A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo, Silver, the Lone Ranger. Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. 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. Let's go, big foe. Gabe Willis, sheep rancher, rose from the breakfast table apprehensively when he heard several horsemen rain up outside. I've been coming to the ranch this early, Gabe. I don't know, Mary. I reckon I better go out and find out. I'm coming, too. It's Jed Hawkins, some of his hands from the Circle O, Gabe. Yeah, so it is. Morning, Hawkins. What brings you here so early? Those sheep of yours, that's what. Well, what about the sheep this time? Well, listen, Willis. Up to now, I've had all I could do to keep my men from running you and your sheepherders out of the county. But my patience is wearing mighty thin. We're sure aching to sling some hot lead at them sheep tenders of yours, eh, boys? Now, wait a minute. I own this ranch, and I have a right to read sheep if I want to. We do all we can to keep them from bothering you cattlemen. What's happened, Mr. Hawkins? Why do you come here? Last night, some of those ordinary critters of yours broke through the fence again onto our range. Yeah. And a few of them won't come back, either. Why? Easy, Gabe, easy. No use in stirring up further trouble. That's mighty sensible of you, Mrs. Willis. The way things stand with my men here. Yeah, like Mary says, I'm not looking for trouble. But if it comes, we'll be ready for it, Hawkins. That's powerful and strong talk coming from a sheepherder, Willis. Now, let me tell you this much. If any more of your filthy sheep break through, I'm going to put my men to work extending that fence all the way to the South Canyon. Oh, no, you couldn't do that. You don't realize what that would mean to us, Mr. Hawkins. It would mean your sheep would be cut off from water in the creek, for one thing. Well, that isn't all. With winter setting in, we're liable to get a north wind bringing low temperatures and snow. We wouldn't be able to drive our flocks into South Canyon for shelter. And we'd lose half of them to the open range. I figured all that. And what I threaten to do still stands. If those critters break through to my range once more, that fence goes up pronto. All right, let's go, boy. Get up here. Good, Gabe. If it does put up that fence, we'll be ruined. Yeah, I know. Have the hands drive their flocks into the South Canyon right away. Only I want the sheep to get as much grazing as they can for the snow flies. The only thing to do is to keep closer watch, so that no more of our sheep break through to his range. I guess you're right, Mary. That's what we'll have to do. Jed Hawkins is a hard neighbor, and he'll do exactly what he says if they break through again. Later that morning, the Lone Ranger and Tonto rode along a trail that skirted the Hawkins spread. The air is crisp this morning, Tonto. I wouldn't be surprised to see snow before long. The snow come when wind changed to north, Kimisabi. Look, off to the left, Tonto. Little boy is trying to mount his pony holding a black lamb in his arms. Ah, him can't mount. We'll go help him. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. Oh, Silver, come on. You just steady, big fella. Having trouble, son? Yes, sir. I... Oh, you're an outlaw. No, I'm not an outlaw. So don't let the mask frighten you. What's your name? I'm Bobby Hawkins. This little black lamb is lost, and I'm going to take it back to Mr. Willis' sheep ranch. I... I thought I could carry down my pony, but it wiggles so. I won't hurt you, Blackie. You lead the way to the ranch. I'll carry the lamb for you, Bobby. Oh, will you? Here. Sure. He'll be all right. Isn't he cute? I wish he belonged to me, but my father wouldn't let me keep him. Papa hates sheep. Really? Easy, steady, big fella. Because he says they're no good, and that they shouldn't be allowed in cattle country. I see. Buck says he'd like to shoot every sheep herder he sees. Now, that not good. Uh, who's Buck? Oh, he's my father's foreman. I bet if he saw how cute black he is, that's the name I gave the lamb, I bet he'd like the sheep too, don't you? Perhaps. Which way do we ride, Bobby? Follow me, mister. I'll take you right to Mr. Willis'. Get here, boy. Come on, Silver. Get him up, scum. Whoa, Silver. Whoa, boy. Whoa, scum. Whoa, boy. Whoa. The lamb, please. Sponsor, come. Last man. Reach, mister. I'll let you have it. He isn't an outlaw, Mr. Willis. Ernest, see? He helped me bring back the black lamb. I have my reason for wearing a mask, Mr. Willis. Here's your black lamb. I'll be doggone. Thanks, stranger. Ain't many hereabouts who take a kindly interest in my sheep. Bobby Hawkins here found the lamb. He was having difficulty bringing it in. So you're Jed Hawkins' boy, hmm? Yes, sir. Well, if your father finds out you handled one of my smelly critters, as he calls them, he'll paddle you good and hard, Bobby. Papa talks loud, but he doesn't spank very hard. Ah. Him have bark worse than bite. That's right, fellow. I guess you know how to handle your pa better than I do, Bobby. My sheep break through to his range again, and he does what he's threatened to do, it'll mean plenty of trouble. What does he threaten to do, Mr. Willis? He's going to extend the fence all the way to the South Canyon. And if that happens, then as soon as the snow flies, my men will rip that fence down to drive the sheep into the South Canyon for shelter. If that happens, they use guns. And so will we. If they want gunplay, we'll give it to them in order to get the sheep through. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Well, we'd better be going now. Will you let me stay and play with Black here while, Mr. Willis? Will you please? I guess you can if you want to. It'll be a sight watching the Hawkins mixing in with the sheep. There he is. We'll take them back later. Wait, Blackie. Here, Blackie. Here, boy. Here. Too bad his father can't see them together. Adios, Mr. Willis. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scott. It was early that night. Buck, the foreman from the Circulo, and some of the ranch hands were in the cafe in town. Come on, boys. This round is on me. Set him up, Buck. Come on, ride up, Buck. Hey, Buck. The old man says to bring the boys a ride to the ranch right away. Why? What's up? The more Willis sheep buster through the fence onto our range. The boss is fit to be tied. What's he going to do? Is he really going to put up that fence extension? Willis is in for trouble this time. What's the boss figuring on doing tonight? Putting up that fence, that's what. He wants every ranch hand to work all night, so it'll be all up by tomorrow noon. Well, he's sure out to get the jump on that sheep herder. Come on, boys. We've got to get back to the Circulo. We've got plenty of fast work to do. As Buck and the ranch hands left the cafe, Tonto, who had been standing at the rear of the cafe, went unobserved through the back door to the place where he had left his horse, Scout. Easy, Scout. We go tell Lone Ranger what me hear. Easy. Get him up, Scout. A short time later, Tonto arrived at the camp he and the Lone Ranger shared in the hills. He told what he had heard in the cafe. A fence mean plenty trouble for sheep, owner Kimasabi. Yes, I know, Tonto. Yet there's no way to stop Hawkins. He has a legal right to put up that fence if he wants to. That not good. I have heard about Jed Hawkins of the Circulo spread, but I've never met him. Him father of boy who find black lamb? Yes. Boy say father talk loud. But not spank hard. That's right. Hawkins may not be as tough as he said to be. Huh? I remember something else Bobby said. What's that? He said that the foreman of his father's ranch would like to shoot every sheep herder he saw. That attitude could really lead to trouble. That right. The ranch hands of the Circulo will all be out on the ranch tonight building the fence. We're going to the Circulo ranch house and talk to Jed while his men are not around. Maybe we can make him listen to reason. Here, Silver. Here, Scott. Be big, fully easy. Now. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scott. Meantime, Gabe Willis entered his ranch house and strode angrily across the room. I'm telling you, Mary, things are fast coming to a showdown. Whatever's the matter, Gabe? What's happened now? Oh, more of our sheep broke through under the Circulo range tonight. Oh, dear. If Jed Hawkins hears about it. He has heard about it. We're driving the sheep back through the break in the fence when he come riding up. Mad as a wet hen. What'd he say, Gabe? In spite of the fact that I told him we'd repair the broken fence right away, he says, This is the last straw, Gabe Willis. I gave you fair warning. With Ed, he turned and rode back toward his ranch. Gabe, that means he intends to go through with his threat to put up that fence. I guess it does. But me and the men will drive the flock over into South Canyon tomorrow. Those sheep will be shellered against the cold and snow in spite of any fence Hawkins might put up. A short time later, the Lone Ranger and Tonto reined up in front of the Circulo ranch house. Oh, Silver. Oh, Silver. Steady, big club. Wait here, Tonto. I'll go talk to Hawkins alone. Ah, me too. Mr. Hawkins? Yep, I'm Jed Hawkins, mister. What can I... Now, Lutman... Hold it. There's no need for gunplay. You were mighty fast on the door, stranger. If my men was here, you'd be... Forget my mask. I'm not an outlaw, Hawkins. I came here to talk to you, that's all. About what? Suppose we holster our guns first. Then I'll tell you what I came to talk about. Well, now do your talking, mister. Gladly. I understand all your men are working tonight, putting up a fence between the... So that's why you're here, huh? That sneaking sheepherder Willis got wind of what I'm having the boys do tonight, so he sent you here. Just a minute, Hawkins. Willis didn't send me here. I came of my own accord when I found out about that fence. It would mean a great loss to Willis, not to mention the suffering of those sheep if the cold wind and the snow catches them on the open range. Don't do it, Hawkins. When I decide to let a mask, I'll hoot, give the orders around here, I'll send for you. Meantime, get off this spread and stay off. Now get... You're too handy for that gun. Where is your guard now? There. That does it. I'll just keep this until you hear what I've come to say, Hawkins. If you put up that fence... Here, stop it. Men, come. Here come some of my hands now. Now, mister, I reckon I'll do all the talking. I'll see you again, Hawkins. Hey, you got my gun. I'll drop it here on the ground. Hurry, Clemissar. Don't let the Lone Ranger get away. Come, he's down, he's fast. Hey, big fella. You'll have to move fast, Taro. Come on, move it. Get him up, scum. 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. The following morning, Gabe Willis, with his few ranchmen, was at the far end of the range, rounding up his flock to the drive to South Canyon, when Buck, the circle-low foreman, rode up. Ho, ho, ho. Come on, come on down. Hey there, Willis. What you doing on my ranch? What you want here? Just rode over to save you a lot of trouble, Willis. The fence is up and it stays up. And if you have any ideas about breaking it down, just forget them. Or take the consequences. I'll see here, you. Won't you come here threatening me? And you can tell that no good Hawkins I aim to get my sheep through. You've got only six herders now, Willis. And if they come messing around that fence, you'll have a darn sight less. Have we seen you again sometime? Get up, boy. It was two nights later. A strong, cold wind blew from the north, bringing with it a fine, stinging snow. Jed Hawkins was busy in the ranch house going over his accounts when his foreman entered. It sure is mighty cold, boss. Yes. I reckon after this weather, especially if the snow keeps up, that sheep ranch over yonder will just about go out of business. You know, Buck, if it was any other kind of a critter Willis was raising, I wouldn't pull that stunt on him. The sheep will ruin the rangers for the cattle if we let them get too much of a foothold. I hope he loses his whole flock. And we won't be bothered anymore by them pesky, bleating critters. Well, I'm going to turn in and get some sleep. If anything happens out there, the men will let us know. All right, Buck. I'll see you in the morning, boss. Good night. Good night, Buck. Willis will sure learn a lesson this time. Daddy. Oh, come in, Bobby. Come in. I thought you were asleep by now. That one kept me awake. Dad, are Mr. Willis' sheep going to die from the cold, maybe? Well, maybe so, son. Sheep don't take to the cold and the snow any too well, I reckon. And the little black lamb. Will he die too? Black lamb? Well, if Willis has any lambs in his flock, I reckon he'll go harder on them than to win on the sheep. Now, don't worry your head about things, son. Least of all about sheep. But, Dad... Run along to bed, Bobby. Yes, sir, but I wish... And not another word from you. I'll go to bed, you hear? I'm going, Dad. Good night. Good night. It was still snowing at dawn when the Lone Ranger and Tonto set out from their sheltered camp and rode the trail that skirted the circle of spread. Willis doesn't get his sheep through to the canyon within the next 24 hours. It would be disastrous, Tonto. Ah, it's not good. He'd be justified to try to remove that fence to save his flock. But if he does, it means a range war. But the sheep herders are definitely getting the worst of it. Kimisabe, no other way to drive sheep. Tonto, we're right across the range toward the canyon. Maybe we can find some other way. Now, that's a good idea. Easy, fella. Easy. What's the matter, Silver? Look, Kimisabe, a pony in Cottonwood Grove just ahead. Yes, I see him. Move, Silver. Move, it's down. Easy, big foot. This is the pony that belongs to Bobby Hawkins. Ah, me no. Been here for some time, Tonto. His tracks of lead here are entirely covered with snow. Ah, saddle covered with snow, too. The boy's nowhere in sight. Anyway, you'd have had to leave the Circle O long before dawn to get here. Doesn't seem possible that youngster would be allowed to come out that early in this weather. Maybe pony run away, Kimisabe. That doesn't explain the saddle, Tonto. All right, come on, fella. We'll lead you back to the Circle O. It's risky. We go back there. They won't be expecting us, Tonto. Ranch hands won't be at the ranch house now. Steady, easy, Silver. And I want to be sure that boy didn't ride out into this snow and zero weather. Come on, Silver. Come on, little pony. Get him out, Scout. Go, Silver. Go, Scout. Let him be short. Wait here, Tonto. Keep your guns handy to cover me in case I do run into trouble. Ah. Well, what can I... You again. I made a new one. Hold it, Hawkins. My gun's covering you this time. Glad you come back. Will he think she can... I found your boy's pony some distance down the trail. We brought it back. My son's pony. How in turn is you... Do I need this gun? Or will you talk to me a few moments? Put up your gun, stranger. What I want to know is... Sure. Now, first tell me, where's Bobby? Well, my boy's still in bed, that's where. How in thunder do you know his name? And how did that... We're wasting time. Make sure your boy's still in bed. Step in a minute. Right. Now, she here. I know Bobby's in the bedroom over there. If this is some trick... It won't do any harm to make sure, Hawkins. Just stand there a minute. Certainly. Bobby. Bobby. I... Here, he's there. His bed hasn't been slept in. She here, you ordinary galoot. I get it all now. Willis hired you to take my boy away and hold him so he can force me... Don't be a fool, Hawkins. Put up your gun and listen to me. Hey, boy. If you know anything, tell me. Bobby's all I have. Believe me, Mr. Hawkins. I'm here to help if I can. Now, did the boy have any reason to, well, run away? Did you punish him last night, for instance? No, I... I remember Buck came in and we talked about what this weather would do to Willis' sheep. After Buck left, Bobby came out and asked questions about would the sheep die and would the lambs die, too. Something like that. I told him to go to bed. Hmm. You must have overheard your talk with Buck. My guess is that Bobby took his pony last night and rode over to the Willis range to find a black lamb. To keep it from dying of the cold. His pony must have thrown him out there. Well, if the boy's been out there all night, maybe by this time... Get your men together. We'll do what we can to find him. And there's no time to waste. All my hands went to protect our new fence from Willis and his men. Buck came in early and said Willis was fixing to rip it down. Get your coat and hat. We're going to prevent gunplay you'll be sorry for. And start a search for Bobby. Now, hurry. Let's start a gunplay. I'll put a stop to it. Get up there. All through there. Get him up there. Stop. Stop the fight. Oh, Silver. Hold. Hold that stop. Hey! And that's somebody's making Mr. Hawkins stop the fight. Now, gun him down. You won't hold a gun for a while. Is there anyone else? I have no idea. All right, Mr. Hawkins. Tell them what you want them to do. Min? My boy, Bobby. He's been out all night in this cold and snow. He's lost some waves in Willis' range. I want you to spread out and hunt. Hunt till we find him. The kid ain't got much of a chance. We'll help you, boss, till you find him. Willis will gun us down on his range. I'll fix things with Willis right now. Hello! Gabe Willis! Ride over here for the talk! I'm calling the truce! Willis knows your boy. He'll let your men through. My men are coming here, Jet Hawkins. So this is a trap. Oh, listen to me, Willis. My boy is lost. Lost somewhere in your sheep range. Your boy lost on my range? That's right. My men are coming over to search. We're declaring the truce till he's found. Come ahead, Hawkins. Me and my men will help you look for the boy. All right, if you want to. Won't make any difference about this fence. I don't like your sheep. And it stays up. We'll decide that later. Get started on the hunt for Bobby, Mr. Hawkins. Forget your quarrel with Willis. Have your men spread out. I don't know. I'll ride with you. All right, men. Take down a section of this fence so we can get through. All right, men. Then get to your horses and start looking for Bobby. Now hurry it up. Following orders, the men made an opening in the fence, closing it behind them after they went through. Then they started out and spread across the Willis Range in search for Bobby Hawkins. The snowstorm continued unabated as the Lone Ranger with Tonto and Jed Hawkins rode over the bleak snow-covered range. After searching for almost an hour, they reined to a halt. Oh, sir. I told the others to fire three shots if they found him. I guess none of them's found him yet. These sheep are the blam for what happened to Bobby. I won't rest till I run every doggone one of them out of the territory. This is no time to be bitter, Mr. Hawkins. And don't overlook the fact that your fight against Willis and these sheep is partly responsible for the trouble Bobby is in. Did I tell you I... Now listen a minute. It sounded like the beat of a lamb. Is that right? Willis has only a few lambs in his flock. We'll write on till we find that lamb. Come, Silver. Look here. We're looking for Bobby. Why bother with him? He went to hunt for the black lamb. He and Mr. Willis took it back to his mother. So Bobby knew approximately where to hunt for it last night. If that's the black lamb, I... Oh, Silver. Oh, sit here, big fella. There's several sheep huddled together. They're so cold, they don't bother getting up to run from me. Come on. Don't bother with him. Mr. Hawkins. Come here. Yeah? What is it we find? Look there. Lying between those two big sheep. The little black lamb. The... The black lamb. My boy. Bobby. Bobby. Wake up, Bobby. You'll find me, boy. Yes, Otto. I think he's all right. Come on, son. Come on. What? Where's Daddy? Bobby, sir. My... My pony ran off when I got off to pick up the lamb. I've been warm here between these sheep. The lamb and I were both warm. Mr. Hawkins, those sheep saved your son from dying of the cold. What about that? Dad, they'll freeze. And the black lamb, too. No, they won't, son. Me and my men will help Willis drive them all into the canyon after we rip down that fence. And as for the black lamb, well, maybe Willis will sell him to me for you, Bobby, to raise as your own. Do you mean it, Dad? Do you? Every word of it, Bobby. Hey, I guess you and that lamb has taught me a lesson I won't soon forget, son. Now we'll signal the others and get you back home. Easy, steady, Silver. Your dad can carry the lamb for you this time, Bobby. Let's go, Tonto. Adios. Come on, Silver. Adios. Now, hold on. Who is that masked man you ride with? I am Lone Ranger. Get him up, Scout. You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
