A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver. The Lone Ranger. Indian companion Toto, 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 fella. Hail, Silver. Bill Caldwell, United States Marshal, was cleaning his guns in his hotel room when someone knocked on the door. Come in. As the door opened, Bill recognized Red Dawson, the owner of Border Town's largest cafe. Hey, what's on your mind, Dawson? Your first case, Marshal. Crackers just went into the bank. Who's Crackers? Worst outlaw on the border. He's holding up the bank? Must be. And right under your nose. We saw him walk in bold as brass. And it looks to me like he waited till you got here just to show you what he thinks of a tenderfoot marshal. He'll find out what a tenderfoot from the panhandle's like. Come on. Sure thing. Bill and Dawson hurried down the main street toward the one-story adobe building that housed the bank. There was a crowd of men standing in front of the cafe across the street. Crackers doesn't seem to mind an audience. He's too tough for those hombres to handle. His jaw's like lightning. There he is. Coming out of the bank now. He's an old man. Don't let that fool you. It's an old rattlesnake that's the dangerous kind. Look at that sack he's carrying. He's cleaned out the bank. Hold it, Crackers. What's that, young fella? Don't go for your gun. What's that? It's a trick. Pretend they don't hear. I'd advise you not to go for your gun. Yep. Sun's plenty hot. It's a trick. Hand over the sack. Eh? The sack. Oh. Oh, my back's fair to middling. Get some kinks up around my shoulders in the morning, but they work out. He won't give it up, see? Get his gun. Not me. He'd kill me if I made a move for it. And I don't advise you to. Your gun. And now the sack. Well, I'll be jiggered. That's a mighty high-handed way for a peace officer to act. Good work, Marshal. Now open it up. Take a look. See how much he's stored. What? Onions. Look underneath. He put them in to cover up the cash. There's nothing but onions in this sack. What else did you expect to find, young partner? I see. It was a joke. Well, I hope you all enjoyed it. Oh, we got to hand it to you, Marshal. You sure know how to handle a desperate criminal. That evening after supper, Crackers entered the hotel lobby and hobbled across to the corner where Bill was reading. Mind if I said a while, Marshal? Not at all. Oh, good. Hey, say, you're a kind of special lawman, young fellow. Got the United States government behind you. That's right. We heard you was coming. You did? Sure, about a week ago. So that's why the town is so quiet and this hotel is practically empty. Yep. All the fellas you're looking for packed their war bags and scampered across the river into Mako. They won't be coming back while you're here. I suppose not. Still, I have my orders. I'm to open an office and stick around for a while. Oh, nice vacation for you. Yeah. Well, I'll be on my way. Now, just remember, I'm your friend. Good night. Good night, old timer. Crackers' next stop was Dawson's Cafe. He walked through the crowded bar room to the owner's office in the rear. He opened the door without knocking. Red looked up from his desk. As Crackers closed the door, he squared his shoulders and seemed to grow several inches. He began to pace the floor. What's on your mind, boss? I've just been talking with the Marshal. That trick we pulled on him sticking in his craw? Not much. Cool customer, hmm? For a young one. The trick served its purpose, though. A couple of butchers' men were in town. And they'll carry the word back to the others in the hills. They won't be so all-fired anxious to clear out. You can't keep them hanging around for long. They don't like camping up there. Yeah, I know. But the next shipment will be the last. As soon as it's delivered across the river, the job will be finished and we can all clear out. How soon? Only a few days. The wagons are somewhere between here and Santa Fe. Poncho will be riding ahead of them. He'll report to you. You know where the rifles are to be delivered. Sure. There's no chance of the Marshal moving on and the boys moving back into town? None. He has orders to stay here. Well, let him. There are better spots in Porter Town. I'm going to turn in. Don't wake me unless Poncho shows up. Right, boss. That same evening, the lone ranger and Tonto drew rain at the gates of the fort outside of El Paso. The sentry challenged them. Who goes there? Friends. Masked man, the Redskins. I have a letter from Colonel Holmes. Here. The sentry's eyes widened as he read the letter. He called another trooper and the masked man and the Indian were escorted across the dark parade ground to the colonel's quarters. The colonel welcomed them as old friends and then proceeded to business. I'm glad the Padre was able to deliver my letter so soon. This matter is urgent. It concerns our relations with Mexico. And we can be of service? Indeed you can. No doubt you've heard that Gonzales has a bandit army somewhere in the mountains north of Chihuahua. Yes, sir. Well, Winchester rifles are being smuggled across the river to him. And the Mexican government has appealed to Washington to stop it. I see. Have you any idea where the rifles are crossing? Yes, I'll show you on the map. Now, Gonzales controls the Mexican bank of the river across from Bordertown, this stretch here. At any other place, the Mexican Federals would intercept the contraband. Now, our idea is that the rifles come down from the north to some point in the hills on this side of the river where they're loaded on pack mules. There are any number of places where the river could be fought in. That's right. So the problem is to find the reloading point in the hills. You know the country north of the river. Yes, sir. Ridge after ridge, wooded for the most part, hundreds of hidden valleys. The smugglers probably use a different reloading point for each shipment. I'm sure of it. We've had Benton and Tanner scouring the district for the last two weeks. And they've found the remains of several sizable camps. But only the remains. Benton and Tanner are good men, Colonel. Did you feel that if the smugglers were still operating, they found some evidence of it? They know this country well. That's true enough. The trouble may be that they're too well known themselves. Perhaps they've only been unlucky. At any rate, we'd like you and Tonto to see what you can find. Why, of course, sir. But have you thought of the smugglers using Bordertown itself as their headquarters? Oh, it doesn't seem likely. However, United States Marshals have been sent there. You won't have to concern yourself with the town. Very well, sir. And if we do find a camp, rifles, ammunition cases, wagons, mules... Get wood back here fast. It's only a few hours' ride. I'll send a troop or as many men as are needed to round up the whole gang. We'll do our best, Colonel. Good luck. During the next week, the Lone Ranger and Tonto searched the tangled hills north of the river by day and night. Then one evening, as they were about to make camp, they heard hoofbeats. He's traveling fast, Tonto. Ah. Him ride game trail. West of here. Heading north. Ah. We follow him? Yes, Tonto. Easy, Tonto. Easy, Tonto. Easy, Tonto. Easy, Tonto. Easy, Tonto. A full moon was rising, and it was an easy matter to follow the fresh hoof prints in the soft ground. The Lone Ranger and Tonto rode slowly, until at last they reached the top of a wooded hill. Easy, Tonto. There were only a few trees on the floor of the valley below them. They could see a tumbled down cabin, around it, the shadowy figures of men and horses. This may be it, Tonto. This may be it, Tonto. Ah. No way of making sure unless we get closer. At that moment, Silver whinnied. His attention had been attracted by a man lying on the ground at the foot of a tree, a little farther down the trail. Their sentry seems to be sound asleep. Isn't that right? It's easy to get past him. I think we'd better wake him up and pretend we want to join the gang. Maybe you have plenty harm. Get away after. Not if we can convince them we're outlaws. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. Oh, Silver. Oh, Scout. Oh, fella. Wake up there. What the? Hey, a masked man, an engine. Don't get excited. We don't intend to make trouble. All we want to do is see your boss. I got you covered. Oh, you have now. We could have had you covered. But our guns are still in our holsters. Doesn't that prove you can trust us? Yeah. You know the boss? I may. What do you want with him? We want to talk with him. You talk with him, all right. Ride slow down the trail ahead of me. Down to the cabin. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. The Lone Ranger and Tonto walked their mounts down the slope with a guard following them, his rifle at the ready. They were ordered to hit Silver and Scout to a makeshift corral at the back of the cabin, and then were marched around to the front. Open the door. Sure. Right inside. And remember, I got this rifle pointed at your backs. Who's there? Go on in. It's Joe Butch. There's a couple of arm braids that want to see you. A mask. Take it off, mister, so I can see your face. The mask stays on. Not if I say it, don't. We still have our gun. So you have. All right, get him, Joe. You keep him covered while I do. Don't draw your gun, Butch. What's that? If you draw, we'll draw. Then Joe will get both you and the engine. He may, but one of us will get you. Why not let things stay as they are? Yeah, sure. I got him covered. They can't do anything. What difference does a mask make? Let it go. I got to hand it to you for nerve, mister. There's no point in getting excited about a business proposition. Business? Yes, we'd like to work with you. Yeah? What's your line? Anything that comes along. Rustling? I've had some connection with it. Well, there isn't any cattle around here. We wouldn't have any use for you. I know what you're working at. You do? It just happens that I have connections in Mexico, too. Ah, so you figure it's easy money and you want to cut in. The money you get from this job will take plenty of earning. Think so? Well, there's a United States Marshal in Border Town now. Him? He's too stupid to know what's going on. He may want you to think he's stupid. Yeah. Yeah, it could be. I thought of that myself. I'm not exactly the head man around here. Hey, what's going on out there, Joe? Wait a minute. I'll take a look. It's Poncho. Wagons are here? No, no. Just a second. What's that, Poncho? The wagons are a mile or two up the North Trail. He's too steep for them. I need some help to get them down. All right. Come on, you two. Let's see what you know about snaking a wagon down a grade. As the excited outlaws clustered around Poncho with eager questions about the wagons, the Lone Ranger and Tonto edged their way to the corner of the cabin. They slipped around it and ran for the corral and back. Silver and Scott were unhitched. They leaped to the saddle. Then hidden from the outlaws by the cabin, they raced across the level valley toward the cover of the wooded slope. It seemed only a few seconds later that they heard shouts behind them. The outlaws had discovered they were trying to escape. They opened fire. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger adventure. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue. The outlaws opened fire on the Lone Ranger and Tonto too late. They reached the cover of the wooded slope in safety. The gang realized that pursuit was useless and turned their attention to the wagons. By the time crackers reached the valley two hours later, they were being unloaded. Oh, steady. Hiya, boss. So they got here. Yeah. Any trouble on the trail? It was rough going through the hills, but they made it all right. It's a big shipment. It's our last. I'll be glad when we get them across the river. Tonight? Well, the mules must be tired. There's a full moon tonight. Might cloud up a little tomorrow. Boss, something happened a while back. Maybe I should tell you about it. Oh, what? A couple of owl hoots showed up. Joe stopped them at the top of the ridge and brought them down here. They wanted to see you. Wanted to join up with us. Where are they? Well, they must have changed their minds. What? Pancho rode in just then. He wanted some help with the wagons. Well, at least two hombres took off while I was talking to Pancho. Who were they? One of them was an Indian. The other wore a mask. Yeah. Oh, you fool. I thought Joe was watching them. I was worried about the wagons. A masked man and an Indian. They rode a white horse and a paint. Why, you know them, huh? They won't make any trouble. Trouble? Did you ever hear of the Lone Ranger? Sure, but I... Leap and cactus. No. How much did he find out from you? Hell, he seemed to know all about the rifles. He was guessing. And you told him he was guessing right. What'll he do? Go to the marshal? Who cares about the marshal? One man. The Lone Ranger will bring troops here. These rifles came from the arsenal at Santa Fe. We'd better leave him here. Make our getaway while there's still time. Not by a hoot and holler, we won't. When did he leave? About two hours ago. There's still time to get him across the river. It's a long ride from the fort. What troops? There's $5,000 waiting for us across the river. Now, don't say a word about the Lone Ranger to the men. Get to work. Get the pack saddles on the mules. Get them loaded. We'll start for the river in one hour. That's impossible. You'd better make it possible or I'll tan your hide. The marshal had ridden along the river trail east of Border Town that night, stopping at each of the fords and looking for signs of a recent crossing. He was returning to town when he heard someone riding toward him. Get him. Come on. He drew off the trail into the shelter of some cottonwoods. Easy boy. And a moment later, the rider flashed by. It was Red Dawson. Shortly after passing the marshal, he turned off the main trail to the left. The marshal waited for a few minutes before following him. Get up. Come on. The trail Red had taken was overgrown and climbed uphill and down. The marshal rode slowly. At last, he reached the top of a wooded ridge. Oh. Oh, there. Easy boy. He dismounted a little below the crest and climbed the rest of the way on foot. The sight of the activity in the valley surprised him, and he stepped out into the open. Hey, there. That's fine enough. You're covered. This is the new marshal. If somebody should have told you, it was dangerous to ride around these hills so late at night. What are you going to do with me? Me? Just march you down to the boss. He'll decide what's to be done with you. Come on. Get moving. As the marshal turned in response to the command, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure behind the man with a rifle. In the next instant, the guard whirled as he heard his name. The lone ranger's fist connected solidly with his jaw, and the sentry dropped to the ground. Thanks, mister. It's all right, marshal. It's your mask. Don't you belong to this crew? No. Colonel Holmes asked me to... Oh, wait a minute. I know who you are. They told me he was trying to get in touch with you. Is this the outfit we're looking for? This is the outfit. Those wagons you see down there just arrived. They're loading the rifles on mules. They'll be starting for the river soon. And there's no time to warn the fort. My friend Tonto left for the fort over an hour ago. We may be able to keep those rifles on this side of the river until the troops get here. We? Just you and me? If we start shooting, the mules will be on our side. I get what you mean. Tough enough driving them through these hills when there's nothing to distract them. Where's your horse? Down the slope a little. So is mine. That heavy clump of trees over to the left. We can make our first stand right here at the top of this ridge. Stampede the mules on the way up. Try to. There are plenty of men down there. We'll have to keep retreating to keep them from being surrounded. Yeah. Still, there's plenty of cover between here and the river. Heavy woods, rocks, plenty of places where we can slow them down. The first thing to do is make sure this sentry doesn't give away our position. He'll tie him up and gag him. It took well over an hour to load the rifles and the ammunition on the mules' backs. The animals were stubborn and smart. They had been pulling the wagons for the last eight hours, and now they demanded a rest. But at last the train was organized and began to move out of the camp. When they started up the ridge, however, the Lone Ranger and the Marshal opened fire. The mules stopped in their tracks, and the drivers took to cover. Boss, who could be up there? Why, Joe should be. The Masked Man, the Indian. They didn't go for the troops after all. They're trying to stop us by themselves. Whoever's up there, there's only two of them. You can tell by the gunfire. Red! I'm right here. Red, you take five men. You take another five, Butch. Keep to the trees on either side of the trail and work your way to the top. Get rid of those coyotes. What, boss? Hurry up! Crackers' orders were obeyed, but the men took their time in making the ascent. When they reached the top, the shooting had ceased, and Joe the Sentry was the only man they found. The Lone Ranger and the Marshal had run to their horses, mounted and ridden away to take up their stand beyond the next ridge to the south. Butch removed the gag from Joe's mouth as Crackers called up to them. All clear up there? All clear! All right, get those mules going. I had one of them covered. The other one jumped me from behind. It wasn't my fault. Tell that to the boss. I tell you it wasn't... I still want to cut these ropes. Yeah, all right. So you let yourself get tied up, Joe. I had the Marshal covered, then the masked man hit me. Marshal and the masked man? What about the Indian? Well, I heard them talking. He's on his way to the fort. And we've got to keep going fast. But the masked man and the Marshal, they'll be ambushing you all the way to the river. There's only two of them. They shoot straight, boss. Two of my men have been hit. It's time you hit them. Smoke them out. Keep this trail clear so we don't have to stop the train again. You hear me? Right. But the Lone Ranger and the Marshal were waiting at the top of the next rise and stopped the train for another 15 minutes. Then once more, the Lone Ranger and the Marshal were forced to retreat, only as far as the next ridge, though. There they made another stand. They defended each ridge between the valley and the river. But finally, they were racing down the last slope and drew rain behind a cluster of boulders on the banks of the stream. There's enough cover for us here, but not for the horses. There'll be enough if we make them lie down. Down, Silver. Down. The great white horse obeyed his master's command at once and lay down in the sand at the very edge of the water. Down, Blackie. Then the Marshal's mount was persuaded to follow his example. Now the masked man and the lawman were ready to defend their last stronghold. You sure they'll try to use this, Ford? There isn't another for over a mile in either direction. I'm running low on ammunition. I have some. We should be able to stop them here for half an hour. Then what, if the troops aren't here yet? Then we'll have to stop them for another half hour. The moon silvered the hill that rose above the river, but the slope was covered with tangled undergrowth, and the mule train's advance guard wasn't mounted. It was only by the faint movement of the bushes and the deep grass that they gave away their position as they started down the hill. That was enough for the Lone Ranger and the Marshal, and they opened fire. Still, the outlaws kept closing in, and though the masked man and the lawman had the river at their backs and the boulder's protection on three sides, bullets splattered all around them. To fire, they must show themselves momentarily, and to show themselves, mental risk stopping lead. The outlaws' guns closed in more and more, and a quick glance told the Lone Ranger the pack train was at the top of the hill, ready to make its descent. Half an hour passed. The guns of both the Marshal and the masked man were blistering hot. Their ammunition was running low. As they loaded for the last time, they exchanged a glance. We better save these last rounds until they try to rush us. Think they'll wait long? Not after we stop shooting. Nor did they. When the outlaws' fire wasn't returned, crackers shot it down from the top of the hill. Six shots apiece, Marshal. Let's make them count. And then? Then we'd take to the river with our horses and swim downstream. There's a chance we can get away. Here they come. Their last volley stopped the outlaws' charge, and six of the renegades were hit. The Lone Ranger and the Marshal, still protected by the boulders, made ready to lead their mounts into the stream. All right, come on, Silver. Get up, boy. Get up. Get up, Blackie. They would make poor targets in the water, but still the moon was bright. It was their only chance to escape, however. And then? They stopped at the water's edge. Mister, could it be? I think so, Marshal. We've held out just long enough. But I don't see any troops coming down the river trail. Not down the trail. They heard our shooting, and they crossed the ridge. They're coming down the slope behind the mule train. The Lone Ranger and the Marshal were defenseless, but the sight of the troops made the outlaws forget them completely, and the masked man and the Marshal climbed to the top of the boulders to watch the blue-coated riders sweep down on the gang. For the next ten minutes, the banks of the river echoed with shouts and shots, and the shrill braying of the mules. Finally, the last shot was fired, and all the outlaws who had survived the fight, were herded together. The colonel inspected the contraband rifles. Army Winchester, sir? Every one of them. These men will go to federal penitentiary for 20 years. They'll spend the rest of their lives in jail. There isn't one of them who isn't wanted for at least one other crime somewhere in the west. You have your prisoners and your evidence, colonel. You don't mind if Todd and I leave you now? Not at all. You've done a fine job. You have my heartiest thanks. And mine. Give my congratulations to the troop, colonel. Easy, send it, big fella. Adios. Goodbye. Goodbye, mister. You know, colonel, when I was assigned to this case, I thought it was too much to ask of one man, and I started out by acting like a real tenderfoot. I'd hate to tell you what a fool that outlaw leader made of me. But I reckon I can forget it. And other people will, too, when I tell them I fought off 20 or 30 men for three hours. What? And, colonel, if their eyebrows start climbing up to the skies like yours, maybe I'll tell the whole truth, that I had the great honor and privilege of fighting by the side of the Lone Ranger. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated, created by George W. Trendle, produced by Trendle Campbell Enterprises, directed by Charles D. Livingston, and edited by Fran Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.
