A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. This faithful 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 a great horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. Let's go, big fellow. Are you still there? The Lone Ranger and his Indian companion, Tonto, rode slowly along the trail which led southwest from Frontier Town, following the course of the Powderhorn River. They rode in silence until they were passing Wash Perkins' old grist mill. Then Tonto spoke. Their old grist mill, Kimo Sabe. Wash Perkins. Him, Tonto, who bring news about rustlers to Sheriff Taylor in Frontier Town. Yes, I know. According to Wash's story, the ranches to the south of here are continually losing cattle. Yet Sheriff Taylor tells me he and his posse are stumped. If they can't find the lost cattle, or can they find any clues to the hideout of the rustlers? You think we find sign that'll lead to rustlers? We'll do our best, Tonto. The last cattle rancher to lose stock was Hank Turner. The rustlers cut the cattle out of a herd that was grazing on the West Range. Well, maybe we find sign there, Kimo Sabe. I hope so. We'll ride over there anyway and look around. Come on, get them up, scout. Meantime, Betty and Sandy Turner, Hank Turner's ten-year-old twins, stood listening as their father, rising from the noonday dinner, spoke to his wife, Martha. Well, Martha, I guess I might as well ride out with the foreman and see if there's any more cattle missing. I declare, Hank, if those rustlers aren't caught up with, there's no telling how far they'll go. I know, but they seem to be well-organized by an hombre who's plenty smart. Even Sheriff Two-Gun Taylor and his posse can't get a line on him. Daddy, can I ride out with you and the foreman? Can I, Daddy? Say, may I, Sandy, and I can't. Well, I don't care how he says it. He can't go with us. You stay around here and play with your sister, Betty, son. Oh, girls aren't any fun to play with cowboys and Indians and things like that. I can, too, play cowboys and Indians, just as well as you can. Now, now, no children, no arguments. Oh, but, Mom, I know a good game to play, I bet you. But I won't tell you what it is. What is it? Tell me. Betty sure began to use her head in handling Sandy. He'll hang around all afternoon trying to find out about the new game she knows. Oh, golly, I bet she doesn't even know a new game. I do, too. Come on outside and I'll tell you what it is, Sandy. All right, come on. Betty handled him just about the way you do me, Martha. What? Twist him right around her little finger, seems like. Now, Hank, you know that isn't so. You'd better get going if you expect to be back for supper. All right. I sure hope we haven't lost any more cattle. Double V Ranch can't stand many more losses. I'll be back time for supper, all right, so don't worry about that. So long, Martha. A short time after Hank Turner left the ranch house, little Betty and Sandy, mounted on two ponies, were riding a seldom-used trail toward a low range of mountains to the northwest. Golly, Betty, your idea of playing posse was sure a good one. Maybe we'll even hunt down those rustlers. Oh, we'll have a lot of fun. Our cook told me there's caves in those mountains. Maybe we can find a nice big cave, Sandy. Maybe. I bet if I was a rustler, I'd like to live in a cave, wouldn't you? Not at night, though. I'd be afraid, I bet. Just like a girl. I am not either. You are, too. After all, you are a girl, aren't you? Well, even if I am, you don't have to... Look, Sandy. Up there. Looks like the hole in the side of a cave. That must be one of the caves. Let's hurry. Get up there, boy. Get up. Get up. Get up. Meanwhile, Hank Turner and his foreman, Jim, rode over the double-D spread, inspecting the herds. As they approached the west range, one of the cowhands rode toward them. Here comes one of the hands, looks like, Jim. Yeah, and he's riding high. Something must have happened. Oh, boy. What's up, Red? I was riding to tell you there's a mass dowel hooping a redskin stooping around the west range not far from here. Jumping catfish. Must be a couple of them rustlers. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get after them. Get up there. Come on. Look. There they are. See? Give them some lead, boys. Looks like they spotted us coming. They'll be throwing lead at us in a minute. Better be ready. Hey, look. They're riding away. Didn't even try a shot at us. Let them have some more lead. No use, boss. Their horses are faster than ours. Oh, oh, there. Oh, oh, oh. They're going to trail them, boss? Nope. They might lead us into a trap. We'll go get the boys together and then trail them. No use taking any chances. Let's go back and form a posse. Get up there. Come on. Get up there. After being fired upon by Hank Turner and his men, the Lone Ranger and Tonto raced from the West Range and headed for the Powderhorn River. As they approached the river, they discussed what had happened. Easy, Silver. Easy, Tonto. Easy, Tonto. Easy. Evidently, those three men must took us for a couple of the rustlers, Tonto. They weren't in the mood to wait for explanations. Oh, that's right. Now, what do we do now, Kemosabe? We'll ride into the shallow water along the edge of the river. We'll ride downstream a ways, then leave the water and circle back. Easy, Fully. Easy, Fully. Easy, Fully. Easy. Stands to reason the rustlers must drive their cattle toward the mountains. From there, they could follow one of the valleys to the border. That's what me think. I believe they have a hideout close by, and the mountains are the logical place for us. That's right. All right, come on, Silver. Let's get out of here. Sandy and Betty reached the entrance to the cave they had seen and dismounted from their ponies. Whoa, boy. Whoa, boy. Golly, it is a cave, Betty. A big one, too. Yeah. But it looks so dark inside. Oh, come on. Let's look inside. It isn't so dark. Well, all right. But you go first. Sure. I'm not afraid. Come on. See? It isn't so dark when you get used to it. Golly. Isn't it big? It's big enough to live in. Don't you think so? Uh-huh. Looks like somebody has lived in it. See? There's where they had a big fire. Oh, Sandy. Maybe someone's still in here. Don't be a scaredy cat. I don't see anymore. Well, they could be back there. But the cave goes way back. Let's look around. Maybe we'll find gold or something that they left in here. Gee, Sandy. Supposing there's an animal back in there watching us. Well, I'm going to find a stick in case there is. Here's one. Say, that isn't a stick. It's an iron rod. Oh, it is. Let me see it. I know what it is, Betty. It's just like one of the branding irons Daddy has. See? Only instead of a V on the end, there's a curve, sort of. Uh-huh. Like a hook, almost. I wonder what it's for. I don't know. But it'll be fun to play with. Gee, I guess we better start back home, Sandy. We won't get there in time for supper. Yeah, I guess we'll have to go or Daddy will be mad at us. Come on. As the two children left the entrance to the cave and started toward their ponies, Betty's pony trotted off behind some big boulders. Oh, look. There goes my pony. He won't go far. He just went behind those big rocks over there. I'll go get him. But you be sure and wait for me, Sandy. I'll get on my pony and ride over there to meet you. All right, Sandy. You come and meet me. Huh. Girls always do things wrong. Gee, boy. Steady, boy. Golly, somebody's coming. Hey, you wait a minute. Oh, oh, now. Oh, now. What are you doing here, kid? Just playing. Hey, look, Spike. The button's got one of our running irons. Where'd you get that? In the cave. Hear that, Jeff? He's been inside the cave. Gee, I bet you're rustlers, are you? Kind of wise for your age, aren't you, kid? Oh, I just guessed that you were rustlers, and that cave is your hideout. From now on, I'm going to call it Rustler's Cave. Spike, you can't let that kid get away from me. Why not? Don't be a fool. If he tells anyone about that running iron he found and about the cave, they'll come up here and find the shortcut through the cave into the canyon. Golly, does that cave go through into a canyon? Jeff, you should have kept your mouth shut. Now we will have to take him along with us. But I can't go with you. I have to meet my sister over. You can forget about meeting your sister, Button. You had no business snooping around that cave in the first place. But I wanted to play rustler. I never saw a real rustler until I met you. Say, did you steal my daddy's cattle? Did you? Now, wait a minute, son. Who are you? What's your dad's name? I'm Sandy Turner, and my dad owns a double B ranch. Down that way. So you're Hank Turner's boy, huh? That makes it worse. The kid told his father where he'd been and Turner had come up here to investigate. Especially when he heard about that running iron. Yeah, that's right. And there's only one thing to do. Take the kid with us to the canyon hideout. No, I don't want to go with you. I have to meet my... Grab the pony's bridle, Jeff. Sure. I got it. I don't want to go with you. I want to go home. Get going, Jeff. Lead the way with the boy. We'll decide what to do about him when we get with Bill Marmon. Now get going, like I said. As Spike and Jeff, the two rustlers, rode into the cave entrance, taking Sandy with them, little Betty peeked out from behind the large boulders where she had been unseen. She waited until they were gone. Then, badly frightened, she tried to think of what to do. Oh, they took away Sandy. Maybe, maybe they'll come back and get me. I'm going to ride away from here quick. Easy boy. Poor Sandy. Maybe we'll never see him again. Oh, I have to tell Daddy right away. Giddy up, boy. Giddy up. 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 Lone Ranger and Tonto had circled back to the trail after making certain the men from the Double D Ranch couldn't follow their tracks. Turner should get his men together to follow us, Tonto. They'd lose our trail at the river. That's right. We could turn up something that would show us... Look, Tonto. Someone coming down that old mountain trail. Well, ah, let me see now. It looked like a little girl. Yes, it is a little girl. Who's a little girl? Oh, Scott. Open her. Open her. Tell them not to hurt Sandy. I know you're a rustler because of that mask. So when you see them, make them be good to Sandy. Now, now, don't be frightened. I'm not a rustler. Who are you? My name's Betty Turner. That's a nice name. What was that you said about Sandy? Sandy's my twin brother. The rustlers took him away. Kimo Sabi, yes. Happy little girl play make-believe. We'll soon find out. Well, why didn't the rustlers take you too, Betty? Well, you see, mister, my pony ran behind the boulders and I went to get them. While I was there, the rustlers came. Two of them. And they took Sandy with them through the cave. Do you think you could take us to that cave, Betty? Oh, yes. But I have to go tell my father about Sandy right away. Tell me, what makes you think you saw rustlers? Because I could see them. And I could hear Sandy talk to them. And they were mad because we found a running iron. I think they said it was. A running iron. Otto, there is something to her story. Ah. Oh, you mean you didn't believe me before? Oh, golly, mister. It really happened. Cross my heart. We believe you, Betty. Otto, I'll backtrack Betty's pony until I find that cave she spoke of. You take Betty and ride to the Double V Ranch. Bring Turner and his men back here. Ah, me do it. Now, tell your father everything that happened, Betty. Oh, yes, I will. I'll find out all I can, Tonto, and be waiting up the trail for you when you get back. Once out of there. Taking Betty with him, Tonto headed down the trail toward Hank Turner's ranch. He and the little girl were only a short distance from the ranch when Hank Turner and his men, who had been hunting the Lone Ranger and Tonto, came out of a side trail. Oh, there's my daddy with the ranch hands. Hey, there's that Indian way we're chasing him. And he's got Betty. Oh, boy, boy. Oh, there, oh. Put him up, Indian. Maybe he was stealing the kids. He's one of the rustlers. Let's string him up. Please, Daddy, wait. Now, see here, Betty. It better you listen, Turner. What do you mean, listen? Well, what were you going to tell me, Betty? This Indian isn't a rustler, Daddy. Honest. He brought me home. And then the mask man said to get you and the mask. The mask man? Uh-huh. Because, you see, the rustler's got Sandy. So that's the game, eh? That mask hombre kept Sandy for hostage. Then sent this Indian along with you to... That's not right, Turner. You listen. You better talk fast, then. But boy and girl find cave. Find runnin' iron. Rustlers come, girl hide. Then take boy. We find girl and come to get help to hunt rustlers. That's right, Daddy. Just like Tonto said. Where's that mask hombre, Betty? Oh, he went to see if he can find the cave. Then he's going to meet you and the men and Tonto up the trail. He'll help you catch those rustlers, too. Yeah, but Sandy, why should they take... They said if he came home with the running iron and told about the cave, you'd get a posse and find a way through to the canyon. The kid didn't make up that story. Oh, I guess it happened, all right. What canyon, she mean? If they harm my boy, I'll... It's better you come quick. Help get boy back. He's right, boss. Let's follow the Indian and see what can be done. This is a trick we can settle with him later. Well, all right. Better you ride on home. Tell your mother we've gone after Sandy and not to worry. Yes, Daddy. Yeah, boy, yeah. All right, Indian. We're ready to follow you. But don't forget, my gun will be ready, too, if this turns out to be a trick. Let's get moving. Get him up, Stout. Get him up, Stout. Get him up, Stout. After leaving Tonto and Betty, the lone ranger followed the tracks left by Betty's pony until he came within sight of the cave. He dismounted and started out on foot to investigate. Meantime, Spike and Jeff, the rustlers, had taken Sandy through the cave into a canyon beyond. They took him into a small hideout shack where the boy was questioned by Bill Marvin, the leader of the rustlers. So you were snooping around in the cave and found the running iron. Is that it? Yes, sir. That is, Betty found it and gave it to me. Betty? Who is she? She's my twin sister. He must be lying. He was alone when we found him. That's right, boss. He was alone. Oh, but you see, Betty's pony went up behind some boulders. She went to get him just when you came. I guess she must have heard you talking, so she hid. Why are you fools? Why didn't you look around before you brought this button through the cave into the canyon? Now, wait a minute, Bill. There's no use getting riled up over a little girl. What can she do? Bill, go home and tell what happened. Then turn in his middle, come after us. Those double-peed cattle out there will be cut dead to ranch. Holy smoke, we never thought of that. Spike, ride through the cave and see if you can overtake that girl before she gets to the ranch. Sure, right away, Bill. Jeff, tie up that kid. Then we'll go into the cave and make sure nobody does find the canyon. Now, hurry it up. We'll have to work fast. Spike decided to go through the cave on foot to make certain everything was all right before he rode his horse through. He had entered the cave from the canyon's side and was moving along the dark passage when he saw the Lone Ranger ride up and dismount outside. As the Lone Ranger walked toward the cave on foot, Spike backed into a cleft in the rocky wall and waited. With drawn guns, the Lone Ranger cautiously moved into the cave and approached the dark passage at the back which led to the canyon beyond. Spike, completely hidden from the masked man's sight, waited breathlessly, gun in hand, as the steps moved nearer and nearer. A moment later, he could see the tall, supple figure of the Lone Ranger outlined against the light from the cave entrance. Thinking others might be outside and that a shot would bring them, Spike turned his gun, butt-end foremost, and raised his arm in readiness to strike a smashing blow. Two more steps would bring the Lone Ranger within range. Spike tensed. Then... This cave goes through to an entrance at the back. I'll go outside and... Don't move, you! Well, looks like somebody has a drop on me. That's right, I have. Drop your guns. Well hidden. Mm-hmm. And now we just... Well, a mask, hombre, huh? Guess you wouldn't have a posse with you. Get moving outside where I can get a good look at you. All right. That'll do, mister. Well, now what? I've just been thinking. If I fill you with lead and a posse does come around here and find you, they'll stop hunting, maybe. And give us a chance to get our cattle away. Figuring on killing me in cold blood, huh? Why not? Being an outlaw, I guess the law's after you anyway. You're jumping at conclusions. Hey, it's a nice-looking stallion you got over there. I could use him. You'll never ride him. Oh, no? Oh, I will, but you'll never see me do it, mister. Look, he's looking at you. Maybe you'd like to say goodbye to him, huh? Yes. Perhaps I would. Yes, Lord. As the great white stallion moved slowly toward his beloved master, he knew things were not as they should be. He saw the gun in the hand of a spike pressed against the Lone Ranger's back, and he instinctively knew his help was needed. Silver whinnied in an attempt to tell the Lone Ranger he understood. As the intelligent horse nuzzled his nose against his master's chest, he slowly swung his silvery body sideways. And finally, facing both men from the side, he suddenly ducked his massive head and plunged forward. I'll take that gun. Now, get up. That stallion, he knocked me down like as if he knew. He's smarter than you gave him credit for. Good boy, Silver. In another minute, I'd have shot you down. If it hadn't have been for that ornery stallion, you'd be dead. I suppose now you'll kill me. Don't worry. I'll let the law take care of you. Just as soon as I... Here comes Turner and these men. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. You all right, Kimosabi? Yes, Toto, thanks to Silver. My guns are in that cave. Bring them out, will you? Ah, me again. Oh, you're the masked man the Indian told us about. Who's that with you? He's one of the rustlers, Turner. Your men can take charge of him, I guess. He will, all right. But there must be more than one. Where's the cattle? That cave is open, clear through to the canyon beyond. They must be in there. Here, Kimosabi. Here, guns. Thanks, Toto. They got my boys, little Sandy. I know. Easy, big fella. We'll go in there and get the others along with the boy. Come on. Get him back. On. In the canyon side of the cave, Bill Marvin and Jeff stood just inside the entrance. Look. We'll go inside the dark passage. And if anyone does, someone's riding through the cave. Must be a lot of it. The pussy. They found a way in here. Start shooting. They're on foot. I'm clearing out. Come on. Make for the boulders over there. In here. Get these boulders. We can't hold out. Shut up. Keep using your gun. Come ask, Omri. He rode past and went behind those other boulders yonder. I'm watching there. You watch the others. Look at them all. We're sunk, Bill. Not yet we ain't. The rustler, Bill, kept watching the spot where the Lone Ranger on Silver had gone between other large boulders. Meantime, the Lone Ranger had slid from Silver's back and on foot quickly and silently made his way from rock to rock, moving every closer to where the rustlers held out. Until finally he was crouched behind a boulder a few feet away. Hey, that mass, Omri, hasn't shot at us lately. Maybe one of my bullets caught him, Jeb. If we could sneak up. That's a chance, fella. Drop your gun. Bill, look. The masked man. Sneaked up on us. I warned you. My arm. I give up. I give up. All right. Start walking. Both of you. Here they are, Turner. You stand right where you are. Don't make a move or I'll let you have it. Now, you. Where's Turner's boy? Speak up. He's inside that shack. He's all right. We'll go see. Watch these critters, men. Yes, those are your cattle, Turner. Yeah. Now I want my boy. Sandy. Sandy, are you all right? Here I am, Daddy. I'm tied up. Well, I'll get you loose, son. You seem to be all right, Sandy. Gee, Daddy, that's a masked man. Did you capture him, too? Oh, no. He's not a rustler, son. He's our friend. He got us here and helped get them crooks. There. You sure got a... I sure had enough of playing rustlers with Betty. I never want to see rustlers cave again. You and your sister really found the rustlers, Sandy. That's right. You're sort of a hero, son. I'm right proud of you. But after this, when you play games, play them near the home, understand? Yes, sir. I'll go on out now. How don't I have to leave? Adios. Golly. I guess Betty and I will have to play masked man next time. Who is he, Daddy? Do you know? Sure I do, Sandy. He's known as the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? Golly, gee, and I never even said goodbye to him. Mom said she heard the Lone Ranger was the greatest man in the West. Well, for once, your ma was right, son. Yep, she sure was. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. The Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger.
