 The challenge of the Yukon. On, King! On, you huskies! The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of Eskimo-Leave dogs, blazes 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 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. The Northern Lights Cafe was the rendezvous for rich and poor alike in Dawson City. It was late afternoon and the tables were filling up and people were crowding around the bar when there was a sudden commotion at one end of it. Hey, you quit shoving me. You can wait to turn. I didn't shove you, partner. You're just a little unsteady on your feet, that's all. Oh, so I'm drunk, huh? Well, you shoved me and don't say you didn't, and I ain't drunk. Well, if I shoved you and you ain't drunk, are you sure there's something wrong with my eyesight? Well, that's on you. You ain't making a liar out of me. Back where I come from, this is the answer to that. Where did you come from? Over at the table. Only smoke, Jim. Somebody sure saved your life. That was close. Yeah, I'll say it was close. Who did it? I did it, mister. There. A woman shot that gun. She must have come from that table. Can you beat that? I think you're pretty smart, don't you, sister? Well, you can just buy me a new gun. You smashed that one to smoothereens. Now, listen, you big galoot. You better get out of here before I start clipping the ends of your mustache with this gun of mine. Oh, no, kid, you shouldn't have got us into this. Kid Lady like all these men, and it ain't none of our business. It's anybody's business to save a man from getting killed. All right, you get out of here like I said. Well, you little no- Yeah, get out like the lady said, or we'll all give you some help. Yeah, get out. Come on, boys. Back your hands off me, will you? I sure want to thank you, miss, for saving my life. I was minding good shooting. Oh, that's all right. Some pull that gun, and I did it without thinking. You're going to get us in a heap of trouble with that gun of yours. Oh, grandpa. My name is Jim Bruce. Mind if I sit down? Proper chair. I'm Kit Brown. This is my grandpa, Andy Brown. How are you, Andy? Howdy. You two just, uh, get to Dawson? Yeah, we sold our ranch in the States. We weren't making much of a living on it. We heard about this here gold rush, and nothing was satisfied Kit until we took a crack at it. It ain't like we thought, though. What do you mean? According to the stories we heard, all you had to do was come up here and dig a little hole in the ground, and there was gold. I'm afraid it's harder than that. It sure is. We spent most of our money, and now we ain't even got a place to stay. They charge a dollar in this town just to sleep on the floor with about 50 other people. Yeah. You mean you can't get a room with any of the hotels? Well, even if we had the money, everything's packed to the roof. If Kit here and you were still ahead a few minutes ago, maybe we'd have had a place to stay. What do you mean by that? Well, you see, mister, nobody ever thinks a woman can shoot. Grandpa and I can always earn a little money by getting in a shooting contest with somebody in Benton. And we always win, because Kit here can out-shoot any man I ever seen. Now she went and spoiled it all. How's that? Oh, the store will fly all over town like fire in a powder factory. We won't get anybody to shoot again or now, let alone Benton on it. We won't have money enough to eat, let alone trying to get enough to grub-stakers. Well, of course you're forgetting the fact that this little girl just saved my life. Huh? I live all alone out here in a nice cabin. You're both welcome to come there and live till we figure something out for you. Gee, mister, you mean it? I certainly do. I've got a gold claim, and I could use some help for a while. Your grandfather here can help me work it till you both get on your feet. Yeah! And I'd like some shooting lessons from you, young lady. I don't know a thing about guns. It's a handy thing to know around here. Gee, mister Bruce, you sure are a lifesaver. I don't know how to thank you. You're the one who's a lifesaver. Now get your baggage, move right in today. Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police entered the claim office in Dawson City, his big dog king, beside him. The clerk was talking to Pierre Defray, owner of the general store. Hello, boys. You come break the Dawson sooner than you think, Sergeant. Oh, yes, Pierre. I found out the man I'm after came here from 40 miles, left there almost three weeks ago. Do you think he's here in Dawson? Yes, I do. But perhaps you might have seen him. Name's Ned Mason. But he might have come in here to file a claim or something. Nobody but that name has been in here. Tall red-headed man with a scar across his right cheek from a bullet wound. He has a red mustache. Oh, I have seen him. Oh. But his name is not Ned Mason. He goes by name of, uh... I see now, he... Jace Cramer. You know, Bill, he's one who got in fighting Northern Lights Cafe. That girl she should gun out of his hand. Oh, yeah, Mason. He did file a claim in here. Then he's still here in Dawson. Yes, he's here. Funny thing about it is that he filed that old claim of Jed Smith. Jed gave it up long ago, and the swears are in the speck of gold in the place. Well, does he say he found gold in it? Yeah, I guess he has. Pete over at the bank told me he's cast in a lot of it. I see. He was ribbing Jed about giving up the claim, but Jed still swears it's... There ain't that... Well, tell me where this claim is, will you, Bill? I know just where it is. If you want to go there now, Sergeant, I will take you. We turn off trail to right here, Sergeant. Looking. Oh, excuse me. The claim is little way through trees off the trail here. See? Here are tracks he has made. Yes. I'm going to leave the team here, Pierre. They better go on a roundabout way and not leave any tracks for him to see. I'll walk up the trail away. We! Oh, that's a lot. Look at those tracks, Pierre. They weren't all made, but the man who calls himself Jase Cramer. No, some are smaller. He hasn't a partner, has he? I do not know of one. Well, let's go and see what we can find at his cabin. One king, stay beside me, boy. There is cabin, Sergeant. He is not home, or he would like Landon by now. It is yet so almost dark. Stay on these rocks as much as possible so we won't leave tracks in the snow. And there's certainly no sign of any digging around here that I can see. He does not get gold from this claim, that is sure. I wonder whose tracks those are leading from his cabin to the trail. Jase is a big man. They certainly aren't his. Those tracks, they come and gold, you see? Yes. They were made just a short time ago. Yeah, I'm going to follow them. But you cannot. They are lost when we get on trail. I'm not lost as far as you and I are concerned, but you're forgetting about my dog. King can follow them. Come on, we'll go back the way we came. Come on, King, back to the team, boy. It's getting too dark for me to see the target, kid. Yes, maybe we'd better call it a day. We can still see it, Mr. Bruce. He and I, you watch me again. Jiminy, quickie, how you can shoot like that when this light beats me. Go get the target, let's see what you did. The trouble with you is you look at the target instead of watching my hand. Oh, Sergeant Preston, hello. Hello, Jim. How are you, Pierre? There are some shots over here. I wondered if you were in trouble. Nope. Kit is just trying to teach me to shoot. Kit, this is Sergeant Preston, Northwest mounted. Skip Brown, Sergeant. Yes, you know her, Pierre. How do you do? Hello. Pierre was telling me about how you saved Jim's life a while ago. She sure did. Well, let's see what you did to the target, Kit. All right. Holy mackerel, look at this, Sergeant. Right through the center of the bullseye. And in this light. Oh, that's quite a good shooting. I cut my teeth on the butt of a gun, been shooting since I was knee-high to a wheat stalk. Hey, what's wrong with that dog? Is he dangerous? No, not at all. Don't worry. I'll bite a woman. Quiet, boy. I guess I'd better go down and get grandpa, Mr. Bruce. He's still working on that claim of yours. He never seems to know what time it is. Bring him back, Kit, like to have me Preston. I'll try and pry him loose. Poor old fella. He works twice as long as I do, with practically no results. Come on in for a minute or two. Is the grandfather working on a percentage basis or something? He thinks he is. But he brings in some little gold, and I give him most of it. He don't know much about mine, but I feel so sorry for him. I let him work at it. Say, that girl or not, that girl, she is the best shot I have ever seen. She sure is. I ain't a very good pupil, though. One of these days, I'm going to start learning how to shoot a shotgun. Kit says she thinks maybe I'll be able to hit something with that because the shot spreads. Is that your shotgun there in the corner? No, it's Kit's. She's got every kind of gun you ever heard of. Oh. It's an old-fashioned one, and she's a little careless, too, leaving it around loaded. Oh, that is dangerous. She knows I won't touch it. I'm afraid of the darn thing. How long has Kit been here with you, Jim? Almost two weeks. Oh, here's Andy now. This is Kit's grandfather, Sergeant. And Brown is the Sergeant Preston. I guess you've met Pierre, Andy. Howdy. Oh. Didn't Kit come back with you, Andy? Well, you know how she is, Quonsonner. She went tramping through the woods for a spell to get an appetite for supper. I, uh, I guess we'd better get going, Pierre. We. I should get back to my store. I wish you could stay and have a bite of supper with us, Sergeant. Well, thanks, Jim, some other time. Bye. Bye. Pierre, I want you to take my dog team back to town. And you? You are not going? I'm taking King and going back to Jace's cabin. It should be home by now. Come on, King. The lamp light shone dimly through the windows of the cabin as Sergeant Preston, with King at his heels, crept toward it. He paused at the window for a moment, then made his way silently to the door and opened it suddenly. For a moment, there was a shocked silence as Preston's stern figure was framed in the doorway. Then Jace found his voice. A Mountie. Don't policemen usually knock before coming into a man's house? It depends on whose house it is. I happen to be interested in that gold on your table. Well, then look at it if you like. I got it out of my claim. Stay there, King. Put your hands up, Preston. This gun has been covering you ever since you opened that door. Why, uh, yes, kid, I saw that. Take this gun, Jace. All right. My arm. Don't move or I'll break it. Don't shoot, kid. He's behind me. My arm. You're breaking it. Put down that gun, kid. Jace is in front of me. If you shoot me, you'll kill him. Yeah, you move fast, don't you, Mountie? Case ain't covering all of you. You're too big. Hold still, Jace, and I'll pick him up around the edges. Yes, no. No, you'll kill me. Don't go yell on me now. After all, I used to shoot cigarettes out of your mouth. Let him go, Preston. You saw what I did to that target today. There goes your hat. Get her, King! Take him off! Stop! My arm! Six carol, you, Jace. Hold her, King. Do I get that gun? There. I got it. Take him off! Take him away! Back, King. Let her go, boy. You... You said he wouldn't fight a woman. Well, he won't, unless he's ordered to. Get up, kid. Your partner here will be conscious in a few minutes. You know, you should have stayed with the circus cat. Instead of bringing your sharpshooting act to the Yukon, I'm afraid you'll be a little rusty by the time you're out of jail. You know about us? I've been trailing Jace for some time and know his record. I didn't know it. He had you working with him. It was a clever idea, getting in with Jim the way you did, teaching him to shoot while your grandfather took gold out of his claim as fast as he could, and you delivered it to Jace. You can't prove that. Well, Jim would have discovered it sooner or later. But, uh, you were ready for that, too, with a shotgun fixed to blow his head off when he tried to shoot it. Oh, Jace is coming to... Well, arrest your grandfather in the way to town, kid. Watch your king while I get these handcuffs ready. 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.