the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty, hi-yo, silver, the Lone Ranger. Companion Tonto, the masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. The stories of his strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness have come down to us through the generations, and nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion 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, silver, there's trouble on the border. Come on, silver, come away. A full southwestern moon rode high over the flat and wooded border country. Then slowly, as though reluctant to hide its face, the huge silver disc slipped behind a bank of heavy clouds, and in the soft and sudden darkness which followed, there was only one sound to break the quiet, the mournful hoot of a night owl. The sound seemed to fade away into the deep shadows of tangled mesquite and chaparral, when suddenly it found an echo. An echo that was deeper and more strident, but unmistakably the hoot of another owl. Very few people would have found anything strange or unusual in the sound of night birds on the rangeland, and they might have been surprised at the concern it caused two horsemen who reined up sharply beside a clump of pinion trees. One of the men was astride a powerful white stallion, and the upper half of his face was covered with a black mask. His companion was a grave-faced Indian dressed in buckskin and riding a paint. As they scanned the darkened landscape, the Lone Ranger spoke to Tonto. Did you hear that, Tonto? Ah, me here. The hoot of a night owl. It should be... Listen. Yes, there it is again. It isn't exactly musical. That not night bird. That man sound. I agree with you, Tonto. It's a poor imitation of an owl. Hmm, plenty poor. But it's a pretty good sign that rustlers are working here along the border. Owl hoots are their favorite signals. Rustlers work fast while moon behind cloud. We'll head for the river. If they go over the border, they'll use the ford. Come on, sir. Look, get them up. As the Lone Ranger and Tonto rode to a high rise above the riverbank, the returning moonlight flooded the entire scene. Below them stretched the broad yet shallow stream which marked the international border. And down its brushy slopes came a milling herd of longhorn cattle. Owl hooters, Russell. He big herd. Too big for the number of men who are driving it. Look, there are only two men on point. Two more on the heel and drag. Russell, let's take plenty big chance. I can't understand it. Cattle thieves don't usually run that kind of risk. Want to ride quick, stampede herd? No way, Tonto. Those men, whoever they are, must know there are patrols on each side of the river. Yet they try to rustle a large herd under full moonlighting. Fire show! Rallies. We come from both sides. The Rangers, too. We help. No, Tonto. I think the Mexican police and the Rangers can handle it better than we can. Plenty good. Cattle stampede, rustler, bamos. They're on the run, all right. That's what I can't understand. Crook not fight. It's not that. The whole thing seems too easy. You think it bad? Why should only four men try to rustle a large herd in bright moonlight when they know a patrol is nearby? Maybe crook forget. Why did they turn tail and run when the rally surprised them? Me not, no. Neither do I. The man who gave that first owl the hoot we heard may have some information. Come on, Silver. Give him up. Count. What direction was the first call? You've come from west. Here. This is close enough. Under these cottonwoods, Bo Silver. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. All right, Tonto. See if we can flush one of those imitation owls. Give them one of their own calls. Ah. Maybe crook not. In close. Try it again. You'll have no trouble finding us. Don't say anything, Tonto. Let him talk first. I heard your screech. After the rally's high tail, I figured you would... Yes, we thought you'd figure that way. What the? A masked man in an Indian. Who are you? Easy, Silver. That's exactly the question I was going to ask you. I'm not going to answer. Better keep that gun in leather. Safer. You've got the drop on me. Well, what do you want? What's your name? Mack Snyder. Not that it's any of your business. I'm making it my business. You're plenty smart, aren't you? When you got me covered with a six gun. What I want to know, Snyder, is why you and your owl hoot friends staged that fake rustling stunt a few minutes ago. Why should I gab to you? For a Dolby dollar, I'd plug even with that gun in your hand. Oh, for a Dolby dollar, you'd shoot me. That's very interesting. Hello. Uh-huh. Do you happen to have a coin in your pocket? Uh-huh. Hunter got Dolby dollar. Toss it up in the air, right above Mr. Snyder's head. Uh-huh. Snyder, I think you'll find that dollar somewhere at the bottom of the tree, right behind you. What are you trying to do? Go on, look for it. You'll plug that Dolby right in the center. It's a dollar you asked for, Snyder. Do you still want to use your gun? I can't match that kind of shooting. But I can do that. Shoot yourself, Snyder. No mask on. He's going to tell me what... Oh, yes, he is. Oh. Oh. That very good. We leave Crook here, huh? No, Tonto. We'll send him home, wherever that is. Here, help me throw him across the horse. We'll tie him to the saddle. Wipey, help him. Steady there. Because his horse looks well fed. If we turn him loose, he'll head for his home corral. There. I'll tighten that saddle cinch. Ah. We'll follow him. All right, boy. Head for home. Here, Silver. He's heading south. That means the other side of the border. Come on, Silver. Get him out of this car. It was a strange procession that wound through the cottonwood and chaperone. A Mustang with the unconscious Max Snyder strapped to the saddle led the way. The pony's hunger was guarding it instinctively to the feed that awaited it in a distant corral. The Lone Ranger followed on the great horse, Silver. Tonto brought up the rear. The little cavalcade forded the broad river and climbed a bank that overlooked desolate sage and mesquite flats. Then it moved southward for several hours and finally reached the outskirts of a small village. Tonto, ride up and grab Snyder. The pony. Get him out of the scouts. Ho, Silver, ho. Ho, scouts, ho, sir. Ho, ho. Evidently he's heading for one of those doby houses in the town up ahead. I know this village, Tonto. It's Carlita. Maybe Rustler here, huh? It's notorious as a hideout for American outlaws. What do we do now? I'll go ahead on foot and see what I can find out. I'd better disguise myself. How to fix it? Easy, fella. Hurry. There's no time to lose. The Lone Ranger removed his mask and his outer clothing. Then from a saddle pack, he donned a nondescript outfit of leather chaps and cotton shirt. Meanwhile, Tonto, through the use of certain wild berries and herbs, had changed the appearance of the mystery rider's face. The alteration was almost magical. Where the Lone Ranger had stood a few moments before, there was now just an ordinary cowboy. How do I look, Tonto? Plenty different. Now, what do you do? There's a small canteen in town. If there are any outlaws in this territory, that's where I'll find them. Tonto, wait here. Only for a few minutes. Give me time to get there, then turn the Mustang loose. Ah. Wait a little while longer, then bring the horses and close in. But, uh, keep your eyes open for trouble. Ah. Tonto, watch out. All time. I know you will, Kimo Sabe. That's why I can take this chance. Good, amigo. You'll drink, no? Thank you. But I'm looking for someone. Quien es? His name is Snyder. Max Snyder. Snyder? Is he here? Quien sabe? It's very important. I've got to see him. Muy bien. Follow me. Let me go, stuff. Man asked for Senor Snyder. Yeah? Say hello, Augustina. Great, Senor. Howdy, stranger. Augustina tells me you're looking for Max Snyder. Yes, I am. Is he here? Well, not right now. You a friend of Max? We were together earlier this evening. I had an idea he'd meet me here. Well, he might be in for the night's over. It's hard to tell about Snyder. Yes, I know. But if you're a friend of Max, you're welcome to hang around and wait for him. Thanks. My name's Sam Peavy. I run this place. If you're going to wait for Max, why don't you have a drink or dance with one of the girls? Thanks. Maybe I will. You're on your own. I've got to leave you. I'm talking business with an hombre at that big table in the bank. I'll get along, all right. Who was it, Sam? Yeah, just a cowpuncher from the States. He's waiting for Max Snyder. Yeah, so am I. I wonder why that foreman ain't showed up. You'll be along. I'll sit down. I'll finish telling you about what happened tonight. You mean the dumber of Raleigh's didn't roll on if the rustling was only a blind? Nah. They went for it hook, line, and sinker. So did the Texas Rangers. What happened? Nothing. Boys just left the Longhorns in the middle of the river and high-tailed it. Any shooting? Yeah. Some. That made it look more real. How about the guns? Did you get them across the border all right? Slick as a whistle. Packed them over about a mile above where all the ruckus broke out. Good. Where are they now? Up at the old Diablo mine. We'll deliver them tomorrow and collect the cash. Butcher, I've got to hand it to you. You're a slick one. Brains. That's all it takes, Sam. Brains. Didn't it tell you we could make plenty of money running guns into Mexico? Me and the boys do the work, and you run this cantina for a hideout. The beach does in the law up in the States. Sure it does. We've already made enough to buy the Eldorado Ranch. And when we get tired of running guns, we can, you know, we can go out there and retire. Sure. Let's have another drink on there. Yeah. Augustina. Si, senor. Tu hai mai una bebita. Andela. Si, si. You know, Butcher... Hey, wait. That hombre just got up and left. He was sitting right here behind us. What hombre? The one you were talking to at the bar. You said he was waiting for Max Snyder. I bet he was listening to every word we said. I yell, no go, Butcher. Well, maybe I am. Oh, dear, please. Hey, Augustina. What's the matter? El portillo de Tombo. Secao. I talk English. What's wrong? He unconscious. Come on, Butcher. Mac, what happened? Where am I? At the cantina. What happened to you? The mask man stuck me up and knocked me cold. The mask man? What are you talking about? Then how could you send a cow puncher here to the cantina to meet you? I didn't send no puncher down here. What? Sam, that hombre, where is he? Why, he's... There he goes. He's out the back door. Stop that fireman. Somebody stop him. Get him out of here. He's heading for the corral. Come on. That white horse, that's the army that... Get him! After him! Open! 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. After the Lone Ranger made his daring escape from the cantina, the outlaw soon gave up the pursuit. Oh, oh, oh, oh, steady, boy. That was him, Butcher. I know it was. Even though he wasn't wearing a mask. A mask? Why should an outlaw like that try to hone in on us? I don't know, Sam. All I know is he packs a wallop like a mule and he can shoot a dollar out of midair quick and a jackrabbit can jump. What, Sam? I saw him do it. Here. Here's a Dolby dollar with a bullet mashed in it. Let me see. Wait. Let me see that. Why? Why the... What's the matter, Sam? This bullet. It was made out of silver. Oh, what of it? That can only mean one thing. That hombre wasn't no cow puncher. He was the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? Yeah, we'd better get out of it. Wait, wait. Don't get all riled up. But suppose he did hear you and me talking in the cantina. You heard about the guns being at the Diablo mine. Yeah, Butcher, and you might blab to the Morales. Yeah, even if he does, it won't hurt us none. I just thought of a plan that'll take care of everything. Yeah, what? Well, let's go back to the cantina and have a drink. I'll tell you about it. Get up. Get up. Come on. And while Butcher was unfolding his plan to trap the masked man, the subject of his discussion was riding a back trail several miles to the south. Oh, Silver. Oh, Silver. Oh, you saved my life, Tonto. You and Silver hadn't been waiting in the corral. I'd never have made it. Oh, Tonto glad Kemosabe. City fellow. Now we have a lot to do and time is short. Tonto, got my clothes and the saddlebag. While I remove the disguise from your face. Crooks, caper-wrestlers? Worse than that, Tonto. They're gunrunners. That's what they did tonight. Brought guns across the border. While the fake rustling held the Morales. You know where they put guns? An old abandoned mine called the Diablo. We go there now? No, first we ride back to the village. Butcher and his gang will leave there soon. There they are, Tonto. The whole gang is getting ready to leave. All right, you lowbos. We ride to El Dorado Rancho. You savvy? All right, get up. Get up. Get up. We'll keep them in sight, Tonto. But not too close. Come on, Silver. Get them up. Less than an hour later, the lone ranger and Tonto reined up their horses not far from the rambling El Dorado Ranch. The light shone in the front part of the house where a dozen dismounted riders had been seen to enter. The masked man dismounted and, taking his lariate from the saddle, coiled it carefully. Now, remember what I told you, Tonto. My pistol shots will be your signal. It'll be up to you to get the men away from the house. You'll lose them once you get on the trail. Tonto, do it. I'm going over to that large window. Adios. Adios, Kimasabi. The masked man made no noise as he moved forward like a shadow toward the open window through which lamplight and raucous voices came. In a few moments, he reached his goal. The lone ranger unholstered one of his silver-mounted guns and aimed at a cluster of bottles and a large table in the center of the room. Butcher, the leader of the outlaws, came running onto the patios as men disappeared on the trail of what they thought was an invader. The moment he stepped from the shelter of the house, there was a sudden swish of coiled leather through the air, and the outlaw found himself trussed by the lone ranger's lariat. Hey, what the... Quiet, Butcher. You'll do exactly as I tell you. With a masked man. I'll keep the sluried around your waist. I'll also keep you covered with a gun. What are you going to do? We're going to mount your horse, and then we'll ride. Ride? Where? To the Diablo mine. Come on, Butcher. It was over two hours before the lone ranger and his prisoner reached an abandoned silver mine known as El Diablo. They dismounted and entered a roughly built tool shed that hadn't been used for years. Now, Butcher, where are the guns? I don't know what you mean. Maybe you can understand the kind of language I spoke to Max Snyder. If you do... No, no, no. The guns are in packing boxes at the end of the shed. Just a minute. We'll verify that. Boxes are here, but... Yes, there are guns. Hundreds of them. Evidently, this is one time in your life when you told the truth. What are you going to do about it? Several things, Butcher. First, we will walk back to the door. My Indian friend has escaped from your caballeros. Kimasabi, you have trouble without law? Not a bit, Tonto. And I can see you lost the company you had. Then not catch scout. The guns are here. What do we do with Crook? We're going to take him back across the border. Oh, no. I think the Texas Rangers might have a few things to talk over with, Mr. Butcher. But first, I'm going to report this cache of guns to the Ruralis. And tell them where they can find the rest of the gang. You ride alone, Kimasabi? Yes, Tonto. One of us has to stay here and take care of Mr. Butcher. Ah. Here, keep the lurid around him. Come to watch him. I'll be back as soon as I can find the Mexican police. Yes, Silver. Keep your eye on him, Tonto. Come on, Silver. The first flush of daybreak was coloring the southern sky when the Lone Ranger rode up the camp of the Ruralis. Ho, ho, Silver, ho. Uncle. Buenos dias. Quien estés? Un amigo. I wish to see El Capitan. El Capitan. Yes, sir. El Capitan. El Composita. El Composita. The mask man. I'm glad that you know me because I... And why not? I, Captain Sanchez, have been informed of your evil doings. It's well that you give yourself up instead of putting us to the trouble of pursuing you. Oh, I see. Will the captain be so kind as to tell me what crime I'm accused of committing? You stole cattle from the Rancho Dorado. You escaped last night when we thought we had you trapped at the border. Oh, evidently, Mr. Butcher thought of everything. What is that you say? Nothing. You've been misinformed, Captain. I'm not a rustler. The man who accuses me is a gunrunner. Gunrunner? He tricked you at the border last night, but I caught him. He's a prisoner at the Diablo Mine. The Contoban guns are there with him. Senor Butcher a prisoner? But no, it cannot be true. Mientes, you lie. Come with me and I'll prove the truth of what I say. You will prove it or die. Give me your guns. Here they are, Captain. We will go as want to Diablo Mine. Alto! Oh, Silver, hold! Avete! Get off your horse. Steady, Silver. Now, where are these guns and this prisoner you speak of? Right over there in the tool shed. Well? Hello? Hello? The gun, senor, and the prisoner. It's quite obvious that both of them are gone. Very well. You have led me on a fool's errand. Now you are under arrest, El Campasita. I can't understand what's happened here. My Indian friend is gone and I... But of course, it makes no difference to you. No, the slide is different, senor. Super de usted. Get on the horse. We return to camp. The Lone Ranger was under military guard and being returned to the Rurali's camp. He knew that although the captain was mistaken, it would mean a costly delay. The outlaws had evidently turned the tables on Tonto, and his loyal Indian friend's life might even now be in danger. The masked man resolved to escape. His hands were not bound, and the Rurali captain was riding beside him. It would be a simple matter to seize his guns and urge Silver into a gallop. However, getting away from the soldier's bullets would be more difficult. But he must make the attempt at all costs. It'd be up to you, Silver. We'll have to run for it and run hard. Oh, uh, Captain. Yes? You notice that cloud of dust to your left? It'll be caused by a man, or... Well, I don't see no dust. I'll take my guns back now. Come on, Silver. Come on, boy. Alzo! Alzo, d'ande! He has his guns! Andere! Alzo! Because of the stamina and speed of the great horse Silver, the masked man made a successful escape. The soldiers followed him for several miles, but they were soon outdistanced. All day long, under the broiling sun, the Lone Ranger searched for Tonto. He went back to the mine, the ranch, and even to the little village of Kalita. But nowhere could he find a trail of the Indian or his captors. Then, just as the sun was sinking, and as he rode past a broad plain of juniper trees and sagebrush, Silver stopped suddenly. What's wrong, Silver? You want to cut off the trail? All right, fella. One trail's as good as another. Silver. Silver, I see what you mean. It's Scout Tonto's horse hitched outside that doby shack. Wait here for me, boy. Wait here. What's up, Frank? Butcher sends us out here to guard this dumb Indian while the rest of the gang go into the cantina and celebrate. Yeah. Why keep this engine alive, anyway? Now, Butcher thinks he can squeeze some information out of him. He'll have to use tougher treatment than he's used so far. This redskin's just naturally tongue-tied. What happened to the ombre with the mask? Morello's got him in jail. Butcher worked that out soon. I don't think so. Reach. Good on you. It's him. Lone Ranger. Tonto, are you all right? Good on me. Fine. You untie hands. Untie the Indians' hands, Snyder. You better be quick about it. Sure. Sure. Untie him. There. Not plenty better. Now, I think it's time for the showdown. We're riding back to the cantina. Get outside and mount your horses. Remember, Otto and I are right behind you. How about a butcher? The Raleigh's ought to have had that mask vomit in military prison by now. Let's go over and look at him. Yeah, sure. We might as well. Put your hands up. All of you. It's a mask, grandfather. This is one time you can't. Oh, my hand. My arm. You're allowed to hurt. Now, listen. All of you, freeze. Stand just where you are now until... You arrived just in time, Captain. This gang of rustlers and gunrunners are your prisoners. El Comparsita. The masked one. I'm your prisoner, too. I escape while under arrest. Oh, no, no. It was I, Captain Sanchez, who made the horrible mistake. I do not discover it until I return here and consult my superior. I offer a thousand apologies. That is unnecessary, Captain. But I'm sure you and your men can handle these outlaws. Rest assured, it shall be done. And, Otto, I think our work is over. Ah. Here, Silver. Here, boy. Buenas noches, El Capitan. Buenas noches, El Comparsita. Come on, Silver. Get him out, scout. El Comparsita, the masked one. The lone ranger. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. The Lone Ranger Incorporated.
