A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver. The Lone Ranger. 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 fellow. Are you still there? Sandville had been a small community of crude homes and a trading post, built around a waterhole at the western edge of a vast expanse of arid desert. Then the waterhole went dry. People moved away and the place became a ghost town. For years there had been no life in Sandville. Then three men rode in and drew rain in front of the old building that had been the trading post. Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. Well, boys, we made it. We didn't leave tracks that anyone can follow. Yeah, we made it, Judd. It was a mighty rough trip. I never saw a ground as rugged and broken as the ground around the southern edge of the desert. The northern route is just as bad, Bart. Maybe worse. If I had to do it again, I'd ride straight across the desert. Cut the distance in two. Slim, you talk like a tenderfoot. That desert is murder. Yeah? It's all alkali. Without a wagon, you couldn't carry enough water to see you through. Well, I'd rather risk it than take that southern trail again. I'm sorry to hear you say that, Slim. Why? Because you're starting out first thing tomorrow morning to travel the same route in the opposite direction. You mean back to prison? That's it. I want to send a message to the warden. But, Judd... Bud, Bart might have been seen by someone during the jailbreak. But I know that no one could possibly have seen you in the woods where you waited with the horses. So you're the one who'll have to go. By morning, your horse will be rested. I don't see why you want to send a message to the warden. It's just so as you can gloat about escaping... It isn't that at all, Slim. As a matter of fact, the note won't be for the warden. It'll be addressed to a certain hombre who's due to call on the warden within the next few days. The man who caught me and turned me over to the law. The man that I can thank for being sentenced to jail for the rest of my life. I thought you were captured by the lone rainer. Right. And I vowed I'd get square with him. It's the last thing I ever do. How do you know he'll call on the warden? Because I heard the warden talking about it. He had a letter from the masked man. He's expecting him around the first of the month. The warden is expecting the lone ranger? Yeah. And the lone ranger said in his letter that he was going to visit a young friend named Dan. A kid who's in school somewhere. Yeah, I've heard about that kid. His name is Dan Reed. He travels once in a while with the lone ranger in Tonto. That's right. And I figured he'd use Dan. To bait a trap for the masked man. True to the promise made in the letter Judd Pine had heard the warden talking about, the lone ranger reached the territorial prison on the first of the month for one of his infrequent visits with his friend the warden. He was surprised to learn that the notorious highwayman and killer named Judd Pine had escaped. Yes, he broke out of jail a week ago. He had help from the outside. Too bad he wasn't hanged. Well, there wasn't as much proof of murder as there was of thievery. He's a killer. And he'll kill again unless he's recaptured very soon. Have any tracks been found? No. I sent men out with bloodhounds. They found the place where someone waited with horses in the woods between here and the desert. They followed the trail into a swamp and lost it. Judd Pine was always clever. You and Tonto ran him to earth. Well, Tonto has no equal at finding a trail. I hoped you might do it again. Is Tonto outside? Tonto isn't with me. Oh. He wanted to visit Indian friends while I call on you. We're to meet in an old camp in a few days, then go to visit Dan Reed. In the meantime, I'll see if I can find any trace of Judd Pine. I knew I could count on you. Oh, by the way, I have a letter here in my desk. It was delivered yesterday. A letter? For you. Here it is. Thanks. The letter spoke of a teenaged boy named Dan Reed. Only the Lone Ranger, Tonto, and the boy himself knew that Dan was the masked man's only living relative. His nephew. The warden noticed lines of tension beneath the mask. The Lone Ranger finished reading, folded the letter slowly, and put it into his pocket. His eyes met those of the warden. Warden, do you remember the boy who was with me the last time I called on you? Dan Reed? Yes, I remember him very well. Fine lad. He was going west from here to his school. According to this letter, Dan left school and was traveling to meet me when he was taken ill. He was found by a prospector not far from Sandville. Is that letter from him? No, it's from the prospector. At the time he wrote, Dan had a raging fever. He kept asking for me. And you must go to him by all means. The letter was written several days ago. By this time, Dan may... He may have recovered. I wonder how the prospector knew you'd be here. Dan gave him several names. You, a padre, Thunder Martin. He says he's writing all of these people. I'll leave the letter with you, warden. Tonto will probably come here when I don't meet him as we planned to show it to him. Very well. You leaving for Sandville at once? Yes. Need anything? Food, water? No, I have food for several days and my canteens are full. Well, you know I'll hope for the best. Thanks. Thanks. The lone ranger knew that the shortest distance to Sandville was straight across the desert. With utmost confidence in the strength of his great horse, Silver, he challenged the biting alkalized sand and the merciless sun. He traveled at a steady gait through the remainder of the afternoon and the coolness that came with night, pausing infrequently to rest Silver and bathe the horse's nostrils. Morning found him still traveling due west and planning to stop and rest through the blistering noonday. Then suddenly the great horse stumbled as his front hoof found a hole. The masked man was thrown from the saddle. Both horse and rider crashed to the ground. The masked man raised his head slowly. Then he sat up and a stab of pain in one leg brought an involuntary gasp to his lips. He felt it his leg. There was no broken bone, but the knee had been wrenched. Ligaments had probably been torn. Silver was nearby, standing on three legs. You too, Silver. Come here, boy. Come to me. The gallant horse hobbled to the side of its fallen master, who examined the injured leg. Thank goodness it's not broken. Looks like you've strained a muscle, Silver. Well, time must be the healer for both of us. How long can we stay here in the desert? The lone ranger struggled to his feet, but the pain in one knee made him giddy. He fought back the dizziness until he had grasped his two canteens, then sank back to the ground. There was a little water in one canteen, but the other, which had been full, was smashed and empty. Split open. We can't last long on this desert without water. You wait, rest until the sun is gone, then try to travel. The hot afternoon dragged slowly, but at last the sun went down. The lone ranger's knee was badly swollen. When he stood, he had to lean against his horse or cling to the saddle for support. He used a little of the precious water to moisten a bandana and wipe Silver's nostrils, and took a few drops for himself. Then he started westward. Progress was painfully slow. Silver hobbled on three legs, while the masked man gripped the saddle pommel and limped alongside. Pain lanced from his toes to shoulder each time he put his weight on the injured leg. After an hour of effort, marked by increasing agony, he abandoned the attempt to travel and lay down on the sandy ground. Through the night, the man and horse slept fitfully. Then dawn, and another day of desert sun began. Overhead, big birds circled slowly. Vultures waiting for death. Those birds, Silver, they see us. They're watching. Well, I'll let them know we're not dead yet. Perhaps someone will hear the shots. That night, when it was cooler, the masked man made another attempt to travel on foot. After less than half a mile, he realized that neither he nor Silver had strength to go on. The night was one of sleeplessness and hopelessness. During the searing heat of the next day, strange thoughts ran through the lone ranger's mind, and there arose visions of the past. Our yesterdays, Silver. Our wonderful yesterdays. There was a day that I first saw you galloping wild and free as the wind, the king of the valley. And then the day I found you, after your battle with the buffalo, you were lying bruised and torn, too weak to move, and I approached. Tonto, Tonto was with me. Your eyes watched every move I made, and I came toward you. The scene in Green Valley was recalled vividly. It was long ago when Silver had been a wild horse that had never known the weight of his saddle or the restraint of a bit. The lone ranger could hear once more the things that he and Tonto had said at the side of the untamed white stallion. White horse hurt bad. Yes, Tonto, give me some water, please. I'll bathe these wounds. Steady there, old fellow. I want to help you. Here, your canteen. You hold bandana. Me poor water. First, I'll wipe the dust from his nostrils. There now, steady boy. I'll not hurt you. Horse's eye is not frightened now. He seems to know I want to be a friend. Let me wash those wounds, fellow. Steady boy, steady. Whoa there, don't try to stand. Oh, him stand. You not hold down horse like that. You beauty. I wouldn't try to hold you. You were unsteady, Silver, and puzzled. You had learned to look on men as enemies. You wanted to run away, but you were too weak. You stayed until your wounds were healed. You were strong. During that time, you learned that we were friends, Tonto and I. You trusted us. You let us put a hauler on you, and then a saddle. You let us teach you to become a partner. I remember the day you stood with your white coat, brushed and shining. You were the most beautiful horse Tonto and I had ever seen. Kimasabi. Big horse shine like silver. Silver. That's it, Tonto. That's what we'll call him. Easy, steady. Easy now. Come on, Silver. Come on, Silver. You've always responded. Oh, vultures. Vultures overhead again. Drive them back. Maybe someone will hear the shots. Someone like Tonto. He came once before. I was about to die. It was long before I found you, Silver. It was in the days when I was a Texas Ranger. There were six of us, all Rangers. One was my brother, Dan's father. I wonder if Dan survived the crisis. He needed a silver. That day when his father died, all six of us were ambushed in a canyon. I saw my friends go down, and then my brother, then a bullet struck me. Oh! 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 Lone Ranger lay with a wrenched knee in the middle of the desert. Silver, the muscles of one leg strained from a fall, was beside him. Heat and hunger tortured both man and horse. Half awake, half sleeping, the masked man relived adventures of the past. He recalled the day when he and other Texas Rangers had been ambushed by outlaws. He had been shot and seriously wounded. He regained consciousness in a cave and heard the voice of an Indian. Are you awake at last? Yes. Danger pass now. You get well. I remember an ambush. That right. We find you in Canyon and carry you here. You... You seem familiar. Ah. Many years ago, when you boy, you find Indian boy in trouble, you help him. I remember. His name... His name was... Tonto. Ah. Me, Tonto. Tonto. My brothers. My friends. There were six of us in the canyon. Other rangers. All dead. All dead. Ah. Me bury five men. Make six mounds of dirt. Outlaws think you die with others. Then you're the only one who knows I'm still alive. That's right. Outlaws not know you live to get revenge. The lone survivor. I'll make those crooks pay, Tonto. I'll make all crooks regret the day you nursed a dying ranger back to life. I'll keep my identity a secret and let it remain buried with the bodies of... of my partners. I'll wear a mask. I'll ride as a lone survivor. The lone ranger. The lone ranger remembered that time very well as he lay helpless on the desert. Bright stars seemed very close to earth that night. Weak from thirst and hunger, the lone ranger was hardly aware of the dull pain in his leg. The water was gone and almost all of his cartridges had been spent. There was little left for him but memories. Then full consciousness returned for a moment. The lone ranger shifted his position. The slight movement sent new stabs of pain through his swollen leg. Then he lay back and closed his eyes. He seemed to be riding the great white horse. He thought he felt wind beat against his face. He thought he heard the thundering hoofbeats. He was living again the thrilling adventure when he carried word from General Custer to the captain of a detachment of troops. Hold it over. Hold it. Easy, silly, big fella. General Custer sent me to head you off. There are Indians waiting in the woods ahead. If you proceed as planned, your troopers will be ambushed. Am I supposed to take the word of a masked man? Why did General Custer send you? You had a full day start, Captain. I was the only one with a fresh horse. The only one with a chance to overtake you. Do you expect me to believe that? It's probably a trick. We'll proceed as planned. Well, there may be one way to convince you I'm telling the truth. See what happens when I ride into the woods. I'll prove they're Indians waiting. Come on, settle there! A masked man threw fire from the Indians' rifles to prove his point. Fire! The captain ordered the charge, and the Indians' plan to surprise the troopers was defeated. Remember that fight, Silver? Both you and I were wounded. And that other time when five outlaws were waiting to kill Wild Bill Hickok, the lawman, when he came out of a cafe, Don and I learned of the plan and arrived just as Wild Bill opened the door. Wild Bill, stay back! Stay back! Why, you dirty, dry gulchers out there! We did it, Bill. They're gone. Mask! You sneaking owl who... No, stop! I hated to do it, Bill, but there was no time to tell you I was on your side. Tonto! You hurt, Kim McClemmy? I'm all right, but I had to wing Bill in self-defense. Help me with him. Take your hands off me, both of you. Oh, my arm. It's just a flesh wound, Bill. I'm sorry, but I had to shoot to keep you from killing me. I still can't figure why you... It was a trap. Those gun hands were waiting for you. Well, aren't you one of them? Tonto and I are not outlaws. You've met a lot of enemies wild, Bill Hickok. Every lawman does. Tonto overheard your murder being planned. We tried to help you. I see. But I can't figure out how you outgunned me. I had the drop on you, but... I've heard of only one gent who can handle a six-gun as fast as I can. You must be that man. You're the Lone Ranger. Remember Bill Hickok, Silver? Do you remember Thunder Martin? And the way he talked about his friend Clarabelle Hornblow? What if she does have a face like a horse? I've seen some downright handsome horses. Thunder was devoted to Clarabelle. Let anybody try saying anything bad about Clarabelle. Let him try, that's all I ask. I'll unhitch his arm and knock his ears off with his old nail balls. Oh, there never was a pair like Thunder and Clarabelle. I remember old, old Roy being the judge of Hinnigaroon and Calamity. Jane and Barnaby Boggs, Doc Halliday, Pawnee Bill and Buffalo Bill, Ma Hank, Wyatt Earp, the James Boys and the younger brothers, lawmen, lawmen and builders, outlaws and renegades. Yes, I see them all. They seem to be walking toward a great white light and there's the Padre, that light. That light, silver, it's the sun come to torture us again. Not a drop of water left. And only six bullets. I'll fire three now, three more later and pray that someone's near enough to hear. The sun rose higher and higher in the sky, its searing rays beating down on the panting horse and his half-conscious master. The Lone Ranger raised himself painfully. Three bullets left, silver. I'll fire them now. It's no use. There's nobody, nobody to hear them. What? Silver. I'm hearing voices again. The Lone Ranger mustered his strength to lift his head and turn his glazed eyes toward the west. He saw his friend approaching, but thought it was only another figment of imagination. Then he sank to the ground unconscious. Kimusabe. Taro, is it true? Are you really here? Ah, me here, Kimusabe. Now you take a sip of water, then me bathe face some more. Water, water. Me bring plenty water. Oh, it's good, but silver is... Me give silver water too. Him be all right plenty soon. We camp here till him ready to walk. Camp here? Taro, the desert? Men come with heavy wagon, plenty food, water, and tent for shelter. You drink some more water now, then have little food. But Taro, Dan Reed, he sent for me. Dan is sick. Dan Reed, him all right. Now you drink, eat, then rest. Later, me tell you all about Dan Reed. It was later in the day when the Lone Ranger wakened and felt considerably refreshed. Moreover, swelling in his leg had started to subside. He found himself in the shade of a tarpaulin thrown over a light frame. Nearby, he saw a heavy wagon and a team of strong horses. The warden was at his side with Tonto. There was more water and a nourishing broth. While he ate, the Lone Ranger heard the warden's story. You left Tonto at a Padres mission when you came to see me. That's right, warden. Tonto planned to visit Indian friends and meet you in a camp. Yes. Tonto changed his plans. He didn't call on Thundercloud. He came directly to the prison and Dan Reed was with him. With Tonto? Yes. Dan had a vacation from school so he went to the mission hoping to find you and his Indian friend. He and Tonto arrived soon after you left on your trip to Sandville. But that letter... Inasmuch as Dan was with Tonto, we knew the letter was a lie. We tried to overtake you. We didn't know whether you'd travel around the southern side of the desert or the northern side. So Tonto and Dan took the south trail accompanied by one of my men. Another man and I rode around the northern edge of the desert. We met in Sandville and there was a gunfight. A gunfight? Yes. Judd Pine was hiding there. It was he who sent the letter hoping to lead you into a trap. A clever trap? It sounded convincing because he mentioned so many people I knew. Judd Pine is a clever crook. He never made a move without a lot of research and careful planning. He must have known you well. Then he's back in prison? Yes. And with him, the two men who helped him escape, one of whom delivered Judd's letter. But you, Tonto, here... We knew you were traveling towards Sandville. The only route we hadn't covered was straight across the desert. The fact that you hadn't reached your destination convinced Tonto you'd met with trouble. Tonto rode ahead. I followed with a wagon and supplies for any emergency. But Dan, Dan Reed, where is he? Outside with Silver. Dan? Yes, sir? Your friend is awake. Oh, golly. I'm sure glad to see you, sir. Dan, how is Silver? Oh, he's fine, sir. He'll be as good as new in a short time. But how about you? My knee is improving, Dan. By the time Silver's ready for action, I'll be ready to give the word. Word? I'll tell you, Warden. I owe Silver. Away! This is a feature of The Lone Ranger, Incorporated, created by George W. Trendle, produced by Trendle Campbell Enterprises, and directed by Charles D. Livingston. Tonight's drama was written by Fran Stryker. The part of The Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer.
