A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver, the Lone Ranger. The discovery of gold started a new wave of immigration into the western United States. Thousands of prospectors became wealthy overnight, but many more found nothing, and the greed for gold led to violence and bloodshed in the mining camps. It was there that the Masked Rider of the Plains met his most exciting adventures and did his greatest work in the cause of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on! For the hill country! It's going to be trouble! Hi-yo! Beside a stream that cut down from the mountains, Jed Baker and his wife, Deborah, cropped with their feet close to the water. While Baker methodically scooped gravel from the bottom of the stream into a flat pan and swished it carefully, his wife, just as methodically, rubbed gravel into the clothes she was washing. Jed paid no attention until a buckskin's shirt slapped the water. Oh, dag-nabber-debra, will you quit that? Now what's biting you? Here I am, panning for gold, and you keep doing your washing right alongside me. Crows got to be washed, Jed Baker. When we was dwelling in a house in town, I always washed them. Now we're camped out here on this lonely river without nothing but a lean-to to shelter us. But by hickory, washing is washing, and I aim to do it. Oh, jumping mavericks, that does it. Look at how you muddied up that water. Will you go downstream a little? I can't even see the gravel. Pick up that pan. Deborah, I tell you, I... Pick it up, Jed, and stop being so fire-touchy. You don't have to see what you're scraping that pan to do your work. Besides, ain't no gold dust here, no how. Gold dust nothing. There's nuggets. Nuggets, I'll bet. Nuggets big as my fist. Nuggets big in a calabash cord. I tell you... You don't never learn, do you? Deborah, how long we've been tramping and traipsing around looking for gold and not finding none? Deborah, I'm asking you polite. Take up that wash and head yourself downstream. Oh, all right, come on, you're going. You're getting crabbier and crabbier every day. I'll get where I won't bother you none. Now you pick up that pan and start switching gravel. Don't fret about me. I'll find gold. I'll find it. Listen, what further you have to wash clothes. What's the sense to it? Oh, what's this here? Sitting right here in the gravel I dumped out of the pan. Looked as if... As if... You horse are fat. Deborah! Deborah, come running! Same things are just late. Come here, come here! What in time, nation, is the matter with you? Look. Look here at this. Well, what of it? It's a nugget. It's gold. You're singing things, Jed Baker. That there's a hunk of dirt. I tell you, it's gold, gold. Here, I'll pin it all through you in the water. I can tell by the weight of it, Deborah. I tell you... Here now. Jed, it sure looks like gold. Take it. Heft it in your hand. My name's sake's mighty heavy. Deborah Baker, it's gold. The gold of Mother Earth. It's a gold nugget and it's big. We won't want for nothing. Jed, you mean... You mean after all these years we're struck it rich? We can have the things we wanted for all these years? It's our claim, Deborah. All registered and in our name. Ain't nobody can take it from us. Nobody. We can get us a big house in town. Maybe Amarillo or Tucson. Tucson nothing. We can go clear to St. Louis or New Orleans. What? We can have a house with wooden floors. Two floors. One for daytimes and one for sleeping. If I can get me a spinning wheel and a lace shawl for Mexico and... Jed, we ain't dreaming. Oh, it's no dream, Deborah. That there gold nugget... Jed! Deborah. It's a couple of riders. Quick, hand me the carvins. Them bullets. Get into the lean-to. Jed, who are they? I don't know, but they ain't getting here. We got the rock wall close behind our lean-to. They can only get to us from the front. Get away from there! Jed, it's a masked man. Yeah, I see him. A masked man and an Indian. I'll learn him. What's he saying? Says he's friends. Don't come no closer, mister! Get a gun! The engine's pointing up over us. Sure, don't look. It's a trick. I don't see nothing. There ain't nothing. It's just a trick to get us to look away. Keep your distance. Keep your distance or I'll shoot. Yes, sir. Mask man, I warn you. Who's the gun? Saddle, take the woman. I'll get the man. You come up on saddle. Let go of me, engine! Up on the saddle, mister! Get away! Leave your hands off on me! You're coming whether you want to or not! Come on, sir! You're not obscured! What in tarnation are you doing? Let get this upon your horses like you were taking this someplace. Let go! We are taking you somewhere. We're taking you out of danger. That's far enough, Kimisabi. Yes, Tonto, far enough. No, no, it's got a hole. All right, silver old boy. Mister, what's this here all about? I'm sorry I had to shoot that gun out of your hand, but you wouldn't listen to my warning. Warning? What kind of warning? You look a cliff. I looked a four. I didn't see nothing. You were too close to the base of the cliff. Look now. I don't see nothing. No, mate. I ain't nothing. Jed. Jed, look up there. Well, I'll be. It's stones. Big rocks rolling down the slope. Yes. Tonto and I saw two men high above you. They started it. They started an avalanche that might have buried you under tons of rock. That avalanche is building up right now. Jed, Baker, look at it. Look at them rocks rolling and jumping down the cliff. It's aiming right for where we were standing. There's a heap of rock here, Deborah. You never get it off out using blasting powder. Jed, the lean-to, it's buried deep. Way deep. And the stream's covered up complete. Lean-to, rifle, everything we had buried under them rocks. Yeah. Old nuggets gone, too. You're lucky, Baker. You and your wife are still alive. Masked man, you and the engine sure done us a service. Yeah. How come you rode out here, mister? We were back in Navarro, Baker. We heard two men talking about you. Huh? You know anyone in Navarro? Do we, Deborah? No, can't say as we do. Of course, we filed this claim in Navarro, Jed. Yeah, this one and several more. None of them panned out till we hit this one. Two fellas, you say? What'd they look like? It was dark, Baker. We couldn't tell. And they didn't use names except yours. I said they'd be riding out here this morning to take care of you. We'd have come here earlier, but a fight started in the cafe and we lost them. Then how come you got here? We went to the office in the morning and got the location of this claim. It was your last, so we knew you'd be here. You mean to say, mister, you rode all the way from Navarro this morning? We did. Yeah. That horse of yours, I reckon you could at that. Two men. Well, why should they start that rock slide? They want to finish you and your husband. Yeah, but why? We ain't got an enemy in the world, mister. You must have, Baker. You must. That's Tonto. Yeah. Way up atop of the cliff. Sound sure travels plenty far in this air, don't it? Come out this way where we can see him. Huh? Well, what's he saying? He wants us to come up there. You think maybe he's found something? Perhaps. There's no one better at reading a trail than Tonto. It's a long climb up there, mister. It'll take us most of the day. We'll circle around to the south. You'll have your horses. Uh, that's all we have got left. It's plumb fortune we stake them horses away from the stream. The sooner we start, the sooner we join Tonto. Here, Silver. Come here, horse. Here, Mr. Baker. I'll give you a hand up. All right, mask man. Lead the way. Be sure that stallion of yours takes it easy. Silver won't go too fast for you, will you, boy? We'll be there. All right, Baker. Mrs. Baker. Follow me. Yep, Silver. I hope it don't take too long. There's a lot of things can happen to that engine all alone on the mountain. Cactus. Cactus, where are you? Over this way, Sneed. You've been taking your time. Did you get a look at whoever it was doing the yelling? Yeah, a redskin. Hey. Engine. Standing right smack where you and me started that rock slide this noon. Did he see you? No. On this year, rock service, you couldn't trail a wagon train, Cactus. Who do you reckon the engine is? Must be one of the two armies of Warren Baker and his wife. Them two we seen riding toward the creek? Yeah. And just when we was going to finish him. We ain't stopping just because we missed what's need. Well... I said we ain't stopping, Savvy. Now, look. You and me happen to know that that old claim of Baker's, the one on the other side of Navarro, that claim's got gold. Yeah? Baker just didn't go deep enough to find it. Sure. Because the claim is still registered in his name, the way for us to get it is to get rid of Baker. That's where we come out here. To finish him before he learns about it. Nobody knows but us. Yeah, yeah. But somebody might notice. And if they did, the next time Baker went into Navarro for supplies, it'll get to him. So we ain't getting to Navarro. Say, Cactus. Yeah? You figure Baker run into something on this claim? Huh? Well, when we was getting set to start that rock slide, him and his wife seemed like they was acting mighty odd down there. Ah, you loco, Sneed. It was too far to see good. Besides, there ain't nobody lucky enough to hit gold twice in a row. Even when he don't know about the first time. Yeah. Reckon you're right. Reckon? I'm certain. And if we're going to finish Baker, we got to do something about that engine. Yeah. He's alone, huh? The others just started up this way. It'll take him plenty of time to get here. Yeah. Plenty of time. You got something cooking up, Cactus? Sneed, there's two of us and only one engine. He's a big fellow, Cactus. That don't matter. Two again, one. Sneed, if we get him took care before the others get up here, we got to jump on him, Savvy. I get you, Cactus. Yes, and this here rock don't leave no trail. Not unless we do it deliberate. Huh? We'll grab that engine. We'll grab him now. And just you do like I tell you and we'll get the rest of them as easy as rolling off a log. Now let's get going. Do not wait long, Scout. Friend, him not be long now. Plenty quiet up here, huh? What that? Sound like rock, maybe. You stay here, Scout. Time to go see. Sound come from this way. Behind big stone. Somebody there. He got a gun. No. What the... You fellow. Not move. Engine. What's the gun for? What you do here. Now a jet's got a right to wander around, engine. I'm all alone. Nobody with me. What's that? Hit him, Sneed. Get the red skid. There are two of you, you... No. Oh, hey. He sure moved fast. I just had time to hit him with the butt of my gun before he pulled that trigger. How cold. Yep, I figured it would work out this way. He was hid right behind that shoulder rock. The engine come up to me. He was right behind him. All right. Give me a hand. We're getting him out of here? Yeah. We'll load him on this horse. Then we're heading back to the mountain a ways. We'll leave a trail, Sammy. We'll build trail markers out of stones. A trail? But Baker and the others can come after us. Sure they will. Sure. They won't be expecting us. Huh? When a cutter will look like the trail of just one jet, Sammy. It'll look like a trail the engine plant is special for them to follow. And when they follow, when they follow that trail, they're going to run smack into so many bullets they won't know what hit them. Sure this is the place, mister? The town should be here. There's the rock pile down below us. Gosh, it's sure a long way down. I don't see the redskin. Neither do I. Possibly he... Yeah? Here. The town left this pile of stones as a guide for us. Points that way further up the mountain. Yeah. I reckon he wants us to go that way, huh, mister? It's the only way to leave a trail on this hard rock. You stay behind us, Mrs. Baker. Stay behind you? What for? Ain't nothing going to happen to you, sir? No. No, I don't think so. But it's better to be safe, even though Tonto appears to be alone. Come on, Silver. On the trail. 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. When the Lone Ranger and the Bakers reached the top of the cliff, Tonto was nowhere to be seen. All they found were trail markers built of stone. Where in tarnation is that engine leading us, mister? We're following the trail markers he left, Baker. There's another one. It's getting under sundown. It'll get mighty churn up here. We turn further south here. Tell us how those rocks are placed to form an arrow pointing that way. It's awful quiet up here. That is, it's getting longer. We'll keep on a bit further. Tonto can't be very far off. I wish we could see tracks out of them heaps of stone. And that's the regular way of trail marking in rock country, Mrs. Baker. You think your engine par had seen somebody? There were two men up here, Baker. We saw them from a distance. They started that rock slide. Yeah. I've got a feeling that something ain't right. It is strange. Tonto doesn't ordinarily start away like this. But we should know very soon. See him yet, Snead? The back trail's getting in the shadow, Cactus. Hard to be certain. You better be. Well, I'm watching. How about that engine? Back there with the horses. He's tired. We ought to put a bullet into him. Don't be an idiot. The shot will echo all over the mountain. We'll take care of him when we ambush some others. Supposing they don't fall for this trap? They will. Well, I ain't got no reason to suspect nothing. Yeah. Yeah, you sure build up them heaps of stones. It'll be Baker's finish, Snead. Him and whoever's with him. With Baker gone, we can take over his old claim easy. And I heard something else from the engine. Yeah? Baker struck gold right down below, too. Huh? Yeah. There's placer gold right under that rock pile. Baker was holding the nugget in his hand when we started the slide. Hey, use a little blasting powder. Yeah. We got two gold claims instead of one. Pretty good, huh? Doggone good. Cactus, all we gotta do is... Hey, what the... Hey, that sounds like one of our horses. The horse is nothing. Can't be. We got the hoosh wrapped up so they don't leave no scratches on the rock. I can see the trail a long way, Cactus. There ain't nobody coming. Must be the engine's horse. Didn't you stake him out? Sure, sure I did, but still... Come on, we'll take a look-see. He's gone. The engine's horse is gone. Well, where's the redskin? He didn't get away, too. I let him rip. Oh. There you are, engine. Ah. Me here. Take a look at them ropes, Sneed. Tied plenty tight, Cactus. Slip your bandana over his mouth for a gag, Sneed. Baker and the others must be getting pretty close now. Yeah. Engine, how come that horse he owes got loose? Him pull rope away. Yeah. We had that rope wrapped around a couple of heavy rocks. Scout him plenty strong. You sure you didn't do it? Ah, no, of course you couldn't. You're tired. All you could do is talk to the horse. Ah. That's right. Me talk to a horse. Well, there ain't nothing to worry about. Get that gag on up, Sneed. You gotta watch the trail. Get your head back, New York. Yeah, it's plenty tight. He won't bother us nothing. Let's get back to the lookout. But that horse here is the paint. What about the horse? What about it? Well, supposing that engine told his horse to head down the trail. Hey, hey, you're supposing too much. It's a thousand to one shots, Sneed. It can't happen in a wart. Now we're getting back to that lookout. It's starting to get dark, but we can spot him coming again in the sky. And we gotta be there to pull triggers. Come on. It sure is mighty rough country. Stands right up on edge. It does, Baker. The trail keeps going up. Look at this here straight up and down cliff beside this mountain stream. Sure is a peculiar rock, ain't it? Why, yes. What's the matter? Anything special about it? I don't know. It's hard to tell. Mass man. Mister. Yes, Mrs. Baker? This here air is awful thin. I've got to rest a while. Why, of course. I hadn't noticed. I'd sure like a drink of water. Let me help you off your horse. Here's fine drinking water. Thank you kindly, mister. Sure is cold and good. Here, Mrs. Baker. Put this blackout around your shoulders. It'll keep you warm. Deborah, I know you're plum tuckered out, but that engine must have been on the trail of them, Aubrey's. Ain't it so, mister? I think he is, yes. You ought to be keeping after him. You're right, Jed. Mister, why don't you and Jed keep going? I'll be right warm here with this blanket. No. You could pick me up later. If you don't keep going, you might lose that bad man. Jed, we can't do that. For all we know, Tata may not be after them. There's no way to be sure when the rock leaves no trail. Yes, but we... Suppose we left your wife here. Suppose we went ahead. Those two men might have circled around. You might find her here alone. Oh, shucks, mister. There ain't nothing that harm, old woman. They started a rock slide knowing you were beneath it. Yeah. I reckon you're right, mister. I reckon we better wait. Perhaps I could... Wait. Huh? Listen. I don't hear nothing but the book. Listen. Can't you hear it now? My grannies, it's a horse. A horse coming this way. I don't see him. No, do I. Not yet. He's certain... There, look. I've seen him for a second again in the sky. Jed, stay here with your wife. That horse didn't have no rider. Stay here. I recognize that horse. It's Scout. Tata's horse. Stay here. I'll bring him back. Baker, there's been a change in my plans. I see you got the horse. It's Scout, Tata's horse, with a halter hanging loose. That can mean only one thing. Yeah? Scout would never leave Tata any more than Silver would leave me. He'd only do it under orders. You mean your horses would take orders like that? Silver and Scout would. What do you mean the plans have changed? Just that, Mrs. Baker. Jed, we're going on, you and I. What you just said... Yes, I know. I said we couldn't leave Mrs. Baker here, but now we can. Mist, all this sounds loco. Perhaps it does, but I know what I'm doing. Mrs. Baker, you'll stay here. When you hear shots, light a fire. And don't move away from this rock. Stay right here. Easy with that gun, Snead. That's the second time you scraped it on the rock. If they don't show up soon, we won't see them. Keep your eyes fixing that notch on the rocks. That's the trail we fixed. Well, we got a clear shot again in the sky, as long as the sky don't get much darker. We can spot them clear. Now... Cactus. Yeah, horses. It's them. It must be. Shut up and use your ears. It must be this way, Baker. Right along side, mister. Did you hear that? It's them. Baker and the other jet. Yeah. The engine's purred. Look where he might be. Look. Yeah. It's them starting to show up in the sky. Can't make out their faces so clear, Cactus. Sure not. The light's fading. There's their hats and their outlines. The horses is too low for us to see. We got them clear. Snead, draw your bead on the jet to the right. Yeah. I got the one to the left. Now, aim careful. They'll drop in their tracks. Now, drill them. We got them. Did you hear them yell? It was a target we couldn't miss. A real dry gulch job, Snead. There ain't a sound out of them. There never will be. Well, that takes care of them. Now, let's get back and finish that engine. Ha, ha, ha. This is sure working out fine and done. This is it, Cactus. It's a dark agent. Can't see where he's hidden. Here's their horses. Where's the redskin? Cactus. Cactus, he ain't here. He's gone. Look, we must be here. Look. There's where he was tied. Here's the rope. Cactus, the engine's gone. I tell you, gone. Yeah. Yeah, I reckon he is. We got to corral that redskin, Snead. We got to corral him and Mrs. Baker, too. They're the only ones left. If we don't get them, you and me might swing at the end of a rope. Sure, but where is he? Where'd he go? We got to find him. Snead. Huh? Look, down yonder. Ain't that a fire? Well, well, I'll be. Yeah, a campfire. Down the mountain a ways. Who is it? I don't know, Snead. Maybe it's a Baker woman. Maybe it's the engine. The engine knows we're after him. He ain't fool enough to light a fire. He's the only two. Whoever it is, we got to get there and get there fast. We can't leave no witnesses, Savvy. Get your horse. We're busting in on that camp. Last man said start a fire. Well, I've started one, but I sure wish I knew what happened to Jen. Well, that ain't Mrs. Baker. Now, don't move, ma'am. I'm just looking for you. Nice big fire you got here. Ain't it, Snead? Sure is. You. You two varmints. So it was you who tried to kill us. You started that rock slide. Yeah. Too bad you was warned in time. What was them shots I heard? I figured it was you getting a dose of lead. Not what it is. It was your husband. What? Your husband and that hombre with him. We drag Gulch, both of them slick as a whistle. Oh, hey. And now, just so there won't be no witnesses. You coyotes. You couldn't do nothing to a woman. We won't have to. All we'll do is take your horse. But I'll starve to death before I can reach any human being. Yeah, I reckon you will. Well, go ahead. Go on, take my horse. You shot my husband. Ain't no use living without Jen. Get the horse, Snead. Yeah. And we can start after that engine. You look, what, Tonto? Him right here. What? The engine. He's standing next to the horse. Shoot. Shoot him down. He ain't got no gun. No, but we have guns. Get them, Baker. I'll show them, you other skunks. This Baker is alive. They ain't taking me. Oh, try another shot. Let's go. No. No, don't hit me, masked man. Don't hit me. Here's my gun. Mister, you sure give Cactus one awful wallop. Tonto. Oh, me here, Kimmer, somebody. Take care of those two. Oh, me do that. Oh, Jed. Jed, you're alive. You're alive. I didn't figure I'd ever see you again. Oh, Deborah, honey. Just take it easy. Yes, Mrs. Baker, we'll guard these two. But you and your husband have had a hard day. There'll be plenty of time for explanations in the morning. All saddled and ready to go, Tutter? Uh-huh. And tied up good. Yeah, you got us. If I didn't know that you was a lone ranger, maybe I'd have done different. But it beats me how me and Sneed missed you, Baker. I shot you less than 30 paces away from a steady rest. What you saw wasn't us, Sneed. It was getting dark. All you had to guide you were two outlines against the sky. You see, Baker and I put blankets on branches with our sombreros above. And that's what you shot at. Well, I'll be... Well, that's it. Then you set the red skin free. You had Mrs. Baker start a fire because you knew we'd head for it. Yes, Cactus. You set a trap and landed in one yourself. All right, Baker. We can start... Mister! Mister, come here! Yes? I can't believe my eyes. Look at this here rock right next to the stream. It looks like gold. Is it gold? Mrs. Baker, it is gold. What you found down below was just placer gold. Dust washed down by the stream. This is the real vein of good ore. You mean you knew it all the time? I saw it last night. That's why I was so definite that your wife stayed right here beside this rock. Mister, then you're rich. You've got enough gold to get anything. That isn't my gold, Baker. Eh? What do you mean? I mean, it's yours. Yours and your husband's. Ours? Yes. Toto and I have no use for gold. You can use it. And you deserve it. And it's the richest gold I've ever seen. Now, Toto and I must go. We've got two prisoners to deliver to the law. And you'd better follow our trail. You've got a file on your new claim. All right, Toto. We're heading for town. Get him on, Charles. Come on, Silver. Come on, old boy. Oh, Silver! Come on! You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger, Incorporated. Yeah. Come on. Come on. You have just heard the voice.
