 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty high o' silver, the lone ranger. When Federal troops were sent to the western United States at the close of the Civil War, the officers in command were untrained in frontier methods. Their great task of bringing peace and security to the new territory might never have been accomplished without the help of the masked writer of the plains. It was his strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness that finally brought victory to the forces of law and order. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the Great Horse Silver. The lone ranger rides again. Come on Silver, we're heading for the river. Plottle's waiting for us. I know Silver! Away! Fort Benton was the head of navigation on the Missouri, not far from Helena, Alder and Virginia City. During the gold rush to these diggings, most of the prospectors from the east traveled by steamboat, and the village around the fort became a boom town overnight. It was late one evening in July that an Indian waited in the shadows of the colonel's house on the far side of the parade ground. Near him a paint was grazing, and a great white stallion lifted his head into the evening breeze. The front door of the house opened and... I know that you won't want to enter the fort if it's daylight when you get back, but I suppose Tonto will be writing with you. Yes, he will. Then you can send him with any message. I leave word with the sentries to admit either of you. Is there anything more? No, but I hope you bring me good news. As I told you, my daughter's on that boat and... well, you understand. Of course. Goodbye, Maskman. Adios, Colonel. What Colonel want? If he's going to keep water in the mining camps and still have enough men to garrison the fort, he needs reinforcements. They were supposed to leave St. Joe in the Prairie Bell nearly a month ago. It not take boat months to get here? It shouldn't, but you know what the upper Missouri is like. The forest grows right down to the river. It isn't broken once in a hundred miles. And there may have been an Indian attack. Engine-fraid steamboat? They wouldn't be if they had someone to lead them. There are plenty of men around here who don't want to see more soldiers in the territory. Gordon. Yes, Sheriff Gordon and all of his gang. Here's Silver. Here's Count. We arrived tonight. We're starting now. Yep, come on, Silver. Get him up, Count. I owe Silver! Away! We're slowing up again, Mr. Darcy. This trip seemed to have taken a year. It only started for me this afternoon. When you... when you met me? You've guessed it, Miss Baird. That's a very pretty compliment. But please go on. You were telling me about Big Ben. We're coming to it just up ahead. We'll anchor there tonight and then tomorrow all the passengers will leave the boat. Leave it? Wouldn't you like to walk on dry land for a change? I certainly wouldn't like the boat to leave me behind. It will and it won't. Is this a riddle? No, Miss Baird. You see, the river makes a 30-mile circle at the Big Ben. The prairie bell is steam all day long, but when she ties up for the night, we'll only be a mile and a half closer to Fort Benton. A mile and a half? That's all. And most of the passengers are going to walk across that mile and a half strip of land and meet the boat on the other side. Isn't it dangerous? The captain doesn't seem to think so. That forest is full of Indians. But you'll have 200 soldiers to act as escort. They've asked permission to take shotguns along with them and do some hunting. Then there won't be much protection. Will you be leaving the boat? Of course. It is. What's the matter? On that point of land. An Indian and a masked man. Will you needn't be alarmed? We're heading straight for that point. Isn't that where you met we were going to tie up for the night? Yes, but I've seen the masked man before. Don't worry, Miss Baird. Who is he? Perhaps you've heard your father mention him. That's the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? Oh, yes, Mr. Darcy, many times. Look, he and the Indian are riding back into the forest. Virginia! Who's calling me? The Captain. He's up on the bridge. May I see you for a moment? Of course. Oh, Miss Baird? Yes. I want you to know that I'm not as bad as most people seem to think. You're... That's a strange remark. It won't be after you listen to the Captain. Excuse me. But wait, I... Virginia! I'm coming, Captain. That's it, Mr. Norton. Half speed until you reach the big willow. Then cut the engines and nose right of the bank. Aye, aye, sir. Well, Captain? Your father's a good friend of mine, Virginia, and I feel responsible. For what? For the company you keep on board the Prairie Bell. Mr. Darcy is a scoundrel. What? I don't believe it. He's a gambler. A gambler can be a gentleman. When your father's regiment was in Texas, Mr. Darcy served under him. Really? As a soldier, he served well. When Captain Collins was killed at Rocky Meadows, Harry Darcy took command of the company and saved a thousand lives by driving the Indians back. But then how can you do this? But afterwards, it was discovered that the Indians had been able to attack them in the first place because Darcy sold them rifles from the Army Stores. Oh. He was court-martialed. Sent to jail? No. Cache-eared and disgrace. I know that I can trust your good judgment. We'll say no more about it. Perhaps... Perhaps that's best, Captain. The Lone Ranger had made camp in a clearing not far from the point where the prairie bell had tied up for the night. As soon as it was dark, Tonto went down to the water's edge and questioned the crew. But when he returned, the Lone Ranger had left the camp. That's plenty strange. Silver, scout, both here. Masked friend, go away. Well, that Lone Ranger, him call Tonto. Him and Wood. Tonto find him. Why, Tonto? Why you come here? I'll tell you that later. What did you find out? Pilot on boat, sick with fever. Captain, not no river good. Get stuck on many sandbar. Trip, take long time. I'll see. Well, you could have told me earlier. I'll tell you that later. What did you find out? Pilot on boat, sick with fever. Captain, not no river good. Get stuck on many sandbar. Trip, take long time. You could help the pilot, couldn't you? Uh-huh. And once he was well, the rest of the trip wouldn't take long. That's right. Tonto, stay here. You right back to Fort. Tell Colonel, boat get there soon. No trouble. Yes, but there will be. What you mean? The horses were restless, so I decided to investigate. About a hundred yards from the camp, I heard something moving through the underbrush. It turned out to be two men. You see them? When they reached the bank of the river. Into him? Look, the lights from the boat just hit that big plane. There they are. Couch down beside it. Uh-huh. Time to find the Indian sign around here. They aren't Indians. The light will catch their faces in a moment. Wait. Not dressed like Indian. There. Kimmasabi. That Gordon. Yes, Tonto. Sheriff Gordon of Virginia City. He'll do everything in his power to keep the soldiers on board from reaching the fort. We capture them and man with them? What good would that do? We can't prove they're up to anything until we catch them at it. The soldiers and the passengers will be crossing the strip of land tomorrow. Uh-huh. Them used trail that way. Gordon must have more than one man with him. There are any number of places where he could ambush the soldiers on the trail. That's right. We've got to keep an eye on him. Would you bring Silver here? Uh-huh. Then you can go on board and offer your services to the captain. Do everything you can for the pilot. And you'll hear from me just as soon as I find out what Gordon is planning. Somebody coming ashore, Gordon. Stand up. You want him to see us? You're walking to meet him. But that ain't safe. He's a passenger. We've got to find out what they're going to do tomorrow, don't we? He's sitting down on that rock. Let me do the talking. Sure. Hey, Missy. What? Don't get scared. We're just a couple of trappers. What do you want? Well, this is our off-season. We thought we might pick up a few dollars like Miss Guides for passengers. Why should they need Guides? They're going to cross the strip tomorrow, I think. Yes, but the second maid's going to guide the party. And as I understand it, the trail's only a mile and a half long. It's a bad country. Lots of engines. You could use a couple of good rifles for protection. There'll be 200 soldiers with us. Soldiers, eh? Reinforcements for Fort Benton. Well, I guess we won't be needed then. No harm in asking, Missy. Oh, none at all. Come on, Buffalo. What do we do now? Get upstream for our horses and ride to Black Eagle's cab. Will you tack him on the trail? Shut up. He can't hear me. I'm thinking. What's there to think about? Black Eagle's got over 200 braves. All the soldiers won't be armed. Just pick the right place and then you... The engines only got bulls and arrows. I didn't figure out 200 soldiers. What if we surprise them? Plenty of rifles on that boat. Huh? I got it, Buffalo. We attack the boat first. What for? Just at the top of the bend. Border, wreck the engines, get all the rifles and ammunition we can find. And then wait until night before we attack the soldiers. At the end of the trail. The end of the trail is good. The end of the trail for all of them. Good morning, Miss Baird. Are you going ashore? Best depends on you, Mr. Darcy. On me? If you travel with the Prairie Bell, I'll walk across the land with the rest of the passengers. If you go with them, I'll stay on board. Oh, I see. Which would you rather do? Captain Daniels has asked me to walk with him. I'm sure I'd enjoy it. He isn't the type of man who'd ever disgrace his uniform. I understand, Miss Baird. I shall stay on board. Your manners are perfect, Mr. Darcy. I never realized before that a... a renegade could act like a gentleman. May I ask one favor? I'm at your service. Please don't address me again. Good day, sir. Miss Baird. Up with the gang, Plank! Cast off those lines! Step lively, boys! Reverse the engines, Mr. Norton, until we clear the point. Then full speed ahead! Black Eagle, you follow my orders and there won't be no more fire boats coming up the Missouri. There won't be any soldiers to drive away the game. This is your hunting ground and you'll keep it for yourself. Tell them to go over there, Dads. Rada, nego, monikta! How we do what you say? It's easy. There's a sandbar down here about a half a mile. The boats got to push right into this bank to get past it. That means we can climb right onto the lower deck, knock out the crew and go after the rifles. When boat get here? Yeah, we got somebody watching us. What's that? Yeah, they sent out a scout. I saw him. Over there at the edge of the clearing. Is he still there? I guess so. I came around and the minute I spotted him. You heard him, Black Eagle. Get about ten men together. Head into the trees in that direction. And once you've got cover, circle back to the river. You understand? Black Eagle, not let scout know we come after him. We can get between him and the river. There's no chance for him to get away. All right, hurry it up. Look, Gordon, there's a white horse standing on the bank of the river. I see it. Black Eagle, we'll wait for him over there. Take cover near the bank. You come back to his horse sooner or later. That horse knows we're coming. He's looking right this way. Where, man? We got him cut off. That's all it matters. Where did that whistle come from? Black Eagle, show you. He was calling his horse. See, we can follow that white easy. He's heading into the trees. Put a bullet through him. Why can't we just follow him? How can we catch a scout if he's murdered? He missed. Ah, there, man, no. He's mass, open fire. Curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. Once mounted on silver, the Lone Ranger made his escape from Gordon and the Indians. Meanwhile, the prairie bell was steaming slowly up the river. The captain had called Harry Darcy to the bridge. Darcy, you recognized that Indian who come aboard last night, didn't you? Yes, I did. He's taking care of the pilot. Seems to know a lot about fever, but I'm not so sure that I can trust him. If my word means anything, you can. He calls himself Townell. That's right. The same Townell that rides with the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? Where'd you ever meet him? It was down in Texas, captain, during that battle where Jim Collins lost his life. The masked man helped us drive off the Indians. Without him, we'd all have been killed. I see. Is that all? That's all, Darcy. Pilots send word to captain. Oh, hello, Townell. Didn't hear you. How's your patient? No fever go down, but him too weak to stand. Can we have him moved up here on the bridge? Not yet. Maybe soon. Well, as soon as a better. It's two years since I've taken the prairie bell up in Missouri, and the river changes its course every month. And pilots send word. Something to look out for? Uh, sandbar, cross river, top of bend. You stay close to left bank. The left bank, huh? It used to be the right. I'll take a look at my chart. Townell, there's your friend. Huh? You see Lone Ranger? Up ahead there. That's the Lone Ranger, captain. The masked man standing beside the white horse. He's signaling. Uh, trouble come soon now. Did you say trouble? Lone Ranger for the bad men. Find out what them try do. He's diving into the water. Check your speed, Mr. Norton. We're picking up the Lone Ranger. Keep an eye on Silver, Tyler. Oh, him all right. Him for the boat on bank. Where's Cal? I left him at the strip. You can pick him up tonight. What's this again, masked man? Outlaws and Indians, you see? Gordon is a gunman that got himself elected sheriff of Virginia City. He runs the mining camps, and he doesn't want any more soldiers at Fort Benton. You see, as soon as a colonel gets reinforcements, he's going to run Gordon out of the hills. But the soldiers aren't on board now. Gordon plans to wreck the boat and get rifles for the Indians. And do you have many? Plenty. Plenty of ammunition, too. There's even a small field piece. Cannon? Yes. Good. I'm glad you're here, Darcy. Thank you. Then after the boat is wrecked, Gordon and the Indians will attack the soldiers back at the strip. What about mother passengers? There are women, even children. They're all in danger. But the boat will be attacked first. Where? I can't tell you that. They're camp near the top of the bend on the left bank. They know about the sandbar, then. They know we'll have to come close into shore. You will? Our pilot's sick. But he sent word to hug the bank at the top of the bend. All right, Captain. We know where the attack will be. All we have to do is get ready for it. But how? My crew doesn't know anything about fighting Indians. Can you get that cannon mounted on the forward deck, Darcy? I think so. Good. Captain, I want you to tell your men they're to take orders from him. I refuse. Refuse? You want to save your boat, don't you? I'd turn the command over to you in a minute. But that man's no better than Gordon. Once a runny gate, always a runny gate. You're mistaken, Captain. Gordon's trying to steal the rifles. Darcy did the same things, sold them to the Indians. I know all about that, Court Marshal. And I have every confidence in Harry Darcy. Both as a man and a soldier. I can't say anything more. Oh, that's plenty, if you mean it. I do, Captain. Would you give your men the necessary orders? If we'd been wrong about you, Darcy, I'd be the first man to apologize. He didn't ask for that. Well, he'll get all the many needs. You don't have to worry. Come on, Harry. Right with you, Captain. So, is Silver still following us? Uh, you see him through tree? And still follow. Yes. Well, we have to beat off the attack on the boat. That comes first. How many Indians? Over 200. Oh, plenty hard. Yes, Tato. But even if we do it, the soldiers must be warned. And without Silver, there's no chance of doing that. Now, him, follow. Silver, be ready when you want him. Come on, boy. How are you coming, Darcy? We're ready for them. Well, Captain. We're getting close to the bend now. I don't see any sign of Indians. You will. Don't check your speed. I know. There's a bank, Mr. Norton. Full speed ahead. Aye, aye, sir. The cannon's loaded, mayors, men. But we can only fire once or twice. Should tear us up loose after that? Twice should be enough. Will you give the command of fire? Back to your post, Darcy. What is it? Do you see that big branch that comes out over the water? Yes. There's an Indian standing on it. There, look out. And counter-see others now. Stand by to reload, men. Mr. Norton, pass the word along to the engineer. Give the boilers all they can stand. Aye, aye, sir. Full speed ahead. The cannon will be a surprise. That's what I'm counting on. Captain, blow whistle, too. That's the idea. Make all the noise we can. Use that cannon as a signal for a long salute, Mr. Norton. Less than 200 yards now. They're filled up. In line with our fire? No, in back-away. That's fine. Pass, men. Hold your fire. Hold it. Now. Stand back, men. Stand back. That did it. Let's stop them. We're getting past the point. Reload. You won't have to fire again, Darcy. They're running for cover. It's all over. No, Captain. Gordon and the Indians have horses. The river whines so much that they can make it to the soldiers long before you do. Them ride through forests. They're running away. Gordon will rally them. I'm going ashore. You want us to pull into the bank? I want you to get down to that strip as fast as you can. Darcy. What is it, Mass Man? This fight isn't over. We'll need the cannon again. What you said... I don't mean now. We'll need it when the boat gets to the strip. Get it laced more firmly. You'll have two or three hours. That's plenty of time. But if we don't stop, how are you going to get ashore? There's another branch hanging over the water. Keep the boat close to the bank and I can reach it from this deck. You, Trump? Yes, Tutto. Hold her into the bank, Mr. Norton. We can't come too close, Mass Man. I won't have to jump far. Better stand on railing. Yes. And don't steady you. Silver in sight? Uh-huh. You get to tree by time you reach ground. Here come branch. All set. Now! Silver. This trail is longer than the one Gordon and the Indians are using. But you can still beat them. Faster, boy! That's it! My old silver! Away! Captain, are you in command of the soldiers? Yes, I am. There's going to be an attack. Indians with a renegade white man for their leader. Indians. Round up your men. Where's the bugler? Your sound assembly? Of course. Wait, your man. He won't know who you are. You better let me ride with you. You're Miss Barrett, aren't you? Yes. Help me up, Captain. There. Come on, Silver. I'm leaving it up to you to keep the passengers back of the soldiers and out of danger. You can depend on me. I'm wondering about this position you've picked out for us. We're defending a point of land. The river's on three sides. We have no retreat. You will have when the prayer bell gets here. But when will that be? We'll have to hold out for at least an hour. The men don't have much ammunition. Tell them to save it. They have good cover. Tell them to wait for the Indians to charge. Here they come. Hold your fire, men. Wait until they show themselves. They've got to cross the clearing to reach us. Get after them! Clear them out! Now, Captain! Fire at will, men! Drive them back! Turn the back again, Mass Man. Good work. But what about next time? We can't fight without ammunition. There shouldn't be a next time, Captain. What do you mean? If I've gazed her speed correctly, the prayer bell should be coming around the last bend any minute now. We can get aboard then. We won't have to. Harriet R.C.'s mounted a cannon on the forward deck. There she is! Wait! What's the Indians? Looks as if they're trying to run away. Those two men are trying to stop them. Those are the men we want. We've got to charge, Captain. Capture those two men and the Indians standing beside them and your troubles are over. Will you follow me? Leave the way. All right, boys. Follow the lone ranger. All right, you gutters. We ain't shooting no more. Just keep reaching for the sky, Gordon. They're your prisoners, Captain. We take the Indian with us, too. He's the chief of the tribe. Colonel Barrett will want to have a talk with him. As for the other two... You don't have to tell me about them. They're going to jail. They'll be lucky if they don't hang. Darcy, the masked man told me that you had a great deal to do with the capture of those renegades. You handled that cannon very well. I'm glad he thought so. Colonel Barrett shall hear of it. The War Department, too. In my opinion, you've redeemed yourself. And if you should ever wish to re-enter the service, well, we shall see. There's nothing I'd like better. And let's hope it can be arranged. Are you coming, Miss Barrett? If you don't mind, there's something I'd like to say to Mr. Darcy. Alone. Excuse me, then. I... I know it can be arranged, Harry. You... you know? The Lone Ranger told me a story. And I think my father ought to hear it. A story? It's about a captain who sold rifles to the Indians. His company was ordered out to protect a settlement from an Indian attack. And, well, he tried to redeem himself. He fought bravely... There was a lieutenant that sold the rifles. It was a captain. But after he had fought bravely and died like a hero, the young lieutenant didn't want anyone to call a captain a renegade. He took the blame for the rifles himself. One has to admire a man like... like that young lieutenant. You... even now I don't want anyone to know. There won't be many. Just my father, chief of staff, and... and the Lone Ranger. There he is. Where? Riding away. I see him now. He... he says you belong in the army. But I'll have to tell father for it to be sure. You will let me, won't you? He thinks I ought to? Yes, Harry. Well, whatever he thinks is right is good enough for me. Then it's just as good as settled, Lieutenant. Oh, they wouldn't give me that. Oh, yes, you'll get your commission back. And you can thank the Lone Ranger. I do, Virginia. With all my heart. It is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.