Fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-ho silver. The Lone Ranger. In 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! We're heading for Ghost Trail! The Lone Ranger and Tonto rode slowly on either side of Dan Reed, the masked man's newly found nephew. But can't you tell me more about the surprise that's waiting for me when we get back to the southwest? No, Dan. You just have to wait until you see it. How soon will we be there? Not very soon. We have at least two more weeks of travel. We could travel faster, couldn't we? Well, I'd rather take it easy. Your pony isn't as strong as Scout and Silver. Golly, I wish I had a horse like Silver. Oh, what'd you do with him? You're not ready for him yet. What would I do with him? I'd ride him. Are you boasting, Dan? Well, I'd try to ride him. You would? I'd learn to ride him. Or try to learn. Golly, you sure make me say just the right thing. Precision is a thing that counts, Dan. Precision in everything. Your father was one of the most precise men I've ever known. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, and he said it. He knew exactly how he wanted a thing done, and he saw that it was done that way. Oh, but sometimes a fellow has to do things in a hurry. That's where you'll find precision handy. Now, wait a minute. I ran up, who's it? Oh, boy, oh, Scott. Oh, fella, oh. Ah, something going on in Valley. That's a wagon train. Yes, but why are all the men in a group? Is there an argument or something? I don't know, Dan, but we'll find out. Come along. Come on, Silver. Get up there! Now, there's no use hogging about it, boys. Your pay ain't here at the station, and that's all there is to it. Now, look here, Jeb. We want to know why we ain't got our pay. You think we're driving these wagons for the fun of it? Now, hold on, Hop. I'll tell you what I think. Maybe Horgan there already knows. What's that, Jeb? Horgan? Steve Lacey sent you here. Well, Steve Lacey's a crook. He waylaid a couple of our wagons, and I got a hunch that he waylaid the pay of these men. Oh, you dirty... Oh! Come on, Silver! He fired it. I'm hit! Man on the white horse, he's masked. Oh, Silver, oh, boy, oh. You hit my hand. You fired on me. Take it easy. You're going to shoot a man that isn't wearing a gun. Oh, Scout, oh, fella. Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, man. Oh, the masked man and a redskin. Hey, who are you... Do something about my hand. I'm hit. I'm hurt. Manage it, Tonto. Uh-huh. Let me fix him. I'll help you, Tonto. I got some clean water in my canteen. Why the gunplay? Who's in charge here? I'm in charge. Name's Jeb Hawkins. These bullwaggers won't acquit. He don't pay us, and he accuses me of being in cahoots with crooks. That's the truth. But what's it to you? Maybe you know something about the crooks that stole our pay. Now, get this straight. I'm not a crook. What do you mean? That mad... Jeb, where are they heading? They're driving these wagons and oxen from Bainesville to Rocky Ridge. Now the boys want to quit to take on another job without completing this one. It ain't my fault their pay wasn't here at the station. I'm just a station agent. Now, you see, we was told that half of our pay would be here waiting for us. Now Jeff says it ain't. So we ain't leave this stock here and get jobs that pay cash. And you men agree to take this wagon train and the oxen to Rocky Ridge? And now they want to leave it here high and dry. Who owns the stock? Ma Wiggins. I see. Well, there's a gent named Steve Lacey that'll pay us twice that she promised. Yeah, that ornery buzzard. He wants to get him away from Ma Wiggins. He wants to ruin her. He's the one that stole the cash. I bet McGizzy done it. Shut up, Jeb. We've had enough of that gab. Who are you? The name's Horgan. And Steve Lacey ain't no part of crook. Yeah, he's the one that came here with the offer from Lacey. Get out of here, Horgan. And don't come back. I'm not taking orders from you. I don't like to repeat myself. You'll hear from me again, mister. Only next time you'll be on the receiving end. Ornery skunk. If I see that pasty face of his around his depot again, I'll drill him full of sunlight. You men. We're listening, stranger. I've always heard it's when bullwhackers made a bargain, they kept it. Well, you've heard right. Then get back on those wagons and take them to Rocky Ridge. What about our pay? You'll get full pay when you deliver the goods. What do you say, boys? All right, it's a deal. But I'm giving you a fair warning. From now on, we'll be driving for Steve Lacey. All right, boys. Get back to your wagons. Some time later, the lone ranger, Tonto, and Dan guided their horses carefully through a narrow crevasse banked on both sides by mountain slopes. A dangerous and almost secret but shorter route to Bainesville than the wagon trail they'd been following. This trail is treacherous. Even Silver doesn't like it. Me not like it either. Too many rocks on trail from landslides. Careful, Dan. Golly. It doesn't take much to start them rolling, does it? I bet one rock falling from the top of that slope would bring down an avalanche. We'll soon be out of it. We must be halfway to Bainesville by now. What we do there? First, we'll have a talk with Ma Wiggins. She may be able to tell us the reason for the trouble she's been having. Oh, that's right. Then Ma's an old friend. I want to do all I can to help her. What's that ahead? Looks like a cave. Yes, Dan. Probably something. Listen. Look. Up the slope. The whole side of the mountain's rushing down at us. That rock slide. Quick. Head for that cave. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scal. Come on, boys. Stretch those legs. Hurry, Tonto. Land. This way. Come on. Come on. I'm with you. Get out, boys. We just made it. Rock slide almost cautious. This cave has been a couple of yards further than it was. Look out here. What is it, Dan? That rock slide was no accident. It was man-made. Look. Up there on the slope. You're right. That is a man. Ah. Him start to have a land. Sure. All he had to do was start a rock roll and it would get those big boulders and loose shale underway. Gosh, who do you suppose he is? Unless I'm mistaken, Dan, he's a man who threatened us at the station. It's Horgan. It was dusk when the three riders reined in their mounts at the hitching rail in front of Ma Wiggins' express office in Bainesville. Through the window, they could see the energetic old lady working at her desk by the light of a lamp. They walked up the steps to the porch and knocked on the door. Oh, Libby, it's a lone ranger. May we come in? Well, I'll be plumb disappointed if you don't. I thought you were some of Steve Lacey's hired gunmen. Ma, I've heard a little about the trouble you've been having. Well, sit yourselves down, all of you. Trouble, you said, huh? I reckon I'm having my share of it and a lot more with Steve Lacey out to break me. Break you? How? By starting a freight line in competition to mine. Well, I thought Lacey was a cattleman. He is. One of the richest in the valley. And why does he want a freight line? I don't know, lone ranger. All I know is he has plenty of cash to spend for what he wants, and right now he wants to drive me out of business. Oh, I see. He tried to buy me out, and I wouldn't sell. Now he's forcing me to the wall by offering double my wages to the cattlemen and charging half of my price for freight. How can he show a profit? Well, he can't. But once he owns the only freighting outfit in these parts, he can raise the price sky high, and the farmers around here will have to meet it. The farmers, huh? I wonder. Oh, what you think? Tonto, you and Dan scut around town. Learn what you can about Lacey and the farmers. Oh, sure we will. We'll keep our eyes and ears tuned all the time. But where will you go? I'm going to call on Steve Lacey. You be careful. He's a mighty dangerous man. Don't worry. Above all, don't give up. I think there's a way of saving your freight line. Meanwhile, in his office in another part of town, Steve Lacey listened to a report from his hired gunman, Horgan. Lone Ranger, huh? Yeah. Tall hombre wearing a white hat and a black mask. I knew who he was the minute I laid eyes on him. Well, you better not stick his nose in my game. I tell you he will, Steve. He and Ma Wiggins are old friends. Then why didn't you take care of him while you had the chance? I tried to. I thought I had him for sure. And then the whole three of them escaped into a cave. What do you mean? Well, I watched him leave the depot. And then when I saw him cut into Ghost Trail, I hightailed it along the ridge of a slope. Ghost Trail? Never heard of it. Well, there ain't more than a few who have. It's an old engine trail through the mountains. But even the Red Squins, well, they quit riding it on account of rock slides. Rock slide? So that was your idea. Sure. And surefire to bury them all if it hadn't been for that blasted cave. Where do you suppose they are now? Well, it's my guess they're chinning with Ma Wiggins. Yeah, that stubborn old fool. She'd sold me her business when I asked her. I'd have the farmers in my pocket by now. Seems to me you're putting out a lot of cash to get them Grangers out of your way. Sure I am, Horgan. I'm taking a lot of risk, too. But when their returns roll in, I'll be sitting on top just where I've always wanted to be. Steve Lacey. King of this cattle country. Well, I don't savvy. You don't stand to win any steers from them farmers. Steers ain't what I'm after. I've got a bigger herd than I can handle on my own place. Well, then what do you... It's land. Land that them Grangers own, rubbing right up against mine. And I've got to get it for their crops, spoil it permanently for grazing. Yeah. With them extra acres, you're doing the biggest ranch in the county. I mean to have it, too, Horgan. I couldn't get it legal. So I'm taking it another way. Them farmers didn't scare easy either. They'll scare this time right into my lap. How does this new freight line of yours fit in? Like a glove. With Mal Wiggins lying out of business. Which it will be plenty soon. The way them Grangers are biting at your offer of half the price more charges for freight. I'll be in sole control of freighting their crops to market. Then I can push the rates as high as I please. Maybe so. But you can't make them like it. I don't want them to. I didn't... Listen. It's a lone ranger. Silver's the name of his horse. He's coming here. Yeah, what'll we do? Let him come. Boys are playing cards in the back room. Join them and tell them to have their guns ready. When I give you the word, jump the mass coyote. Now get going before I see you. Hi, Savvy. Here's Steve Lacey. Who gave you a ticket to walk in here unannounced? You haven't answered my question. What if I am Steve Lacey? I don't like the way you're running Mal Wiggins out of the freight business. No? What are you going to do about it? I don't know yet. But if I can tell you this, Lacey, you won't get away with it. Well, that's fancy talk, mister. Almost as fancy as that mask you're wearing. But I'm back in my hand with facts. What do you mean? I'm sending a wagon train to Rocky Ridge early in the morning. And its cargo will be the farmer's crops Mal Wiggins was counting on freighting. I see. And there ain't nothing you can do to stop it. You seem very sure. I've got plenty of reasons to be. Look behind you. Rush him, boys! No, you don't! Rush him, boys! Jump him! Use your gun butts! Back him out and rope him! There's one for you, Steve! Fists flailing, the Lone Ranger stood alone against the savage onslaught of Steve Lacey's gunman. His smashing blows took a heavy toll, but the odds were too great even for his muscular strength. A gun butt crashed against his skull, and darkness enveloped him in a seemingly bottomless whirlpool as he sank unconscious to the floor. 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. As the Lone Ranger lay unconscious, the gang quickly tied and gagged him while Steve Lacey and Horgan looked on. Then Lacey motioned his gunman out of the room. I reckon he won't bother us again. Well, I'm suggesting we make sure of that, Steve. You mean? I know about this hombre. He's always turning up in the wrong places. And I'm in favor of putting a period to his career right now. Maybe you're right. Sure. The slug behind his ear will do it. We'll have a lot less to worry about. Now wait. What for? I want to see what's behind this mask. Yeah, I always hanker to know myself. Let's have a look. You will not touch mask. Hey, what in Sunday? Don't make a move, either of you. Where'd you two come from? We follow Lone Ranger here. Oh, he's beginning to come too, Tonto. You take knife, Dan, cut ropes and gang. You bet. I'll have him free in a jiffy. You won't take the mask man out of here alive, Redskin. The boys will riddle you before you get him in the saddle. You not fool, Tonto. You not fire shots in the street or law catch you quick. Oh, doggone, you... You shut mouth. That's it, Hawken. Pull a gun on him. Let me show you. I've cut the Lone Ranger free, Tonto. Ah, that's not a good. Now you give him boost to Tonto's shoulder. Let me carry him to horses. Yeah, here, let me help. There. Now him rest on shoulder. Now's your chance, Hawken, rush him. I'll get him. Not this time. Go ahead, Tonto, I'll cover you. You come quick, too. You young squirt, you tripped me. You're lucky it wasn't worse, Hawken. I wouldn't advise either of you to follow us. This gun shoots straight and fast. Come on. There they are. Supporting the masked man on his white horse. I got him square in my gun sight. Don't shoot you, fool. You'll bring the whole town down on our heads. Get him out, scout. Come on, boy. Get up there. They've gone. Now what'll we do? Act fast. The Lone Ranger suspects my scheme to swindle the farmers. He'll be on our trail in a minute. Well, if you still mean to freeze the crops by pushing freight rates so high the farmers couldn't pay, well, you might as well throw in now, Steve. In the time it would take, the masked man would find out for sure. I said we'd have to act fast, didn't I? That plan's out. I've got a better one. And we'll put it through so quick, even the Lone Ranger won't be able to stop it. I'm listening. Early in the morning, we're sending a wagon train to Rocky Ridge. It'll be freighting the farmers' crops. What of it? The contract reads both the farmers and their crops travel at their own risk. Yeah. That means I ain't responsible for anything that happens to them on the trail. Something could happen, huh, Steve? Yeah. Something that would prevent both the farmers and their crops from arriving at Rocky Ridge. And if they didn't get to market, they couldn't sell their crops. That's the idea. Just about ruin their families, wouldn't it? I reckon it would. They'd need that money bad just to stay alive. Right. With winter facing them before a new crop was due, their families would be pretty desperate. So desperate, they'd be forced to sell me their lands for any price I wanted to pay. Yeah. You could squeeze them dry and they'd have to take it. Squeeze them dry is what I aim to do. I'll be able to buy them lands dirt cheap. Well, uh, what are you figuring on happening, Steve? There ain't nothing in the contract about sticking to the regular wagon trail, is there? I aim to take a shortcut. Shortcut? Yeah, the one you were telling me about. Ghost Trail. Oh, you mean... From what you told me, that must be a pretty treacherous trail. Sure, anything can happen on Ghost Trail. Especially if it's planned. Rock slides, for instance. Everybody knows a rock slide is an accident, huh, Argen? Sure. You won't even be blamed for sending the wagons on that trail. Nobody around here knows about it. Yeah, they'll thank me for finding a shortcut that'll get their crops to market quicker. It'll take a lot of rocks to bury a wagon train, even in that narrow pass. There'll be plenty. We'll plant a row of blasting potter at the top of the ridge. Well, the farmers and bullwhackers will help. Well, let them. The blast will send them boulders crashing down the slope so fast nobody will have a chance of escaping. Yeah, I reckon you're right. We'll pack the blasting potter in a hind wagon and put some of our own boys on to guard it. Then we'll order a rest stop for the train just before the end of the pass, while the boys sneak the blasting potter up on the ridge and plant it. Yeah, that's plenty slicks to even. When it's over, I'll control the whole valley. Hey, every steer you see will be burying my brand. We'll break Ma Wiggins' freight line in the bargain. Hey, old fool. She should have known that anybody who stood in my way was bound to get burned. Supporting the now conscious but weak figure of the Lone Ranger astride silver between them, Tonto and Dan headed their horses for a rocky patch near town and quickly made camp. From a nearby stream, the Indian bathed the masked man's painful, though not serious, head wound, until finally he was strong enough to sit up and talk. Thanks, Kimo Sabe. I'll be all right. Ah, you get plenty hard-blown head. You gave a good account of yourself before you went under, though. I saw some of the gang's faces. Did you learn anything about Lacey and the farmers? Ah, we learned plenty. Lacey want farmers' land bad, but then not sell. Then he tried to scare them off, but they wouldn't go. Yet the farmers have signed to ship their crops in Lacey's wagon. Ah, then get plenty cheap price. But why? Why is Lacey so suddenly generous to the farmers? Me not know. Gosh, you suppose it's a trick of some kind? I don't know, Dan, but Lacey's wagon train leaves for Rocky Ridge with the farmers and their goods early tomorrow morning. We follow them. Maybe we find clue. Ask him, Kimo Sabe. It's a long chance with our only hope of saving Maul Wiggins' freight line. In the cold gray dawn, the wooden platform in front of Steve Lacey's freight office bustled with activity. Wagon after wagon, drawn by thick-shouldered, heavy-yoked oxen, and driven by whip-cracking bullwhackers in broad-brimmed hats, flannel shirts, and high-legged boots, pulled up to the platform and took on the farmers' precious freight. Farm products of every description were loaded carefully into the ox-drawn caravans under the farmers' eagle eyes, with tarpaulin carefully battened down to protect the crops when the wagons forwarded streams. Far up the line could be heard the stentorian voice of Hop, the wagon boss, marshalling his charges for the trip. Then the last wagon rolled into position, and Horgan climbed into the driver's seat with Steve Lacey behind him. Got the blasting potter aboard this wagon? Yeah, stored in the back. The boys stowed it away last night. Where'd the boys get to? They're up ahead, stringing alongside the wagons. They'll be ready when we need them. Good. We'll give them farmers the whole side of a mountain for a going-away present. We'll smother them in it. It can't miss. Here we go. The first and last trip for the Steve Lacey freight line. Get along now. Come on. Get up. As the chain of wagons rumbled onto the dusty, deep-rutted wagon trail, they were watched from the concealment of a clump of trees by a masked man, an Indian, and a boy. Then, reining their horses to a walk, the lone ranger, Tonto, and Dan slowly followed the wagon train, keeping just out of sight. It was some time later when Tonto suddenly signaled a halt. Oh, Scott, hold on. Oh, boy. What is it, Tonto? You look there. It looks like powder. Ah, that blasting powder. There's a faint trickle of it all the way along the trail. Yes, a keg in one of the wagons must be leaking. That's plenty dangerous. Feel right on, Tonto. There may be something we can do. Come on, Silver. Get him up to Scott. Come on, boy. Get up. The three horsemen raced for some distance without overtaking the wagon train. Then, at an obscure fork in the trail, they reined up again. Oh, Silver. Look at those tracks. Lacey's wagons have left the road and branched off for Ghost Trail. Isn't that right? Golly. You mean they're going to drive those wagons through the canyon? Looks that way, Dan. Why them do that? I don't know, Kimo Sabe. That trail is too dangerous for anyone to travel unless they know it well. The slightest disturbance may start a rock slide. I didn't know anyone in Lacey's train knew of Ghost Trail. Wait. What do you think? Ghost Trail is known to one of Lacey's gang. The same one who tried to murder us, Horgan. Golly. You don't suppose he... Knowing how treacherous the trail is, he'd never let Lacey take it. Unless they had a special purpose. The blasting powder. That right. Oh, but they couldn't mean that. They couldn't plan to bury the whole wagon train. I'm afraid they do, Dan. The farmers are with that train. Lacey would stop at nothing to get them out of the way. And what do we do? We got to stop them. Yes. Ride at once to Maul Wiggins, Dan. Her word will carry weight with the sheriff. Get him to round up a posse and ride a Ghost Trail at once. You bet. I'll see you later. Get up, boy. So long. Adios, Dan. Come on, Pato. We've got to catch that wagon train. Come on, Siddler. Get him up. The Lone Ranger and Tonto rapidly approached the rear of the wagon train. The din of the oxen's lowing, the cracking bull whips and creaking wagon wheels served to conceal their arrival. And noting that the blasting powder was trickling from a keg in the last wagon, the masked man stealthily crept into the creaking vehicle. His movements concealed with a great canvas hood. And working speedily with Tonto, the Lone Ranger bent every effort to spike Steve Lacey's diabolical scheme. Later that day, the masked man of the Indian watched while Lacey ordered the wagon train halted for a rest stop on the verge of the narrow crevasse that was Ghost Trail. And saw from their well-concealed camp, the gang stealthily take the kegs marked blasting powder from the last wagon and ride up to the ridge of the mountain slope. Keeping carefully out of sight, the Lone Ranger and Tonto followed and saw the gang dig six holes in a row along the ridge in which to plant the kegs. Everything ready, Horgan? Yeah. Potter's all set to blast any time you say. Stay out of sight, boys. The wagons will be coming through the pass any minute. I don't want anybody looking up here and suspicioning things. Don't forget to allow time for the fuses to burn when you aim the rock slide for the wagons. Don't worry. I've got it figured out to a fraction. Well, trot them figures out then, Steve. Here they come. All right. Light them fuses. Get going, boys. Blast that powder to Kingdom Come. That's it. They're all lighted. Now run for it. This is far enough. Now let's watch the fireworks. When them rocks start crashing down the slope, the farmers won't know what hit them. Saying every day you can cook up a mass murder that buries its own dead, huh, Horgan? Hey, what's the matter with that blasting powder? I don't know. Look, the fuses. They're sputtering out. Every single one of them. Something's wrong, Steve. Why, Thunder, something is wrong, and I need to find out what. King can examine them kegs. Why not? The fuses are all burnt out. Come on. Here now. We'll have a look. Give me a hand, Horgan. Sure. What the? Look at this. Sand. Ordinary road sand. No wonder they didn't explode. Somebody emptied the blasting powder to substitute that sand. Right, Steve. What the? The lone ranger. Take your guns, Tuttle. Ah, me get them. And the engine. Nobody takes my gun, Redskin, unless it's bullet first. Shoot this one. Oh. I want you, Steve. No, you don't. I'll drill you for it. Drop that gun. I'll show you. Oh. You ask. Oh, I'll soon sing another tune. That's my boy's writing to drill you down. You're wrong, Steve. It's a sheriff and a posse writing your gang down. The sheriff? Oh, my, oh, and them blasting tanks to take care of you for a long time to come. And Horgan and the rest of your pals with you. Ah, you horn-repped pullcat. I might have known you're after a bigger game than just trying to ruin my freight company. Even murder wasn't too low for you. Did everything go off all right? Yes, Dan. We've nothing more to do here. Oh, you should have known, Steve. You couldn't match wits with the lone ranger and come out on top. I'll sell it. Hey! You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
