Suspense. And the producer of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, the master of mystery
and adventure, William N. Robeson.
There are several areas in which the human race splits into antithetical groups. Cats,
for instance. A person either likes cats or he hates them. Or the moon. There are those
who want to visit it. And there are others who prefer to use moonlight for the purpose
God intended. And then there's hunting. Some men must prove their manhood by bagging bigger
and bigger game. To others, wanton killing is sickness. Our story concerns two such men
and a wounded lion. A story we believe will indeed keep you in suspense. Listen. Listen
then as Everett Sloan stars in Game Hunt, which begins in exactly one minute.
Memo on medals. Interesting information about our military awards and decorations. Our nation's
fourth highest combat award is the Silver Star Medal. A small silver star encircled by
a wreath in the center of a larger bronze star. The ribbon from which this simple yet
dramatic medal is suspended has a vertical center stripe of red with alternating stripes
of white and blue to the edges. The silver star is awarded to individuals, both military
and civilian, who distinguish themselves by gallantry and intrepidity in action under
orders of a general officer. The medal was first authorized July 9th, 1918. But eligibility
for the award was made retroactive to include action in the Spanish-American War and the
Philippine Insurrection of 1898. Many thousands of brave servicemen have been honored with
this cherished award. The Silver Star, a symbol of dedication and great devotion to the cause
of freedom. And now. Game Hunt, starring Everett Sloan. A tale well calculated to keep you
in suspense. The day had begun much the same as the other mornings on safari. We had left
the base camp deep in the Kenya country before a cloudy dawn broke. Now we were advancing
through the waist-high grass of the savanna. There were three of us. Howard Babson, a rich
American from Chicago. Elems and kudos and gazelles are all very well, but I came down
here for lion. And there was a mission-educated native tracker whose unpronounceable Maasai
name had been simplified to Charlie. You don't worry, Buona. This lion country, good lion
country. And lastly, there was me, Jeffrey Arcross. I'm a white hunter, professional.
For a price, I will lead anyone to big game, see that he bags it, and send him home loaded
with trophies and convinced that he's the world's most fearless marksman. But the business
is not without danger. That's why we start a customer off killing harmless animals before
we lead him to the man-eaters, hoping that he will gain confidence in himself and his
gun before he's called upon to make the shot he must not miss. Let's get on with it, Arcross.
We're waiting for Charlie. But why? Our eyes are as good as his. I'll know a lion when
I see one. Oh, yes, I'm sure you will, Mr. Babson. But the lions you'll see are not behind
bars in the circus. It's one thing to recognize a lion. It's quite another to understand him.
Charlie understands him. Charlie, behind you. You see, Mr. Babson, you didn't hear him.
Neither did I. Neither does a lion. Buona, big one, not far. He feed on zebra and clearing.
He carry great mane. Well, let's go then. Shell in your chamber? You think I'm stupid,
Arcross? Just wanted to be sure. That's why you're paying me. All right, all right, let's
go. The wind is shifting some, Charlie. It will work with us long enough, I think. You
think that because you're a lazy beggar and you want to stay on the game trail instead
of fighting the bush? No, wind will help us long enough. There, Buona. Let's go. There
you are. There's your trophy, a black mane. Oh, he's big. It's a beauty. Can he smell
us? Not with the nose full of zebra blood he's got. The wind, Charlie. It's stay sane.
You won't be able to take him the way he is, low behind the zebra, Babson. But he's bound
to move before long. So settle into a good position and relax. He's a monster. He'd look
good on your wall, Babson. Yeah, it's like I got just the place for him. You know, the
sun came up today for him just like every other day. But it's the last sun he'll see,
thanks to you and to Charlie and to me. You're developing a guilty conscience, Art Cross?
Getting tired of killing, that's all. Killing is bad unless it's for food or to save your
own life. Buona, look, wife is coming. Ah, yes, she's prettier. Careful, Babson. He'll
move now. Take your time. He's only chasing the old lady off. He'll be back and give you
a good shot as he comes. No, Babson, not now. Not now! Why did you fire him? You gut shot
him. He can live for days or weeks. You go into elephant grass? Yes, always the meanest
place to find him. Well, there's your trophy, Mr. Babson. He's wounded and holed up and
he's the most dangerous animal in the world right now. You want to go in after him? No,
no, I don't know enough about it. Well, you thought you knew enough to fire when I told
you not to. But we hunted over a week for a good head. That's all I was thinking of
when I saw him running away. I wanted him. Right now he wants you, Mr. Babson. You stay
here. Charlie and I will go in and try and get him. Why don't you leave him? He'll die.
I know I hit him well. Not well enough. It's against the game laws to leave a wounded animal
and he'll charge any man he sees until he dies. In a moment, we continue with the second
act of suspense. Another visit with Joe and Daphne Forsyte. Hey honey, I'm home. Daphne,
drop dead. Uh oh, what's the matter honey? Don't you speak to me, you, you don Juan.
Don Juan? Daphne, I'm no don Juan. No hables espanol. Very funny. Ha ha ha. Well, it was
no prize winner, but- Neither are you, you, you lethario. I've often wondered, what's
a lethario? I don't know, but that's what the wives on TV always call their husbands.
I guess it applies. Do you want me to go out and come in again? As far as I'm concerned,
you can go for a long walk, preferably on a short pier. Well, oh come on Daphne, what's
wrong? Your good friend Harry called and he spilled the beans. Which beans? He said, quote,
tell Joe he was right about those blondes, they're great, unquote. Blondes? That's what
he said. Well- He didn't say blondes, he said bonds, savings bonds. What? Sure, I buy them
on the payroll savings plan. And I told Harry he ought to do it too. Savings bonds have
a guaranteed interest that pays back four dollars for every three, which is a pretty
good investment. That's a pretty good story too. It's true, so help me. That's why Harry's
so happy. Savings bonds are great. Well, maybe you're right. You wouldn't really fool around
with blondes, would you? You're too faithful and sweet and kind and- Fast talking. And
now, starring Everett Sloan, act two of Game Hunt.
Along with my services and my knowledge, Mr. Babson had bought my courage. And I was cheating
my customer because I no longer had that much courage for sale. When Charlie and I entered
the high grass, he was carrying not only my heavy rifle, but my canteen filled with brandy.
I finally got so I hate them, Charlie. I've disliked them for a long time, but now I hate
them. Which one? The trophy hunters, the lords and the movie stars and the millionaires,
the complainers about the sun and the rain and the flies. I hate them. For me, I hate
tall elephant grass. The elephant grass belongs here. It grows so that gut-shocked lions will
have a place to hide. This lion knew all along that one day a gut shooter had stopped making
money in Chicago and come to visit Africa. That way. He went into grass beyond High Ant
Hill. A nasty stand to cover. Grass over eight feet high. Yes, Warner. You can't see 15
paces into it. It'll take our friend only the time of a breath to cover that distance.
Well, let's look for sign. Look, Warner. Blood, dark thick, come from deep inside. No artery
cut though. He's a slow bleeder, a ruddy slow bleeder. Give me the canteen, Charlie. We could
wait, Warner. Our friend will stick him. Yes, only the wind isn't for us now, Charlie. Coming
in from every quarter. We can get our scent from any direction. The smell of rain now,
too. I don't catch it. Are you sure? It comes soon, I think. If you smell of a rain, the
blood spore will be washed away. You smell too much. You smell the fear that's in me,
haven't you? For the first time. You're an insolent beggar. You asked me, Warner. Look
ahead where he lay down. See? His head was here, looking this way. Yes. Down the back
trail, waiting for us. See? Claw signs. He is close enough that he caught our scent and
got up and ran. He has not stiffened. And he's waiting again, up ahead. He has nothing
else to do. No. You've got a wife and children, Charlie. How are they? They eat well. The
doctor has done much to stop sickness. When did you see them last? Before this hunt. You
must want to get back to them as quickly as possible, huh? Yes, Warner. The lion's wife.
She come closer. What direction? Where is she? The wind is against us now. You don't know
where she is? No, Warner. Give me the canteen. You ever been to Nairobi, Charlie? Yes, Warner.
Did you like it? No. Too many people, too much noise. I hate the city, too. But I found
something there. A reason to live, I mean. A woman. She said she'd be my wife. I've
never had a wife. A wife is good. Not with this kind of business in the elephant grass.
When you think of a wife, you don't do well with a gut shot lion. Then the rain began
to fall and the center of the stand of grass was now a place of dull gray light and darker
shadows. Do you still find sign in this much, Charlie? Too much. He stay on old trail. His
wife has been to him. Has been to him? You see, his tracks. Look at the size of that
poor. He's bigger than I thought. And here, her tracks going other way. What? That puts
her behind us now. Yes, Warner. Now she hunts us. In just a moment, we continue with the
third act of suspense. We have together ample capacity in freedom to defend freedom. This
is NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO nations trust each other. Proof? Well,
since the advent of NATO, the amount of information which member governments exchange concerning
their armed forces and their economic and financial positions is greater and more detailed
than any which allies have ever before exchanged, whether in time of war or peace. The United
States of America is a part of NATO. You should be aware of and alert to the objectives and
programs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And now, starring Everett Sloan, act three
of Game Hunt. Here's close, Warner. Blood spores here again. Very close our rain would
have washed it away. See? Yes. Very close, Charlie. Give me the brandy. I have never
seen this in you before. Nairobi fear. And I'm not ashamed to show it to you because
you're my friend. I'm going to quit this business, get a city job, a nice safe, dull
job in the city where you go home every night after work. I've been a good... She's still
behind us. I've been a good hunter. It's been said that I think like an animal when I'm
on the stock and I know what the game is going to do before it's done it. I have seen this
with you. Not anymore. After Nairobi, it left me. After the woman, I thought only as a man.
The female crossed the trail. Did you see her? Yes, Warner. I'm going to put her out of
the way. We can't have her trailing along behind. Where is she, Charlie? It was close
to here that she crossed. Her head, Warner. You see? Small grass broken. I see it now.
Come on. Babson. If he fired at her, I hope he did better than the last time. Are you
all right? I'm fine. I got the female. Bend some of the grass against the wind so we can
locate you. Here she is. Never did see me. Lying with her back to me in the trail looking
in your direction, I guess. Waiting for us. We were stalking each other. When she got
up to move to the side, I had my sights on her shoulder. Simple as that. Isn't she a
beauty? Lovely. Her head will go well next to the males. Where is he? We've been only
a few paces away from him, but we haven't seen him yet. Now, Mr. Babson, I told you
to stay out in the clearing. Why did you come in here? Because I couldn't let you two finish
a job that I bungled. Well, I want you to go back out. You've done enough for us killing
the female. I'm going to stay with you. It was my excitement, my bad shooting that caused
it all. I'm staying with you. I'd call myself a coward every time I looked at my trophies
if I didn't. All right. It's your privilege. But any time you feel like turning back, do
it. No, I won't turn back. I'm all right now.
Juana, here is where we were close to him. Rain wash away blood, but marks still show.
Yes. And they stay on the trail. Not for long, I think. Let's find out how long. Here we
are. He's off to the left. His back leg very bad now. I feel good now, Charlie. No Nairobi.
What does that mean, no Nairobi? No. A vague term we sometimes use in our trade. Sort of
uneasiness. Now, we move in a line a few paces apart. You on my left, Babson, Charlie on
my right. When he decides to come, he'll charge anything that moves. So freeze when he starts.
Charlie and I will draw his attention and swing his charge toward us. Now, this isn't
to favor you, Babson. It's to give you a better target.
Well, I'll have him broadside you mean. Right. Don't move your position and keep firing
until your rifle is empty. Reload, start firing again. A few paces this way for me? That's
good. All right, Charlie. Take us to him. Yes, Juana. Charlie, ahead. See the tops of
the grass moving against the wind. I see it. It could mean he's down and can't get up.
At any rate, we know where he is. Carefully now. He'll be less than 20 paces away when
we first see him. There he comes. Don't fire. We want him closer. Hold, hold, hold, Babson.
He's swinging this way. I can't stay. Freeze, Babson. I can't hold. Don't run. Open up,
Charlie. I'm trying to break the shell. Does he die, Charlie? He is dead, Juana. He doesn't
look it, Charlie. You'd think he's ready to charge again, wouldn't you? He's dead. Not
for Mr. Babson, he isn't. But Juana. Get the trophy hunter and bring him here. Load his
gun with expanding ammunition. Bullets to finish the thing, to smash it. Yes, Juana.
I understand. I'm sorry that I ran our cross. I couldn't help it. There was nothing I could
do. Well, of course there wasn't. Your first time in all. Where is he? Come here, I'll
show you. Over there. You can just see his head. Yes. He'd be ready to charge again if
we let him rest. I thought you'd like the final shots. I would. All right. Put your
sights right under his ear and a bit to the front. Check the safety. Go ahead. I hit him.
Don't take any chances. One more. That will do it, I think. Let's look at him. Well, congratulations,
Mr. Babson. You've killed your lion. But his head. He's worthless as a trophy. His head's
blown to bits. Yes, it's a shame. One of those things. I'm afraid it had to be this way.
Yes, it had to be this way. Mr. Babson had not deserved his lion and it seemed right
to me that he should destroy it. It was not the first time that an already dead trophy
had been ruined to show contempt of the millionaire gut shooters. It was a thing that the other
white hunters would understand. About the other thing, the fear. Only she will understand
it someday when she's my wife. Understand and condone it because it brought me back
to her alive. Suspense. In which Everett Sloane starred in William and Robeson's production
of Game Hunt by Gil Dowd. Supporting Mr. Sloane in Game Hunt were Lawrence Dobkin and Roy
Glenn. Listen. Listen again next week when we return with another tale well calculated
to keep you in suspense.
Suspense has been brought to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States
Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.