Ranger Bill, Warrior of the Woodland.
Ranger Bill, Warrior of the Woodland.
Struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature.
This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill.
Pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions.
Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done.
Fire, forest fire.
The most dreaded enemy of the woodland has broken loose and is racing across Pendleton Valley with the speed of a panther.
This hungry monster devours everything in its path. It must be stopped.
Colonel Landers, Ranger Bill's boss, rushes to stop the progress of this dreadful enemy.
The Colonel commands an army of men using trucks, bulldozers, plows, axes, shovels, picks, and dynamite.
These men fight desperately to defeat the enemy that threatens to destroy the countryside.
Things are not going so good and the battle gets fiercer by the minute.
This is terrible. The fire is getting out of control. Ralph, yo Ralph, come here a minute.
Yes sir, Colonel. What did you want?
Ralph, take a bulldozer and thirty men and make a new fire lane a thousand yards behind us.
We may have to get out of here.
Yes sir.
Hey fellas, come with me.
We can't let this fire get out of the valley.
Timber!
I'd better get out of here, the boys are cutting the trees down.
Hey Colonel, look out!
You fellas alright?
By oh by Burgess, that was some tackle you made on the Colonel. Just moved him enough.
Thanks for saving my life, I'll not forget this. What's your name?
Burgess sir.
Burgess, tell Ranger Tom that I'm going to contact Ranger Bill.
Tom to take command while I'm gone.
Yes sir.
Fine, I'll be back soon. We've got to stop this fire and I think I know how to do it.
Say, things look pretty bad. The Colonel has got to help stop the fire.
What kind of help is he going to get?
Oh wait a minute, he was going to contact Ranger Bill.
What do you say we run over to Bill's cabin outpost?
Hello, Ranger Bill speaking.
Yes sir, Colonel Anders.
Say, that sounds bad, very bad.
Well, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Yes, take the horses in the truck.
Alright, I'll take my pal Henry along too.
Yes sir, Colonel, right away.
Well, we sure didn't learn much from that conversation, did we boys and girls?
You know, I have a sneaking suspicion that we better tag along with Ranger Bill and find out what this is all about.
He's busy packing. Henry, his young friend, is talking as usual.
Wow, Bill, that phone call sure packed a powerful wallop by the way you're packing things together. What's up?
Trouble Henry, plenty of trouble. In fact, this is going to be such a big job that you will have to help me.
You mean you're letting me go with you?
Letting? Those are orders, Ranger. Now get cutting and pack your knapsack.
My knapsack? I don't need a sack to nap in.
Alright, funny face. Get packing and don't forget your New Testament.
Will we have time for Bible reading where we're going, Bill?
Perhaps we won't have time, pal, but we're going to take time.
Remember, when you're so busy you can't take time to talk with the Lord, you're too busy. Come on now, let's go.
Okay, I'm right behind you.
Be sure the door is locked in me.
It's locked tight in a drum.
Henry, run over and get the horses while I pack your sandals and jackets.
Sure thing, Bill.
More than best could stand some exercise. You're sure getting fat and sassy.
Easy does it, girls. That's it. Come on now.
Maude, cut that out. Stop the shenanigans.
You watch eating and no work ruins your horse sense. Why can't you behave like best does?
Here now, you. Maude.
What's the matter, having trouble, Henry?
Yeah.
Let me handle Maude. Come on, Miss Brisky. Up into the truck.
Up you go, Bess.
All right now, help me with the tailgate, Henry.
This thing is heavy enough to hold an elephant.
Yeah. Now watch your fingers.
Okay.
There we are. All right, hop in, Henry. Times are wasting.
Let's get fuzzing, cousin.
What is the special task Colonel Anders has assigned to Bill?
While Henry and Bill are traveling down the road, I'd like to tell you something about them.
As you've probably guessed by now, Bill is a United States forest ranger.
After he completed forestry school, he was assigned to Colonel Anders for range and forest patrol work.
Bill can call every kind of tree, shrub, grass, and animal of the forest by its Latin name as well as its regular name.
When Bill is off duty, he lives with his mother in the town of Naughty Pine.
Now a word about Henry. Henry is the same kind of boy you are.
He loves the outdoors. He likes to swim, fish, hike, hunt.
Yeah, and I'd rather be outside than go to school.
Say, young fellow, you're supposed to be riding with Bill.
Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me. I almost forgot.
Several hours have passed now. Ranger Bill and Henry are still riding along the wilderness road.
Oh, boy, am I sleepy. How far we got to go yet, Bill?
About a hundred yards or so, Henry.
Huh? What? You serious? This is just plain old wilderness.
There isn't anybody around here for miles. What are we stopping here for?
There's a trail that begins where this old pine tree, and we're going up that trail pronto.
Come on, Henry. Let's get the horses off the truck. Okay.
We got a heap of riding to do.
What's the matter, Henry?
Say, hey, I smell smoke. Yeah, wood smoke.
Hey, Bill, Bill, that smoke means there's forest fire, doesn't it?
I'm afraid so, Ranger.
Boy, look at all the animals running across the road.
Look at Bill. Deer, bear, skunks, rabbit. Wow. Take a gander at the size of that panther.
Oh, boy, let's hurry and help put out the fire so these poor animals don't lose their homes.
Okay. Give me a hand with the tailgate. We'll get started.
All right. You know, this tailgate gets heavier every time we use it.
You should eat more flapjacks at breakfast, Henry, and not talk so much. You'd be stronger.
Come on, Bess. Here we go. Easy, girl.
Come on, Maude. Easy now. There we are.
Right, hold the lines, Henry, while I saddle up and put our gear on the horses.
Okay. I sure hope no animals get hurt.
Look, there's a baby deer. I mean a fawn. Isn't he the sharpest little fella you ever saw?
Oh, Maude, Bess, horses smell of both the smoke, don't they, Bill?
Yeah. I guess they do smell of smoke. Getting pretty restless.
In just a minute, we'll be ready to go.
Here, Henry, give me a hand with the tailgate.
Again?
That's better. All right. All aboard there.
All right. Come on, Maude.
Get up, Bess.
Watch that branch, Henry. You'll be hanging by your chin.
Hey, what's the matter with Maude?
Yeah, must be a rattler close by. Let's see.
Yeah, yeah, there he is. Now be careful so Bess doesn't throw you.
How long we been riding, Bill?
About two hours or so, Henry.
Smoke's getting thicker, Bill. How much more riding we got?
About ten more minutes and we'll be there.
Be there? Be where?
Pine Ridge Dam.
Pine Ridge Dam? I thought we were going to help fight the fire.
We are, pal.
But how are we going to fight the fire from up here? We'll be five miles away from the place.
Remember the phone call from Colonel Anders?
Sure do.
Well, the Colonel told me to come up here and we'll be there in about an hour.
That's why I brought you with me.
You mean I'm going to stand watch all by myself?
Yes. We'll each take four hour shifts watching for a signal light message from the Pendleton Fire Observation Tower.
I can read Morse code, Bill. Learn it in Boys Club. Well, when will the message come?
If the fire gets out of control, he'll signal us to blow up the dam.
Blow up the dam? Boy, what a flood that'll be.
You said it, Henry. The body of water in Pendleton Valley will be so wide that the fire can't possibly jump it.
It's a good plan and it's up to us to make it work. But I hope we don't have to do it.
Boy, oh boy, I'm just as important as a real Ranger is.
You certainly are. I want you to take the first watch beginning at sunset.
Now, there's the dam over there, but we'll camp on top of this hill.
We can see the fire tower better from here. Oh, boy. Oh, boy.
Oh, boy. I guess I'm getting arthritis or something.
I feel pretty stiff after several hours in the saddle.
All you have to do is quit eating so much of your mother's apple pie.
Oh, is that so? No remarks from the nickel seats, Hank.
You know I was only joking, Bill. Please don't call me Hank. That reminds me of the business end of a mob.
Sorry, pal. Just thought I'd even up the score a little bit.
Henry, take it easy with that box. Why?
Oh, for no particular reason except that the box is full of dynamite.
Dynamite? Why didn't you tell me?
Listen, young fella.
Listen to your old grandpappy. If you ever drop a box of dynamite again like that, you can plan on a fast one-way trip to the moon.
Ah, yes, Henry. You'd get quite a long ride up in the air if the dynamite went off.
While Bill and Henry make camp, suppose we find out how much progress Colonel Anders is making with the fire.
Phew, but it's hot and dirty close to the fire.
Say, the men are being driven back to the fire lane Ralph's men are building.
Ralph, get the men out of here before we're trapped.
Yes, sir.
All right, men. Pick up your gear and withdraw to safer ground.
We might get trapped here.
Colonel Anders, Colonel Anders, Ranger Tom fell and broke his leg. What do we do?
Take him to the hospital in truck number three and be quick about it.
It's getting too dangerous to stay here any longer.
The men are moving back, sir. Things look pretty bad, don't they?
That's right, Ralph. We don't stand a chance unless Bill helps us.
You take charge. I'm going to signal Bill to blow up Pine Ridge Dam.
Wow, the Colonel is really desperate.
Will Bill be able to blow up Pine Ridge Dam in time?
How's Henry going to stand the tough grind of a midnight watch?
Listen again next Monday at 445 for more adventures with Ranger Bill.
Thank you.