A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early days of the western United States. His strength and courage were always on the side of right against might. No man could match his daring and resourcefulness, and nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days when the West was young, and the Lone Ranger was fighting the greatest battle of his entire career. As dawn was breaking, a small band of hard-faced, hard-ratting men pushed deep into the tangled, wilds of barren hills that barred their way to the Rio Grande. Finally, when their leader saw that he could go no farther, he raised his arm and shouted a command. Hold up! Hold up! Hold up! Hold up! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Dirk! You think we lost them? You think we rode far enough? Can't ride no farther. Look at the horses. Get down! Won't have to hobble these critters. They won't stray. You camping here, Dirk? Yeah, or we can go on. Fellas, if we ever had rotten luck, we had it last night. Plan to wreck that eastbound train and get fooled into thinking the wreck had happened when it hadn't. Just so we'd show ourselves. Yeah, with Tonto and Arizona and all them railroad fellas laying for us. They got the Buzzard and Nolan and over half the rest. I'm telling you something. If it hadn't been so dark, wouldn't none of us got away. I ain't giving Arizona or Tonto any credit for it, though. No one Graham weren't slick enough to trap us like that, neither. Only one fella to blame. The Masked Man. Yeah, the Lone Ranger. He learned what we schemed. You're right. It was the Masked Man. Said so themselves. Yeah. But there's something funny about it, fellas. Huh? What? For some reason or other, that Masked Hombrey ain't letting his pard see him. And it's that that we're going to use to pay them coyotes back. What do you mean, Dirk? You got a good horse, ain't you? Sure. When he's rested... He'll get rest. When he's ready, do you figure you could ride and bring Pawnee P to our hideout, say, inside a week or ten days? I guess so. With that horse of his he calls Frosty? Sure. But what for? When I'm all set, I'll tell you. You just follow orders, that's all. All right, fellas. Find yourselves a place to sleep where the sun won't hit you, and tonight we'll push on. When night came, most of the outlaw band rode on toward the Rio Grande, but one of them headed for the Badlands to the north and west. At the end of five days, he reached his destination, a rocky canyon in the middle of the desert that led to a small green valley. It was there that Pawnee Pete had made his camp. And when he received Dirk's message... Dirk knows I'm wanted. I'm taking a chance if I leave here. I know that. But he needs your help, and you can't let him down. Who says I can't? Saving my skin is mighty important to me. And I'm not leaving here unless I got a good reason. Do you want to hole up in this desert for the rest of your life? Arizona and Tata won't stay around Spanish flights for long. They swore they wouldn't leave till every one of us was behind bars. They'll get tired waiting for me. Is that all you got to say? Yeah. You made the trip for nothing, Joe. Well, I guess maybe you wouldn't have had the nerve to go through with it anyway. Go through with what? Dirk's plan. I thought you didn't know what it was. I don't exactly, but I got a hunch that it'll take nerve. I got as much as anybody in the gang. And then another thing, you aren't big enough. Why, you little... Sure, sure, you're big enough to beat up on me, but that won't get you nothing. Take it easy, Pete. What are you driving at? I'm just comparing you with somebody else. He's a good two inches taller and broader across the shoulders. And that horse of yours isn't as good as his. Frosty runs about 16 hands, doesn't he? Yeah. The other one's bigger. I only heard of one horse. It's bigger than Frosty. Maybe that's the one. Come on, Joe. So, what's your hunch about Dirk's plan? Let's have it. Ah, you ain't interested. You're gonna stay here and be safe. Let's have it. Well, it's easy to figure out that Arizona and the Indian couldn't do much without the masked man's help. Well... No, Graham, nor the sheriff and his posse either. What about it? He's helping them, ain't he? You told me how he set that trap. Yeah, but there's something else Dirk noticed. What? They ain't working together. That way, there's have to be misunderstandings. Now, if one of us was big enough and had enough... Never mind that. And if one of us owned a horse that was anywhere near as good a silver... Frosty could get by. Think so? I'd wear a mask, wouldn't I? You'd have to. The Lone Ranger. Changed your mind, any? All the way. We ride for the Rio in the morning. It was almost a week later that Arizona Lawson and Tonto, with Arizona's dog Wolf at their heels, rode slowly along a trail to the east of Spanish flats. Well, Tonto, I'm here to admit I'm just about beat. Where in thunder can the mask man be? Hmm, we not find him. He could be camping somewhere in them hills along the Rio, of course. But we've searched all the likely places. And if we tried to cover all that territory, it'd take us from now till I could raise a long gray beard. Funniest thing is, this trip we just made to the mission. I thought for sure we'd find the pottery was back there. Him not? Yeah, nobody around the place even had word from him. You know what that makes me think might be possible, Tonto? What's that? Well, after getting that silver bullet from the Lone Ranger that time, we can bet chips he's up and around. Uh-huh. But it could be that even so, he ain't feeling any too fit yet. That'd explain the pottery still staying with him. That's right. Mm-hmm. I think so. But doggone if it explains why he won't let us know where he is. Or why he don't come back and work right along with us. Him help, though. Help? I should smile, he has. Ask some of them crooks that are sitting in jail right now if he ain't. They'd tell you. And Tonto, you take it from me, he's planning to go right on helping. Till the last of them polecats is jailed or hung. And what's more, he won't stop till he's located that gent behind him. That's right. That outlaw leader's slick to keep himself hid the way he has. But we'll smoke him out, all right. And slick as he is, it ain't been enough to keep his luck from running right bad or late. Nope. Far as we're concerned, things have been going all right. What in them? Them shots? Close, too. I'd say they come from somewhere just around that bend. Come on. Quiet, Walt. Get up. Get up. Get him up, scouts. Get up, fella. Hurry, fella. Hurry there. Get him up. Hey, look. That's a ranch house back in there. And them fellas outside. Off gone, they've seen us. They're taken to the saddle. Get up, man. Then leave. I'm tailing like old. Get out. Come on, fella. Come on. Get him up. We'd chase him? Better not. Too many of them. They're set for us. Better pull up at the ranch house here first. Find out what's happening. Maybe we're needed. That's right. Whoa, whoa, fella. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Inside. Now, that's right where you are. What? Hey, don't you aim that rifle at me. Put down gun. Don't you dare come closer. Don't you dare. Stop it. Stop it, boy. Miss, we're friends. Oh, shoot. I swear I will. We ain't crook. Get back. We just heard the firing and the comer running because we thought we was needed. I don't believe you. Stop out where you are. Now, miss, you know you don't mean to pull that trigger. Stop. Wolf. Wolf. Why, Wolf. Is that any way to talk to a lady? You shut up. She ain't going to harm us none. She just thinks she is. Now, miss. Wolf. Did you call that dog Wolf? Why, sure. Then you must be. Arizona Lawson, miss. At your service. And you're Tonto. Uh-huh. Oh, and I thought you. That we was crooks. Sure, we savvy. But now that you know better, you mind explaining what all this ruckus was about? I'm Molly Fletcher. Uh-huh. You saw those men riding away? Sure did. They were after my father's money. They got it? No. Good. But they fired those sharks you heard to frighten me and to tell them where it was hidden. You poor cats. You tell? I couldn't. Huh? Because I don't know myself. But they wouldn't believe me. Now, miss, you're saying that just because you don't trust us. But I'm not. Really, I'm not. I'd give anything to know, but I really don't. And it's funny them crooks would waste time scaring you when they could be getting after your pa. You don't understand. Miss, I reckon I don't. Well, my father's in Houston. He's very ill. Oh, I'm sorry. Of course, you know about all the holdups that have been in the district. Well, we ought to. Well, that's why father hid his money. But now he's away, and I can't get word to him in time, and I just have to find where that money is. Yeah? Well, you see, father borrowed money from the bank in Spanish Fletch with our ranch for security. And the money has to be paid back in eight days or we'll lose everything. But I can't find it to pay it. Well, I don't know why I'm bothering you, though. It ain't no bother. Maybe we can help. Uh-huh. That's kind of you, but you couldn't. Well, let's see now. Let's get this straight. First off, them crooks who was just here know about the cash. So far as they're concerned, you're not being able to tell them where it is is a good thing. Yeah. But far as the bank is concerned, it ain't. Because the bank has to be paid. Oh, it must be. Now, you sure your pa never said anything that would give you a hint what he'd done with the cash? Not one word. That's funny. You'd have thought he'd have done something to make sure that cash went to you in case anything happened to him. Oh, he did? Yeah? He told Manuel. But I haven't any idea how to find him, and I just can't wait until he gets back. Gets back? Where is he? Manuel just shows up once a year in the fall. The rest of the time, he wanders around the country doing our job. Hmm. I suppose you think it's strange Father would tell Manuel about a thing like that, but not me. Well, it is kind of, ain't it? No. Father was afraid of just what's happened, that someone might try to force me to tell. Uh-huh. And Manuel's fine. Father would have trusted him with anything. And he knew Manuel would always come here to the ranch every year, so sooner or later he could tell me where the money is. It's just that Father never thought that the money would be needed in just this way. What's this Manuel hombre look like? Why? Tonto and me are hunting him up. You, you'd do that for me? It's your only chance, miss. We know your pa can't be reached in time, but maybe this other gent can. If you'd found him, Arizona, you don't know how grateful I'd be. We'd be glad to help you anyhow, Miss Molly. Yes. But more than that, it's a chance to put a spoke in the schemes of them skunks we've been fighting. Now, you tell us what Manuel looks like and where he's most likely to be. Get up! Get up there! One of the outlaws had watched Arizona and Tonto as they entered the Fletcher Ranch House. Then dismounting, they had approached close enough to overhear their conversation with Molly through an open window. When Arizona announced his determination to find Manuel, the outlaw returned to his horse, mounted and raced for the gang's hideout. Half an hour later. Dirt! Hi, dirt! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where the thickest you been? Now, don't get mad to you. Didn't you want a chance to trap Arizona and that red-skinned Tonto? You don't talk unwell at you. Then quit getting so mad. Listen to what I just heard over to the Fletcher play. Arizona and Tonto began their search for Manuel. They rode throughout the district and made countless inquiries. But nowhere could they find any information. Finally. Nothing doing here, Tonto. What even say? Ain't seen Manuel over a year. Doesn't think anybody else around here has either. Or they'd have mentioned it. Well, the only thing to do now is to push on south. Oh? Maybe he's crossed the border. What matter? Tonto, am I seeing things or do you see what I do? What's that? Look there. High up on that ridge there in the sky. See him? Ah, it's horsemen. Yeah, and that's a powerful big horse he's setting on. And from here, that horse looks to be pure white. Ah. There, look. He's waving. You see him? Silver. It's Masked Man. Lone Ranger. We follow him. No, Tonto. Hold on. What? Tonto, he don't want to see us. Oh, me not, Sandy. If he did, would he go racing away from us like that? That's right. But he had some reason for letting us get a look at him. And I'll bet you I know what that reason was. What's that? Wait and see if I ain't right. How's the best way for us to get up there where he was? Ride round that way. And Tonto, let's go. Get up, fella. Get along there. Get him up, Scout. Get him up. Get him up. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story, Tonto and Arizona raced toward the ridge where they had seen the Masked Man mounted on a pure white horse. When they had reached its crest... Oh, oh, Scout. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, that. Oh, Scout. Now wasn't he right about here when we seen him, Tonto? That's right. That... I was right. There, again that tree. Ah. Come on. Ah. It... It's message. Stuck again in the trunk of this tree where he knew we'd be sure to find it. Don't you see now what he was up to, Tonto? He stood here with Silver till he was sure we'd seen him. And he cleared out, knowing we'd come up here after him. Tonto, no matter what his reason is for staying away, you gotta hand it to him. That Masked Man's smart. Ah. What papers say? Just a second. Tonto. Ah. How the Masked Man finds out things, I'll never know. What him find out? Somehow he learned we're looking for that Mexican. Oh. And here, he tells us how to find him. Well, Tonto, let's travel. Where we go? South of the Rio. Get up, fella. Get up. Get up. Come. Get him up, fella. Get him up, fella. Thanks. Back already, Pete? Just got you. Arizona and Tonto. They felt just like you said they would. I waited till I'd seen him cross to this side of the border, then I'd come ahead. You'd be far behind you there, then. 30, 40 minutes, baby. So hide your horse. Then find Jake and Bat and tell them I want to see them. Tell them to hurry. Where'll you be? Here in the back room. That must be the place, Tonto. Better pull up. Oh, boy. Oh, God. Oh, God. Come inside with me? Oh, he comes. Hmm. Tough looking place. It's plenty tough. Wonder what an old fellow like this year, Manuel, will be doing here. Oh, me not, no. Well, we'll find him to get out as fast as we can. Hi, stranger. Huh? Oh, howdy. You've been red-skinned, man. How? Say, uh, you a Texan? Huh? Me? Sure. Why? Just asked to see if I was right. If I find one this side of the border, I can tell them every time. Yeah. Any of my business? What brought you here? You acquainted in this place? Yeah. Pretty well. Then maybe you can tell us something we want to find out. Glad to oblige if you can. Know a fellow called Manuel? They know his last name. But he's a little fellow. Getting along in years. Spends a lot of his time north of the border doing odd jobs for ranchers there. Well, I should smile, I know, ain't I? We heard this is where we'd find him. Hey, he's here right now. Yeah? Can we see him? Sure. You see that door? Yeah. We'll open it up and walk right in. That's the back room. Thank you kindly, stranger. Come along, Tonto. Oh. What just happened? Smash the door open. Come on, break it in. Third shot, there was two fellas. It was a self-defense. I heard him say they was out to get him. Come on. Break open that. Door. All right, let me through. That kind of happened. What? I'll be empty. There ain't a man in this room. What? Hey, Jake. Jake, wake up. Where? Come on, wake up. Don't. Cut it out. My head. It's me, Jake. It's Dirk. Sit up. Where are we? Don't ask me. What happened? Well, that's what we got to figure out. I don't want to figure anything. My head feels like it's ready to bust wide open. Well, you can't feel no worse than I do. Splash some water on your face. Maybe that'll make you feel better. Water? Sure. You're laying with your head almost in the river, you idiot. Just a second. It feels good. All right, let me get some. I ain't stopping you. River. Hey, this a Rio? What else would it be? How in the diggings did we get here? I ain't got any idea. The last thing I can remember... Oh. Huh? Hurts even to think. Now, let's see. We was in the back room of the cabaret waiting for Arizona and Tana, weren't we? Sure. I can remember that. They come in, too. Oh, did they? Don't you remember? Well, I... Sure, now I do. But then what? I... We... Yeah, we had our guns all ready to drill. They beat us to the draw? Nope, weren't that. Then what happened? Let me alone. I'll piece it out. It has something to do with the window. Now I got it. We was just ready to shoot when somebody outside that window shot the guns from our hands and fired again and busted the land. Now I remember it playing. Oh, it's coming back now. Yeah, there's something else. Something else. Huh? At least I think there is. What are you talking about? Well, something that hurt somebody ill right afterwards. I wish I could place what it was. Seems like it was right important. Just before everything went black. Oh, oh, I got a bumper top of my head the size of a hen's egg. Yeah, so why? Somebody must have hit us some awful wax. Yeah. And whoever he was, I got a good notion it was that same hombre fired from outside. And I'll bet it was him brought us here. Yeah, maybe. If I ever find that feller, I'll break every... I got it. What? Get up. Hurry, doggone it. I just remembered what it was I heard that hombre yell. What was it? He said, he said, get to their hideout and pick up that cash before they come to. What cash? Hideout? I can't win the hills yet, is it? That fellow was talking about the cash we got on them holdups. The cash we buried under them rocks. And they're after it now? Couldn't mean anything else. Come on, there's our horses. Help me round them up. Hurry up. Get over there. They didn't set to go someplace, Tonto. Huh? And I reckon they'll head straight for where the Lone Ranger figured they would. That's right. You think you can handle your end of this alone? I can help you, you know, if you think I should. You get lawmen. Well... You not worry about Tonto. If you say so, all right. But there's one thing you don't want to forget. What's that? No matter how bad want of those fellows are, the law can't lay a hand on them as long as they're on this side of the border. Somehow they've got to be tricked into crossing over again. Me take care of that. Got it figured out, Hal? Uh-huh. Hold it. They're getting in the saddle. Oh, I see him. I reckon this is where you and me separate, folks. Get up! Get up! There they go. Get up! Audio sent, Pard. And you be careful. Uh-huh. Get him up, Scout. Get him up, Pard. Gone red skin. Except for the mask, man. He's got more nerve than any dozen men I know. Well, boy, let you and me travel. Get up. Get up. Get along, Pard. Hurry. Say, that's the place there. Yeah. Oh, ho, Pard, boy. Oh, boy. Go on at war. Oh, maybe we beat him here. I'm hoping so. That don't look like this rock's been moved. Come on. Give me a hand with it to make sure. Come on. Oh. Safe. Ain't been touched. We got here first. Then we better grab it. You can't still. What the? It's Tonto. You, Tonto, shoot. He's grabbing your cash ball. Blast you. You can't still. Here, Scout. Let me get cash. You not follow. Get off, Scout. Get off, Scout. Shoot that engine down. Man, he's behind cover. You going to let him get away with that? Not if we can help it. Steady, boy. After him. Get up there. Get up, boy. Get along there. Get up, boy. Get up there. Get up there. Hey, this way, Jake. You can't cross the river there. It's full of quicksand. Go ahead. I'm with you. The engine's across the other side already. Get up, boy. Get up there. Get along, boy. Get up there. There he goes. Heading for the Fletcher place by Sunday. Right. If he's fixing to take cover there, that's just what we want. Ain't nobody on the place but the girl. Get up, boy. Get up there. Get up there, boy. Get up there. Get up there. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa. I see him. He's inside. Yeah. Keep out of range of the windows. Come on. Now get close up against the wall. Uh-huh. We know you're in there, engine. Come out with your hands in the air. We're coming in after you. And if we do that, you ain't going to get off so easy. You're coming out? Well, he's asking for it, Jake. Inside and let him have it. Drop. Yes, keep down. Give it to him. Put it up, then. You're coming. What the? Where'd you fellas come from? The sheriff in Arizona. You two can get up off the floor now. Ain't doing yourselves no good down there. Arizona and me, we've been waiting here, kind of hoping Town Oak could persuade you to drop in. Thanks a lot. If you'd have stayed the other side of the border, I'd have never been able to touch it. Drink. That engine's got our cash. Hear that, Sheriff? Two of the worst crooks in the county yelling they've been held up. Which shame will get them nowhere. We're going to town, boys. Mark. Wait. Mark. Well, Tonto, there's a couple of more skunks we can check off our list. Miss Molly. Arizona, this money Tonto gave me, I'm sure it's not the money Father hid. But I... Now, now you wait. But Arizona... We ain't going to explain too much about where that cash come from. Because the less you know about it, the better. Now, I'm going to tell you what you do. Take what cash you need for the bank, Miss Molly. And the rest you can turn over to the sheriff later on. But the money I take, I can't keep it. You won't have to. But don't you... Your pa will be getting better before long and coming home. And he can take his cash and give it to the sheriff for what you borrowed. Oh. And then I... I reckon that'll fix things up just fine. Oh. Arizona, you and Tonto have been wonderful. Miss, when somebody like you said something like that, I... I just ain't got the heart to deny it. But I'm going to be honest with you. Yes? Tonto and me done all right. But there's another fellow deserving thanks even more. Who, Arizona? The Lone Ranger. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of The Lone Ranger Incorporated.
