A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty, Hi-yo, silver, the lone ring. The men gathered around the campfire in the early days of the western United States. Stories were told of the masked rider of the plains, and these stories have come down to us through the generations. His strength and courage were always on the side of right against might. His daring and resourcefulness brought law and order to the lawless frontier and blazed the trail for the winning of the west. 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, silver! We're heading for Rainbow Bend! Sam Birdwell ran the only store in Rainbow Bend. It was the only store in over 400 square miles of rangeland, and every settler and rancher bought supplies there with one exception. Sam Birdwell had never sold any groceries or supplies to Dirk Kincaid, the man who owned the biggest spread in the section. But one day... Sam! Sam, look who's coming into the store! Yeah, I've seen him tie up to the hitching rail. It's Kincaid! Kincaid and his foreman, Gonzales. You better get him back, Deborah. They're coming in. Remember, Sam, he's the biggest rancher around these parts. If he wants anything, you sell him. You're getting back. Dirk Kincaid himself coming to my store. Howdy. Howdy. Good, well, my name is... I... I know your name. Kincaid. My foreman here, Gonzales, dropped around yesterday to buy some grubbing supplies. He didn't get them. Why, I got other customers. Yeah. Well, my lazy K ranchers are in need of some grubs, Sebby. Reckon you can settle? Well, I'm sort of out of a lot of food. Long trip to Los Angeles to get more. Yeah, that's what I'm figuring. So far, I've been doing my buying on Los Angeles. But like you say, it's a long travel. So, I'm buying and you're selling. If I got what you want... You got bacon, ain't you? Gonzales. Here, Senor Kincaid. That flinch of bacon hanging yonder. Hustle it down and put it on this here county. All right, Birdwell. Here's your knife. Slice that bacon up for me. Slice it? You heard me, Birdwell. I want it sliced. But the cook on your spread, he can do that. Senor Kincaid. I am handy with a knife. Very handy. You want I sliced this? Zellies, you're always itching to use your knife. Put it away. I'm asking Birdwell. So? Pick up that knife, Birdwell. And be sure you slice it thin the way I like it. And just in case. Here's my six-shooter. Rest him right on the county. Now, start. How's that? Finner. Finner, I tell you. No, by gravy, I won't do it. Birdwell, pick up that knife. No. Kincaid, I ain't selling you nothing. Not a thing. I sell to most folks, but not to you. Pick up that knife and start slicing. No. You're an ornery scheming crook. You own the biggest spread this side of the High Sierras. But you rustle cattle. You steal horses. You're a poison sidewinding rattler. Maybe other folks do what you order, but not me. Now, get out. You man can talk to me like that. If you got a gun under that counterreach for it, I'm going to blast you to... You're not sure. But then send it... Engine, get out of here and mind your own business, Sebby. You put gun back. Right away. Pronto. All right. Go on your head. And do it like you say. Good for you and me coming in store, huh? Yeah, Engine. Only I... Look out. Look out. Gonzales has a knife. The next time I draw my gun, the bullet may not hit your knife. The mesh man. Bestest draw I ever seen. Mister, you saved the engine for sure. Sure, you're hopping up with that loss, eh, Birdwell? Tonto and I never saw Birdwell before, and he never saw us. We came here for supplies, but we heard enough outside. Kincaid, are those your horses at the hitching rail? Supposedly I am. The door's still open. You and your foreman can make tracks right now. Looky here, mister. You heard me on your way. Come on, Gonzales. I'm gone. What I said still goes, Birdwell. You won't sell a grub or supplies to the lazy K, huh? Well, you're stacking up trouble for yourself, a heap of trouble. And it won't be long in coming. What are you, sir? I reckon I'm a plumager, mister. Kincaid sure means what he says. Now I've got you in trouble, too. Tonto and I are used to trouble Birdwell. We were glad to help. Sam. Sam, are you all right? Sure, Deborah, sure. I was out and back taking a walk. I was so nervous I couldn't stay in the back room. Then I heard that shot. What did Kincaid try to do? He tried to do plenty, Deborah. You sure he ain't hurt? I said he tried. Only the mask man and the engine stopped him cold. Mask man and the engine? Who are you talking about? These two gents right here. Well, I'll be hogtied. They're gone. I don't even know their names. I'd sure like to have them on my side. Kincaid wasn't fooling when he said there'd be trouble. Senor Kincaid, almost we are back to the Lazy Care Ranch. All the way from town, you say nothing. I've been figuring out what to do, Gonzalez. We'll get it all set now. As soon as we get to the ranch house, get some of the boys, savvy. Yeah? They're riding to every spread around here, to every rancher and settler and townsman. To every single solo buys from Birdwell. They're buying from them no more. If Birdwell don't sell to me, he don't sell to nobody. Hey, you rich man. I got a message from Senor Kincaid. He say nobody's trading with Birdwell. Huh? Nobody, sorry? You stop trading with Birdwell, Planteau, Richmond. Or Kincaid, you don't like it. Much better you do like Kincaid, tell you, huh? Remember. Message him in a hurry. There'll be no more trading at Birdwell's. I've given the orders. Don't trade at Birdwell's, that's all. Nobody's going to the store. Not me, not me. Birdwell won't sell to me, won't sell to nobody. Sure, Kincaid, sure. Whatever you say. You're a top man around these parts. If you say so, I stop buying from Birdwell right this minute. Carney. Hey, Carney, rain up a second, will you? Howdy, Birdwell. Birdwell. You get mighty offish all of a sudden. You always used to call me Sam. Well, I... Why don't you drop in the store for a minute? I can't. I, uh... That is, I'm in an all-fired hurry. I didn't notice that. Your horse was just ambling along. Well, I am. Oh. Say, uh... Need a new vest, Carney? I just got in to supply the fanciest you ever seed. Real antelope and stitched with red beads from back east. Nope. I don't need nothing. Besides, I gotta get going. Carney. What's ailing everybody? Well, let go of that rain, will you? Carney, I'm asking you. What's wrong? Why ain't nobody been in my store? Why ain't you been in? You ought to know why, Sam. I, uh... I've been told it'd be healthier, not to... Hmm. You mean Kincaid, don't you? I'd rather not mention any names. Don't have to. I suspicioned it. But I thought you fellas had more gumption. Kincaid's a tough army to rile, Sam. He's one man, ain't he? You and all the rest put together could stand up against him. Carney, you know what kind of skunk he is. Uh, I gotta travel, Sam. I did what any man with backbone would do. I'd count on you fellas to keep trading with me. Leave go of the rain, Sam. Nobody knows better than you that Kincaid's a coyote. He handles his guns too good for argument. Leave go of the rain, Sam. Carney, Carney! It ain't no use yelling. Kincaid's got him scared to a frazzle. Every last one of them. I gotta do something. I gotta. It does for one gun, now the other. Who's that? Sam, where are you going? You get back to bed, Debra. It's the middle of the night, Sam. What on earth are you... You're wearing guns. I got a little business to attend to. And your horse, all saddled and ready. Sam, what's on your mind? Where are you going? I'll be back right soon. No. No, wait. Let me see your face. You're trying not to look at me. Debra, where I'm heading for ain't a woman's business. Kincaid. You're going after Kincaid. Answer me, Sam. You're going to shoot it out with Kincaid. A man's got a right to protect his business. But you can't, he'll kill you. He's a dead shot. I'll take my chances. It's better than starving. Because nobody trades at our store. You can't go gunning for... Kincaid's an ornery snake. He thinks he can run this section. He thinks he can ruin me because I prefer to do business with good people. But you can't. There's a law against gunfighting. Law. What good's laws when nobody uses them? And friends, too. I thought I had plenty. But what good's friends if they won't stand behind you? You can't blame him for knuckling under to Kincaid. I ain't blaming him, Deborah. But I'm settling this. I gotta. Sam, no. No, come back. Let go of me. My mind's made up. Sam. Sam, you can't. I'm calling him out, Deborah, tonight. As soon as I get to his ranch. Give me a kiss for luck. Sam. Deborah, I... Get up, boss. Get up. Sam. Did you see that? Oh. Him clear in moonlight. Looked like Birdwell pushing his horse plenty hard. That's right. Come along. For the store? Yes. I noticed the light through the window in the back. You see it? Did you see that, Tudor? The door just closed. It was a woman. You can see her in the lamplight. That's Birdwell's wife, huh? It must have been. Come on, Tudor. Hello in there. Woman crying, huh? Yes. We're going in, Tudor. Mrs. Birdwell? A masked man. And that agent with you. Move one step closer, now pull this trigger. Tudor and I are your husband's friends. Oh, we help. A masked man. He did say something about us. You helped him before, but you can't. We saw your husband making tracks. Where's he going? I tried to stop him. Kincaid will kill him. Kincaid? Is that where he's heading? Sam was going plumb loco, seeing how Kincaid made everybody stop trading here. Sam took his guns. He's going to call Kincaid out. Tudor, look after Mrs. Birdwell. Help me do it. Mask man, where are you going? I'm going after your husband. Here's the whisper. You mean it, masked man. You'll go after him. Come on, Sylvie. Come along. Him go after him. He's got to get there in time. He's got to. Him go plenty fast. I'll seal my whole life. Kincaid, Kincaid, wake up. Put him, please. And Sylvie, is she look good? Board well, he must have a ranch house. Yes. Sure, you listen. Come on, Kincaid. Come on out and bring your guns. I ain't going to call you. Well, I'll be a... That dumb rabbit means it. He aims to fight a gun duel with me. Give me that gun, Bill. Pronto. Yes, senor. You'll fix him good, eh? And Sylvie's sake and outshoot Birdwell from here to breakfast. When I get through out there, he'll be face down in the dust, ready for a gravestone. Come on. 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. How to continue our story. Moonlight silvered the prairie as Sam Birdwell, the storekeeper, stood outside Dirk Kincaid's ranch house, challenging him to a gunfight. Birdwell was determined to end, once and for all, Kincaid's attempt to ruin his business. Come on out, Kincaid. Come out or I'll come in and drag you out. Who's that? I'm going to tell you, Kincaid, he'll be out very soon. Oh, he better. What is wrong? You're scared, eh? Maybe I am. I ain't much of a hand for gunfighting, but I'm going through with it. You end up six feet under. So be it, then. Now, get away, you onering knife throat. Sure, sure, I'll leave you by yourself now. That you, Kincaid? Come out in the moonlight, where I can see you. So you come gunning for me, eh, Birdwell? Come out, where I can see you fair. Yeah, I reckon you could. I reckon that's the way you like to fight, too. I ain't toted a gun for years, but I still got nerve enough to use him. Now, come on out. It's you or me, Kincaid. Come out, get him. Come on, Silver. Kincaid, get him back. Shoot, let him out. Come on, Birdwell. You're coming with me. Let go of me, Mashman. Set me down. Get her away from here. Don't go on, you mister. Save us. We'll talk later. Come on, Silver. Faster, boy. Oh, shit. This is far enough. We'll talk here, Birdwell. Ain't no good stopping me, Mashman. I'll go back there as soon as I can. I got to face out Kincaid once and for all. If I hadn't come along, you'd have been killed. It would have been a fair fight. It would not. Huh? I saw the flash of Kincaid's guns as I rode up. He had them drawn. He was ready to shoot. You mean he was... He went from the porch before you could see him. He had no intentions of giving you the slightest chance. Why, that low-down polecat I ought to get. Besides, Birdwell, he wouldn't stand a chance against a gunfighter like Kincaid, even face to face with an equal draw. Yeah. I knew that. But thunderation, mister. A man's got his pride. Kincaid's ruined me. And I can't take it lying down. You still have your friends? Friends. What good are friends when they don't stand by you? There ain't one of them dares to come into my store. I'm not so sure of that, Birdwell. It's true. Not one of them dared stand up against Kincaid's orders. Sometimes it takes people a long time to act. Too long, Maskman. Too long. Sometimes it isn't until someone is gone that his friends realize they should have helped. Huh? Maskman, the way you said that, like you had some kind of plan up your sleeve. Would you be willing to do as I tell you? Mister, you saved me twice. I reckon I'll do anything you say. All right. I'm riding back to Rainbow Bend, but you'll stay here. What? Well, I don't savvy. You will, Birdwell. Now listen. Injun, is that... Oh, that friend, that silver. How are you? Steady, silver. I got there in time, Kimosabe. Mister. Mister, where's my husband? Where's Sam? His horse come back, but the saddle was empty. Your husband is unharmed, Mrs. Birdwell. I left him up in the hills for the time being. What? Kincaid was going to shoot him without giving your husband a chance to reach his guns. He could have done... Mister, if Sam ain't hurt, why didn't he come back here? I have a plan to help him. That's part of the plan. Mister, you ain't lying to me. Sammy... Friend, always tell truth. Your husband isn't even scratched, Mrs. Birdwell. You've got to believe that. Mister, I reckon I do believe it. Fine. There's something about you that makes me trust you. You say you've got a plan to help Sam. By refusing to sell to Kincaid, your husband has lost all of his trade, hasn't he? Yes. Yet everyone is friendly with him? Oh, everybody. If it weren't for Kincaid's orders, they'd still be buying. Very well, Mrs. Birdwell. I want you to hitch up your wagon. Huh? I want you to make the rounds of all your friends. The ones who were afraid to stand up against Kincaid. I want you to tell them your husband went to call on Kincaid and he didn't come back. But, mister, if I say that, they'll think Sam's been done for. Yes, they will. They'll jump to that conclusion. But it'll take now on to two days to get to all of them. They're all spread out. Then take two days. Tyler can go with you. Ah. What about you, mask man? You coming along? With this mask? Now, I'll stay here. I have some work to do. Well, you'd call on everyone you can. Yes, mask man. Yes, and I'll tell him just what you told me to say. But, mask man, I've been setting up here now on to two days now. I ought to be down in my store. Why? You have no business to attend to. Well, maybe I ain't. You promised you'd stay here till I told you to leave. You've got to keep that promise. All right. All right, I will. But, hey, hey, mister, where are you going? Here, Silver. Mister, where are you going this time? Look out there across the slope toward Rainbow Bend. My eyes ain't as good as yours, mister. It's a wagon. Your wife's coming back. Well, I'm sure glad... No, Birdwell. It's getting dark. I can go down there and meet them. But you stay here. Come on, Silver. Mask man, engine rainer. Oh, good friend. Oh, oh, oh. He was happy. Hi. Well, mask man, we're done it. Me and Tonto must have covered nigh under 70 miles, but we told them all. They're coming into Rainbow Bend? In the morning. It's just like you figured, mister. They all jumped to the conclusion that Sam was done for. I sure had a hard time not letting them know Sam was alive and well. He is, ain't he? He's fine. How did they take the news? Ask the engine. They was plum ashamed of themselves. That's right. You must be tired, Mrs. Birdwell. I'd like to see Sam. You'll see him in the morning. I look up there into the twilight. You see that fire winking on the hill? Is that where Sam is? That's the camp. You sure those friends will be here? Positive, mister. Good. I brought scouts for you, Tonto. Time for us to make tracks. Uh-huh. Me come. Now you go home and get some sleep, Mrs. Birdwell. And in the morning, you lead all of Sam's friends up on that hill. Understand? I sure will, mister. Good night. Good night. Adios. I've been watching Kincaid's ranch every night, Tonto. Kincaid's been on the lookout for Birdwell. Huh? What's more, Kincaid believes I'm with Birdwell. He thinks the two of us are dangerous, that we interfere with this rule of the district. Oh, Tonto's happy now. So far, I've made sure Kincaid or his men didn't see me. But this time, I'm making sure they do. Come on, Tonto. Get him up, scowl. Come on, Silver. On the trail. As always we've watched for a long time. Maybe Kincaid, he will wrong about his mask home rate. Maybe the mask home rate and Birdwell even moves the... Hey, what is that? Marcius. He's to a rider. No sign of Kincaid up yet, Tonto? Ah. All sleep. They might just as well get back to Birdwell. Ah, we do that. Where in Birdwell now? On the hill south of town, Tonto. Ah. We go sleep, huh? We've been up once for the night, Kimosabe. Yes, we'll head back for camp. So, time for me to tell Kincaid. His news he'll be waiting for. It's getting lighter, mask man. You see him yet? We were close enough to Gonzales last night, so he could hear Tonto and me talking, Birdwell. I'm sure Kincaid has been told. Ah. What is it, Tonto? Look, there. Off that way. Two riders crossing the ridge. I can't make them out at all. It's Kincaid and Gonzales. It must be. They'll be here in about an hour. That's right. There's no doubt what they plan to do. Try, Gulls, huh? What else? All right, Tonto, on your way. Here, Scout. Head down in the Rainbow Bend. Get to Mrs. Birdwell and make sure she comes up here in front of you. Huh? Me, Sammy. She'll make certain those friends come along, too. Hurry, Tonto. Uh, me, tell them. Hit them up, Scout. That is. Yeah, mask man. If them hombres want to surprise this campfire, then... Then that's just what we'll let them do. It shouldn't take them long. Hit your horse, Gonzales. The campfire's right ahead. Yeah, the smoke, she's rid of his way. I can't hear a sound. I reckon this'll be like shooting at a target. Senor, what is that? Sounds like horses. Gonzales spread that mosquito part. Look out. Well? Senor, it is the Indian. He blamed the woman, Mrs. Birdwell, and all the people. They're coming this way. Look. What the... Yeah. Senor, maybe we better go, eh? Nothing doing. We still got time. Follow me. What can't care? Look. The other's at camp. Stop. Cast your eyes on that, Gonzales. Two of them wrapped up in blankets. Not more than 50 yards down from us. There is a white hat. That must be the masked hombre, eh? Yeah. And the other's Birdwell. Can't see his face, but he's got that spotted vest at his side behind the blanket. Which one I should? You take Birdwell, and I'll get the masked man. If we start shooting those below, they come fast, no? Let them. We still have time to get to our horses and get away. I'm ready, King Kid. I take Birdwell, yes? Yeah. All right, Gonzales. Now. What's more? That is fire, eh? They do not even store. Ditter and mackerel, both of them. Now, come on. We've got to make tracks. Faster, King Kid. Come on. The horse is right past this club with him. What the... What in blazes of masked man? Drop those guns. Move. And, Bortwell, it is impossible. They are both dead. That soldier knows it, you poor cat. Drop those bullets into logs under the blankets, Kincaid. Now, drop those guns. No. Now, fight it up, Gonzales. Give him a... Knock the guns clean into the bushes. And look, masked man. Here comes Deborah and all the rest of them. Sam. Sam, are you all right? Janko. I ain't even scratched Deborah. Howdy, Carney. Howdy, Master. Howdy. Howdy. Why don't you gents keep your eye on these two ornery skunks? I got them, Carney. Sam? Sam, I reckon we owe you an apology. It weren't till we thought you was dead that we realized we let ourselves be bulldozed by a polecat. We should have stood up against Kincaid right from the first. Just a minute. Hold on a minute. It's the masked man. Quiet, you fellas. Quiet. Salo and I are going. But first, I'd like to say a word to you men. Sam Birdwell did what every one of you wanted to do. He stood up against oppression and wrong. He sure did. Yet each of you was a little too lazy. Yes, and a little bit afraid to back him up until you realized what might have happened to Sam. Yeah, we thought he was dead. Yes, Carney. But from now on, I've got a feeling that you like like true Americans. You remember to stick together all the way. The fight of oppression and wrong no matter where you find it. Mister, these bullcats are on their way to the calaboos. Adios to all of you. Come on, Kimo-Sami. Adios. There you go, Sam. Masked man and his engine guard. I just wonder where we'd be if he didn't come along to help folks out. Oh, Deborah, we won't think about that now. For a gent that's supposed to have been dead, I'm full of ginger. How about it, gents? Is my store open for business again, or ain't it? The store you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
