 Now, as gunshots echo across the windswept snow cover reaches the wild northwest, Quaker Puff Wheat and Quaker Puff Rice, the breakfast cereal shot from guns, present the challenge of the Yukon. It's Yukon King, swiftest and strongest lead dog of the Northwest, placing the trail for Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police in his relentless pursuit of lawbreakers. And King Thunder Huskies, gold, gold discovered in the Yukon, a stampede to the Klondike in a wild race for riches, back to the days of the Gold Rush, with Quaker Puff Wheat and Quaker Puff Rice bringing you the adventures of Sergeant Preston and his Wonder Dog Yukon King as they meet the challenge of the Yukon. Hey, get set. In just a few minutes, you're going to hear something terrific. Quaker Puff Wheat and Quaker Puff Rice, the swell tasting ready to serve breakfast cereal shot from guns, are making a special offer to you listeners. We know you fellas and girls like dogs. So keep listening. We've a big surprise for every single one of you. Sergeant Preston had been summoned to the office of Inspector Maynard at Mounted Headquarters in Dawson City. The Great Dog King rested at his master's feet as they listened to the inspector saying, Sergeant, have you ever heard of a crook called the Sparrow? I certainly have, sir. From what they say, he's just about the slickest crook in the States. He may soon be the slickest crook in the territory. You mean he's coming to the Yukon, sir? That's right, Sergeant. They think the Sparrow has his eye on a New York millionaire named J. Hamilton Rudge. Is this man Rudge coming to the Yukon, too? Yes. He was planning to sail from Seattle soon after this letter was written. I see. And when he arrives, the Sparrow will probably be hovering somewhere close by. It seems to be the general opinion, Sergeant. Now then, Rudge will dock at Skagway and travel over land to Whitehorse. Whitehorse he'll embark on the Yukon Queen sailing down River to Dawson. The Yukon Queen, eh? That's the last boat of the season. Right, Sergeant. So if the Sparrow really is after Rudge's bankroll, he's pretty sure to be on that boat. I take it that I am to be on board, too, sir. You are, Sergeant, but not in uniform. I want you to travel as an ordinary passenger in civilian clothes. So what about King, sir? Can he come along? Well, Sergeant, I don't know about that. Oh, go ahead. Take him. Thank you, sir. Now, I want you to protect us, Rudge fellow, Sergeant, without revealing yourself, of course. And at the same time, I want you to see if you can't get a lion on the Sparrow. Ten days later, Sergeant Preston stood at the rail of the Yukon Queen as the steamer pulled away from the landing at Whitehorse. The mountain was dressed in civilian clothes, and at his side was the Great Dog King. A few feet away stood another passenger, an elderly man with side whiskers and gold eyeglasses. Sergeant Preston introduced himself as Mr. Smith. Smith, Sam. I suppose there are quite a few Smiths up here in the Yukon. My card, sir. Well, thank you. Say, Hamilton Rudge, New York City. I'm glad to know you, Mr. Rudge, for a long way from home. Well, I'm on my way to Dawson on mining business. I can't fount it all. That woman coming this way, she's been hounding me ever since I left Seattle. Oh, there you are, dear Mr. Rudge. How do you do that? What a simply beautiful dog. What breed is he? Why, he's an Alaskan malamute, Miss, uh... Oh, perhaps Mr. Rudge will be good enough to introduce us. Miss Le Van, may I present Mr. Smith? How do you do? He's so reassuring to meet a strong man when one is traveling alone in a rough and unsettled country like the Yukon. You'll have to excuse me, I must give that to you. That's your first trip to the territory, Miss Le Van? My very first. The manager of the music hall simply begged me to come to Dawson. I take it you're in the theatrical business. Ah, yes, I'm an actress, Mr. Smith. And no doubt you'll recognize my full name when I tell you I'm Cleo Le Verne. Well, I... I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the stage. Oh. Well, it's such a thrilling experience coming to a wild new country like this. Seeing all these pine trees and mountains and everything... Tell you, is it true that it gets very cold up here? I've seen it hit 70 below. Oh, surely, you're joking. Don't worry, it won't get that cold if you'll munch it. The looks of the sky, though, I'd say it's going to snow before morning. Oh, dear me, perhaps I'd better go and unpack my first. I'll see you at dinner, Mr. Smith. And I'll see you again, too, doggie. Cleo Le Verne walked toward the door of her cabin, which was located only a few yards from the point where Sergeant Preston and King were standing. A moment later, the great dog growled and sprang erect at the sound of a muffled scream. That came from Mr. Laverne's cabin. Come on, boy. What's wrong, Mr. Laverne? Oh, there! My bunk! A man? He's dead. About as dead as a man can get with a knife through his heart. Oh, Mr. Smith, I... I think I'm going to faint. Try to keep a grip on yourself, Mr. Laverne, and tell me what happened. I merely came in the cabin and started to take off my coat and hat, and then I noticed him lying there. You know who he is? I've never seen him before in my life. We'd better go notify the captain. Minutes later, Captain Goodall, skipper of the Yukon Queen, eyed the two passengers sternly as they returned to Cleo Laverne's cabin. Is this your cabin, Mr. Laverne? Yes, Captain. Hit this one right here. Well, where's the corpse? Right over there on the... It's gone! Gone? If it was ever there... It was there, all right. I suppose it got up and walked away, all by itself. There's not even a blood stain on the bunk. The corpse was lying face down with a knife in its back. It happens there was very little blood. Mr. Smith, I don't take kindly to hoaxes. Now, good day to you. Oh, Mr. Smith, what a horrible situation. What on earth are we going to do? I think perhaps I can convince Captain Goodall that we're not joking. You stay here with Mr. Laverne, boy. I'll go up and talk to the captain again. At sight of the sergeant, Captain Goodall's face turned red with anger. I've already told you, Mr. Smith, that passengers are not allowed on the navigation bridge. It's important I talk to you where we can't be overheard by the other passengers. What is it this time? Another corpse? Take a look at these credentials, please. The holder of these credentials is traveling on official police business and is to be given every possible assistance signed Inspector Maynard Northwest Mounted Police. Well, if you're a Mountie, where's your uniform? One of the passengers on this ship is a crook from the States called the Sparrow. I'm traveling in civilian clothing in the hope of discovering his or her identity. Well, guess I owe you an apology. No need to apologize. Now then, Captain, about that corpse. The man was middle-aged, very swarthy, and had a black moustache. Is that description sound familiar? No, I can't say that it does. How many passengers are you carrying this trip? Five, counting you and Mr. LeVar. And how many cabins are there? Ten. Each passenger is separated from the person next to him by an empty cabin. The motorist certainly didn't throw the corpse overboard and drop daylight. So the chances are, it's in one of those ten cabins. Right. We'll make a search at once. Sergeant Preston and Captain Goodall searched the five empty cabins and also the dining cabin at the end of the passageway, but found no trace of the missing corpse. Guess we'll have to try the occupied cabins. You see, there were three other passengers aboard besides Mr. LeVar and myself. That's right. Here's Mr. Mason's cabin right here. Yeah, what is it? May we come in? Sure, come ahead. Make yourself right at home. Mr. Mason, this is Mr. Smith of Dawson City. Glad to know you, Smith. Pete Mason's the name. Up here to hunt gold, Mr. Mason? No, no, not gold. It's stories I'm after. Oh, you're a writer? Newspaper man. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Mr. Mason, we're looking for a corpse. A corpse? Well, Captain, I may look pretty green around the gills, but I'm not dead yet. I'm afraid this is serious, Mr. Mason. Another passenger discovered a dead man in her cabin a short time ago. When she and Mr. Smith came up on the bridge to tell me about it, the corpse disappeared. Well, it didn't float in here, Captain, if that's what you're thinking. You mind if we look around? Not at all. Look under my bunk, look in the closet, look anywhere you please. I'll be only too happy if you can turn up a dead man. What a headline that would make. Post-reporter finds corpse in cabin. I guess you're right. There's no dead man around here. Sorry we disturbed you, Mr. Mason. Come along, Mr. Smith. Hey, not so fast, Captain. You're not leaving me out of this. Oh, very well. This next cabin we're coming to belongs to Mr. Hobart. Oh, is it? It's Captain Goodall. I'd like to speak to you. May we come in? All of you? Sorry, should have introduced you. Mr. Leo Hobart, this is Mr. Mason of Seattle. How do you do? Mr. Smith of Dawson City. I didn't catch the name of yours, city Mr. Hobart. What'd you say you were from? I didn't say. Mr. Hobart, we're here on a matter of murder. Murder? That's right. A dead man was discovered in one of... What was that? Sounds like Mr. Rudge. Come on, we'd better investigate. We'll continue our story in just a moment. In just a moment, Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice bring you that big surprise. But first, here is Sergeant Preston. As you boys and girls know, my closest friend and companions, my dog King. Right, fellow? Naturally, I feel that everyone should love and understand dogs. And you should recognize and know the different kinds of breeds. Dogs are truly man's best friend. Fellows and girls, we're sure you agree with Sergeant Preston. That's why today, we're making you listeners a very special offer. Listen. Right now, grocers have special neo-surprise packages of Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. Inside these packages, you get two different challenge of the Yukon dog picture cards. These two dog picture cards inside each package are yours at no extra cost. No box tops to send in, no waiting. These cards are like regular trading cards. They're handy size, stiff back, have the same shiny glossy finish as game cards. These beautiful cards feature actual photographs of real dogs in full color. They're true to life, they're new, and you can get them only with Quaker Puffed Rice and Quaker Puffed Wheat. Like this, Wheat and Rice Shot From Guns are offering 35 different cards in all. That's 35 famous breeds of dogs. Each package contains two different dog cards, and they're yours at no extra cost. Think of all the different kinds of dogs you can collect. Favorite dogs you'll know, like Cocker Spaniel and St. Bernard. Or strange breeds like Saluki or Otterhouse. Best of all, they're Sergeant Preston's Wonder Dog Yukon King. You can get an exciting trading card of King, true to life, the real King himself in color. What's more, Sergeant Preston gives you a description of each dog on the back of every card. He tells you what the dog is like, plus many facts you should know about him. Yes, these amazing cards help you to recognize and know about the different kinds of dogs. They give you valuable information about working dogs, sporting dogs, show dogs. They let you in on which kinds are good watch dogs, or learn tricks easily. And mind you, these cards feature real dogs, many champions of their breed. Imagine owning an official collection like this, a set that includes the world's biggest dog, the world's smallest dog, the world's fastest dog. You find these different dog cards in packages of Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. And don't forget, you get not one, but two of these dog picture cards in each package. There's no waiting, no delay, no extra cost. They're at your grocers now, hurry, collect them, save, swap, trade them. Start now while supply lasts. Remember, you get these official challenge of the Yukon dog picture cards only with delicious Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. And you get not one, but two cards in each package. Don't delay, start collecting today. Now to continue our story. Pete Mason, a Seattle newspaper man, joins Sergeant Preston and Captain Goodall in their search for a missing corpse aboard the steamer Yukon Queen. The three men were about to search the cabin of another passenger named Leo Hobart when suddenly a call for help rang out. What was that? Sounded like Mr. Rudge. Come on, we'd better investigate. Mr. Rudge, Mr. Rudge, are you all right? I move certainly, I'm not all right. I've been robbed. Calm down, Mr. Rudge. Tell us what was stolen. I'll tell you what, Miss Shulin, a jewel box containing two sets of diamond studs and over $10,000 in cash. Are you sure you had the box when you came aboard? Of course I'm sure. It was right here in my suitcase, not more than a half an hour ago. Mr. Rudge, we'll find that jewel box if I have to go over this ship with a fine tooth comb. Beginning right now, we're going to search every inch of every cabin on the Yukon Queen. King rejoined his master when the search party arrived at the cabin of Cleol Avern. The great dog was puzzled. He wondered why his master had not given him the job of tracking down whatever was missing. A short time later, the party approached Sergeant Preston's own cabin. Yes, Smith, we've searched every cabin matured. Yeah, mine even got a second going over. That doesn't mean we suspect you, Mr. Mason. The first time we searched your cabin, we were looking for a corpse. A dead body won't fit into a suitcase or a drawer, but a jewel box might. Sure, sure, I realize that. Oh, is this your cabin, Smith? This is it. What's the matter with that dog? Offhand, I couldn't say. Suppose you open your luggage, Mr. Smith, while we try the drawers in the bunk. All right, Captain. Yeah, and that jewel box doesn't seem to be anywhere around here either. What about that closet over there? Goodness, the dog is scratching at the closet door. I'll take a look. Holy smoke, a dead man. A corpse that was taken from Miss Laverne's cabin. He certainly wasn't one of the passengers. He must have sneaked aboard while we were tied up at White Horse. Any of you recognizing? Yeah, I do. You? His name is Trigger Joe Fernandez. That nickname sounds as though he might have been a crook. He was one of the worst gunmen in the States. How do you happen to know so much about him? Newspaper men get to know lots of things, Mr. Rudge. Like, for instance, a fact that Trigger Joe was gunning for another crook named the Sparrow. You're well-informed, Mr. Mason. Look, Smith, let's stop playing games and tell these people who you really are. Suppose you tell them if you're so sure of yourself. You're Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mount of Police. And that dog of yours is Yukon King. Was that a guess? It was a cinch. In case you don't know it, Sergeant, we've heard about you and that dog of yours even way down in Seattle. Well, if he's a Mountie, why is he operating in plain clothes? I bet I can answer that one, too, Hobart. It's because he's on the trail of that crook I mentioned a second ago, the one named the Sparrow. You mean this Sparrow, whatever you call him, is somewhere on board this boat? I'll go farther than that. I'll bet he's standing in this cabin right now, Sergeant. Isn't that right, Sergeant? You're doing the talking, Mason. Sergeant Preston, if what Mr. Mason says is true, we may all be murdered in our sleep. I demand protection. Well, King can stay on your cabin tonight to guard you, if you like. Well, that's all very fine. But what about my jewel box? We'll find that box if I have to search this ship from stem to stern. All of you, except Sergeant Preston, go to your cabins. Stay there until the search is completed. That's an order. A thorough search was made of the entire ship, but no trace of the missing jewel box could be found. That night, Sergeant Preston was awakened by a gentle tapping at the door of his cabin. Well? Yes? What is it? Who's there? I'm sure I heard someone at the door. Yeah, better take a look. The passageway. I guess I must have done a mistake. The Sergeant was about to close the door when he noticed a slip of paper lying at his feet. Hmm. I should move. I'll see what it says. If you want to know the identity of the sparrow, meet me in the dining cabin in five minutes. It's likely to be a trick, but I better investigate just the same. The Sergeant dressed hastily and went down the passageway to the dining cabin. As he pushed open the door, he paused and listened intently for the sound of human breathing. Hearing nothing, he stepped across the threshold. And at that moment, the bottom of a pistol came crashing down on his head. A moment later, the rear door of the dining cabin opened. Outside in the darkness, snow was falling and a harsh wind was lashing the waters of the Yukon. No one saw or heard the unconscious body of the Sergeant being dragged across the deck to the stern rail of the ship. Meanwhile, the great dog king was scratching frantically at the door of Cleol Laverne's cabin. Yet caught the scent of his master as Sergeant Preston passed by the door on his way to the dining cabin. And a moment later, the dog's keen ears had heard a groan in the sound of a falling body. Instinctively, king knew that his master was in deadly peril. Again and again, the great husky reared up on his hind legs and sought to turn the knob, but the door was bolted. Finally, king trotted over to the bunk where Cleol Laverne lay sleeping and tugged at the blankets. What is it? What is the matter? King, is something wrong? Oh, so that's... you just want to go out. Well, I suppose the sooner I let you out, the sooner I'll get back to sleep. Down the passageway to the dining cabin, the door was ajar and king pushed it open easily with his nose. Inside, he caught the scent of his master clinging close to the floor. King followed the scent of the rear door of the dining cabin. The door was closed, but king worked it open with his paws and raced across the open deck toward the stern of the ship. Without hesitation, he leaped the rail and plunged into the swirling waters below. The cold water had shocked Sgt. Preston back to consciousness, but he was still weak and dazed, and the chilling effect of the icy water had almost paralyzed his muscles. I might have known you couldn't have saved me. It would be a long pull, fella. Long pull. The great dog and his master struck out desperately for the riverbank, but the current was swift and treacherous. As they neared land, Sgt. Preston's last ounce of strength finally gave out. That's no use, king. I can't hold up any longer. Seizing his master's coat in his horrible jaws, king struggled on through the raging torrent. Minutes later, he dragged his half-conscious burden ashore. Oh, good old king. Once again, I held my life to you, fella. Yes, I better get up and get moving before I freeze to death. This boy, I see it too. Looks like a lighted cabin. Let's head for it. At the cabin, Sgt. Preston borrowed dry clothes and a sled and dog team. Without further delay, he pushed along the coast to Selkirk. The Yukon Queen was tied up to the landing at Selkirk when Sgt. Preston and king went aboard the following morning. The sergeant had changed his clothes at the local Mountie post and was now wearing the red-coated uniform of the force. Captain Goodall greeted him with a look of open mouth astonishment. Am I seeing ghosts? Or are you Sgt. Preston? I'm no ghost, captain, and neither is king. But man alive, what happened to you? We thought you'd fallen overboard tonight. Fallen's not quite the word for it. I was slugged and then thrown overboard. What? But how in the world did you get to ashore? I didn't think anyone could stay alive in that water last night. I'd be a dead man right now, captain, if king hadn't jumped after me and pulled me ashore. Luckily, it was near a cabin and I was able to borrow a sled to get to Selkirk. No wonder they say king is worth his weight in gold. All the passengers still aboard? They are. I've been holding them till the law could arrive to investigate the murder. And suppose you ask them all to assemble in the dining cabin? I think it's about time we clipped the sparrow's wings. Ten minutes later, sergeant Preston faced the assembled passengers in the dining cabin. Sergeant, aren't you going to tell us what happened to you? Yes, Mr. Mason, I am. Last night a note was slipped under my door. The note said that if I'd meet the sender in five minutes, he or she, would tell me the identity of the sparrow. When I went to keep the rendezvous, I was slugged and thrown overboard. Luckily, king jumped after me and dragged me ashore. When you got this note telling you to come to the dining cabin, did you know then who had sent it? I had a few suspicions, Mr. Rudds. That was all. Now I know for sure. Well, don't keep us in suspense, sergeant. Tell us who it was. Before I make any accusations, I'd better tell my reasons. In the first place, there's not much doubt that it was the sparrow who killed Trigger Joe Fernandes. Are you sure of that, sergeant? The sparrow's the only person aboard who had any motive for killing him. We know Fernandes was out to get the sparrow. He probably sneaked aboard at White Horse and lay in wait in the sparrow's cabin. When the sparrow came aboard, Fernandes probably tried to kill him. Instead, he himself ended up with a knife through his heart. That makes sense, all right. But why pull that disappearing act with a corpse? It probably figured it would confuse us. Until it may have tickled his perverted sense of humor. Well, you still haven't told us who the sparrow is. The sparrow had to be one of you four people. Miss Cleo Laverne, Mr. Pete Mason, Mr. Leo Holbart, or Mr. J. Hamilton Wright. Very ridiculous. Last night, I definitely eliminated Miss Laverne as a suspect. Me? Oh, sergeant. Because King was standing guard over her, unless King had been killed or drugged himself, she never could have carried out an attack on me. As a matter of fact, I would sound asleep until King woke me up. And I was pretty sure Mr. Holbart wasn't the sparrow either, because I remembered having seen him in Dawson City. Last night, when I was on my way to Selkirk here, I remembered who he was. And, um, who am I? You're Lewis Howard, the Howard Mining Syndicate. I suppose you've got some mining deal underway, and you're traveling in Cognito to steal a march on your competitors. Well, looks like you've guessed my guilty secret, sergeant. That left two possible suspects, Mr. Mason and Mr. Rudge. And how did you decide between us? The thing that decided me was the theft of your jewel box. Well, you knew I couldn't be the sparrow because I wouldn't rob myself. On the contrary, Mr. Rudge, I decided you were the sparrow because a while ago, you mentioned that the note that was slipped under my door said to come to the dining cabin. No one on the ship knew whether rendezvous took place except myself and the person who slugged me. You're pretty smart, Marty. And it's not going to do you a bit of good. You'd better put away that gun, sparrow. Here are your sermons, Red Coat. Get back against the wall, all of you. Don't try any funny stuff when I step out of this door. It's no use, sparrow. Don't come any closer, President. I'll put a bullet right between your eyes. You're not going to shoot me or anyone else. You see, I thought you might try to make a break so I posted King right outside that door. Take him, King! All right, King, on guard. Now then, sparrow, on your feet. You're under arrest in the name of the Queen. All right, Marty. Hey, I guess you've got me. But it hadn't been for that door. You'd have killed me last night and you'd have gotten away just now. You're right, sparrow. Unfortunately, King's always on the job when I need him, aren't you, fella? Yes, boy, thanks to you, this case is closed. In just a moment, Sergeant Preston will give you a preview of Friday's adventure. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry to your grocer! Look for special new packages of swell-taste and Quaker puffed wheat and Quaker puffed rice. Man, oh man, there's a surprise. There's a dream prize right inside these packages. Yes, the breakfast cereals shot from guns offer you at no extra cost, not one, but two official challenge of the Yukon dog picture cards inside each package. In all, there are 35 different cards, a complete set of 35 famous breeds of dogs. These are genuine stiff-back trading cards with the same shiny glossy finish as game cards. They feature true-to-life photographs in full color of real dogs. Exciting dogs like Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Collie, Bloodhound, and many others. And think of it, you get King himself. Start collecting today. Hurry! Be first to get these swell official challenge of the Yukon dog picture card. Remember, there's nothing to send in. No money, no box tops, no order blanks. You get these thrilling dog picture cards in packages of wheat or rice shot from guns. There's no extra cost, and you get not one, but two cards in each package. So shake a leg. Hurry to your grocer for Quaker Puff Wheat and Quaker Puff Rice. These radio dramas, a feature of the challenge of the Yukon Incorporated, are created and produced by George W. Trendo, directed by Fred Flower Day, and supervised by Charles D. Livingston. The part of Sergeant Preston is played by Paul Sutton. They are brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the same time by Quaker Puff Wheat and Quaker Puff Rice. The breakfast cereal shot from guns. Listen, Friday, when Sergeant Preston and Yukon King meet the challenge of the Yukon in the case of the hard-hearted hermit. I knew the name of Spenbo was not as hard-hearted as he pretended to be, so I thought it'd be all right to leave his granddaughter with him. I thought she'd be safe. I didn't suspect that bank robbers would choose his home as a hideout. That was when the trouble began. Be sure to hear this exciting adventure Friday. This is J. Michael wishing you good bye, good luck, and good health from Quaker Puff...