 Log entry, the catch scarlet queen, Philip Carney, master. Position two degrees, 25 minutes north, 128 degrees, 13 minutes east. Wind, light, sky, fair. Remarks, left anchorage Caillou Bay, Halmahara after unscheduled voyage to island of Batanta. Reason for voyage, grafters fought in the black pearl of Galaila Bay. Shortly before the Civil War, a daring plan was conceived to speed the mail between east and west. It was the famous Pony Express. On April 3rd, 1860, the first Pony Express riders set out from St. Joseph, Missouri with a pocket of lightweight mail. Along the express route, other riders and fresh horses waited at relay stations in order that the mail could be carried without a break. Ten and one-half days after the first rider left St. Joseph, a Pony Express rider galloped into Placerville, California. The mail had crossed the country in record time. For a short time, the Pony Express continued its colorful operation as the riders fought against hardship and danger to bring the east and west closer together. But while the service was fast, it was also expensive, too expensive to be continued. In 1861, the Pony Express was discontinued, but not before it had become a part of the American legend. Today, the Pony Express is remembered at both ends of the route. In St. Joseph, Missouri, is the Pony Express Monument, which recalls the courage of the riders. At the other end of the old route is the Pony Express Museum in Sacramento, which at one time was a relay station of the express. The Pony Express Monument and Museum remind us of the rich heritage that as Americans, we share and stand ready to defend. Tenth morning after we left the island of Bali is that we pushed into Malacca Passage and swung close to the 100-mile chain of islands that fringes the west coast of Palmahera. By noon, we trimmed our sail and started the channel run past Morotai. It was then that my chief mate, Gallagher, noted the receipt of a radio message in the log of the Scarlet Queen and came to the wheel to report it to me. As an NC skipper, the schooner Regina grounded Galea Bay, captain and made ashore. Which told only a part of the story. We found the Regina all right, 50 yards offshore, a stern awash with a main house, a back broken on a reef. It wasn't until we'd coasted by her on the landward side that we saw the rest. There was a man aboard. He was native and he was dead. He'd been hanged from the foremost and his body revolved and swung slowly from side to side as the current in the reef fought continually for possession of the battered hull. And so mutual continues the voyage of the Scarlet Queen written by Gildowd and Bob Tallman and starring Elliot Lewis. The Scarlet Queen proudest ship to plow the seas bound for uncharted adventure. Every week a complete entry in the log and every week a league further in the strange voyage of the Scarlet Queen. It didn't take me long to decide that I didn't want any part of this particular salvage and rescue job. I pushed the throttle open and swung the wheel to port to make the shortest turn possible back toward the open sea. The circle took us in towards shore and at the closest point the rest of the situation broke. All right, those studdies. What's going on? Keep down, Red. 50 caliber. I'd recognize that voice anyway. It'll make a sieve out of the Queen before we could get her out of range. Kill the motor, Red, okay? All right, we'll drift in. I'm mate, mate of girl and me. It's about so so we see this island. That's not where we're going. All right, Captain, that's where I'm going. With you or without you? We were approaching most typically native, set in the clearing in the Nipah Palms. 100 yards behind it was the fringe of the fairly large village of Galaila with the inevitable tin-roofed frame building belonging to the single Chinese trader. As we swung around the corner of the shack, I saw two more machine guns set up to cover the village. In front of their muzzles at the edge of the clearing there were four or five dark skinned bodies sprawled in the sun where they'd fallen. Two people waited for us in the shack. All right, get aside and sit down. One I took to be the mate. Swar the slightly built with a faint smile twisting his thin lips. The other was the ugliest native girl I've ever seen. Flattened nose, a squat sagging figure, the earlobes hanging almost to her shoulders from the weight of the G-Jaws shoved into the gaping perforations. I couldn't figure why anyone would want to take her anyplace. If one would carry a banner on one shift. Oh, sleeveling cow, get over there and sit down! Never mind, Lois. Now let's talk it over, Captain. The beggars are after my pearls. They were diving for me. We had fair luck and now they want them for themselves to take over the Caillou Bay and to trade to that Chinaman in the village. They wrecked my ship and... They would starve us out in time if we stay here and let them, which we don't think is a very good idea, huh, Grafter? You got any more to say, Grafter? I said enough, didn't I? You've been pumping nothing but lies, Grafter. These Harons have been diving for quite a few generations. They don't have to rush machine guns for a handful of pearls. You don't have to hang them from a mast to keep them in line. What do you think of these fellow grafters? Ah, let them blow. That's all I have to say. Come on, Red, we're leaving. Okay, Skipper, I don't try it. Let them come grafting! We had to try it because there's no place to phone for help on Halmahara. The chair I threw at Grafter sent him off balance but it stopped things for only a second. Red got his hands on Lois too late. He automatically flashed twice and Gallagher's knees buckled. He crumpled to the floor, his hands clutching at Lois and finally dragging him down too. I forgot Grafter, I forgot everything but the red stain that was spreading from the sign of Gallagher's head running down his neck. Already soaking his jumper, I headed for Lois, I landed on him. Was reaching for his throat when... My head exploded under Grafter's gun muzzle and I went out of the fight. I don't know for how long but when I came back, Red was still alive. He'd gotten to his feet. He was half blinded by blood but he was still fighting. He'd lifted Lois by his belt and he was swinging his body at Grafter like a club with nothing but hard keeping him moving. I got to my feet and started across the room to help him but I couldn't get there. I grabbed the wall to keep me up. And the last thing I saw before I went out again was the squat, splay-footed native girl, Bona. She found a piece of broken furniture, she held it like a club and she was moving in for the kill. Then the picture swam in my eyes, turned gray and then blacked out. I was seeing again. I was still on my feet and walking. I didn't know where I was or how I'd gotten there but I was out of the shack, out of sight of the village. Then I remembered the final picture of Red. They didn't have a reason in the world to stop short of killing him. Suddenly everything went out of me. It was kind of a relief to pass out. I believe you're asleep any long time. You'll come awake now. Red? Red. Me no Red, Miss Singh Shee. For a long time, Trader Galella. Oh, yeah. I think a man belong along machine gun hit your head too hard. A grafter. Not hard enough. Who'd you say you were? Oh, Miss Singh Shee, Trader. You and House belong to me. Our Galella village boys, my friend, they bring you along this place. Yeah, why? Oh, I tell them. I wanna help you. You like to need help? I don't know what I need. What you and Galella boys want. Oh, what's your fast passage to a place of ancestor for those who belong to machine gun? You wanna get rid of grafter and Louis too, huh? Mm, hey, you help. The Galella boys help. They're soon all other dead long time. What did they do to Galella boys? How'd they say along you? Well, they tell me they find plenty pearls that Galella boys wanna take pearls back. Oh, they're true. Catch Merlapurl, Merlapurl. You talk straight, Singh. Maybe we all help. You listen. Long time, very big shock spurt. He say this. When Galella boys catch a big black pearl, keep pearl. How many wives go to a village, you suffer? I say they, and they found the black pearl. Oh, one black pearl. Grafter and Louis could keep all the rest, but they still wouldn't give it up. Must be a wonderful pearl, Singh. Bring them much money. Plenty of wives. You help poor Galella boys. They catch your wives. You catch a man belong along machine gun. Sounds like a fair trade. Singh, do you have any guns here? Oh, no guns. You have dynamite? Not dynamite. You savvy dynamite? Oh, savvy. Get your men official on dynamite. You know, one boy, he's strong swimmer. He swim to my ship. Oh, I know men are strong swimmer. One boy. You tell him go long way up beach. You tell him swim long way out. Come my ship from reef. You savvy. Oh, savvy. They're no sea from beach. Good. You go bring him here. He take note for me to ship. He bring back box with dynamite and gun. Go on out, chop, chop. They're good. Oh, they're so joyous. Boom. All other fly away to ancestor. It took a little better than an hour and a half for Singh's boy to get to the ship and back. Another 45 minutes to cap and fuse the dynamite. All right, listen, Singh. You take dynamite to beach near machine guns. Not close, you savvy. Stay in shadows. Oh, like a tiger. Yeah, like a tiger. Then as soon as you get there, you light all dynamite and throw it. Like a soldier. Not at the machine guns, Singh. Some on the beach, some in the water. Those at machine gun will fire at noise, savvy. Oh, what the matter? Throw it to machine gun. Because they may be hide black pearl. You kill them, they can't tell you where. Savvy? Ah, savvy. Oh, you best strong man. Best smart like a thing. I throw it to beach, to water. Then you come back here. Wait for me. Oh, you go. I go to their house. Grafter is there. When he hears dynamite and maybe machine gun, he runs out of house. And I catch him like that. Verlach, you sure, man? You have a minute for him to village tomorrow. I go now. After he left, I pocketed my 45 and skirted the edge of the silent darkened village I headed for the shack and the clearing. The gun was still in my hand when I heard the faintest rustle of almost silent feet behind me. The safety catch snapped off as I whirled and I was ready for a hip shot. But I didn't use it. Please, don't cut the thing. You're savvy. You belong to me? Sing what the devil are you doing here? Why aren't you on the beach with the dynamite? Oh, gotcha. Took a little, boys, a day like a shoot dynamite. Sing if you mess this up. Look, you stay this place. Right here. I go to shack. You don't come along with me. Oh, sorry, sorry. I stay this place in shadow, like hiding tiger. I didn't risk a look through the window when I got to the shack to see what was in store for me. I inched to a position about three feet from the doorway and waited. It wasn't for long. Then the first charge blew. And the answering burst of machine gun fire blasting at flashes and shadows told me that the reactions on the beach were normal. Almost simultaneously, I heard feet hit the floor inside to start for the door. I moved into position just as he stopped in the doorway. It wasn't grafter. It was even more to the point it was Louis. And I smashed my right hand automatic and all into the middle of his sneering. Freeze! Everything I felt, grief, hate, a continually beating desire to avenge Redwin into the blow. Get up, Louis. What are you doing here? Get on your feet. I'm talking to do first. So help me, what I'll do to you after that? I don't know. I got no talk with you. Don't, Louis. Help me keep my hands off of you. Be careful what you say. I said, I said, I said, I said, I said, I said. Now sit down. What do you want? I want the black pearl. What the devil? What black pearl? Wait, wait. How about it? The black pearl from Galeila Bay. You're off your head. We didn't get any black pearl here. We didn't even work the beds. We ran in here from some weather and the men is attacked. Why do you keep asking for it, Louis? Why do you think that I lie with a 45 on my face? I'm telling you the truth. You want to see our pearl, is it the pearl from a year and a half of working with the, well, Lucas, I show you in the table there. Sure, Louis. Go get your pearls. We've got this sack off the ship. I show you what we sweat for. It was as almost as though he told me what he was going to do. And I let him. He opened the drawer. And I knew from the way his hand spread forefinger stretch for a trigger guard that I was right. I let him pick it up. And when I saw the glint of metal, I fired. His right arm jerked between elbow and shoulder and swung back loosely as fingers relaxed and the gun dropped back into the drawer. You've got a left arm, Louis. You want to try it again? Don't you know I want you to, Louis? I saw you kill my chief mate. Don't you know I want you to try something so I can kill you? You're crazy. Maybe you're right, Louis. I didn't kill your chief mate. No? Maybe I was dreaming, huh, Louis? If somebody killed him, it wasn't me. Oh, you dirty little... Louis, the pearl. Tell me where the black pearl is. I don't know what you mean. We don't have any black pearl. It is the truth. You machine-gunned the mailies that came after it. They wrecked your ship to get it, remember? The men in the village wanted, Louis. They want the wives it'll bring. Mr. Copter! Mr. Copter! What is it, thing? I can't turn around. I am a watchful, long window. But there's big danger of belonging this house. I think I know... What do you mean, thing? Make a step where from straight line to long window. All right, I savvy. Big danger. Come from big spirit. Ten seconds later, I learned why Singh had moved me. A heavy hunting spirit spiked in through the window. Louis collapsed into the impact. I didn't have to check pulse to know that the spearman, whoever he was, had cheated me out of the final payoff of Gallagher. Oh, very happy, Mr. Copter. I cut your danger away from you. Yeah, thanks, Singh. But you'll never learn about black pearl from this fella. He flies very fast, ancestor. Too fast. You come along me, we may be catch grafter, huh? Oh, no. All the same with this one. What? You mean dead? Fly on hoppy wings. Oh, very dead. How? Gallella boys put two dynamite very close alongside the machine gun. You killed him? Ah. You're plenty fool. Now who tell you where find pearl? Oh, Gallella boys, you know, why don't you pearl no more? No, why don't you? Ah, Gallella boys, I want you one thing. Poor girl belong to Gallella village. Poor banner. You bring her, huh? Me bring her? Where is she? Oh, she along your ship. On my ship? Who took her out there? Oh, no fella take her. She take a fella. He hurt. She took someone, Singh. This fella, his name, Gallagher? No, not Gallagher. You think her name belong to me. What do you mean, Singh? Uh, you talking name, same time you come awake. What? Um, him name, um, red. Yeah, red. Are you sure? You no make mistake? Oh, no mistake. Banna, she big friend along red. You bring her village, belong her, you big friend for Banna. Singh, I don't have time to explain this in case you don't understand it, but I promise if Banna wants to go to the royal wedding in London, I'll take her there. What's that mess on your head? Never mind. That's Banna's private mixture, fish scale, sea weed and mud. If you try to take it off, I'll have a slit your throat. Besides, I got a gouge across my temple a half inch deep and six inches long. The great one will rest his tongue. The great one? Yeah. She liked the way I swung Louis around my head. Oh, right. If you knew what I've been through, I thought you were dead. I almost was. Then Banna walked in and clubbed those two with a chair or something. I passed out. She hid me till dark and brought me out here in a canoe. I promised her a trip to London if she wanted, but I suppose she'd rather have her Galaila village. Banna, you want to go ashore now? Ashore? Skipper, are you nuts? The great one will rest his raw. Ashore. What's the matter, Singh? She said her village was waiting for her with open arms. Well, I suppose he's right, but not Galaila. Her village is on Botanter. The joint where Graf, they wanted to go. They were going to deliver her to her husband for a big hunk of ransom. To get Banna back? Yeah. Red, let me tell you now, before this starts to make the kind of sense I think it's going to, I've been knocking my brains out, trying to locate a black pearl that held a lot of magic until we killed everybody in Graf's outfit so they couldn't tell me there wasn't any pearl. Oh, yes, there is. What? Yeah. Tell them, Banna, who is the pearl? One is the wife of the Sultan of Botanter. One was taken by force from one's place. By those the great one be together as saplings. One's noble husband pledged gold pearls and bright stones to equal the weight of oneself for one's safe return. That's quite a pile. Then your buddy, Singh, she honed in on the deal. He got the Melaids to wreck Graf's ship and made his own deal with her old man. Plenty wives for Galaila boys. How many? Only 200, and they must be buddy. And he led me around by the nose and called himself a simple traitor. If those in whose care I rest would decide upon their demand upon one's husband, one is anxious to journey at once to one's home and husband. Poor Banna. She don't care who gets the ransom. She just wants to go home. We wasted three days getting Banna to Botanter, convincing her husband that there was no depth between us, and getting back to Kayu Bay where one of Kang's luggers was waiting impatiently with our sailing orders. By one that afternoon we'd wade anchor, picked our way through the reefs under power, and nosed into the wind-brushed waters of Malacca Passage once more. And by two men... Two men relieved as always to get their faces pointed toward wide deep water, jumped to their stations with a will. What starboard shape makes... Heavy gusts swung recklessly to starboard, sending the men at the rail tumbling into prone positions to escape its sweep, and the pull of the sail set a shutter through the ship. The deck canted beneath me. Our spot in the world took on the atmosphere of speed that comes only from leaning sails, rushing water at the rail and taut rigging, making a song with the wind. I'm not giving you much of a hand today, Skipper. Ah, forget it, Red. With a head in the shape that yours is in, you'd probably foul us up anyway. All right. Take my watches then. I've earned a rest. No argument there, Red. But she took good care of you, though. And you can't always have a beautiful nurse. No, no, no. You and I are thinking of different kinds of beauty, Skipper. The picture of her when she waited until Grafton and Louis. Oh, that was real beauty. And the picture of that hair, that figure, those earlobes when we met her. Ah, that's real nightmare. But I love her. All right. If you want to cut in. Drink, Skipper? From this distance and with no gang fights in sight, I'm safe on all sides. You're cut in on. After you, mate. After you. Log entry. The Ketch Scarlet Queen. 5.30 p.m. Miles traveled from San Francisco. 20,221. Wind fresh. Sky fair. Carrying full sail. Ship secure for night. Signed Phillip Carney. Master. In the exciting history of America's development into the foremost industrial nation in the world, the McCormick Reaper stands out as a monumental invention. Back in the 1830s, the flat, fertile prairie lands of the Middle West were ideal for growing grain. The all-important crop of wheat was easy to sow and to grow, but harvesting the grain was a different matter. A laborer, swinging a large hand scythe, moved slowly down the fields. Even a strong man could cut no more than an acre of grain a day. Farmers had to help each other to harvest crops, but unfortunately, all crops ripened at about the same time and had to be harvested in 10 days. So it became a practice for farmers to plant only as much grain as the men in each family could reap in that short time. Then came the mechanical Reaper, perfected by Cyrus McCormick. His first Reaper, made in 1831, was a dismal failure. The noise terrified the horses which pulled the machine. It didn't cut evenly and it damaged some of the grain, but McCormick was not one to give up easily. He kept working on his invention and secured his first patent in 1834. There was still no demand for his machine, however, so he kept working on it. By 1841, he had a horse-drawn machine resembling a chariot with a cutting arm extending several feet out at one side. As the Reaper moved forward, steel fingers separated the grain into bunches of stalks that were cut by a sawtooth action resembling today's barber clippers. A large reel revolved around the cutting arm, each blade bending a section of wheat down and pressing it into the cutting action. McCormick sold two of these machines and opened a factory in Chicago. In the next two years, he built and sold 80 Reapers. By 1851, he was selling 1,000 machines a year. By 1857, 23,000. McCormick's Reaper caught on and was making farming in the prairie land productive and profitable. Over the great expanses of the West, our agricultural frontier was rolling toward the Rockies at the rate of 30 miles per year. Yes, at one time, the harvesting of vast fields of grain offered a problem of manpower. But it was solved by the mechanical Reaper of Cyrus McCormick who had the spirit typical of all American inventors. Somehow there must be a way. Let's find it. Queen stars Elliot Lewis as Phil Carney with Ed Max as Gallagher and tonight featured Jack Krushen as Singh with Ralph Sudan as Louise and Virginia Greg as Banner. Music scored and conducted by Richard O'Rott. The Scarlet Queen produced by James Burton is written by Gildowd and Bob Tallman.