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Sergeant Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police with Yukon King,
swiftest and strongest lead dog breaking the trail in the relentless pursuit of lawbreakers
in the wild days of the Yukon.
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This is the Yukon, the territory patrolled by Sergeant Preston,
where man and nature combine pitilessly to defeat the weak and the artless.
The Great Bend Trading Post, a lonely depot a hundred miles south of Dawson.
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A supply center for prospectors and miners during the summer,
the trading post in winter was visited only by an occasional hardy trapper or native Indian.
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You fool, Waco, you killed him!
I had to, Brand. I told you we should have tied him up.
He came to and started for me with that freight hook.
Just remember, you did it. Now help me load the rest of this food before our luck runs out.
You're not fixin' to get any more on that sled of ours, are you?
We're taking everything we can get. Nothing but food.
If we need anything else for our getaway from Baker Mountain, we'll trade him more food for it.
Say, now, that's real smart.
That's a good thing one of us got brains.
Twice the food, twice the gold. Now quit yapping and start toting.
Come nightfall, we're gonna be too far away from here.
Hey, we could get rid of all the evidence by setting fire to this place just one little minute.
And warn everybody from here to Coffee Creek that something's wrong?
Sometimes I wonder what you're good for, Waco.
I'm real stupid, he says.
Unaware of the disaster which had preceded him,
Sergeant Preston and his great dog King drove out from temporary headquarters at Coffee Creek
to make a routine call at Slocum's trading post.
Ho, ho! What is it, King?
Waco, don't hit me again. Take the gold.
This poor fellow's badly beaten and he's snow blind too.
You're not, Brant. Who are you?
I'm Sergeant Preston of the Mountain Police.
Now don't try to talk till they get some warm food inside you and those eyes taken care of.
Sergeant, help. Baker camp's starving.
We're heading right back for Coffee Creek, King.
We'll make that trip to Slocum's later.
You just came within an ace of being plugged.
Not while I'm still a best shot.
Don't you know better than to sneak up on me like that?
What's eating you? There's nobody within miles of here.
Wolves accepted, of course.
I prowled the whole area like you said.
Now I'm making for some of those beans.
Mountain air gives a fellow an appetite.
What you being so stingy for? They're not loaded with grub.
You forget, my friend, these beans are worth their weight in gold.
That sure was a great idea you had after we found that sourdough on the trail this morning.
Where do you suppose he is now?
Dead of exposure by this time.
Without shooting too, like you wanted to.
You're too blasted gun happy, Waco.
Learn to use your head, like I do.
Takes too long. When I want something, I want it now.
How'd you know about this town on the mountain here and all the gold they dug out?
By keeping my ears open in a cafe back at Coffee Creek.
Someone was telling one of the girls there about it.
He thought no one was around.
Seems about 25 Chichacos, counting the women, went up this mountain last spring and struck it rich.
Millions to hear him tell it.
Now, if this fellow Brady's right, they got all that gold and no food.
Not even a dog team to haul it in with.
Snowed in.
That's where Slocum's trading post came in so handy.
We have the food, they have the gold.
And we trade. Even Stephen.
A pound of food for a pound of gold.
Sounds like heaven.
Here we are.
How long have you been without food?
Almost two weeks.
The same as everybody else at Baker Camp.
Then we started boiling animal skins and shoe leather.
It was filling, but not very tasty.
I'd like you to verify what you told me just before the doctor got here.
You seemed a little bit bewildered at the time.
Thanks. Fire away, Sergeant.
Well, you said you made it through the pass from the mining camp on Baker Mountain with $5,000 in gold.
Intending to buy food and supplies for the starving people there, is that right?
So I was.
Till I was waylaid on the trail by those fellows calling themselves Brand and Waco.
Must have been out on my feet.
Nothing to eat for four days but a sliver of boiled moose hide.
Then everything went black.
The next thing I knew...
Give me your bomb, quick.
Who are you? Where am I?
We're just a couple of prospectors. This is the Baker Mountain trail back to Coffee Creek.
Got to get to Slocum's trading post.
Folks, Baker Camp starving, need food bad.
I can pay you both well. Plenty of gold, but no food.
You hear that, Brand? He's got gold.
Shut up, Waco.
We'll help you, pal. We'll get the supplies for you.
You won't leave me?
Of course not. But you're in bad shape, mister. Need a doctor.
And I take it those folks back at Baker can't wait for you to get better.
And we're glad to help. Aren't we, Waco?
Oh, sure, sure.
I'll never forget this.
This is your lucky day.
Now where's the money for the supplies, friend?
In my knapsack. There's a poke of five thousand.
Waco, help the man.
And that's the last I remember till I woke up here.
They must have slid me, taken my goggles and pack, and dumped me out in the woods to die.
They broke the unwritten law of the Yukon by refusing aid to a man in need.
What are you going to do, Sergeant?
Take aid to Baker Camp first.
Hitch two sleds in tandem, load them with supplies, and set out with a relief train.
Just as soon as the doc gets back and takes charge of you.
Alone?
No. I only have King here with me. It's a dangerous trip.
Too dangerous to ask anyone in Coffee Creek to share it with me.
If I wait for aid from headquarters, we may be too late.
But it's just as dangerous for you.
Every man in this world has a job to do, Mr. Brady.
This happens to be the one I chose.
An hour after the doctor arrived, Preston was driving up the trail toward Baker Mountain
with a borrowed sled in addition to his own, both loaded with provisions picked up in Coffee Creek.
Whoa! Everybody down!
Mr. Slocum might know something about Bran and Waco King.
You could have stopped here for provision.
Slocum!
Slocum!
He's dead.
Bran, Waco, Baker.
Under a mound of stones, Preston laid Hal Slocum to rest on the hard, frozen ground of a nearby hill.
And one man's struggle for existence in the savage land he loved was over.
He was an honest man and a true friend.
I give him into thy hands. May he and thy mercy rest in peace.
Amen.
In spite of the potential dangers of their journey, Bran and Waco managed to reach Baker Camp.
Bran and Waco lost no time persuading Powers to call a meeting of all men in his cabin.
Everybody here, Powers?
Looks like it.
No matter. I'll check them off your list here when the time comes.
Quiet, please, all of you.
I ask you men to come here because as your elected spokesman,
I've reached an agreement with Mr. Bran on the parsing out of supplies.
We all owe these men a vote of thanks, risking their own lives to bring help to us.
Mr. Bran is not interested in payment for this food. He's willing to trade.
Tell him about the guns.
Mr. Bran will trade one day's ration for each gun laid on this table.
What's Bran want with guns?
What about us that have none?
Answering your question, Avery, Mr. Bran's purpose is a legal one.
He tells me he and his partner are gunsmiths and they want to set up a business in Coffee Creek.
What about us without guns? Do we starve?
Well, Mr. Bran will discuss that with us after we've finished the gun deal.
I'm sure we'll reach a fair agreement, huh, Bran?
Trust me.
Well, you all heard what he said.
Now, anyone dissatisfied?
Then let's have quiet and we'll trade as fast as possible.
Okay.
As I call out your names, you'll step forward with your guns and receive your supplies.
Peterson.
Garber.
Barring you, Powers, that appears to be all of the guns.
Hey, now what about us?
Well, Mr. Bran, have you decided about the others?
I caught her outside. She tried to steal some stuff off of the sled.
I didn't mean any harm.
Not much you didn't. Another minute and you'd have had a thousand dollars worth of grub.
A thousand dollars worth? Why, the whole sled full isn't worth that much.
Shut up, Winkle. Let her go and get back to your job.
Now, little lady, what's your problem?
I have no gun to give you, Mr. Bran. No money.
What's she trying to sell me?
Mrs. Lacey's a widow with a sick child. Surely you wouldn't refuse?
Of course not. A poor, starving widow. And an orphan, huh?
That's an old wheeze, lady. Now how about some cash?
My husband was killed by a landslide before he could stake a claim.
She's telling the truth, Bran. The rest of us have been trying to help her ever since.
But she has nothing but a cabin and the clothes on her back.
Then keep on trying.
Now you might as well get one thing straight. No handouts.
Give in to one and we'll end up giving it all away.
Just a minute, Mrs. Lacey. Here. Take my share.
Oh, thank you.
Very touching, Powers, but not very practical.
Now what about the others here? They have gold, don't they?
Yes.
Now here are the terms. One pound of food for a pound of gold.
Without guns, I don't think there's a thing you can do about it. Do you?
If there's any justice in this world, I'm the next. Someday you'll pay for this, Bran.
I don't like the looks of this weather, old fellow. We're in for a storm that's going to make that mountain trail even tougher.
It could blow over by morning.
Perhaps we'd better stay here for the night. This looks like a good sheltered spot.
It's been used before. Quite recently, in fact.
This came from Slocum's king. Still fairly new. It could mean only one thing.
The criminals that murdered him were here this morning and took the Baker Trail.
As soon as this storm blows over, we'll have to make it to that camp.
A storm forced Sergeant Preston to bed down for the night in a sheltered hollow by the side of the train.
With the coming of day, the blizzard ceased, but the temperature took a savage drop.
On an uphill run with two sleds in tandem, Preston and his team found the trail increasingly difficult.
After a steady run of several hours, Preston had stopped to rest his tired team.
Now in the bitter cold, the motionless runners of the sled had frozen fast to the trail.
Preston called on King's great leadership to break them out.
All right, hold your huskies! Hold! Hold your huskies! Hold!
All right, down, everybody.
Down, everybody.
King, old fellow, we're stuck. Frozen fast. You're my only hope.
I'm going to have to hook up your harness again. Come on, fella.
All right, you ready, King? Let's take a little slack. All right! Pull, King, pull!
Gee, King! Pull! Gee, King!
All right, King.
It's not your fault, old boy. Nothing to be ashamed of.
Shall we give it another try? And then if it doesn't work, we'll separate the two sleds and take them up to the top of the hill one at a time.
I've got faith in you, King. I know we can do this together.
Good boy.
All right, everybody up. Gee, King!
Pull, King! Pull! Pull, King!
Here you are. Two and a half pounds of food for two and a half pounds of nuggets.
Too bad. I thought he was going to give me a chance to blast him.
Mayor Powell, welcome to the United States Treasury. We have all of our gold. What do you want now?
More where that came from, isn't there, Mr. Hurt?
Takes too long. The ground's like iron this time of the year. Anyway, I've had my fill of this mangy spot.
So?
So we're loading up a sled and taking a back trail to Alaska.
You'll leave us the rest of the provisions then in case we...
We're not leaving you nothing. Get outside and harness up the team, Weakle.
Now listen to me close, Powers. We're headed out of here, and anyone that crosses our path, we'll shoot them down.
So tell all your people to stay out of sight and in their cabins.
Look us up. If you ever get to the States, just ask for the richest guy living in the biggest house in Frisco.
Slow, King.
Won't be long now, fellow. Baker's only a few more miles away.
On, King. On, you huskies.
Slow, King.
Sergeant Preston and King, thank goodness. I thought Brandon Weakle had returned.
Where is everyone? Well, Brandon Weakle been here, huh?
We all thought it was Brandon Weakle returning. Everyone was warned to stay inside or they'd be shot.
Yes, they've been here, left with all the camp's guns and gold. A regular rain of terror.
It's Sergeant Preston with two sleds loaded with bows. Sergeant Preston.
Please don't touch anything on the sleds. I'll see that everyone gets their fair share just as soon as possible.
Do you have any idea where Brandon Weakle were going?
They let down the back trail for the border a short time ago.
I wish I had a fresh team and an empty sled.
Well, I've no team, but we'll all pitch in and unload yours if that'll help.
These dogs are dead tired, but I think they'll respond to King. I'm sure they will.
Let's unload the sled, boys.
Might as well give up, Sergeant. Your dog team's too exhausted. You'll never catch them.
Not by the regular trail anyway.
Don't be unhinged the sled.
I'm going to toboggan straight down that hill and cut them off.
I'm going to toboggan straight down that hill and cut them off.
Stop, or they'll leave the crowd.
Get him up.
Let him up. Let him up.
Now throw your gun over here, Weakle. Put your hands over your head.
Rest you both in the name of the crown. Now march.
Sergeant, as spokesman for the citizens of this camp,
I want to express our appreciation for what you and King have done for us.
Hear, hear.
Well, I'm glad we could help, but that's why the Northwest Monitor is stationed in the Yukon.
You've not only captured those crooks under guard outside, you've saved Brady's life,
brought us food, and restored our gold.
But most of all, you've restored our faith in humanity.
You tell him the rest, Mrs. Lacey.
Sergeant, the folks here have decided to change the name of this camp.
From now on, it will be known as King City.
Now, did you hear that, King? You're famous now.
Well, it's time to take our prisoners back.
This case is closed.
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