A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high of silver. The Lone Ranger. His 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 the great horse, Silver. Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, tell me. Let's go, big fellow. I'll tell you. The prairie bell was steaming up the Missouri through the Dakota Territory. Among the passengers were a full company of soldiers under the command of Captain Bill Dennis, reinforcements for Fort Benton at the headwaters of the Missouri. The captain was accompanied by Claire, his young and beautiful bride. And this late afternoon, the two of them were standing on the upper deck, watching the river ahead and the mighty forest that rose on either side. It's beautiful, isn't it, Claire? You love this country, don't you, Bill? How can you help it? I wish I were like you. I wish I could say this forest is beautiful without thinking of what it must hide. Wild animals and Indians, outlaws who are worse than savages. I'm afraid I'm a coward. No, you're not. A poor wife for an army officer. You're the best wife in the world. What's Fort Benton like? Well, it's in the middle of the gold country. There are quite a few boom towns near it. Helena and Alder and Virginia City. It's rough country, but I think you'll like it. They need reinforcement. Badly. That means there must be trouble. It's up to the army to maintain law and order in the gold camps. Bill, would you be terribly disappointed if... If what? I won't say it. I'll try, Bill. Honey, if you don't like it, you're going straight back to St. Louis. That would be deserting in the face of duty. No, it wouldn't. And if I feel that there's any real danger, I'll insist that you go back. I'll try, Bill. Maybe... Maybe it's only my imagination that makes me a coward. Hello, there. Hello. Stephen Corkin. Why do you say it like that? Oh, I don't know. Seems to be a gentleman. Seems to be, sure. Well, the captain and his lady. I have good news for both of you. What's that? We'll be tying up at the beginning of the Big Bend tonight. Really? What's the Big Bend? A bend in the river, Mrs. Dennis. Seems to me it's bending all the time. How right you are. But this time it outdoes itself. It'll take the Prairie Bell a full day to steam around it. First to the north, and then around and back to the south. Tomorrow night, you'll only be two miles closer to Fort Bend. Dear. That sounds discouraging. Ah, but we don't stay in the boats. We have a vacation from our confinement. It's one of the highlights of this Missouri trip. I don't understand. The passengers are allowed to go ashore. The men do a little hunting if they care, too. The ladies prepare a picnic lunch. Then we walk a short two miles through the forest to the point where the Pacific Bell will tie up tomorrow night. Would you like to go, darling? I don't like the forest, Phil. Mrs. Dennis, think how well you'll be protected. You're surely going to let your men take the excursion, aren't you, Captain? I suppose so. Lieutenant Graham tells me they're looking forward to it. Of course. Welcome change. You must join us, Mrs. Dennis. Claire, what's the matter? Over there among the trees, I saw a man. And he was mounted on a big white horse, and I swear. Phil, I'm not imagining this. He was wearing a mask. An outlaw? Where? He's gone now. But please, Phil, I don't want to go into the forest tomorrow. It's all right, darling. I'll send Joe with the men, and I'll stay with you. The landing where the Prairie Bell tied up that night was owned by a wood chopper who sold fuel to the riverboats. Stephen Cortland stood on the lower deck watching the crew carrying logs aboard. But his real attention was concentrated on the path that led him to the forest. When he saw the figures of two men detach themselves from the shadows of the trees, he walked down the gangplank and away from the activity at the landing. Ringo. Yeah. Me and Doug. Hello, Steve. Ringo, make you my proposition? Yeah. Well, it's a deal. I can always use a thousand dollars. You'll have to earn it? Sure. I don't want Fort Benton reinforced. If the army moves into Virginia City, it'll ruin all my plans. I told them all about it, boss. I got Runnin' Fox and his Indians camped up near the top of the bay. Well, the soldiers will be crossing this strip tomorrow with the other passengers. I want them wiped out. How many are there? Soldiers? About a hundred. That's not so good. Runnin' Fox only has about a hundred men himself. Only a few of the soldiers will be armed. Yeah. All the Indians have are bows and arrows and tomahawks. Why haven't you got some rifles for them? Where would I find them? Ringo only showed up a few days ago. I'd have had to go all the way to Deadwood. This is the only spot where the job can be done. Soldiers won't be leaving the boat again. They've got plenty of guns and ammunition on board. Cases full of... Hey. What? That ammunition and those rifles stored on the lower deck. If Runnin' Fox only had those... There's no way to get them. Isn't there? I don't see how... Not tonight, Dirk. Tomorrow. While the Prairie Bell is steaming around the bend. You're loco, Steve. No, I'm not. I know this, Missouri. Right at the top of the bend is a sandbar that stretches almost all the way across the river. The boats have to hug the shore in order to get past it. They have to take it real easy. You know the place I mean? Yeah. Let's look out point. Well, the Indians could be waiting there. The bend's sharp. It wouldn't be seen until the boat was right on top of them. Then why? They board the boat. They've got canoes, haven't they? There'll only be a few feet to cover. They could swim it. Remember, the boat will only be crawling. Yeah. They might be able to make it. Of course they can. It'll only be the crew to take care of. It sounds all right to me. Afterwards, you run the boat aground, take all the guns and ammunition you need, come back here, and finish off all the soldiers and the passengers. Indians are afraid of steamboats. I thought they were afraid of you. Yeah, but... I love the Addy Dirk. I'll make it $2,000 for the job. It's worth more. Once those Indians get rifles, they'll run amok. I won't have any control over them anymore. $5,000. Stop living like a savage and go down to St. Louis and live like a gentleman. Here. Here's $1,000 on account. The rest when you finish the job. How about it? You'd better find a safe place for yourself tomorrow, Steve. If it's a deal, I'll leave the boat right now. I'll go back to camp with you. How about it? It's a deal. The Lone Ranger and Tonto were watching the three men as they talked. When they started into the forest, they followed them, leading Silver and Scout and moving silently from the shadow of one gray tree to another. Two horses, a big chestnut and a gray, were hobbled in a clearing not far away. Two of the men mounted the chestnut, the third the gray. Then they headed north along a game trail. Yeah, clear. We still follow them, Kimisabi. Far as they go, Tonto. That man with the flowered vest is Steve Cortland, the boss of Virginia City. Ah, me know them, him plenty bad. I've never seen the other two. If they have anything to do with Cortland, they must be crooked. What them do here? That's what we'll have to find out. All them out of sight now. There's a moon. You'll be able to follow their trail without seeing them, won't you? Ah, me read sign plenty easy. All right, let's go. Easy, sir. Easy, Scout. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. The trail continued straight to the north. But after a two-hour's ride, Tonto found evidence that the men had turned aside from it. And a few minutes later, the masked man and the Indian could see the light of many campfires in a clearing ahead. Hold, hold, hold. Now, go, fella. Easy. Get a big pull. Better leave the horses here, Tonto. That's right. Easy, Scout. From tree to tree, the Lone Ranger and Tonto worked their way forward until they reached the edge of the clearing. Indians came up, Silver. Three fellow we follow. Talked to chief. You know him? Ah. Him called Runnin' Fox. Sioux tribe. Him bad. This is a Sioux hulling ground, isn't it? That right. They have every right to be here. Only a few of the Indians have guns. You think them not make trouble? They don't see how they dare attack the soldiers. So we must make sure. Wherever one finds Steve Cortland, one's bound to find trouble. We must wait and watch. The following morning, after breakfast was served on board the Prairie Bell, all of the passengers, with the exception of Captain Dennis and Claire, went ashore. They stood just below the bridge where Captain Hawks, the skipper, was issuing his orders. Full speed astern until we clear the cove, Miss Mason. Aye, sir. I'm so ashamed of him. About what, Claire? I've been telling myself this with a test. That I really should go ashore with the others. A little picnic, a little walk through the woods. If such things make me afraid, how can I ever hope to face the future? Are you still thinking of the masked man? No. At least it isn't the idea of outlaws that makes me afraid. I don't understand what you mean. I mean, I don't think I'd be afraid of that man, even if I met him face to face. But just seeing him there on the shore, riding that great white horse, alone, free, and fearless, it made me feel so inadequate. I could never be like that. I don't want you to be. I certainly don't want you to stop wearing a mask. Now, I'm serious, Bill. So am I. Somehow, I've got to find courage. But no one does that until he needs it, Claire. Full speed ahead, Mr. Mason. Aye, aye, sir. Let's not be serious anymore, darling. We're going to have a long, quiet day together. Let's enjoy every minute of it. All right, Bill. Miles to the north, the Lone Ranger and Toto listen from the edge of the clearing as Dirk talked to the Indians. None of you like to fire boats out of the sewer, do you? Of course you don't. They got no right here. But there's no reason to be afraid of them. Once we get on board, we can put out the fire. Then it won't be able to hurt you at all. It won't even be able to move. Well, that's it, Toto. But how do they expect to board the boat? You may not know. You'll be waiting for it with your canoe just around the bend at the lookout point. The boat will be moving slow. It'll only take you a few seconds to get out to it. Then you can climb on board and kill all the crew. There's our answer. There won't be any soldiers on board. They're down south. But once we get to the boat, I'll get each of your rifle. We can go after them. Come on, Pott. Buried Bell has already turned around the bend. He'll have to find a way to warn Captain Hawks before he reaches lookout point. Easy, steady, because of these scouts. Come on, Silver. Get him up, scout. 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 hours of the morning passed, the Prairie Bell neared the top of the Big Bend. Captain Hawks had invited Captain Dennis and his wife up to the pilot house. And as he showed them his charts, he explained the difficulties of navigating the great muddy stream. The main trouble here is that these charts are only good for a season, sometimes not that long. Why not? Because the river's changing its course all the time. Old sandbars disappear and new ones form. Every trip we make is different in some way. That's why we tie up every night. That's why we take so long to get from St. Louis to Fort Benton. Then you're more afraid of the river than you are of Indians and outlaws. I have a healthy respect for any danger, Mrs. Dennis. But I don't call that being afraid. Neither do I. But I thought... Captain Hawks. Yes? The two men on that point of land ahead seem to be signaling. May I have a binocular? Here, sir. Why, Bill, one of those men is the one I saw last night. Is he wearing a mask, Captain? A mask? He is, Mrs. Dennis. The man with him is an Indian. Why, they must be outlaws. Why should they be signaling us? I think we're a stagecoach if we'd pull over and let him hold us up. Send a salute, Mr. Mason. A salute. Three long and two short, if you please. We're saluting the Lone Ranger. Aye, aye, sir. The Lone Ranger? I've heard of him. Oh, who hasn't? Oh, indeed, Captain. But it seems to me, sir, that he's trying to do more than say hello. Now, look, he's diving into the river. Well, you're right. He wants to get on board. Mr. Mason, stand by to pick up the mash man. I'm going below. Aye, aye, sir. The prairie bell's forward motion slowed down, and as it neared the Lone Ranger, the paddle wheel was reversed to hold its position. Captain Hawks himself threw a rope to the masked man. Have a hold, Missy. We'll give you a lift aboard. Thank you, Captain. All right, man. All right, now. I'll be close. Well, this is an order, sir. But I must admit, it's something of a surprise. It's better for me to surprise you than for the Indians to do it, Captain. Indians? Yes. They're waiting for you at lookout point. I understand that you usually pass very close to the left bank there. Usually? Always, sir. The Indians are counting on it. They have canoes, and they'll be out to the boat and board it before you can stop them. Good thing you warned me. We'll have to turn around and get back. That may not be necessary. How don't I believe that the sandbar is washed away, that you can find a channel near the right bank. If you use that, you'd be too far away for the Indians to reach you. A channel near the right bank? Yes, Captain. We'll see. Come up to the pilot house with me. When Captain Hawks had returned to the pilot house with a lone ranger, the prairie bell got underway once more. It rounded a bend, and Captain Hawks trained his long glass on the point ahead. I can't see any Indians. They're waiting around the point, sir. Todd and I saw them. Oh, uh, take a look at the river near the right bank. I will. Oh, uh, by the way, this is Captain and Mrs. Dellings. How do you do? How do you do? Your Indian friend is following us. I can see him now and then over on the bank. He's leading your white horse. Yes, I'll need silver later. Oh, uh, how does it happen you're not crossing the strip with your men, Captain? That was my fault. I wanted to stay on board. It would have been a good thing if all the passengers had. Why do you say that? Uh, I'll explain later. What do you see, Captain Hawks? You were right. From the way the current is flowing near the right bank, it must be deeper than it used to be. And the channel's wide enough for the boat? It'll be close, but I agree. If we run aground, there'll be no chance to get away from the Indians. Don't be afraid, Claire. Afraid? I'm not afraid. I'm just wondering if I remember how to shoot a rifle. Claire. It looks all right to me, Mashman. We're going to try it. I'll disturb it, Mr. Mason. Hold it to the right bank around the point. Aye. There were tense minutes ahead as the prairie bell steamed toward the narrow channel near the right bank. To run aground would mean that the Indians could cross the river and attack at will. The point was rounded. The Indians darted toward the boat in their canoes, yelling their defiance. A shower of arrows fell on the boat, but the little group in the pilot house only had eyes for the channel ahead. They were almost through when a sickening, grinding sound assaulted their ears. The shallow hull was grinding against the remains of the sandbar. Captain Hawks called for full steam ahead, and with a desperate lunge, the prairie bell clung itself up and over and on into clear water. Then, with every second, the Indians were being left farther and farther behind. But from their actions, the lone ranger was certain they still meant to attack. He had Captain Dennis write him a note to the lieutenant in command of the troops, and he asked the captain to try and get the small cannon on the prairie bell working. Toto was following the boat along the shore. The masked man dived from the top deck and swam toward him. As he climbed up the bank, Toto rode through the trees and pulled Scout to his top. Silver whinnied with pleasure at seeing his master again. Good boy. Good boy, Silver. We have work ahead of us, Toto. Ah, Indians right south. We must get to the strip before they do, Kimasabi. We can't use the same trail. Do you know of another? Ah, it's longer. But Silver and Scout make it faster. All right, then, let's go. Easy, sir. Come out. Come out, Scout. Down at the strip when they had finished with their picnic, a few of the soldiers went into the woods to see if they could bring down some game. But most of the passengers wandered through the forest to the landing, where the prairie bell would dock that night. Lieutenant Graham was standing there when his sergeant came running up to him. Lieutenant! Lieutenant, there's a couple of riders coming this way. Look where I'm pointing. I see them. They're in an all-fired hurry, Lieutenant. Ready with your carbine. One of them's an Indian. The other's masked. That's right, sir. Don't shoot! Hold your fire. You've got them covered. Hold on. Who are you and what do you want? This note will explain everything, Lieutenant. What? From Captain Dennis? Yes. But he says that I'm to follow your instructions and everything. Instructions about what? There's a band of Indians on their way here, led by three white men. They're going to try and massacre your troops and the passengers from the prairie bell. Massacre? The first thing to do is get everybody together here around the landing. All right. Sergeant, send out a detail to round up all the passengers. And have the buglers sound assembly. Yes, sir. Is this the place to stand off and attack? It's the only place. There's a cabin for the women and children. There's clear ground around it to give you a field of fire. There are plenty of rocks to give your men cover. I know that all your men don't have rifles. They're not carrying much ammunition. Well, how do you know that? Captain Dennis told me. But he's on board the prairie bell, and how did you get this note from him? It looks like his writing, but maybe it's a forgery. Maybe this is all a trick to... To what, Lieutenant? Why should I warn you of an attack if this were a trick? I don't know. What were you saying about the men and their ammunition? They'll need more. They'll have to get it from the prairie bell. Should be tying up at this landing. You've got everything figured out, haven't you? I had time to do that as we rode down here. Very well, mister. You sound all right in spite of your mask. I'll take your orders. The Lone Ranger assumed command of the passengers and the troops. In less than 15 minutes, the women and children were inside the cabin, and all the men who were armed had taken their positions in a wide half-circle around the landing. Then... Here they come. Hold your firemen. Wait until they show themselves. They've got to cross the clearing to reach us. You said they didn't have guns. The white men have guns. Only a few of the Indians do. Get after them. In your case, they get into the soldiers. They're charging. Now, Lieutenant. Fire at will, men. Drive them back. In spite of the fire that the soldiers poured into their ranks, the Indians reached their line on their first attack. And it was only after a hand-to-hand struggle that they were driven back. And the first charge was succeeded by another and another. Steve Cortland, Dirk, Ringo, and Running Fox urged them on again and again. Each time, the soldiers drove them back. But at the end of an hour... We've turned them back again, Masked Man. Good work. And we're just about out of ammunition. What will happen next time? There shouldn't be a next time, Lieutenant. What do you mean? If I've gauged her speed correctly, the prairie bell should be coming around the last bend any minute now. You're right. There she is. That's Captain Ennis up forward. Yeah. She has that cannon working and fires over our heads into the Indians' ranks. The battle will be over. The lone ranger and the lieutenant watched the captain and the members of the boat's crew who were working at the cannon on the upper deck of the prairie bell. They saw the crewman stand back. The captain pulled the lanyard. There was a puff of smoke, and then... the shot crashed through the trees beyond the Indians. They had dismounted after their last charge, and the shot landed near their horses. A half-wild Mustang stampeded. The captain called his crew back to the cannon. It was reloaded, and... This time, the shot landed so close to the Indians themselves that they were filled with panic. Good work, Captain. The Indians are trying to get away. The white men are trying to stop them. Lieutenant, those white men should be captured and sent to jail. Running fox should be turned over to the colonel at Fort George. Will you go after them with me? Charge them on foot. The odds are even. They've lost their horses. What's more, they've lost their will to fight. Sure thing, Mr. Will, follow you. Come on, boys. Follow the masked man! The Indians were completely demoralized. Cortland, Ringo, and Dirk tried to make them hold their ground. But as the troops with the Lone Ranger at their head charged toward them, they threw down their weapons and yelled for mercy. The three white men tried to make a run for it, but a shot from the masked man caught Ringo's right arm. And the others, realizing they could not reach the cover of the deep forest, threw down their guns. All right, you got it! Here comes Captain Dennis. You've got them! Yes, Captain. These are your prisoners. You can drop running fox off at Fort George. You better take these others all the way to Fort Benton. Oh, uh, Cortland's a man who's been causing all the trouble in Virginia City. He sure won't be doing that anymore. All right, boys. Get them aboard. And let's see how they're looking. I'm going to go. All right, sir. All right, sir. All right, sir. All right, sir. And once again that night, as the moonlight streamed down on the forest and the river, Captain Dennis and his wife stood on the upper deck of the prairie bell. In the distance, they could see the lone ranger and Tonto. They're riding away, Bill. Yes. I owe them that, man, so much. We all do. We owe them our lives. But life can't mean much if you're always afraid. Just meeting him. I can't explain it, but it's as if his courage were catching. I know. I feel the same way. And I guess most people do. They not only feel better, they are better. Just because they've met the lone ranger. And go home! This is a product of the Lone Ranger, Incorporated, created and produced by George W. Trendle, directed by Charles D. Livingston, and edited by Fran Stryker. A part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer. The Lone Ranger
