 a fiery horse for the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty high old silver, the lone ranger. The pioneers who first settled the western united states faced danger and sudden death at the hands of hostile indians and outlaws. The safety of their lives and property depended on their ability to shoot straight and years later when the mass threat of the planes had brought law and order to the new territory, these old timers still felt a greater confidence in gun law than in any other kind. If it had not been for the lone ranger, they might never have realized that force and justice cannot exist side by side. The winning of the west might never have been accomplished. Return with us now those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse silver. The lone ranger rides again. A lone hill bird! We're heading for the hill country! A rancher stood by while the lone ranger and tonto watered their great stallions at the spring behind the rancher's home. Yep stranger, me and abbey pioneered this country. No offense meant to your part there, but we come here when engines were so thick in these parts you never knew if you was going to keep your top hair from one day to the next. Yes, sir, even with stern days. You should be proud, then. I'm glad I'm living where I am and when I am. Stranger, you're looking at a fellow you don't see very often. A man that's happy and contented. I've got out of life most everything I ever wanted. Almost everything? Almost. There's still one thing I want, and someday when I got the cash and time to spare, I'll get that too. What is it? Look up yonder towards that hill. I see it. Well, just beyond is the sweetest little valley you ever laid eyes on. You won't find its beak anywhere. It was made for a man to build his home in, and one of these days I'm going to. I know the place, and I can understand how you feel. That house is going to be all of logs, took right from the woods around. It's going to be small enough for me and abbey to finish our days there in comfort, but all the same it's going to be big enough so as we can have our children around whenever they get the notion to come and visit us. I got it all planned. I hope someday you have the home you want. I've been here before, and I've always wondered why you chose this place to build. On account of the past. Like I said, we pioneered this part of the country. Sometimes didn't see other folks for months at a time, and the past being the only way through the hill there, what folks did come this way came through it. Being downright hungry for company, we built close by. I see. But now the country's built up a little. It's different. You spoke of needing money for the home you want. You ever thought of prospecting those hills behind you for gold? I've run across signs of ore in there several times. Have you told anyone else that? No. Why? That's something I never want to get out. I don't understand. You don't. Well, I'll tell you why. If the word ever got around, there'd be a rush in here like you've never seen before. Yes, that's likely gold. Everybody's thirsting for gold. And what is it? Just some yellow stuff that you can't either eat or drink. It ain't good for a thing in itself except that folks put a price on it. That's true. It ain't gold that makes a country rich. It's land. Without the land, you could have gold till your eyes bulged out. You'd starve to death. You ever seen where prospectors have been? Many times. Ever hear them settling down and staying after the gold was gone? No, sir. Grab the gold and get. Run to where there's more gold. That's them. To blazes with homes and towns and what happens to the country afterwards. Fill your pockets and the devil take the hindmost. The prospectors aren't good homemakers and that much is certain. Well, I've known about that gold and I won't touch a speck of it. What's more, there'll be no pack of greedy idjits raising hob around here as long as I'm able to pack a gun. I'll blast the first one to try it. Son, go down. Better we ride. You're right, Heather. Here, old fellow. Then I was so interested in what you had to say that I forgot the time. We'll be leaving you. But thanks for the water. And I hope we'll see you again. Oh, gruff by any time, stranger. Everybody's welcome here. Masked men or lawmen or just plain folks. It don't make no difference. Adios. Good day to you. Come, Heather. Get him up, Scout. Come on, old fellow. Heather, we're not riding on to the border. What matter? We're making camp beyond the pass. Why do that? You heard what Dan said of prospectors. I happen to know that fellow we met in the hills was one. They get hardly misfinding pay there. The hills are rich with it. Missed discovery so far only because a few settlers don't understand or it's the same in California before Sutter made his strike. That's right. That prospector says nothing. When he leaves, everything will be well. But if he talks, there'll be trouble. More trouble, I'm afraid, than Dan can handle. Come on. Get him up, Scout. Come on. The prospector mentioned by the Lone Ranger spent little time in the hills. Because what he saw there sent him racing eastward. It was many miles to the nearest settlement, but a week later... Brings for the house around me. Gold, fellas. I found gold you wouldn't believe. He said them hills were just buzzing with gold. What hills? You know, the pyramids. You go through the pass and by Dan Bowen's place in their yard. You just bet I'm going. Ain't everybody else? Get up there, boy. Come on. Word of the strike spread with the swiftness of a prairie fire. Another week went by, and then at noon one day, Dan Bowen was startled into dropping the tin cup of coffee he held when his son burst into the house, slamming the door behind him. Blast it. There. Look what you made me do. Oh, don't get mad at the boy, Dan. You ought to be used to the way Jim slammed around Bonaparte. Well, it's got to stop. I'm sorry, pal, but I got news. It better be good. That was the last of the coffee. Well, it ain't good. It's bad. Well, tell it. Word of the gold's got out, pal. It's so far. This fella's heading this way from all over. Just talk to some of the first to get here. I'm at the other side of the pass and wrote as fast as I could to tell you. The mask man. Huh? He done this. He knew about that gold, and I was fool enough to think he wouldn't tell. Dog gone if I wasn't fool enough to take a liken to the fella. Oh, wait. Get my belt and gun. Don't pester me with questions now, Linda. Just get my guns and get my rifle, too. Dan, you're going to make trouble. You can bet I am. You get your hardware to, Jim. You'll come with me. Right. No, Dan, you can't. Stop and think. You don't know what might come of this. That's where you're wrong. I do know what'll come of it. Trouble. Uh-huh. Trouble for the skunks that think they can come around here and raise Ned. Yeah, pal. Thanks. Oh, Dan, after these, they'll come more. And even if you turn the first ones back, you can't hope to fight them all off. No, don't fight them. Just try to make the best of it. Come on, Jim. I'll be right with you. Yeah, that's all. Fine encounters. Come on, let's go. You get my horse for me. All right, sure. Dan, now wait. Well? Where are you going? To the pass, of course. Where do you suppose? Let a thousand of them come. They've got some right down to my size. Hi, Jim. Get a move on. Four men were in the first group to approach the pass. It served as an entrance to the valley and the gold-bearing hills beyond. Each man mounted upon a horse led a mule that carried the prospector's tools and supplies. The man known as Hardrock seemed to be their leader and... Change for her now, boys. There's the pace. Care to stay in the saddle for a bit after dark? We can spread our blankets in the hills. Sure, let's push on. It suits me fine. Say, Hardrock, why don't we stop and rest the horses at this fellow Bowens? Save them from getting too fagged. Good idea. Point it with them? Nope. Those at our stage are right fine fellow. Yeah, I've heard the same. Get along there, pesky mule. Don't get riled with him, Sam. Just think of all the dust he'll be able to pack for you going back, the place of the grub and such he's carrying now. What do you figure I've been thinking about? Guess where we enter the pass, boys? Right narrow, ain't it? Yeah, ain't so very long, though. You can see on beyond there where it widens out again. Well, it... Say, who's that? That a couple of horsemen ahead there? Can't seem so good because he rained up in the shatters. I see him. Act like they're waiting for us. Maybe a couple of the boys, the beaters here. Hi there! Hello, Jim. Who are you? Keep them covered, Jim. Sure. Hey, what's the idea here? You've come as far as you're gonna. What's that? I reckon you heard me. You must be local, fella. Or is this some kind of a holdup? Ain't a holdup. What I said, I'm in. You ain't said who you are. I'm Dan Bowen. This is my boy, Jim. And I'll sure let you have it if you try coming closer, Jim. Bowen, I don't get this. You're prospectors. Sure. But prospectors ain't exactly the same as outlaws. What's biting you, anyway? You can turn around and head back for where you come from. Well, now look here, mister. I'll tell you what, Hard Rock. It's the gold. He's got an ocean. Nobody's got a right to get at it but him. That so, mister? No. If it is, you'd better think things over some. The first place you ain't got no right to try hogging everything for yourself. The second place, there ain't no need of it. Not to be gold enough in them heels for everybody. You couldn't hope to prospect the whole layout all alone in a thousand years. I'm not interested in the gold. I'll just bet you. I've known about it since before Jim here was born. I've never touched it. I'm never gonna. And neither are you. You just think we ain't. Stand aside, Bowen. All right. If something here I don't serve you. Bowen. You really met that when you said you'd known about the gold? I did. And you've honestly never helped yourself to any, huh? I haven't. Well, that's beyond me. Ain't a reason in the world I can think of why a fellow wouldn't want gold. That's your business, I guess. I'm interested in finding out why you say we can't go after it either. That's my home beyond the past. I found it and fought to hold it. I've earned the right to keep that home the way I want it. Free of the rough necks and cutthroats and worthless gold-hunting scavengers that'll be cramping in here if I let them. So that's it. I've got fields planted. I've got stock range in the valley and the hills. I won't have them fields turned to mud and my cows stole to furnish beef for thieving prospectors. Don't call us thieves. You're crazy fool, are we? Easy there, fella. What he said? Oh, no. Just take it easy. Bowen, you've got the wrong slant on us. There'll be a rush here, sure enough. In any crowd, you'll always find some rough necks. Take it by and large. We ain't so bad. You ain't got cause to fear us. You said it true. I ain't. We just... Just bring yourselves around. Time's fast for talk. Well, look, Bowen. There must be some way we can get together on this. Maybe we... It's him. Here, Paul. If they don't bamboos, fire over their heads. If that don't persuade them, fire again where it'll hurt. Back up, fellas. Pull that trigger, kid, and see what happens to you. If you're setting a fight, Bowen, you'll get your stomach full of it. That's your warning. The next to come closer. Boy, blast your mangy hide. I'll take him. Get back and slap him in the leather. Time to kind of break it up. It's the last man, Paul. He's as scunt old about the gold. Then we... You're the cause of this, Blastia. Well, take it. You asked for it. Time to disarm these fellas. The 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. The masked man picked up the guns he had shot from the hands of Dan Bowen and his son. Tonto, meanwhile, had forced the prospectors to turn over their arms. We'll keep these for the present. You'll get them back when we have your promise. There'll be no trouble. You would do your relations to Buddy and Mr. These 45s are my authority. Care to question it? Well, no, I reckon I don't. They look plum-convincing. Good. I tried to drill you in mist. I suppose you'll make us pay. But I ain't big enough. I'll tell you to your face. I wish I'd got you. You believed Tonto and I mentioned the gold we'd seen in the hills. I know you did. You're wrong. We've been camped within 10 miles of here since that day we talked. I don't believe it. Well, we won't argue. Just turn your mouths back to the other side. I'll tell you what. We won't argue. Just turn your mouths back and get home. You can't help. That's for you as well as your father, Jim. I don't have to. Son, don't argue with a masked man when you ain't armed. We'll get. These fellas will have to go through the pass. But we ain't done with them yet. They won't go through. This quarrel is between you and them. In spite of what you think, Tonto and I are not taking sides. We stepped in to prevent bloodshed, with no intention of aiding one side or the other. They'll have to turn back also. Quiet. You've all had your orders. Turn your way. Stranger, I can't figure you out. Why should you? Oh, I don't know. You need to be puzzled, I guess. Well, come on, boys. You might as well go back and make camp. We can always get through another day. Come on, there, back. All right, boy, get up there. Get up there. Get up there. Dan, I'm sorry you think I've done this to you. But I won't attempt to justify myself. Perhaps you'll be convinced of the truth later. Now, go on home. You're a smooth talker, stranger. But me, I think you're lying in your teeth. Come on, Jim. Get up there. And keep mad. I knew there'd be trouble. You stopped them. Stopped it? Tell her this was nothing. What do you mean? We prevented a fight between Dan and four prospectors. But Dan still has determined as ever to hold this pass. That's right. And for each of the prospectors here today, there'll be 100 before the week is out. No, Kimosame. The real trouble hasn't begun. Come on, silver. Get him up, scoundrel. I'll silver! Away! What the Lone Ranger forecast became true. By evening, a dozen prospectors had reached the pass. The next day, their number tripled. At the end of four days, the eastern approach to the pass was one large camp resembling that of a small army. In the meantime, Dan Bowen and his son guarded the pass in alternate watches. It was so narrow that it could easily be defended by a single man. And Dan was stubbornly determined to resist the prospectors in spite of the protests of his wife. Here, Dan. I've heated your water. You can wash up. Thanks. Where's the soap? Right there. Oh. You look so tired, Dan. Huh? You look as though you ain't rested in the weeds. All right. You can't keep this up. You just can't. Aren't you listening, Dan? I heard you. Where's the towel? Here. Oh, Dan, please, won't you even talk about it? What should I say? You won't stop it. No. When you know you can't win out, when you know sooner or later they'll be fighting and they'll break through and you or Jim will get hurt. If a man's in the right, he don't stop fighting just because he might get licked as he... Oh, don't talk like that. Don't our home mean nothing to you? Not worth your life or Jim's. Don't worry about us. Oh, how can I help it? We've gone through time just as bad before. When there was need of it. But, Dan, can't you see, our home isn't really in danger. It isn't. Don't you savvy what it would look like around here if I let them rough next through. I know, but... Well, then, what you're talking about? But I was thinking of our valley where we've always planned to build. That'll still be there. It won't even be touched. What's it to us? What happens here? It ain't as though we won't never gonna move. Now, you're talking foolish. But don't you see... You think we can pull stakes here just any day we please? I didn't see that. You know, we can't. You figure me and Jim can clear the land in there and put up the place we want and still look after the work we have to do. It'll take help. Help costs cash. And we ain't got it to spare. Oh, I knew it wouldn't be any use. No, baby. As long as this is where we have to live, I'm gonna keep it the kind of place where I'll want to live. And nobody'll stop me. Now, where's my hat? Oh, here. Oh, Dan, you forgot your breakfast. I can't eat now, honey. Jim's waiting. But you can't go without... Give me something cold at noon. But the gold-seekers beyond the past felt that they had reached a limit of their patience. A meeting was called and nearly everyone demanded action. Choosing Hard Rock as their leader, they decided to attack the Bowens just before dawn. Ponto listened on the outskirts of their camp and then reported to the Lone Ranger. Oh, oh, Scott! Oh, what is it? Fellers fight. What? Then go through past. Now? Not now. Then go before sun come up. That means Dan's refused to give in. I hoped he would when he saw the odds he faced. Here, Silver. What we do? I'm going after Hard Rock. He's the leader of those fellas. There's one way left to settle this, and we'll have to use it. Wait for me here, Tonto. How to do it? Come on, Silver. Come on! The meeting of the gold-seekers has been late in the day. Night fell soon after. And the men knowing that the time for sleep would be short took to their blankets early. Soon most of them were deep in slumber, Hard Rock among them. But less than half an hour later, he was awakened by a light touch on the shoulder. He looked up, saw a masked man, opened his mouth to shout, but was stopped by a hand that threatened to smother him. Quiet. Quiet, you hemi. You're not going to be hurt. When I take my hand away, keep your voice down. You're the fella we met in the past. Right. What do you want? You and I are going to have a talk, but we can't talk here. Come with me. You have my word, you won't be harmed. I hope you'll come willingly. But if you won't... What? There's my horse and here's my guns. One shout and I'll have you out of here before a man could stir. You won the first time we met up with strangers? Yes. And I reckon you win again. Come on. Hardrock rode with a lone ranger to his camp. The masked man outlined his plan and then... Ranger, I give every dollar I own to know your name. You would? Why? No outlaw would ever think of a scheme like that. No outlaw. I don't know anybody that would. Well, what have you decided? Well, I'm thrilled, of course. Fine. But this means I'll have to hustle to get back to camp. In town it will take you, we saddle Scout. Yes, Scout. I'll see you again, won't I? You will. I sure hope so. I don't mind saying no one you's made me dog-gone proud. Ready, turn up? Let's travel. Get him up, Scout. Get him up. Dan Bowen, unaware that an attack had been planned for the early morning, did not realize that the lone ranger was responsible for it being called off. In fact, news that reached him several days later made him more angry than ever with the masked man. Did he, Ginger? You really saw it, Linda? You ain't just making this up? I wouldn't story about it, Pa. It just now got big. A pole, cats? What can we do? Not a dog-gone thing. But, Pa... What could Jim and me do again? All them fellas out in the open. Besides, we don't dare leave the pass. How could they have found out about the valley, Pa? Got it from the masked man. But how would he know? I told him, blasted. I reckon I'm just a born-idget. I stood right over there by the spring and told him the whole works. How there weren't a better spot to build in this part of the country. How we'd always hoped to make our home there. Now there's boil in it. For spite. To get even. I've heard of some low, mean ornary stunts, but this entops them all. Days passed. Then, one night while Dan was standing guard. It's getting cold, mate. It's getting cold as blazes. Maybe I... Who's there? Speak up or I shoot. Who's there? Drop that gun. What? Drop it. By thunder this time you don't... Oh, my hand! You don't seem to learn, Dan. What are you gonna do? There are quite a few men beyond the past, Dan. You will let them through. Wait! So tonight I'm putting you into their hands. When Don came and young Jim Bowen went to relieve his father, he found him gone. His mother and sister were frantic when he returned to the house with the news. You're one of these days he'd be killed. What have they done with him? I don't know. You've got to find him, Jim. You've got to. I'll find him and I'll do more. If Pa's been harmed, I'll get every skunk that had a hand in it. You... Ma, what is it? Look, there. Through the window. What? Well, it's Pa. It's Pa alive. But those men... They're prospectors. They got him. And they're coming here. I'll fix them. Let Pa go. Let him go. You skunk to buy thunder or let fly. Jim, Jim, be careful. Then they'll take Ma back in the house. I won't go. I won't. Then stand aside. Have they harmed your father? Yeah, they just put down them guns. I ain't a skier. Now show them. Hey, don't you throw away. You're covered. Tell your Pa's that Pa ain't let loose. You're going to get killed. Oh, blasted hole. Didn't I tell you to put them guns down? But Pa... The agents are my friends, huh? Pa, Pa, you're talking like you're out of your head. Out of my head, am I? Abby, fetch out everything we got for Vittles. Jim, you open them three barrels of cider we stored away. Linda, go pretty yourself. We're going to have parties. Dan, please. You're not just there. What's that? Don't talk so wild. The girl thinks Danny ain't told him yet. Oh, dog on a plum for God. Oh, what, Pa? About the house, huh? The new house. Sure, we got a new house. They're in the valley where we always planned on. Built to logs like we wanted it. Snuggest little house a fella ever had. Oh, my stars. Abby, just wait till you see it. You and me never hope for anything even half so fine. But gosh, who... Oh, doll gone. If you ain't clean local, Pa, where'd it come from? Who built it? These fellas built it. Linda, that's what you've seen the other day when you thought they was just tearing up the valley for spite. They was making the clarin. I thought they was biting you. The mask man changed all that, Miss. The mask man? Uh-huh. There hadn't been for him. I reckon there would have been a fight. Instead of that, he told us how Dan had always wanted a house in that valley he showed us. Well, there was plenty of us to dig in and help, so throwing it together weren't no chore at all. We're all going to help you move, too. And for all of me, they can prospect them hill till the cows come home. Thanks to the mask man. Wonderful. Hard rock. Yeah. I'm still again prospecting. And don't you think I'm not? Would you know a heap about it, don't you? Well, ought to. Well, I was just wondering. If you'd be willing to take me along. You have just heard of the copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.