 The challenge of the Yukon The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of Eskimo lead 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 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 In 1833 Alaska and the Yukon territory were for the first time invaded by white men Before these men appeared the Yukon had known countless generations of peace Inhabited only by Indians who were disinterested in the yellow flakes of glittering ore they found in clear streams and along riverbanks To them animal skins were far more valuable and it was for the same skins the Count Igor Petronovich made the journey to an unknown land But any furs the handful of white Russians secured were never to grace imperial robes in far away st. Petersburg It was late in the afternoon in the year 1834 a tribe of friends exavages gave voice to a cry of triumph as they watched a fort the Russians had built go up in flames They thought they had killed all of the white men when suddenly a tall dark-haired man with flashing eyes walked toward them His hand was raised and in it was a small figure carved in ivory Studded with rubies and diamonds behind him walked an Indian What are these peace-loving countrymen of your saying? Why do they bow down in front of me? Can they know who I am? They know they killed the men I brought with me I County gorg Petronovich from the quarters are Nicholas himself and she fire in I of little man You hold in hand and think you fire god walk through fire not be burnt So they don't know I was not in the fort, huh? Tell them they must take me to their village. They must start building me a boat Tell them you're here Tell them they have this please the fire god and unless they do as I command fire will descend on their villages There are people will be killed Igor Petronovich joined an expedition at the headwaters of the Yukon River and set sail for his native Russia Thinking the idol he left behind was a small price to pay for his life As for the idol itself it remained with the Yukon Indians Many years passed before white men again disturbed the peace of the North country The tribe moved their quarters and settled near a lake the chief himself carrying the sacred figure to the site of their new village Then 1897 and in the white man's world Excitement was everywhere gold had been discovered in the Yukon Sally Lawson with her stepbrother Tom and Jim Wilson Left Dawson far behind them as their sleds covered the frozen trails Four days passed and then a week and in the middle of the second week as they sat beside a campfire Sally spoke to Jim Wilson Glancing occasionally at her stepbrother who stood inside the tent flap studying a piece of paper He hardly talks anymore Jim It's been tough on you hasn't it Sally? You never should have come in the first place. That's not But Tom's the only relative I have and I didn't want to stay by myself back in Seattle Seattle A long way from here doesn't it I guess it does Only I wish you wouldn't worry about this Tom got that map from an old timer. He paid him for it Sally whatever he paid for it I'm beginning to think the whole things are fake. I think we should turn back. We'll wait a few more days Give him a chance to prove he's right Remember part of my money's wrapped up in that sheet of paper, too. We can hope for the best anyway Tom I'm going to turn in all right. We'll start early in the morning. Nice good night, Sally Tom Sally's worried. Oh, she doesn't know what it's done. I want you to be truthful with me You've been off the track these last few days Haven't you? Well, what do you mean? Just what I said we couldn't go back now even if we wanted to could we? Well lost isn't that it yeah, that's it And there's only one thing to do Keep going It was a week and a half later that an Indian scout found them Wandering in the snow half dead from hunger half crazed with despair They were taken to the Indian village In one of the tents Tom Lawson talked to the poker-faced Indian who'd saved their lives. I sure are grateful you They've saved our lives Indian friend white man. Yeah I wouldn't think you'd seen any white men to be friends with We see many white men Policemen wear red coat him talk to chief now We see white man long long time by him bring fire god doing it fire god, huh? Who's that? well The unanswered question aroused Tom Lawson's curiosity Until finally piece by piece from various men of the tribe that had befriended him He got the story and the description of the idol that couldn't be bought with any amount of gold Have you heard anything about it Sally? I? Goodness no Tom. What do I care about the superstitions of these people? They've been kind to us. That's all the matter You haven't seen that met in a mind. Have you must be worth plenty? It can't be bought they say I wish you forget about that little fire god if I don't find my met in my left hand will be That must be Jim. I hope he's found it for me miss Lawson. Oh, how are you sergeant? Hello Tom, buddy? I just stopped by for a minute about the meeting you lost did you find it? Oh, no, I didn't find it, but you certainly can't get along with only one So I'm brought an extra pair of mine over Probably too big for you, but at least they'll be warm. Oh, that's very generous of you and not at all No, I've got to get back the Indians are having a meeting and I've got to sit in on it That was nice of him wasn't it? Is our warm You know Tom, I think we might as well go back to Dawson that map of yours is worthless Maybe we won't get the gold we came after But what if we could get something that would be worth a lot more than gold worth more than gold Never mind, Sally We'll get set to mush in the morning They left the village early the next day Tom drove the dogs hard and by the time darkness had fallen they'd covered about 30 miles That night in camp Tom called to his sister and Jim Wilson What is it Tom something wrong? No, no, I just wanted to show you something Look What an ugly thing Why it's car of ivory. Yes and those awful devilish looking red eyes Almost look as if there's fire dancing in the Tom Tom you didn't take it sure I took it and just look at it What's worth of fortune Tom? You shouldn't know when the Indians discover though, right? They'll be on our trail in no time. You've got to take it all the trouble ahead getting it not on your life Sally hand me that extra mitten of yours. What extra mitten Tom? You've got to take that back. Come on. Come on. Give it to me Creston gave you a pair so you've got two right ones Now Slip the idol inside it Hmm a fortune in diamonds and rubies And it fits inside a mitten When the next day dawn sharp and clear Sally Lawson came out of the tent to find Jim Wilson standing beside the embers of the campfire Good morning Jim. I'll start breakfast right away Isn't Tom up yet? He's gone Must have cleared out during the night. He took the sled with him When the Indians come high-tailing after us, it'll be you and me. They'll catch Well, Tom's making a getaway with a little fire god The Indians arrived at the camp for short time later and with them was sergeant Preston and the great dog king Preston and the chief of the tribe listened to the story the man and the girl told But as the mountain nodded there was a wary distrust in the old indian's eyes fire god gone You take indian fire god indian kill you. They didn't steal the fire god, but the man who was with them did You can't kill them chief of wager That would be murder and you'll pay with your own life. You take theirs. You say you catch them thief Yes, bring them back to village with fire god. Yes Ah We take man and girl to village. All right, and I'll go find your fire god I'm king on you huskies You Meanwhile Tom Lawson found to himself as he wrote the runners of his sled. Yes, sir I'd like to know that mittens right in front of me on the sled where I can see it Only they're doing things keep blurring like To my eyes Just as if I had sand in them Oh you malamute. Oh I make sure that mittens there I can't Oh I know what's wrong with my eyes Sally's got the snow goggles in her pack, but I'm snow blind I'd get to get my hand on the board of the sled Now much much you malamutes Hey, hey the dogs are leaving me. I can't see I'm blind. I'm snow blind When the dogs pulled the sled had given a sudden forward lurch throwing Tom Lawson off balance He fell headlong in the snow and as he raised himself on one arm He could hear but not see his dogs fading in the distance Struggling on in the snow. He was unaware of sergeant Preston who is already close on his heels Strange that turn he made in the trail several miles back Where the Lawson knows it or not. He's heading back to the Indian village Maybe he intends to return the idol and wait a minute. How are you asking? So you already discovered enough, fella? Tom's footprints go one way and he's sled the other He fell here and the sled went on without him Well, we'll follow him The dog king took his place at the head of the Mounties dog team And as they covered the trail his sharp ears caught the sound of another pack in the distance Turning king cut through the timber the sound of the snarling dogs serving as his compass Following the tracks of the driverless dog team king stopped suddenly For a moment he was puzzled and then he slowly approached the supplies that were sprawled in the snow He saw where the sled had overturned and had been dragged down by the dogs. He could still hear Seconds went by as the dog sniffed the air A familiar scent filled his nostrils Quickly he found its source Preston's mitten In the Indian village sergeant Preston stood facing a circle of men who'd become suddenly unfriendly Beside the Mounties stood Tom Lawson His hands rubbing his burning eyes. You take fire god. You know half fire god That's right. He doesn't have it with him, but it's on his sled. I'll go after the sled Sergeant Preston tell us him bring back fire god him not keep promise Indian no keep promise. You must trust me chief and I'll bring it back The policemen's words fell on deaf ears The circle of faces began to close in on the mountain in his companion And then looking beyond the Indians sergeant Preston saw king running for him King king old fellow Would you find my mitten? Oh King old boy you certainly saved the day this time Chief this what you're looking for You you'll bring back fire god you keep promise Sergeant heart are they going to kill us? No, they're not going to kill anybody But to tell you the truth. I was mighty worried for a few minutes Oh sergeant, isn't that the mitten you gave me? How did you? It's for the right hand That's the one tom took to put the idolist sergeant Preston Chief o' wager heaps sorry him not believe you when you say you bring fire god back Indian never again not believe what you tell him What's he talking about sergeant? You mean you found the idol in the mitten? I didn't find it miss Lawson My partner did your partner. Yes king found it Yes fellow Thanks to you this case is closed These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of w x y z Detroit and all characters names places and incidents used are fictitious They're sent to you each week at the same time Jack