 The challenge of the Yukon. Un-King! Un-Yuhetsuki! The Wonder Dog King switched the strongest of Eskimo lead dog, bladed the trail through storm and snow for Sergeant Preston, as he meets the challenge of the Yukon. Sergeant Preston was typical of the small band of Northwest mounted 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. Many hard winters and many disappointments had bent the shoulders and silvered the hair of old Eric Henson, who owned the trading post at Forty Mile. But on this cold winter evening, Eric Stepp was lighter and he was cheerful and high spirited, as he took two bags of gold nuggets from Jim Peters for safekeeping and locked them in a huge iron safe of the trading post. Well, Jim, yes, you're getting rich. You got more gold stored away in this safe-knitty price, but you're in Forty Mile. Man, that claim of mine is sure-producing. Yeah, wait now. Let me see you, then. Well, put your hands shaking. If you're so darn excited about that granddaughter you're on coming, you can hardly wait. Yes, you will. I ain't never seen her. I've been alone so long with her. Oh, it's going to seem funny having a little girl around here. Sergeant Preston should be here any minute with her. He's bringing her up here for me. Jim, you know any fairy tales? Fairy tales? Now, let me see. Seems he was worried about Cinderella, and sure, sure, I remember Red Riding Hood. Maybe we'd better not tell her that Red Riding Hood. We wish he's liable to try talking to one of these Timberwolves up there. Oh, hey, how are you, husband? Well, that sounds like a question now. Come in, come in. Well, Eric, there's a grandchild. This is Shaddy. Come here, Chad. My grandchild? Yeah, where's your grandchild? He's got night fright, which is risky. Well, he washed him up special for you. I'll give you a nice big hug. Oh, she's all right. He's not hurting her. The king and Sally got to be good friends on the way up here. Can't blame him much for worrying she and her husband had a big whiskey or sourdough like him. He's my grandpa. And this is the first time I ever saw him. Oh, hey, Sally. Haven't met Jim here. He's an old friend, man. He's a better-called uncle Jim, man. Hello, Uncle Jim. Welcome to Forty Mile, shall we? Well, I guess we better get home right now. Where is he? Well, I used to stay in a bag of the store here, but when I heard you was coming, I got a little cabin on the edge of town. You had lots of fun. I bought a sled. We'll get a dog to pull you around on it. We'll take you out there right now, Sally. The following morning, Sally squealed with delight as she sat on the sled to which Sergeant Preston has hitched his big lead dog, King. It was dog seemed to enjoy the fun as much as a child and started off carefully at her command. I'm King. I'm. Get out. I think she'll be all right, Sergeant King. She asks so many questions on the way out here that she knows as much about driving dogs as I do. It won't be any, Sergeant King. You don't have to worry about her as long as she's with King. She'll take care of me. It's the insolation she needs to have taken to him. Well, I guess King has the same reactions that we men have. The bigger and stronger we are, the softer we get when we meet a little girl like Sally. Sit down, Preston. Fine. I'm glad I have a chance to talk to you alone for a few minutes. I got something I want to tell you. Well, sure, Eric. Go ahead. It's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time, but I ain't had the nerve. It happened before I came to Whitehorse, before I knew you. Yes. Before I came here, I was prospecting that the Indian Creek never had any luck, just got enough gold to live on. Well, an old man lived in McLean. He was the meanest case I ever seen. We used to call him Scopey and Sam. He hated everybody, and nobody ever went near him because he threatened to kill anyone who did. Well, on cold day, I passed his cabin, didn't see no smoke coming out of his chimney. I don't know yet why I did it. Curiosity made him. But I went up and pushed his door open and looked in. His voice whipped him. What are you snooping in here for? I thought there might be something wrong with you. Why are you in bed with no fire? Are you sick? I don't think I'd be laying here if I wasn't to you. Shut the door. What's the matter with you? I got a gun under this blanket. You try and rob me and I'll kill you. I'm not gonna rob you, son of a fool. If you don't build a fire in here, you're gonna freeze to death. What happened to you? I broke my leg. That don't mean I can't protect myself and my property. Sergeant, that leg was a mess. I married Scorpion for three weeks and got nothing but abuse from my trouble. But I couldn't just leave him there to die. Well, after he got better, I was the only one he'd ever speak to. He was kinda like an animal that wanted to be friendly, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. One evening, the following spring, I was coming back from out in here. Two men, Jake and Kramer, was with me. I sure would be glad to get to your cabin, Eric. I'm so tired I can hardly put one foot in front of the other. Yeah, me too. Hey, look, there's been a fire. That used to be Scorpion Sam's cabin. It's burned to the ground. Sure has. Not the left, but part of the floor. Where did where Scorpion is? There he is. I was left to him. He was burned with the cabin. Must have got trapped in it. Oh, well. There ain't much lost. That guy's the poor old fella. Hey, look. Right there beside his body. What's that shining? Why, it's gold. Gold? Sure is. Look, there's more of us under that burnt board beside him. He must have had his gold under the floor and was trying to get it out. That's how he got trapped. I've been pressing it with more gold than I've ever seen before. I've been digging in and grubbing for years. I never got a tent that much. Scorpion Sam was amazing. He sure was. Anyway, this is a hard part to tell. Jake and Kramer and I divided that gold three ways. Nobody knew it about it. Then we left Indian Creek. I came to Forty Mile and started to trade and pose with my share. Jake and Kramer went somewhere's ass. Rarely it's bothered me ever since, but I never done nothing about it. But now that Sally came here, I feel as if I got a square up somewhere. Hey, whoop-yee. Don't beat us if you have to finish it. Well, Eric, it was wrong, of course. I think the thing for you to do is return the money to Scorpion Sam's heirs we had, I think. How can I thank him? I'm going over to headquarters in Dawson. I may be able to find out something about him from their records. He must have filed a claim. We were there to be fired in a shaggy day. I want to get it off my conscience. It was evening four days later when Jake and Kramer stood across the street from Eric's trading post. The wind had risen and the mercury was dropping rapidly as the Yukon night closed in. Oh, gosh, Kramer. I can't stand here much longer. It's getting so cold and numb all over. You won't have to. That goes the last time. This is the first chance we've had to get Eric alone. He's closing the place up, hurry. He won't give us the combination of safe. And we could blow it up. We can't. That place next door is too closed. Except he won't get it out of him somewhere. Sorry, boys. I'm just pushing it back. Oh, Kramer, James. It's you, isn't it? Yeah, it's us. I ain't been able to see you alone, all right? Well, I'm sure. But I have to get back to my cabin right away. Let Sally alone on the farm. We should get a little... I have to get back right now. They're talking to us first in the back row. Well, hey, hey, hey. The temperature's down to 20 below. It's still dropping. I got to get wood in that stove before... Yeah, get into that back room. Maybe this gun will make you move faster. Yep. Jake, bring that lantern back here. Ain't no light in the store. Nobody will come in. Sure. In here, Eric. What do they tell you? I have to get home. Stop blabbering. I'll hit you over the head with this gun and you'll never get back to the kit. Something over that window, Jake. Just in case. Sure. Kramer's really good. I have to get back to Sally. You do, huh? Well, all you have to do, Eric, is give us a combination of your safe. We'll let you go back to it. Are you crazy? You ain't going to get it, Kramer. Well, we got plenty of time. Maybe you'll give it to us when the mercury drops about 20 more degrees, which is doing fast. Maybe it'll take six hours before the cabin is cold enough for your granddaughter to freeze to death. As I said, we got plenty of time. There you dirty cards. Using Sally to... Crazy, I mean, a bad death. She'll just go to sleep. Oh, you look crazy. All you have to do to save her is to give us that combination, Eric. I won't. Oh, the man is testing me with a safe into my fence. I tell you, we'll give it to you. As Sergeant Preston neared 40 miles, it was very late and the temperature had dropped to 40 below. But there was a light in Eric's cabin at the edge of town. Preston had no intention of stopping. But King had different ideas. He left his place at the head of the team and rushed to the door, scratched at it, and barked. Oh, King, come back here. It's too late to visit. We have to get home. Come here, boy. Sally. What are you doing up at this hour? This cabin's freezing. Where's your grandfather? Oh, I'm so glad you came. Here's our... Oh, you poor child. Here. Hop up in this bunk. I'll cover you up and get this fire started. Here, King. Get up here beside Sally. It seems like you'll keep me warm. Well, it seems like you'll have to still go. Anyhow, I'll look for your grandfather. Oh, don't go away. I'll leave King with you. He won't be afraid then, will he? Oh, no. King, you're a wonderful dog. Though Eric's door was dark and seemingly empty, Sergeant Preston entered it quietly. As he walked toward the rear, he noticed a crack of light under the back room door. Cautiously crept over to it and listened. All right, Eric. It's getting cold even in here with the fire going. Your kid's probably half-prosed by this time. No, please, let me do it for you a minute. Look, it is being restored. We don't want nothing but the combination of that same. Even if they give it to you, they'll probably kill me so I can't tell you who rubbed it. You won't, Eric. Because if you still wouldn't work caught and tell them about the time, we all split stalking the same money three ways. All right, Tutu, up in your hands. I'll take those guns. You ain't got anything on this money. We were just sitting here talking, Eric. And I overheard part of the conversation. You were holding him here against his will with the intention of robbing him. I also heard you admit robbing Scorpion's hand. Oh, you did, huh? Well, then you're going to have to arrest Eric, too, or we'll testify to protect him. He helped us do it. Hey, thank you. He's right. Unless you want to put Eric in jail, maybe you'd be smart to let us go. Eric hasn't committed a crime. He certainly hasn't. I looked up the record of Scorpion's hand, as he was called. His claim was filed under the name of Sam Ralston. Eric, I guess you were the only man who was ever kind to him. He left the sealed envelope with the claim agent to be opened after his death, and he left everything to you. Really? Yes, Eric. You robbed yourself. You robbed yourself and split your inheritance three ways, and then you disappeared. Someone else took over the claim after a sufficient time and it left. That's all there was left, so they stopped looking for you. Good night. Good night. No, Eric. Come along, you two. I'm putting you in a local jail for the night. Don't worry about Sally, Eric. She's all right. The cabin's warm and she isn't alone. She has the best protection in the world, my lead dog, King. These copyrighted dramas originated 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 and reach you from our transcription studios. Howl Neal speaking, this is the Michigan Radio Network.