 Take one man with the courage born of freedom, and another with the strength born of hate. Put them in an open boat with a beautiful woman. That's the story, Cargo Unknown, taken from the files of John Steele, adventurer. Hello friends, this is John Steele. And how are you tonight? Oh, is that so? Well, don't worry, we'll take care of that for you. Because this week, friends, we have another tale of adventure. This is one of those unusual stories, a yarn that leaves you doing some serious thinking, and a lot of wondering too. So I suggest that you relax for a moment before I introduce this week's guests. The reason? A simple one. Once my friend Lou Cardone starts his story, you'll find it very difficult to relax. Well, enough of me. Here is Lou Cardone, a man with an aeroplane and ideas. Lou? You've heard the old saw about strange bedfellows, well, I've got one that really takes a cake. I guess it started right after I came home from the war. I've been a fighter pilot with the 8th in England for two and a half years, and finally got relieved after my 71st mission. Little flack happy, but who wasn't? I couldn't settle down, still wanted that old excitement. One day I read in the paper where XGIs could pick up surplus ships for a song, and that started me thinking. Scraped up all I could, bought me a sweet little twin engine trainer, and I was in business. Jobs were slow at first, but I wasn't fussy as long as there was money in it. Well, one day I was out in the hangar cleaning up the ship. Pressure went out on the hydraulic system the night before, and I had to crank the flaps and landing gear down by hand. I was checking to find the leak where I was losing pressure. Are you Lou Cardone? Yes. Are you Lou Cardone? Yeah. Sorry, Mr. Can't hear you. I said, are you Mr. Cardone? Wait a minute. Hey, Cutter Joe! Cutter! What did you say? I said you're Mr. Cardone, are you not? Yeah, that's me. I would like to talk to you. Okay, Mr. No, I do not mean here, outside some place. Sorry, Mr. I haven't got the time. I assure you it will be worth your while. Oh, that way, huh? Okay, okay. Break it, Joe, we'll be back in a minute. Right. Follow me. Thank you. Didn't catch your name. I didn't say it. Well? Gunther, Joseph Gunther. Okay, Mr. Gunther, what's on your mind? I hoped we could find some place more private. I've made a lot of deals standing right here. Very well. I followed your career with great interest, Mr. Cardone. Get to the point. You are a very capable young man. I go on. Your advertisement in the paper first attracted my attention. Yeah. The Anything Anyway Airlines. That's just a name I got tagged with. I went to the trouble of having you investigated. Well? By my own man, of course. We discovered several things of interest. Such as? On March 2nd, you loaded a cargo of bowls of assorted materials. Your destination was recorded as Municipal Airport, Chicago. At 5.30 on the afternoon of the 23rd, you landed at a small airport outside of Las Cruces, Mexico and made delivery to a representative of the Rogers Spanking Company. So what's wrong with flying material in Mexico? Your cargo was not assorted materials. Rolled inside the bowls were art treasures. Valued at over $100,000. Your men are pretty efficient. The order was placed to me. On the 18th, you loaded a cargo of canned food. Same destination and delivery. Another of your orders? Yes. Scattered through the cans and sealed inside them was over a million dollars in jewels and precious stones. Shall I go on? You've made your point. What's next? We had to be sure of our man, Mr. Carton. Fairly sure. The cargoes were delivered. And you were well paid. Well? The next delivery is to Argentina. Hey, that's a long hop. What's a cargo? A man. We did $10,000 be enough. Pretty important guy, eh? Yes. Why is he so hot? That'll say he has, uh, disagreed with the authorities. I like money, but I like free air, too. $20,000. Argentina. It's a lot of open water flying. I'd need wing tanks. That means questions. I don't like it. You better find some. I have gone this far, Mr. Carton. I cannot take no for an answer. You've got the wrong boy, Mr. Gunther. I don't like to have to point out that I have a complete record of your activities over the past year. The administration would find it interesting reading, I'm sure. The publicity will look good on you, too. I've been careful about that. You underestimate me. So it's that way? Yes. $20,000? When can you leave? There's a lot to be done. End of the week. No later. I will get in touch with you about the details. Okay. I knew you would see this my way, Mr. Carton. Yeah. Yeah. I worked around the clock for the next few days, canceled all my other jobs, and just stuck close to the hangar. I had to work 30 hours a day for $20,000. A lot of this stuff could be done during daylight without starting too many questions, but I did most of the important work at night. It was the old excitement, just like the war days. I installed the wing tanks and checked the ship from stem to stern. Then I moved in all the equipment, picked up a 12-foot life raft, and was careful to see it was completely outfitted. I wasn't taking any chances. It was all set in four days. And Gunther phoned and set five o'clock the next morning is takeoff time. Your punctual, Carton. $20,000. I'd miss my own funeral. There's no time to waste. These are your passengers. You said one. It does not matter. They are two. The ship's heavy as she stands. It will make it. What a woman I am. I'm not afraid. Okay. In you go. I hear. Let me help you. I'm quite capable. Thank you. I have it your own way. Your turn, Mr. Stand up. Can he talk? The bandages say precaution. Must be hot. Now, bags next. This one stays too heavy. It must go. You want us to pile up at the end of the field? It does not matter, Gunther. Well, well, madame. I'll be back for my $20,000. I will contact you when you have returned. Now, see that you do. You want to come up front for the takeoff, Miss? Or is it, madame? Miss. Miss Tauber. Yes, thank you. I would like that. Maybe this won't be such a bad chance after all. Big your pardon. Oh, nothing. There. You sit in that one. You make it okay? Good. Hang on, Miss Tauber. Here we go. Wave goodbye to your boyfriend. He lift a little. Sugar act nice for Pappy. Do we make it? Your guess is as good as mine. Come on, you old hag. Gotta do better than this. Watch out for those teeth. Sweetheist. I knew you wouldn't let me down. You ever have that funny feeling that you've seen a metatocal stranger someplace before? That was my reaction to Stenda the first time I saw him. I couldn't pin it down to any particular time or place. It wasn't anything as concrete as that. We'd been in the air for about six hours when I put the ship on automatic pilot and went aft. You comfortable, Mr. Stenda? Quite, Mr. Cuddon. Must be a relief to get those bandages off. They serve their purpose. The water looks beautiful from up here. Like burnished metal. I've seen that color before. Where? On the barrel of a rifle. Or a revolver. Like Mr. Stenda has under his jacket. You think I am armed, Mr. Cuddon? The bottle's the only other thing. Make a bulge like that. You don't look like a drinking man. You object then to my carrying a revolver. I hadn't given a much thought. But you object. I don't have one. Very well. You shall keep the cartridges. I shall hold the weapon. How do I know that's all the shells you have? In the same way that I know you are unarmed. Okay. You have done a great deal of flying, Mr. Cuddon. Enough. You flew doing the war. Yeah. Combat. 71 mission. Pacific? Europe. Oh, sir. And you are responsible for the destruction of a great many German cities. Not directly. I was a fighter pilot. So? You have shot down many aircraft? 16 and two probables. Probables? Not recorded by my wing cameras. You must have been well rewarded by your country. Never thought of it that way. I always found your army system of awards and decorations a bit amusing. We did all right. But then you earned professional soldiers. We won the war, didn't we? Yes, you did. The mortars. Sounds bad. I can just get her to catch again. Gotta set her down. Back to your seats, fasten your belts. Try to lay her in easy. Get back to your seat. Lucky water smooth. Put her up a hair. That's it. How easy. How easy. Hang on. Everyone comfortable? Yes, thank you. Perhaps not the Queen Mary, but it'll keep her float. That was excellent flying, Godot. We were lucky if the water hadn't been smooth. That was not luck. That was, what is it, fate? Maybe. Did you have time to radio our position? No. But surely a ship will pass this way? Regular shipping channels are about 150 miles west of us. I figure we're drifting about due southwest. The sail will help some. Yeah, if the weather holds we might drift into shipping lanes in 10 to 12 days. Have we enough food? I stock the raft for two. What does that mean? I have to be careful. It won't be like the stork. The stork? On nothing. Do many aircraft fly this route? Can't count on that. I suppose they follow the shipping lanes, too. That's right. Well, we'll just have to make the best of it. The sun is terribly hot. Oh, I'm sorry. Here, let me rub some ointment on your face. You've thought of everything. It's part of the crash equipment. Is there enough? We have one, too. There is not very much. Faces get tough in a few days. We'll need it then. It is cooling. You'll have a lovely face. Cup it with oil? Even that way. You should use them. I don't need it. Very charming, Mr. Cardone, if somewhat foolhardy. Mr. Cardone was not trying to be charming. Gallantry is a luxury. He cannot afford... That is contemptible. The truth is often contemptible, Lisa. You'd better use some standard. Thank you. Your face is quite white. What do you mean, Cardone? I don't know. Are you implying that there is anything unusual about my face? Why should I? Hey, when did you eat last, beautiful? Four o'clock this morning? It's twelve hours. Yes. Okay, time for lunch. I can wait. We'll eat now. Won't be much, though. I am hungry. Let's see. Must be something good on the menu? I'll see if I can catch the waiters eye. They have very good steaks here. I'm not really that hungry. No? How about a nice third of a bar of chocolate, a biscuit, and a swallow of water? That's exactly what I wanted. Standard? Thank you. How's it taste? Wonderful. I love that misty taste in the chocolate. Mommy, specialists work years to develop it. You're not eating, Mr. Stander? I may have greater need of it tomorrow. Maybe you won't need it at all. Tomorrow. The first few days weren't so bad, but after that, it was pretty tough to take. The sun was blistering hot during the day, and we were chilled to the bone at night. We tried to keep the raft bailed out, but our clothes were always wet. By the third day, our legs were covered with ugly saws from the salt water. It was all gone by the fourth day, much because our faces and arms were as tough and dry as leather. We set up a system of watches, so one of us would always be awake while the other slept. I was standing watch on the sixth night, as he was calm and the moon was bright. Hungry? A little. You have to wait for Stander. Yes. Wouldn't be fair. No. Someday I'll buy a whole cow. Oh, don't, Lord. Sorry. He sure is a funny one. Funny? A culler keeps himself so much. That's the way he wants it to be. He's learned a lot about me. So have I. I know nothing about him. No. Sometimes I want to hit him for no reason at all. I know. He never seems to be as hungry or as thirsty as we are. He's more careful with his food. Yeah. How can he sleep so well? I don't know. The minute he lies down, he's asleep. He knows how to relax. Doesn't anything bother him? No. I have a feeling he's laughing at me all the time. You imagine that. No, I don't. I'm not the kind of guy who goes around hitting people for no reason. I know. Someday, how'd you get mixed up with him? Please don't ask. Family? Yes. What's off, Lisa? What do you want to know? I don't know where you were born, what you were like when you were little, even anything, everything. You sound like the immigration authorities. Didn't mean to. I was born in Vienna on August 8th, 1920, which makes me 28. 29? Not till August. Okay. When I was 14, I was sent to live with my aunt in the United States and finished my education in American schools. Lucky. Why? Because we can talk to each other. I went back to Austria in the early days of the war. Why? I thought I should. Isn't nice. I want to know. It isn't important. Okay. What do you believe in? Myself. That all? I don't know. Okay. I lost track of time. What difference did it make? It was near as I could figure we'd been in the raft for 10 or 11 days. It was close enough. Our water was almost gone. Our food supply was running low. We used the fishing lines from the crash kit every day, but nothing ever happened. Lisa showed the strain more than Stender and me and I began sharing with her chocolate and biscuits without her knowing. Stender knew and smiled. It was Stender's watch in the 11th day. I was sleeping lightly when I woke with a start and remembered the cartridges from his revolver. I slipped my hand into my pocket. They were gone. I had no idea how many days they'd been missing. You've lost something, Cowdown? No. No. I thought I saw you looking for... It was nothing. I must have imagined it then. Yeah. Clouds ahead. You've seen many such before. They never brought rain. These are cumulus. Cumulus? Rain-bearing. Grives. It was only rain. It would help. Sorry we woke you, Lisa. I was only half asleep. You feel all right. Yes. You just... ...wet your mouth with this. You're getting careless, Cowdown. There's not enough to... I take it. How is your sunburn? It's okay. You're lucky. Why? Your beard gives you some protection. It's funny. What, Lou? No beard. Do not understand. Stander. What do you mean, Cowdown? White skin. No beard. You have suggested before that... ...there's something unusual about my face. Maybe there is. I told you to forget. It's all right, Lisa. I'm just beginning to wake up. And how is it? Skating on thin ice, Cowdown. How would you say it in Germany? These are dangerous words, Cowdown. I don't care. Leave us alone, Lisa. It's raining. We've got to have this out. Rain. Rain. It's so cold. Good. No. No, just a shower. Go like that. The sail. Get the sail down. The sail. Catch it in the sail. Stretch it out. Pull the canteen. Dipper the little stander. Look out, you're spilling it. Now it's coming. Ah. We were able to fill one canteen and a half... ...another before the rain stopped... ...but that was enough to keep us alive for a few more days. A lot of things were beginning to get straightened out in my mind. I was sure now that I'd seen stander before... ...cure your whiteness for skin and the lack of hair. Well, if that wasn't plastic surgery, I'd never seen it. I know I had to be careful... ...because he still had the revolver and the cartridges. It was a 14th or 15th day in the raft. I was half awake. Lisa was bending over me, shielding my face from the sun. Mr. Stander says you've been sharing your food with me. Huh? What did you tell her that for? I hoped she would see you... ...know what you are. It's true. It's true. Now don't waste your strength, Lisa. Oh, silence both of you. No. Silence. What's the gun? Silence. The bird. What? Up there, a bird. Go. If I can just... Don't shoot yet. Getting closer. Wait. Circling. Looking for food. Coming down. Not yet. Seize us. Yeah. Coming for the raft. Whittly lands. There. Right on the raft. Don't. Careful. One shot. Miss, if you hit the raft... ...I am an excellent shot, Cardone. Got him. Got him. No. Food, Lisa. Food. Never any tout. Yeah, lucky you had the gun. Superior mind must do as it thinks best. Gotta take care of the bird. I thought I detected a note of alarm, Cardone. Huh? Yeah, you thought perhaps I had some... ...other use for the revolver. No. No. I... Imagination perhaps. Know what this means, Stender? Means? The bird. You're safe for another few days. Besides that? Well... We're getting near shipping lane, Stender. So? We may get through this. Yes. The first thing I do will be turn you in. So? One thing you can't stand. Be beaten. You're talking bravely. Considering I have the revolver, my captain. Oh, was it major? Colonel Private. Or was it corporal? You think you can stand this, Cardone? As long as you can. One must... ...must fall asleep in the end. It'll be you. I'm stronger than you. Maybe. I've been more careful with my food. Yeah. It's been what? 18, 19 hours. I guess so. And now you are beginning to tire. No. Splash some water on your face. It'll help keep you awake. Shut up. Look at Lisa. Lisa's sleeping. It would be so, so easy. Just close your eyes. Shut up. Your patience is wearing thin, Kazan. You can't last forever. You should not allow yourself to become so upset. It uses valuable energy. I don't get it. This cat and mouse business. Perhaps I am enjoying myself. How? Proving to you conclusively that I am your superior in every way. So this is what it was all about. About? The war. Your eyes are heavy, Cardone. Huh? You will not last much longer. Another hour at the most. Shut up, sir. So easy. Just close eyes. Never wake up. No, you can't. All right, Lisa. Deep water. Here, baby. Drink this. You could use that water more than she. Can't last forever. Not in... All right. Eyes heavy. Shrine hold. Can't last forever. Our superior... Gonna get the gun. How you like? Gonna beat ya. Superior. Gonna turn you in. My... Superior. Gonna beat ya. Gonna get a gun. Get a gun. She's Superman. Beat ya. Your whistle. Heard whistle. Done it, poor sweater. The whistle. Your war. Whistle. Shit-must be shit-machine. Ship! There's a stinger! Ship! There's a ship! Lie back and rest, son. You're going to be all right. Lisa... Lisa... She's safe, too. You're going to be okay. Where am I? On board my ship. I'm John Steele, skipper. Oh. Lisa's safe. Yes. You're both coming along fine. Both? Lucky we picked the two of you up when we did. Two? Yes. You were both unconscious when we got to you. Two? Yes. It's a funny thing. When I first picked you up with my glasses, I thought I saw three people on the ramp. When we got close enough to lower a boat, there was just you and the girl. Couldn't take a beating. Pardon? Nothing. Yes. Now you just lie back and take it easy. Yeah, yeah. Oh, just one thing more. Yeah? I've been holding up my radiogram until you came around. Yeah? Any casualties to report? No. No casualties. No. I didn't think so. By the way, we found this in your pocket. Thought you might like to have it. Oh, what is it? A ring. Oh, thanks. Indian good luck charm. Isn't it? Yeah. Superman. John Steele Adventurer is produced by Robert Monroe, written and directed by Elliot Drake. Don Douglas is featured as John Steele. Also in tonight's cast were Ross Martin, Connie Lemke, and Earl George. The orchestra was conducted by Sylvain Levin, sound by Walt Shaver. Remember next week, Mutual presents Kid Brother, another story of suspense and action from the files of John Steele, Adventurer. Ted Malley speaking, this is the Mutual Broadcasting System.