should do things for people. The furs we give to Ulach make him rich. Ibnak, why don't you marry my brother and go away? You know my father forbids it. He fears Ulach. Ulach. Ulach. How I hate the son of her name. Stop, Kima. Such talk is dangerous. She will use her magic on you. She is evil. I could get my hands on her fat throat. Quiet. Did you hear something? It's a rustling noise. Ulach! Ulach's squat figure suddenly blocked the entrance. Her small, beady black eyes were fastened on Kima with a stare that was almost hypnotic. The small lamp of sea oil and the scent of the igloo cast her shadow on the white wall. A huge black shadow that slowly crawled toward Kima as Ulach advanced. No! Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police was making an arctic patrol. As he rounded a high cliff of ice with his dog team, he saw a band of ascomos coming toward him. Looking for you, Huskies! Hello! It is Sergeant Preston. Hello! Erack, how are you? I was heading for your village. You need a guide again? No. I've been able to get around without one this time. Well, you had a successful hunt, AC. Yes, we are lucky. Oh, it's not all like. You're a good hunter, Erack. Have you married Ibnak yet? No. We not married. Why expected you to bring her down to Dawson? I'll tell you about it, Sergeant Preston. Maybe you can help. Well, let's start for your village. You can tell me on the way. Honking! Honk, you Huskies! I'm very anxious to see this sorceress, whatever she is. You must be careful, Sergeant. Fuck is evil. She's evil, all right. Taking first everyone and keeping you from marrying Ibnak. Look, there is Ibnak now, coming from the village to meet us. When she's running, something must have happened. Erack! Erack! Ibnak, what is wrong? Ibnak, I don't know how to tell you. Something is wrong. It is Qima, your brother. Qima? What happened? Ooluk came. Her shadow crept over him. Qima? You see? He is dead, Erack. He died just after the sunset yesterday. For two days, Sergeant Preston stayed in the Eskimo village, trying to solve the mystery of the power of Ooluk. Erack, though bitter about the death of his brother, was uneasy. Sergeant, perhaps you should not stay here. Ooluk is getting angry. Erack, she can't kill people with a shadow. There must be an explanation. My brother was almost better. I have seen her kill animals with my own eyes. Sergeant, you are in danger. I can't arrest her without proof. Since Qima's death in the Ooluk village is doubly afraid. They say you are next. Only yesterday she watched you and your dog. Your dog will go first. You mean she'll try to kill King? That's what we fear. Your brother died within an hour after her shadow covered him. How long did it take for the animals to die when she did that? I saw a rabbit fall at her feet when our shadow passed over it. Did it die quickly? No. Like my brother as he neck described him, he jerked and died in terrible pain. Tomorrow, Erack, we'll leave the village until noon. King will stay here, tied in front of your rig blue. No, Sergeant. Ooluk will kill him. She wants to show the village her power over you. King can take care of himself. I have an idea of what her power is. And if we can prove to the village that her power won't work, their fear will be gone. King, old boy, it's up to you. He is still alive, Sergeant. We've been gone about three hours. Hello, boy. He is not like our dogs. How well you must feed him. See, he has left part of his meal. A whole fish. Erack! Erack! Evenak, what is the matter? Ooluk threatens the sergeant's dog. All the village knows that before sunset she will cast her shadow on you. Sergeant, you must leave now with King. Ooluk will kill him before dark. She has said so. Erack, gather all of the people of the village together. I'll let King stand unprotected. Tell Ooluk I dare her to try her black magic on him in front of everyone. Sergeant, no. He is such a fine animal. Do as I say, Erack. You and Ibnek get the people together. The crowd of Eskimos stood in frightened silence. His precedent commanded King to stay in the wide area between the igloos where the sun shone on him. The beautiful dog looked at his master then crouched and whimpered slightly as the ugly figure of Ooluk came slowly toward him. Ibnek clutched Erack's arm. How ugly she is. And see her shadow? There is still time, sergeant. Stop her. Put her on. Stay there, King. That shadow. See? It creeps toward him like a crossing death. It is deeper and darker than other shadows. It's just like any other shadow, only fatter. I can't look, Ibnek. No. It covers the dog like a black shark. All right, Ooluk. Are you through with your mumbo-jumble? Your dog. He will die before the sun sits. He still lives, sergeant. And the sun has almost disappeared. There, he cries. He can't understand why everyone's looking at him. And your boy. It's all right, fella. The sun is gone. You see? There's nothing to fear. Ooluk is not magic. Her shadow means no more than yours. Erack, come with me. We're going to the igloo of Ooluk. Come on, King. No one has dared enter her igloo, sergeant. We're entering it. I think we'll find something interesting. Quiet, King. We've come to see you, Derlak. You cannot come in. Oh, yes, we can. Stand aside. You don't get back in there. Who is it? It's Sergeant Preston. And here's the dog you said would die. The dog? He still lives. Well, you're really surprised, aren't you, Ooluk? I think you really believe your shadow can kill. Her shadow does kill. Derlak. I brought you a present. It's a frozen fish that you tried to feed my dog. That fish you picked up when we returned? Yes, Erack. You see, my dog isn't like your Huskies. He's been trained to take food only from me. That's where Derlak made his mistake. Derlak? Derlak's the one who kills. Not Ooluk. That is not true. There's an easy way to prove it, Derlak. You will eat this fish you tried to feed my dog today. Erack, search this place. See if you can find a box or a bag with some white powder in it. Look under those skins over there. Look out, Derlak. He's gone. After him. Take him out. All right, King. Hoppy boy. Back. Get up, Derlak. You're under arrest for murder. You have no clue. Get back in that igloo and don't try to get away again. This dog's right behind you. Watch him, King. Do you find anything, Erack? I find this under blankets. Uh-huh. Let's see. Ah. Arsenic. I thought that's what it was. It is poison? Derlak poisoned your brother. He put Arsenic in the caribou meat that he gave him. It was a very clever scheme, Derlak. You know just how long the poison would take to kill someone. And then you ought to do luck to cast a shadow on him. My shadow does not kill? No, luck. You're just a harmless old woman being used by Derlak for his profit. If your dog had eaten that fish. If he had, we never would have known. But King always obeys orders, don't you boy? These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit. And all characters, names, places, and incidents used are fictitious. They are sent to you each week at the same time. Hue Holder speaking. This is the Michigan Radio Network.