And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense.
In a moment, Act One of The Lost Ship, written especially for suspense by Erwin Lewis.
It's a sharp curve ahead, Harry. Be careful.
Don't worry, I see it.
That was a close one.
Harry, do you hear something?
What?
Sounds like a siren.
Harry, it does sound like a siren, doesn't it?
Shut up, let me listen.
I think you're right.
Maybe it's the police.
How could it be? We lost them hours ago.
I don't know, but it's getting louder.
We have to get off this main road fast.
Damn, that looks like a cut-off.
I would have needed to stay across the desert. It isn't much of a road.
I'm tired of being choosy. Hang on.
Oh!
I can't take much more of this.
Wait, we can't cut back. Those police might be patrolling the highway.
We'll wait until dark.
I can't just slow down. I'm getting sick.
This is no longer, honey.
I want to put in much distance between us and the highway as possible.
What happened?
I don't know. Take a look.
What is it?
Rocket spray.
Oh, what do we do now?
We can't stay here. Grab the bag and let's go.
Where?
It's got to lead someplace. Let's try those hills.
What about the suitcase?
Leave it in the car. This little bag is all the luggage we need.
A lot of good it'll do us out here.
Where there's a road, there's bound to be a house of people.
What's in this bag talks any language.
Come on, let's go.
Can't you walk any faster?
I'm trying, Harry, but the rocks are killing me.
Oh, I've had a rest in it.
Sit on my jacket.
I'll get it all dirty.
So what? We'll buy a thousand jackets once we hit the border.
Sit down.
Oh, what a relief.
But so hot. What's that?
It sounds like a coyote. Don't worry about it.
Oh, Harry, I'm scared.
Now, don't go hysterical.
Well, aren't you frightened? Even a little?
Sure I am. Down to my shoes.
Oh, we're meant to be crazy.
There's 50,000 arguments in this little bag to prove we're not crazy.
We'll spend the rest of our lives running.
Once we get to Mexico, we'll stop running.
But we're leaving our home, our friends, everything and everybody we know.
Is it worth it?
What are we giving up?
A stinking two-room flat with peeling paint and crawling roaches this big?
You won't miss that for a minute.
You think I enjoyed standing in that teller's cage, handing out money all day long
to little people who had no more right to it than I did?
They weren't stealing.
Now, don't go moral on me.
Listen, I'm past 40.
A man gets to that age, he gets tired wanting things and not being able to afford them.
Hey, isn't that smoke up there?
Where?
Over to the right, between those two hills.
Sure it is. That's chimney smoke.
I bet there's a house up there. Come on, Viola.
Well, hiya, folks.
Kind of off the tourist trail, ain't ya?
We, uh, we were wandering.
No sense wandering outside.
Come in, come in, make yourselves comfortable.
Yeah, your car broke down, huh?
Why do you say that?
Well, nobody'd walk here if they didn't have a car.
Well, I guess you could say that.
Well, I guess you could say that.
Well, I guess you could say that.
Well, nobody'd walk here if they could ride.
And take a look at your shoes.
Lady, I'll bet your feet are full of bliss.
You're so right.
Well, take off your shoes and sit down by the fire.
I'll poke it up.
Starting to get nippy now, the sun's going down.
Thank you.
I was fixing myself some supper, pork and beans.
You might be proud if you'll join me.
Thank you, Mr.
Townley, Pete Townley.
I'm Harry Turner, and this is Mrs. Turner.
Pleased to meet you.
I'll open another can of beans.
Ain't much, but it's stillin'.
You live here all alone, Mr. Townley?
Pete, man, no sense being formal.
Yep, yep, I live here all by my lonesome.
Going on 20 years, I reckon.
20 years?
You ever have visitors?
Oh, once in a while.
Expect my neighbor of mine.
Let's see now, day after tomorrow.
Neighbor?
Yeah, Sam Higgins.
Lives about 40 miles from here.
Drops in regularly, twice a year.
What do you do about supplies, food and things?
Well, I got a jeep in the back.
I use it to go to town once a month for supplies.
A jeep?
Yeah, yeah.
Guess you didn't see it coming up here.
I'll drive into town first thing in the morning,
get Bill Jenkins from the garage to come out and fix up your car.
Can't you go right now?
By the time I get back, it'd be pitch dark.
No, no, better wait till tomorrow.
Well, let's see if the beans is...
Oh, gee.
They sure are.
Here, I hope you don't mind tin plates.
Yeah, well, let's dig in.
Yeah, you know, I think those beans are pretty good.
Either you folks care for any more?
No, no, thank you.
No, thank you, Peter.
Here, I'll give you a hand with the dishes.
Oh, don't bother, ma'am.
Won't take more in a minute.
I'd like to get that jeep and take off right now.
Oh, he couldn't do that.
He's a nice old man.
I don't like spending all night here.
It ain't enough.
Here, let me know when you folks is ready to hit the hay.
I'll bunk down in the shed and back.
Oh, no, we wouldn't think of putting you into such trouble.
Oh, don't worry about it, ma'am.
I can sleep anywhere, anytime.
Besides, that bed ain't much softer than the floor.
Pete, don't you ever get lonely living here by yourself?
Oh, no, I like it like this, just me in the hills.
I spent nearly 30 years prospecting for gold.
Didn't find much, but enough so that I can buy a little food
and a few other things I need every now and then.
So why look for more?
Now, most folks dream about a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Well, I got that too, waiting for me over in the hills in the desert out there.
I guess that's what you call a great beyond, huh?
Oh, sucks, no.
I don't mean when I'm dead.
I'm talking about a real pot of gold, bigger than anything you ever seen or dreamed of, probably.
In the desert?
I don't understand.
What is in the desert?
A ship, ma'am, a great Spanish galleon.
It rides the sand dunes of the desert like it was sailing the seas again.
A ship in the desert? That's impossible.
I'll tell you how it was, son.
There's a legend that hundreds of years ago a Spanish ship came sailing up the Gulf of California,
having come from Mexico or Peru or one of them other South American places,
and as it was sailing up right close to shore, a huge storm come along,
and by a tremendous tidal wave which swept it clean onto the desert.
Must have been the granddaddy of all waves, I reckon.
Well, after many years, the waters went back, leaving the ship high and dry,
miles from the Gulf or the river that feeds into it.
In a couple of hundred years, the ship and the sands have varied, of course.
But sometimes, when the wind blows up just right, it blows away a lot of the sand,
and you can see the upper deck of that old ship from the top of that hill just over there.
According to the legend, too, the hold of that ship is just jam-full of treasure.
What a lovely story.
A pretty fairy tale for children and old men.
Harry, that's not a nice thing to say.
Oh, that's all right, ma'am. Of course he's right.
But it is a pretty fairy tale.
Just so happens, this fairy tale is true.
The
Harry, I've got to talk to you.
What is it, Fiona?
Come over here. I want to show you something.
Now, what are you so excited about?
I was shaking out things in the cabin after you left. I found these.
Coins?
Yes, but of what kind? Gold coins.
And look at the words on them.
On the de... Oh, that's not Spanish, doesn't it?
Look how old they are.
Let me see. There's a day on this one, 1542.
What kind of coins are they, Harry?
I've seen some like them at an exhibit. They're Spanish de Blondes.
Where would Pete get them?
Don't you remember his story last night?
What, the Spanish galleon? Don't be ridiculous.
All right, how do you explain them?
Why, can't it... No, it's impossible.
Pete.
What's up, son?
Hi.
My wife found these in the cabin. Where did they come from?
Oh, them things. I reckon they come from the ship.
What do you mean?
Well, some years ago a young fellow came staggering in from the desert.
He was in pretty bad shape.
Hadn't had food or water for days, it seemed like.
I tried to fix him up, but he was too far gone.
But before he died, he moaned something about finding a ship out in the desert.
I found them coins in his pocket.
I don't believe a word you're saying.
You're either crazy or the biggest liar I've ever met.
Harry.
Son, if you're so all-fired skeptical, why don't you climb that hill and take a look for yourself?
Now, the wind seems to be coming up kind of strong. You might be lucky.
In fact, I got an old pair of field glasses you can take along.
But son, if you do see the ship, for your own sake, don't let it give you any fool ideas.
Harry. Harry, I can't climb another foot.
Almost to the top. Here, grab my hand. There. There.
Now, just a few more feet. You made it.
Now that we're here, what? I can't see a thing with the wind blowing sand in my face.
I doubt if there is anything to see.
That dattery old man tells us a fairy tale and we buy it.
All we'll get for our troubles is our lungs full of desert.
Why did I let you talk me into climbing up here? Look at my dress.
Yeah, raise my head back.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I read the wind is dying on it.
Take a look through these glasses.
Yeah, I still can't see a blast of thing but sand and sage, bro.
Did you see something?
Can't tell for sure. But I got a better focus.
My aura!
What is it, Harry?
I don't believe it.
What, Harry?
I see a broken mast and a part of a hull buried in the sand.
Fiona, the old man was right. There is a ship out there in the desert.
Well, I kind of thought you might see it.
Haven't seen it myself in a spell.
Figured it was about time for it to show up again.
It was there just like you said it would be.
You've known it there all this time and yet you never went to look for it.
Well, I could told you, son. What for?
Because of the gold.
All right, you do what you want. I'm going after that ship.
No, no, that ain't sensible, son.
Why not? I could see it clearly. It isn't far from here.
Distances are deceiving in the desert. That ship's a lot further than it looks.
And that's mighty rough country out there. It's easy to get lost.
And if you run out of water, you're finished.
And chances are by the time you got to where you think the ship is,
a sandstorm will come up and bury it under tons of sand again.
You better forget it.
Not on your life. Your Jeep is equipped with sand tires.
It has gas, water, tools. That's all I need.
Ma'am, I surely think it ain't smart.
You ought to try to talk him out of it.
Harry, maybe it is too dangerous.
What's the danger? Because Pete can't get up enough energy
to drive a few minutes into the desert to make a fortune?
What about the other man who found the ship and died?
I don't know anything about him and I don't care.
There's gold in that ship. I'm going to get it.
But why? We have enough. Now you said so yourself.
How can you compare 50,000 to what could be in that ship?
And the gold's probably the only part of it.
Those old Spanish galleons used to come home with their hauls bulging
with Inca and Mayan treasures.
My God, by all, we can be rich. We can be rich!
We can make a deal with the bank, return the 50,000 and go scut-free.
But you'd be risking your life.
It's worth it. I'm taking the jeep. You'll see, I'll be back before night.
You know, I've seen what the desert does to people who know it, son.
A tenderfoot like you ain't got a chance.
Thanks for the advice, Pete, but I'm going.
Oh, no, Harry, wait. Listen to me.
Let go of my hold.
Pete, stop him, please.
Yeah, your wife's right, son. You ain't thinking clear.
At least wait until you can get a well-organized party together.
I haven't got time. Now get out of my way, Pete.
I can't let you go alone, son. You'll never come back.
Get out of my way!
Oh, you don't...
Come on. Come on, Okasuck. Now it can't be much further.
The rear wheels are stuck in the sand.
Maybe I can slip something underneath.
Oh, the sun is strong.
Yeah, the wheel has dug itself a nice little hole.
What about the shovel in the Jeep? If I jam it up against the tire, maybe I...
Ah, here it is.
Ah, if I just...
I don't know, what's over that ridge?
Looks like some sort of structure.
Can't be a house who could live out here.
I better take a look.
Pete was right when he said distances were deceiving.
The top of this ridge looked like it was within a few yards of the Jeep, but...
I seem to be walking forever.
The way the heat waves make the air shimmer out of it.
Not even sure where I am.
I'm getting to the top.
Now, let's find out just what I saw.
Here comes that wind again.
Can I get the sand out of my eyes?
I... That's better.
Now...
It's the hull of a ship!
Yes, this is what I saw from the hill!
Look at her, buried in the sand with little more than part of the top deck visible.
But it's a ship, all right.
Look at the carvings on the rail.
I wonder if it's safe to walk on.
Yeah, it seems solid enough.
There is something inscribed in the railing.
Santa Carlotta.
Santa Carlotta!
I found the ship!
I found it!
All right, take it easy, Harry.
Keep calm.
This is only half a bottle.
You don't know if the hull is filled with sand or what.
Now, let's look for a hatch.
Find a hatch and open it.
It'll lead to the interior.
Tear away the sand?
I got to dig the sand away.
I've got to find out what I hit.
Come on, boy, this is the beginning of such a long time left.
I was right.
It is a hatch.
Now, let's get it open.
Oh, it's jammed.
I can't budge it.
All right, open it with a shovel.
All right.
I can feel the gimme.
It's coming up.
Get my hand underneath the edge.
Now, my other hand?
No, if I can just lift it.
Ah!
I got it.
I got it.
Just prop it up with a shovel.
Yeah.
That's right.
Oh, it's dark down there.
I can't see.
What is it?
Here's the top of the ladder.
Oh, boy.
Ah, I made it down here.
It's a long way up.
I can just barely see the hatch opening.
Ah.
Looks like I'm in some sort of passageway.
I can't see much now.
I see what I'm like.
It looks like a door.
Open it.
A fridge?
A table?
Looks like charts on the walls.
Something over in a corner.
Can't make out what it is.
Looks white.
Seems to glisten a little.
It's a skull.
Ah.
Scared the life out of me.
What was your name, was it Yorick?
Did you come riding in on this ship when she hit the desert 400 years ago?
Take it easy.
Take it easy, Harry.
Don't lose your nerve now, boy.
The wind seems to be getting stronger.
Maybe I better go back and get some help.
No, not until I find what I came for.
Hey, here we are.
Maybe you can help me.
Where is the treasure, huh?
Maybe you were left here to guard it, huh?
No talk.
All right, let's take a look.
Another door.
Duck.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Here we are.
I'm excited.
I'm excited.
Well, let's see what Yorick was guarding.
I wish I brought a flashlight.
This lighter doesn't help much.
What's this?
Looks like some sort of chest.
Chest.
Chest.
Okay, now to see what's inside.
Chest.
Chest.
My God.
Heaven.
Can't be real.
Gold, jewels, diamonds, a chest full.
I found it.
I found it.
Oh, what a magnificent sight.
Coins.
Jewels.
Throw my pockets.
Grab them in.
Wait, wait, wait. There's a burlap bag in the jeep.
I'll get that.
I feel like I'm staring and carrying this magnificent portion.
I can't hold any more.
I've got to get back to the jeep.
Hold on, Yorick.
Don't be sad. I'll be back.
The flame is getting low in the lighter.
Well, I won't need it much longer.
What?
What is that?
The wind is a lot.
Where's the lighter?
It's so dark.
What was this?
A shovel.
Oh, the wind blew the hatch down.
Well, that's all right.
I'll just climb up and force it open.
Ah, here's the ladder.
There's the ladder.
Ah, here's the hatch.
Let's get it open and get back to the jeep.
It seems to be stuck.
I think it's giving a little...
I have to rest a minute.
I have to rest a minute.
Catch my breath.
The wind is really getting strong.
Wind.
Sand.
Oh, my God, it'll blow the sand on the deck.
It'll cover the hatch, pile it up, tons and tons of sand.
I've got to get the hatch open now.
Push harder, Yorick.
Push harder, harder.
I can't get it open.
I can't get it open.
I've got to get it open.
Pull it up. Pull it up.
We've got to get the hatch open.
Pull it up.
Suspense.
You've been listening to The Lost Ship,
written especially for suspense by Irwin Lewis.
Suspense is produced and directed by Fred Hendrickson.
Heard in tonight's story were Matt Cooper,
Gene Gillespie, and Bill Adams.
Music supervision by Ethel Hubert.
Sound patterns by Walter Otto.
Technical direction by Fred Turner.
This is Jewett Mett speaking.
Listen again next week when we return with another tale
well calculated to keep you in...
Suspense.
Three times each weekday, share a woman's world
with Betty Burnett on the CBS Radio Network.