 Warrior of the Woodland! Ranger Phil. Warrior of the Woodland. Struggling against extreme odds. Traveling dangerous trails. Showing rare courage in the face of disaster. In the air. On horseback. Or in a screaming squad car. His mind alert. Already smile. Unswerving. Loyal to his mission. And all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Hey Wolf, come on. Oh, hold it now. You wait a minute, Henry. A letter sent to me. I know, but it's the both of us. I know that Stumpy's handwriting anywhere. Funny that post office able to read it at all. Come on, come on, open it. Let's see what it says. I do, but you just sit there now. I read it to you. Ah, okay. That's more like it. It says, Dear Grey Wolf and Henry. See? I told you it was for both of us. We are having nice time as usual here in Washington. Bill spends most of his time at the Weather Bureau. Learning all about the new fangled ways to making long guesses as to what the weather will be like. He says we are going to start using balloons out there when we get back. Oh, like those big ones that they send up with all kinds of electrical stuff in them? Well, that's what it looked like, Henry. Here, I go on with the letter. Bill is learning all about how to work all the gadgets and things, but it seemed kind of silly to me. The last time I played with balloons, the only thing I could figure out ahead of time was the temperature of my daddy would be. He caught me messing up the house. That was tough. He never writes anything good to say about a new idea, does he? He's not as bad as all that, Henry. He usually first to master a new skill, you know? He always calls himself the old dog who breaks mold. Yeah, he does learn new tricks. What's the rest of the letter say? Well, he sends regards and says to be a lookout for much equipment that should come someday soon. The balloons? I cannot say, but I think maybe so. Anybody in here? Oh, in here. Oh, hi, Jack. Hi. Hey, what brings you over to this side of town? Well, nothing much. I have a little message here from the shipping office for you. Well, let me see it, Jack. Here. Thanks. You know equipment we talk about, Henry? Yeah? It arrived at shipping office this afternoon. Oh. They want to know if any hurry to deliver it. There's a lot of stuff. You don't have to be so secretive about it. It's all labeled balloons and all that kind of stuff. What's it for, Henry? Weather. Those are those real big balloons. All that other stuff is to tell weather and things with. I thought it was something like that. Looks great. There's a big kind of thick rope there and another thing called a gondola. Oh, yeah. That's the big basket thing that hangs under the balloon that you put all the equipment in. Oh. Well, what should I tell them to do with it? We don't know, Harry. If they bring it tomorrow morning, that's plenty fine. Okay. Hey, yeah. Yeah? Oh, what? Well, is it okay if I come over when the stuff's delivered? I'd sure like to see some of the stuff a little closer. Well, we not open anything until Bill returned from Washington. Yeah, he's there now, learning how to use it. Oh, I see. But you're more than welcome to be here when it comes. Okay. Thanks a lot. See you in the morning. Oh, boy. All that stuff will be here in the morning. Boy, there sure was a lot of stuff. Yeah. Is it going to be all right right out in the back like this? Well, we cover with chaplain in case of rain. That's well packed and protected. I suppose those big tanks are that came with the stuff. I think probably they, gas, used to fill the balloons. Need special kind, you know, lighter than air and not burnable. Why, Bill should have just stayed home and let you teach him, Grey Wolf. Oh, I don't know much about this. Only what I read in magazines. Yeah, I knew all that stuff myself. Should we cover this stuff right away? Yeah, that's a good idea. You never know what the weather will do. That's why we got these things. You start working on covering. I get falling. Okay. Boy, look at all this stuff. Yeah. I sure would like to see some of this stuff out of the crates. Yeah, me too. And Grey Wolf said we better wait till Bill gets back. You watch station. I needed a tower of six. Oh, trouble? I handle it. You watch station. Okay. Boy, I hope nothing's wrong. Yeah. How long do you think he's going to be going? Oh, I don't know. The tower's about a 45-minute ride from here, so it won't be back for a while. Why? Well, I was just thinking that, well, nobody would see if we opened up one of these here balloons and took a look at it. I don't think we'd better, Jack. Grey Wolf said that... I know what he said, but you want to see what this stuff looks like, don't you? Well, sure, but... After we've looked, we can put it right back in the crates and cover it up. What if we couldn't get it all back in? It all fit in to get here, didn't it? Yeah, I guess so. And besides, what if we can't? They'll have to unwrap the whole thing to see it anyhow. I don't know. Why not? It's perfect. Come on. Let's just carefully take the nails out of this box-marked balloon. Man, that looks great. Yeah, it sure does. Good thing we found those instructions with it. Isn't it neat the way those ropes kind of make a web around the balloon? Yeah. And this gondola is plenty big enough to put a couple of people in, let alone weather instruments. It'd be fun to go up in it, wouldn't it? Oh, no, you don't. I'm still not so sure we should have gone this far. Oh, come on. I just said it would be fun. Don't get so jumpy. Besides, it isn't even inflated. Can't take off in an empty balloon, can ya? I wonder what this is. I thought it was some sort of an extra rope till I saw the directions. It says it's a drag line. Supposed to have a hook for it, but I can't find it. The hook? Yeah. But this is sure great. I sure wish we could see the balloon all blown up and ready to go, though. If we inflated it, it'd be more than ready to go. It'd be gone. Well, not really. We could wait it down with some of those sandpags over there. The one's used for floods and things. I don't know. Neither one of us know how much weight it would take to hold a balloon this size down. Oh, we'd sure have enough with all those sandpags. Probably you're right. Hey. Hey, what am I saying? We aren't going to blow it up. In fact, I think we might just as well get started putting it back into the boxes. Gravel might be back any minute now, and he sure wouldn't be too... You better get the phone. Might be something important, Henry. Yeah. Yeah, I guess I better. You start taking the balloon apart, and I'll be right back. Sure. Sure. Hmm. I wonder how heavy those sandpags are. That wasn't very hard to... Oh, boy. Look at it. Just about covers this whole yard like a big roof. Good thing I put enough sandbags on the gondola. Good thing Henry... Jack! Oops. Oh, what did you do? What's it look like? I couldn't help it, Henry. I just had to see what it looked like and flayed it. Isn't it great? Yeah. It's great, all right. Now what are we going to do with it? Yeah. Well, we can let the gas out of it and put it away. Stop worrying all the time. I just wanted to see... How are we going to explain what happened to all the gas you used? I hadn't thought of that. Well, it was just one tank, and maybe we could say it got damaged on the way here. I don't like that, Jack. Well, now aren't you the goodie-goody? Well, it's not that. Once you start a lie, it just takes more of them to cover, and pretty soon you're stuck. Besides, whoever believes you about anything once you've been caught lying. Okay, okay, okay, so we confess. So what? Oh, it's worth it to see that big baby up there tucking at the gondola, ready to take off the ground. Aren't you sure you put enough sandbags in the basket? You don't see the balloon rising, do you? No, I guess not. Boy, Jack, I just can't tell you how this makes me feel. Now that it's done, there just isn't anything we can do to undo it. Oh, come on and forget it, Henry. This is terrific. I've never seen one of these things except on TV. What is this? Oh, officer O'Rourke. Hiya. Now, what are you scams up to here in the back of the ranger station? This here's one of those big weather balloons, sir. We're just putting it together. Boy, no idea this was so big. This one near blots out the sun in this area. Well, there are smaller ones, but this is for electronic stuff. See, it goes right over there in the gondola. Gondola is it? Hmm. Sure, it looks more like my own mother's shopping basket. Only somewhat larger, of course. I thought for a minute your family had pretty big appetites. They were big all right, but not that big. And by the looks of this, you could fit two grown men into it. I guess they sometimes do go up that way. Not for me, not for me. And what's the matter with you, Master Henry? You haven't said a word since I arrived. Oh, he's kind of shocked at how big it is. We just got it up for you, can't you? No, I know, I know. There I was, walking my beat, and what should I see rising behind the ranger station, but the biggest blister I've ever seen. And I want to look at the spectacle, and the pain just fled from me fat-fleet. So you'll see me visit as one of curiosity and gratitude. Will you be using these things much in the future, Henry? Yes, for weather. What is this world coming to now? A child's toy balloon is made a thousand times bigger and it's a scientist's toy. Sure, I hope you've weighted it down properly. Oh, yes, sir. In fact, we put in a lot more weight just to be on the safe side. Here, I'll show you, I'll kick one of them off. Well, that's a good idea to be on the right side at all times, lads. And if I'm going to be on the safe side as far as my job is concerned, I'd better be getting back to me beat. Thanks for the peek, and I hope you find it, Henry. What? What? Hey, your tongue, of course. Look, Henry, we're going to get in trouble soon enough. You don't have to practically give us away so soon. I guess I might just as well face it. And enjoy it. I think this is kit. Who else do you know of who built a real airship in their backyard? You know, you shouldn't fool around with that weight, Jack. What if we're not as far over what's needed to hold it down as we think? Worry, worry, worry. Such a worrier. That's all you've done. I put almost every sandbag in the yard in. That's way too many. Look, I'll prove it to you. What are you doing? Take it a few more off. You don't need them. Hey! Hey, it looks like... It is! It's rising! Grab it! Come on, Henry, grab it! You got it! Hey, we're caught up in this! Can't crawl the ground door! Quick, get down! How do we stop this thing? We're going right up out of the yard! You look chipper today. And why not? I've just been let into a little secret the rangers are keeping. Oh? What secret that brightened your day? I see not weather balloon you fellas are planning to use. Oh, boys work very slowly. They not have it covered yet? How do you expect to cover a thing as large as that? With an airplane hanger? What do you talk about, Pat? Balloon all in boxes covered with tarpaulin. That balloon of yours might have come in boxes, but is occupying a little more space at the moment. What's that? You can see it right from here. Look down the street towards the ranger station. See the... I see, but I not believe that this... It is coming right up over the building! And Ferdinand Tardis, it's those boys in the balloon! And it's going higher. Boys, boys, come down here! It's not good to tell them that. Warm city pavement causes a fast updraft. Impossible to land balloon here. What we do agree with? That's a good question, Pat. That's a good question. Okay, so I'm a little scared. So am I. Do you know anything about staring these things? Ha! You kidding? In a balloon you just go whatever way the wind blows. It's not so bad when you're some sort of an electrical thing. You don't mind not being able to steer. There's another thing. Electrical instruments don't mind, Jack. Yeah, what's that? I'm not eating. Oh, thanks, Vintessi. You look over the side. We're still going up. I know. It's starting to get chilly. Hey, how long can these things stay up? I think I've read somewhere that a couple of men stayed up in one of these things for almost three days. Oh! What was that? Just another updraft, Jack. We're still going up. Oh, still they go up. Can you still see them, Gray Wolf? Over to the west. Here, look through glasses. Let's see. Oh, yes. Yes. They're poor lads. They're probably scared stiff. Balloon go much higher. They'd be frozen stiff. They're almost over the mountains. Plenty updrafts. Hard to handle, plain. Balloon not stand chance of keeping law. Is there not some way we could help them? The only way to get balloon down is to puncture. Maybe with shot. Shoot the lads down? I know that's impossible, but not only plan that come to mind, except to pray. What are you doing? Praying. Yeah, that's right. Well, I just spent your time trying to figure way out of this. Your brain doesn't do any good. Did you ever give it a try? Sure. A couple of times. Used to when I was in a tight spot. And that's got to help me. He never did. What about other times? What do you mean other times? I mean, when you're not in a tight spot. Did you ever pray then? Well, I bother. Well, well, what if the only time that I ever talked to you was when I wanted you to get me out of a scrape? Would you go for that much? God isn't like me. Besides, when you come to think about it, whatever happened to those scrapes you were in? Look, you're just trying to get back at me for starting this whole thing. I'm just trying to give you something to think about, Jack. God doesn't want any half-hearted friends. He wants people who will stick with him in good and bad times. Well, I want him to stick with me when I need him. I can handle the rest. We're in a swell position for you to say that. See, I told you, you're just trying to get back at me for starting this whole thing. What was that? I think it was just another updraft. I wonder where we are. Don't move around. It's a gondola rock like crazy. Looks like we're heading over the mountains. Uh-oh. Now what? I just remembered all the trouble Bill has handling a plane close to the mountains. You mean to keep from hitting things? No. The updrafts, they're really strong. That means we're going up in a hurry. It also means that the temperature is going down in a hurry. Well, well, Mr. Religion, can you start telling me what could your prayers do? Four-thirty? We've run up about six and a half hours. Whoa. I can't even... You look cold much any more. I guess you're kind of used to it. You must be... You must be pretty high, huh? Look to why I'm a gold. Couldn't make anything up. Certainly not a crowd. Why? I saw a city over that way. Maybe 95. Henry? Huh? I'm sorry, I said I did a bunch of praying. It's okay, Jack. I guess if you don't believe in it, it must seem pretty silly. Better than nothing, I guess. I hope you find out how much better someday. All of you... Have you got any ideas? I've been trying to remember how those... fellows who go ballooning for sport get, uh, especially down... some sport. Do you think... you think it has anything to do with the weight? If we had enough weight, we wouldn't be floating around up here. What? I'm awful hungry. I made sure. Talking about it, it doesn't help. This is a lousy mystique. Easy, easy, Jack. There's not enough room up here to walk around, and if you're going to, hold on. Okay. Hey, who was that? I don't know. I just grabbed that rope and... of course. Oh, stupid of me. I should have remembered. What are you talking about? Jack, who bad? We're going down. How? When you pull this rope, it opens a valve up in a balloon, and lets out some of the gas. The more you let out, the more you go down. Do what? Do it? Here goes. A deeper minute. What did you see through glasses, Pat? I wasn't sure because we were moving, but I think... Yes, there they are. They're coming down. Here, let me take a look. Here. And they're on way down, all right. Looked to be about five miles west of here. Well, let's get going. You hang on a hat. This is going to be fast and bumpy ride. No, we're all there. Only a hundred feet or so off the ground. I know, but look how fast we're traveling along the ground. We hit the ground going this fast. We never know what hit us. Yeah, I never thought of that. Good thing this is a pretty clear stretch of land. No high trees. Let me think. That must be going about 50 miles an hour, at least. Hey, how about the drag line? Right! That won't work. Why not? Remember, you couldn't find the hook for it. Oh, yeah. Don't be afraid to use it anyhow. Even if it did catch on something, it probably jerked this whole thing down with a smash. And us right with it. We've got to think of something. Look ahead there. The hills start. And then we'll be heading for the mountains again. Only this time we won't be able to rise out of the way so easily. I mean, I think we're in a worse mess now than we were before. The glasses have been in the glasses. They were cruising at a tremendous speed as they did the ground. Overgrown bubble. You'll be able to see them soon. Land flat, not over next rise. Look, zooming over that right. Yeah, balloon alright. Coming this way. And low, huh? I must be cracking up. I thought I heard voices. Hey, there were voices. Look behind us. That's the Ranger Jeep. They're turning around. They're chasing us. Who's in it? I don't know. Can't make it out. Jack! Yeah? Jack, that's just what we need. If they can catch that drag line and slow down, we'll be able to land. Good idea. Only... I'll wait and let them know what's on our mind. Drop out that line. Okay, she goes... to reach far enough. I can fix that. It's... It's up to you now, boy. They dropped a rope. And we've got to catch it and pull them in. They're kind of like a kite. We can get it on them. Push your foot from the floor. And I'll give you the last officer to pitch you at the speed. I catch the load. You catch the rope. We're almost there. It's too cheap for it to put you up. Right. There it's secure with me. Granny's favorite nut. And I slow down. Slow. That's right, Bill. Our boy is safe and sound. Henry? Yeah, he's right here. Bill, I want to talk to you, Henry. Thanks. I guess. Hello? Hi, Bill. Yeah, yeah. We sure did. Yeah. We're all glad it's over. No. No, there's hardly any damage to it. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yes, sir. Yeah. Thanks a lot, Bill. Yeah, okay. We sure will. Yeah, we'll be careful. Uh-huh. Listen. Get back here soon. And say hi to Stump before us. Okay. Bye. You don't look so sick anymore, Henry. Bill, he sure is swell, you know? He said what I knew already. When you do the wrong thing, you can expect trouble. Yeah, that's plenty true. And he said that Jack and I would be expected to pay for the damage we caused. Well, that only fair. Yeah, that's right. And then he said our experience was punishment enough. Boy, it sure was. And you know what? He isn't even angry. Boy, he sure is swell. Yeah, that's plenty true, too. Well, at best, you turn in now. You have enough excitement for one day. Yeah, I guess so. And, uh, yeah, boys and girls, we'll see you next week for more adventures with produced in the studios of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Special sounds on today's program were produced by Cook Laboratories Inc.