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The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater was an anthology radio drama series with Tom Bosley as host, which aired on the CBS Radio Network in 1977. Himan Brown, already producing the CBS Radio Mystery Theater for the network, added this twice-weekly (Saturdays and Sundays) anthology radio drama series to his workload in 1977. It usually aired on weekends, beginning in February 1977 and continuing through the end of January 1978, on CBS radio affiliates which carried it.
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00:00Welcome to the marvelous and incredible world of adventure.
00:11I'm Tom Bosley, and I'll guide you into worlds you never dreamed of through the magic of radio.
00:20You know, there's an old saying that truth is stranger than fiction.
00:24And many men have returned from an adventure and related tales of such unbelievable truths that they've been accused of being liars.
00:35Well, our story today was written as fiction, yet it is so interwoven with the truth, you'll be hard put to decide what you believe and what you don't believe.
00:46Our adventure, King Solomon's Minds, was written by H. Ryder Haggard, and adapted especially for the General Mills Radio Adventure Theater by Paul Tripp.
01:04I'll be back shortly with Act One.
01:06Act One
01:36A game hunter like Alan Quartermain could possibly find his way through the twisting jungle trails.
01:42Only through his sharp eyes can we experience the great adventure of King Solomon's Minds.
01:50I had just made camp at the edge of the jungle when two strangers approached.
01:55Alan Quartermain, I believe.
01:57I'm Sir Henry Curtis, and this is my friend Captain John Good, late of the Royal Navy.
02:02Sir Henry and I have come to Africa to find his brother, George Curtis, who has not been heard from for three years.
02:09He was being told that you were the last white man to see him.
02:11Oh, indeed?
02:12Well, that's rather strange.
02:15Now, wait a moment.
02:16Sir Henry, did your brother have your deep-set gray eyes?
02:19Yes.
02:20Yes.
02:21His last letter, three years ago, mentioned he was off to make his fortune in a place called King Solomon's Minds.
02:27Ah, yes, yes, yes.
02:29I remember it all.
02:30There is an old story that far into the mountains there is a mine where the ancient King Solomon acquired a treasure trove of diamonds.
02:37Your brother told me he would find it or die in the attempt.
02:40Well, is there such a place?
02:42Ah, who knows?
02:43But I did have a map of the supposed location.
02:46I gave your brother a copy.
02:48Off he went, and I have never seen him since.
02:50But you still have your map.
02:52Well, it must be somewhere among my papers in this trunk.
02:56Ah, yes, yes, here it is.
02:58Well, yes, it's a map, all right, but it seems to be marked out on a very old and odd piece of cloth.
03:05It was given me ten years ago by a Portuguese gentleman, Silvestra.
03:09We found him dying at the edge of the desert.
03:11In his delirium, he raved about unsuccessfully searching for the mines.
03:15In the last gasp of sanity, he gave me this map, saying it had belonged to another ancestor 300 years before.
03:22This ancestor, another Silvestra, had seen the mines, but died in the mountains while trying to return.
03:28And you never looked for a mine yourself?
03:30Oh, sir, I had better things to do than to follow a dying man's rambling dream.
03:34Mr. Quartermain, will you lead us to the mines, sir?
03:37Crossing an unknown desert under a blazing sun and climbing the highest mountains in Africa sounds more like suicide to me.
03:44Look, sir, I'm a rich man. I'll pay you well.
03:47And if we do find diamonds, you and John Good can share it all.
03:51But we are going, with you or without you.
03:54Very well, Sir Henry.
03:56I'll go.
03:57But more to save your skins than line my pockets.
04:01We'll need a week to organize the expedition.
04:04By the seventh day, we had hired enough porters, but still lacked a strong man to carry our guns.
04:14As I was loading our cartridge belts with bullets, a voice spoke behind us.
04:19Hail.
04:21O maku mazan.
04:22Watch her in the night.
04:24Thy prayers are answered.
04:26I have come to carry the gun.
04:28And not so fast.
04:30First, who are you?
04:32I am called Mbopa.
04:35A warrior of the Zulu nation.
04:37A warrior with a lying tongue.
04:40The Zulus are an ebony black people.
04:42Thou art pale-skinned.
04:45The light color of a dried leaf.
04:48Can you then also see the color of my heart?
04:52You are too bold.
04:53Go elsewhere and carry another man's burdens, not ours.
04:57Oh, I say, Quarrelane.
04:59Why not hire him?
05:00He looks strong.
05:01He's as tall and brawny as I.
05:03Aye.
05:04Golden-bearded lord.
05:06We are men.
05:08You and I.
05:09Why does a warrior wish to be a porter like a woman?
05:13Because I have heard you will cross a great desert and climb snow-covered mountains and seek a strange country.
05:23I say, did him come?
05:24He looks like a useful man.
05:26Very well, Sir Henry.
05:28It's your expedition.
05:30Thank you, Mbopa.
05:31You will come with us.
05:33I will serve you well.
05:36I will serve you well.
06:06Life on the sea never had an uncomfortable day.
06:09But the sight of those swirling sand dunes makes me positively seasick.
06:14If I were you, I'd worry more about drinking water.
06:18Only one cup a day for each of us.
06:21According to the map, there is a water hole in the middle of the desert 60 miles away.
06:27If we find it...
06:29We will find it.
06:30Of no fear.
06:31We decided to travel at night and rest in the daytime.
06:40But resting under a hot sun was almost impossible.
06:43Battalions of flies attacked us and covered us in a black cloud.
06:48We traveled 60 miles.
06:50But no sign of the water hole.
06:52A quarterman.
06:54I'm afraid we've run out of water.
06:56The heat seems to have evaporated it.
06:59Then we shall all be dead.
07:01Before the moon rise.
07:03Tomorrow.
07:03We struggled on as best we could.
07:11And when we could walk no longer, we fell on the sand like dead men.
07:16We slept.
07:18Never expecting to ever wake up again.
07:20But when the sun came up the next morning, I felt my body being shaken.
07:26Marko Mazan.
07:28I do not choose to wake the others.
07:31I have searched in the night by moonlight.
07:34And I have found the water hole.
07:37Um Boppa.
07:39I owe you an apology.
07:41You saved our lives.
07:44Thank me not for saving lives.
07:47I treasure.
07:48I treasure.
07:50We filled our flasks with water and continued on our way across the desert.
07:59Somehow, it felt easier now.
08:02And seven days later at noon, we reached the foothills of the mountains.
08:06We were too relieved to be frightened by the jagged rocks that seemed to tear into the sky.
08:13I shot an antelope, which Um Boppa roasted over a fire.
08:17We gorged ourselves.
08:19And when finally we felt strong enough, we started to climb the mountains.
08:24The higher we climbed, the colder it grew.
08:32Oh, Curtis.
08:34The next time we go on an expedition, let's head for the North Pole.
08:39It's probably much warmer there.
08:41By the time we had reached halfway up the mountain, the sun set and we thought we would freeze to death.
08:49But luckily, the sharp-eyed Um Boppa saved our lives again.
08:53Behold!
08:54There is a cave here.
08:56Let us crawl into it and sleep safely through the night.
09:00We huddled together to be warm and slept deeply.
09:04When morning came and I awoke, I accidentally flung my arm outward and touched a cold hand.
09:11The strange figure of an oddly-dressed man, his head resting on his knees.
09:16Sir Henry, Captain Good.
09:21Boppa!
09:22Wake up!
09:23Wake up!
09:23Look!
09:24Oh!
09:25Is it my brother who sits there dead?
09:28Oh, I hardly think so, Curtis.
09:31Your brother did not wear clothes in the style of 300 years ago.
09:36Then who can it be?
09:38Can't you guess?
09:40It's the old Sylvester whose 300-year-old map we have been following.
09:45The freezing cold has preserved his body all these years.
09:50And look at that pointed bone in his hand.
09:54At the wound in his forearm.
09:56He drew our map with his blood.
10:01God rest his soul.
10:06We paid our respects to the gallant, old gentleman, and climbed to the top of the mountain.
10:12Look, Quartermain!
10:14We're in luck!
10:15The mountain slopes away gently on its other side and it's covered with tall grass.
10:19Ha!
10:20I've never seen anything more beautiful or peaceful in my life.
10:24What the blazers!
10:26Someone just threw that spear at me!
10:28Hey!
10:28A group of armed warriors suddenly burst from behind the trees and threatened us with long, sharp spears.
10:38Despite my fears for our lives, I noticed that these men were tall and tan-colored.
10:43All of them resembling our friend, Umbopa.
10:45And there was no time to think any more about that.
10:49The strangers advanced, pointing their spears at us.
10:52The guns we aimed at them did not frighten them.
10:55Evidently, they had never seen a rifle before.
10:58It looked like curtains for us.
11:00Strangers, who are you?
11:04Where do you come from?
11:07We are visitors, old man.
11:10From the greatest, brightest star in the sky that shines at night.
11:14You have offended us.
11:16You shall be punished.
11:17Be merciful, I beg of you.
11:21We did not know you were men of such great importance.
11:26My little exaggeration having seemed to work, I decided to embroider a bit more.
11:35A wicked-looking buzzard had just landed on a treetop.
11:37Look, you, upon that bird who comes only when death is near.
11:43My magic tube will speak the words of death to him, and he will scavenge no more.
11:53Thus shall my magic tube speak death to you, old man, if you do not obey us.
11:58Oh, we will obey.
12:00Oh, children from the great star.
12:03It is well.
12:05Now tell us who you are.
12:09I am Infardus, general of the army of Twala, king of Lukuana.
12:18Twala, the one-eyed.
12:21Twala, the terrible.
12:24Then let us hasten to meet him.
12:26Our friends have marched through the burning hell of the desert and climbed the sharp teeth of the mountain.
12:41What other dangers must they face?
12:43King Twala, the terrible?
12:45I must say he doesn't sound very friendly.
12:49Well, we'll find out when I return shortly with Act Two.
12:52What is an adventure?
13:00A question for which men sometimes give their lives to find the answer.
13:05Was there actually a diamond mine where King Solomon acquired his wealth so many thousands of years ago?
13:12Is the answer yes, no, or death?
13:20Soon we came to the great city of Lu.
13:24The gates swung open.
13:26And we entered the great clearing which was encircled by thousands of fierce armed warriors with great feathered headdresses which swayed in the breeze.
13:38There appeared out of a great thatched house a gigantic figure of a man dressed in a magnificent tiger skin.
13:46He had one gleaming, baleful eye.
13:49Where the second eye should have been was a deep hollow.
13:52It was the cruelest face I'd ever seen.
13:56By his side hobbled a tiny monkey-like woman.
14:00A frightening bundle of rags.
14:02Let the strangers approach my royal presence.
14:08White people, whence come you?
14:12What seek you?
14:14Greetings, Twala, King of the Kukwanas.
14:18We come from the stars.
14:20We come to see this land.
14:23You come from afar to see a little thing.
14:27They die, O King.
14:30They seek the white shining stone of the ancient king.
14:35They die.
14:36The monkey-like woman now sprang in front of us.
14:44Gagula, the royal sorceress of King Twala.
14:48A hideous-looking creature with a face no bigger than a child's, but covered with countless deep and yellow wrinkles.
14:54Heaven only knows how old she was.
14:56What say you to Gagula's words?
15:00Do you seek the bright stones?
15:02We have heard of them and would see them.
15:07Ah, my, my, my...
15:09If you truly come from the stars, that man with you, does he also come from the stars?
15:18That George Courtenay is pointing at Umbopa.
15:22It is true, O King.
15:25There are people of your color who come from the heavens above as well.
15:30Be well, O Twala, and heed what I prophesy.
15:36Kill, and you shall live.
15:40The white strangers.
15:41See, I laugh, no matter.
15:44But the brown man, who look like a man of the corner, him, you must kill.
15:52Or you die.
15:54His life for you.
15:57Quarter men, they need to kill you, Umbopa.
16:00Calmly does it, Sir Henry.
16:02Let us all aim our guns at the king's heart.
16:06It is for...
16:08Tubes, O King.
16:09They are instruments of magic that speak with a voice of death.
16:14Ah, lies!
16:16O white man, speak the truth, O King.
16:21Myself, I saw magic tomb speak death to a great bird of prey.
16:29Invadus, take the strangers and make them comfortable in thy house.
16:35They have come far.
16:36Now let them rest.
16:40And tomorrow at noon we shall meet again at the great witch hunt.
16:46O visitors from the stars, you are welcome in the land of Kukuanas.
16:53Farewell.
16:55And fear not.
16:57No harm shall come to you here.
16:59I would sooner trust a pair of cobras than Trawler and Gagula.
17:05I thank my three friends for my life.
17:10I shall repay.
17:11No need, my friend.
17:12I say I shall repay.
17:14I shall repay a million times.
17:18No.
17:19What do you suppose you meant by that?
17:20I haven't the faintest notion.
17:21Let's go to the house of Infantos and rest.
17:26Tomorrow sounds like a big day.
17:28It was a relief to be under a roof again after so many months in open country.
17:37Infantos did his best to make us comfortable.
17:40Let my house be your house, O lords, from afar.
17:45And let not the rudeness of Trawler make you think that we Kukuanas are savages like our cruel king.
17:55But what is this witch hunt to which we've been invited?
17:59Another of Trawler's cruelties.
18:02No man's life will be safe.
18:05Trawler fears his people will someday rebel against him.
18:10And thus, once a month, he orders Gargoola to smell out all men who are a threat to him.
18:19And then he has them killed.
18:21You mean the accused men are killed without trial by Jory?
18:26I know not the meaning of these strange words.
18:30But this I do know.
18:33Tomorrow I too may be killed.
18:36I am Trawler's half-brother.
18:39I am too of royal blood.
18:42Then why not get rid of Trawler and rule in his stead?
18:46Alas, I am too old.
18:49And if Trawler died, he would be succeeded by his son Skragar,
18:55whose heart is blacker than his father's.
18:58Is there no one else?
19:00There is one.
19:02But alas, I fear he is dead.
19:04And, uh, once our rightful king...
19:09This is all very confusing in fathers.
19:13What happened to all these people?
19:15Why are they dead?
19:16Oh, ask Trawler.
19:19Emoto was his twin brother and ruled as a just and gentle king.
19:25But Trawler plotted against him and had him killed.
19:29Emoto's wife fled the country with her infant son, Ignosi.
19:35They were never heard of again.
19:38If the infant Ignosi had survived,
19:42he would now be our rightful king instead of the monster Trawler.
19:47But alas, he is dead.
19:51How do you know Ignosi is dead?
19:55What mean you, Umbopa?
19:58Listen to me.
19:59And I will tell you a story.
20:02You say her mother and her child fled from the land of the Kokuanas.
20:06It was said they died upon the mountain.
20:10Is it not so?
20:11It is truly so.
20:13Not truly so.
20:14First, they crossed the mountain.
20:18Then, the mother died.
20:20But the son, Ignosi, lived.
20:23He was found and adopted by a tribe of Zulu
20:26and grew up to be a great warrior.
20:30For years, he planned how he might return to Kokuanaland
20:34and become its rightful king.
20:37For long years, he waited for the right time to come.
20:41Then, at last, he met certain white men
20:45and with them, he crossed the desert
20:48and climbed the snow-clad mountain
20:51and came home at last
20:54to his native land.
20:57What mad talk is this?
21:01It is the truth I tell.
21:03For I am Ignosi, rightful king of the Kokuanas.
21:10Are you then my beloved nephew, Ignosi,
21:16whom I have mourned for dead these many years?
21:20Even so, my uncle.
21:23Oh, I bow to thee as my true and rightful king.
21:30Well, I am speechless.
21:32Congratulations.
21:34Twala must go then.
21:36For now you have the rightful king to take his place.
21:39I, I will go now and speak to my fellow generals.
21:45And we will raise a rebellion against Twala.
21:49We can muster 10,000 soldiers
21:52to Twala's 20,000.
21:55But with right on our side,
21:59we will conquer.
22:01But wait.
22:03Why do you hesitate, Infados?
22:06Do you not believe I am Ignosi?
22:08I believe.
22:10But will the others?
22:12Ah.
22:13We need a sign.
22:15You are wise.
22:17We must think of a sign.
22:19Well, now, I have just thought of something.
22:23Would an eclipse of the sun be an impressive enough sign?
22:27Have you gone out of your mind, Captain Good?
22:29No, but I seem to remember reading in my almanac
22:33that an eclipse was due to occur in Africa
22:36about this time of year.
22:38Now, wait a minute.
22:38I have the almanac in my pocket somewhere.
22:42Navy man is never without one.
22:45And, uh, what's today's date?
22:46I believe it's, uh, July 19th.
22:50Splendid.
22:51Listen to this.
22:53On July 20th, at half past noon,
22:56an eclipse of the sun will occur in longitude 60
23:00and latitude 120,
23:02where we're in the right spot.
23:03Yes.
23:04Infados, you shall have your sign tomorrow.
23:08One half hour after the witch hunt starts.
23:16The next day, just before noon,
23:18we arrived at the great clearing.
23:20It was closely packed with some 20,000 warriors.
23:24Voila!
23:25Signaled.
23:26Ten giant warriors with great sharp spears
23:28took their places behind Gagula,
23:30who carried a stick with a rattling gourd at one end.
23:34Gagula scampered along the ranks of the warriors,
23:37her fierce eyes seeking out her first victim.
23:41And then suddenly she stopped in front of a trembling soldier
23:43and shook her wand in his face.
23:45Skid!
23:51Quartermain, what time is it?
23:54Twenty-five minutes past twelve.
23:55Five more minutes to the eclipse.
23:57Not a single cloud in the sky.
24:00Look, Quartermain,
24:02Gagula is working away toward us.
24:05And I don't think it's a mistake.
24:07Better get our guns ready.
24:11Gagula stood directly in front of us.
24:13The ten executioners behind her.
24:16She came up to me,
24:17shook her head and laughed.
24:20She stared at Sir Henry
24:21and shook her head.
24:23She stepped up to Captain Good
24:25and shook her head.
24:27And then she stopped in front of Mboppa.
24:30Or rather, Ignossi.
24:32Kill him!
24:33Kill him!
24:34Kill him!
24:35No, you will not kill our servant.
24:38You, Twala, shall die first.
24:39White strangers,
24:41you go too far.
24:43I say to my soldiers,
24:45kill!
24:46Then you, Twala,
24:47shall also be killed.
24:49Let all my warriors
24:50surround the white men
24:52and kill them.
24:55Ah!
24:56How shall you kill me
24:57when twenty thousand of my men
25:00stand between us?
25:02Wait!
25:03Look at the sun!
25:04Oh, my God!
25:04Oh, my God!
25:07We looked.
25:09A fingernail of darkness
25:10was creeping over the edge of the sun.
25:12The almanac had been right.
25:14Look, O King!
25:17You have offended us
25:19and now we will punish you.
25:22Look at the sun!
25:24See how night is swallowing it!
25:26Swallowing it up to darkness!
25:29Did I listen to the lying, white man?
25:31It will pass!
25:32It will pass!
25:33Ay, the night will pass over the sun!
25:37And it shall shine no more!
25:42Ignossi,
25:43it is your uncle in Fadus.
25:46Dusk is falling.
25:48Do you and your white friends
25:50steal away now
25:52to the hill
25:53outside the city?
25:55Ten thousand loyal soldiers
25:58wait there
25:59to fight for your throne.
26:02Come,
26:03I will lead you there.
26:04Give us back our sun,
26:06strangers from the stars,
26:08and I will spare your lives.
26:10Too late, trailer!
26:12Too late!
26:13You are doomed!
26:23Three men set out to find a missing person.
26:27Instead of finding him,
26:28they find themselves involved
26:29in a battle for a man's throne.
26:32The hours before a battle
26:34are strange ones,
26:36filled with wild dreams
26:38and questions.
26:39Who will live
26:40to see another day?
26:42It's also
26:43a time of waiting.
26:45But you won't have to wait long.
26:48Act three
26:48will be here shortly.
26:49A small army
26:56has been known
26:57to defeat a great army,
26:58but great armies
27:00have been known
27:00to destroy small armies.
27:03So what is the secret
27:04of victory?
27:05Bravery?
27:06Who knows?
27:08History doesn't play
27:09by any set of rules.
27:10With each battle,
27:13it throws a new set of dice.
27:16What are the odds?
27:17Twala's 20,000 warriors
27:19against Alan Quartermain's 10,000.
27:23Are the odds too great?
27:29We did not sleep that night.
27:31There was too much to do.
27:33Since we were camped on a hill,
27:35we had the advantage.
27:36We ordered huge boulders
27:38rolled to the top of the hill.
27:40Twala's men
27:41would be hard put
27:42to reach the top of our hill.
27:44We divided the men
27:45into three columns.
27:47Captain Good
27:47commanded on the left,
27:49I on the right,
27:50and Ignossi and Sir Henry,
27:52our best fighters,
27:53were in charge of the center.
27:55Here they would take
27:56the heaviest thrust
27:57to the battle.
27:58The Grey Regiment,
27:59the bravest men
28:00in Kwanaland,
28:01had volunteered
28:02for this position.
28:04Twala and his army
28:05were marching toward us.
28:07The rising sun
28:08made the forest
28:09of spears sparkle
28:10so brightly
28:11the glare
28:11hurt my eyes.
28:13And frankly,
28:14I was also frightened.
28:16Hunting is my business,
28:17not war.
28:19Twala came to a halt
28:20and raised his hand,
28:21which held
28:22a gigantic battle axe.
28:24His army stopped.
28:26There was a deadly silence.
28:29White strangers,
28:31I offer you mercy.
28:33Give up your servant
28:35who calls himself
28:36a king,
28:37and I will spare
28:38your life.
28:40Take a shot over him,
28:41Quartermain.
28:41That's our answer.
28:44If that is your answer,
28:46then I will reward you
28:48all with a gift.
28:50Death!
28:50The enemy split in half,
28:55one part attacking
28:56on our left,
28:57the other on our right.
28:58The wily Twala
28:59was trying to outflank us.
29:01We ordered the boulders
29:02roll down on the attackers.
29:03But when our supply
29:05ran out,
29:05we engaged in
29:06hand-to-hand combat.
29:10All through the day,
29:11the fierce battle raved.
29:12First we forced
29:13the attackers
29:14down the hill,
29:15then they regrouped
29:16and pushed us
29:16up the hill,
29:17back and forth
29:19through the portions
29:19of war.
29:20And all this time,
29:21the gray regiment
29:22stood quietly in the center,
29:24never raising a hand.
29:26Their leaders,
29:26Curtis and Ignorsi,
29:28were calmly waiting
29:29for the right moment
29:30to strike.
29:31The sun was low
29:32in the sky
29:33when the moment came.
29:35Suddenly,
29:36fire!
29:38Caught by surprise,
29:39the survivors
29:40of Quartermain's army
29:40ran headlong
29:42from the fight.
29:43The gray regiment
29:44pursued and attacked them
29:45as they ran.
29:47And just as Twilight
29:47was about to fall,
29:49the battle ended.
29:57When we awoke
29:58the next morning,
29:59a sad stillness
30:00hovered over
30:00yesterday's battleground.
30:03Surrounded by his guard,
30:04Ignorsi,
30:04the new king,
30:06came to greet us.
30:07Hail,
30:08my brother.
30:10Hail,
30:10my friends.
30:11Hail,
30:12O king.
30:13It is time
30:14I repaid
30:15my debt
30:15to you.
30:16You owe us nothing.
30:18Yet will I still repay.
30:20Did I not promise you
30:22the white stones?
30:24You shall have them.
30:25We must speak
30:26to the witch,
30:27Gaguda,
30:28for only she
30:30knows
30:30the secret place
30:32where they may be found.
30:35I,
30:36I shall take them
30:37to the secret place,
30:39and they shall curse
30:41the day they enter,
30:43for their precious
30:45white stone
30:46may be found
30:47only
30:48in the
30:49bony
30:50fingers
30:51of death.
30:59White men,
31:01are you prepared
31:02to enter
31:03the place of death?
31:05Ready.
31:05We looked
31:07where
31:07Gaguda
31:07waited for us.
31:08There was a blank
31:09stone wall
31:10behind her.
31:12The way is here,
31:13my Lord.
31:14I see no door.
31:16Do not jest
31:17with us.
31:18I do not jest.
31:20See,
31:21my fingers
31:22touch
31:22the secret place.
31:25And suddenly,
31:27the wall
31:27behind her
31:28rose to the roof
31:29of the cave,
31:30a giant door
31:31weighing tons
31:31of stone.
31:32Enter,
31:34enter,
31:35white men
31:35from the stars.
31:37Here,
31:38night,
31:38this other damp,
31:40and behold,
31:41the stones
31:43you seek.
31:45Open the treasure
31:47chests
31:47and feast
31:48your eyes.
31:53Good Lord.
31:55I can't
31:56believe it.
31:58Seven
31:58great chests
31:59filled to the brim
32:00with diamonds.
32:01Gather them up
32:03in your hands.
32:04Eat them.
32:05Drink them.
32:06Choke on them.
32:07Diamonds worth
32:08millions of pounds.
32:09We are surely
32:10the richest men
32:11in the world.
32:11Stop her.
32:12Gagula's escaping.
32:14No, you don't,
32:14Gagula.
32:15You stay with us.
32:15I will go
32:16and you will escape.
32:20She broke away
32:21from me
32:21in time to scramble
32:22through the descending
32:23stone door.
32:24I will not die.
32:26Gagula struggled
32:27to escape the door
32:28which was pressing
32:28down on her.
32:29But it was too late.
32:30Well, gentlemen,
32:38Gagula has had
32:39the last laugh.
32:41We're trapped.
32:41Nonsense.
32:43All we have to do
32:43is find the secret lever
32:45and raise the door again.
32:46Only Gagula
32:46knew where it was
32:47and she lies
32:48crushed beneath
32:49the stone door.
32:50Gentlemen,
32:51we may as well face it.
32:53We are buried alive.
32:54Just then,
32:57our lamps
32:58spluttered out.
32:59We were trapped
33:00in the darkness
33:01of a living tomb.
33:03Gagula
33:03had had
33:04her revenge.
33:06Well,
33:06I won't give up
33:07that easily.
33:08How many matches
33:09have we left?
33:10Three.
33:11All right,
33:11strike one.
33:12Let's see the lay
33:13of the land.
33:13I don't see
33:17any tunnels
33:18leading out.
33:19Wait a moment.
33:21Don't you notice
33:21the flame flickering
33:22away from us?
33:24There must be a draft
33:25coming from somewhere
33:26behind us.
33:27And let's turn around
33:28and follow it.
33:29Perhaps it'll lead us
33:30to some sort of opening.
33:31Oh, ha!
33:32The match is burnt out.
33:34We'll strike another.
33:36Quickly.
33:37Let's follow
33:37the draft of air.
33:39Oh, blast.
33:40There goes
33:41the second match.
33:42Strike another?
33:43No, no, no.
33:43It's our last.
33:44We'd better save it.
33:45Besides,
33:46the blast of air
33:46is getting stronger.
33:50What was that?
33:52I tripped over something.
33:55We groped
33:56in the darkness
33:56from the place
33:57where good had fallen.
33:59Our hands traced
33:59the outline
34:00of something round.
34:02Had we found
34:02a trap door?
34:03I feel an iron ring
34:06in the center
34:07I thought I probably
34:08tripped over.
34:10Let's pull at it.
34:11All right.
34:12Come on.
34:13It's coming.
34:15Keep tugging.
34:19It's open.
34:21Feel that blast of air?
34:23All right.
34:25Light the last match,
34:26quarterman.
34:26Right.
34:29Look.
34:30A stone stairway
34:31leading down.
34:32Come on, let's go.
34:35Oh, there.
34:35Hey, there's a light
34:36straight ahead.
34:37Yes.
34:38The light grew
34:39brighter and brighter
34:40as we approached it.
34:41Now we could see
34:42blue sky.
34:43We crawled through the hole
34:44through which the light
34:45was coming.
34:46As we stood up,
34:47we saw Infantos
34:48nervously pacing up and down.
34:50He caught sight of us.
34:52Oh, my lords,
34:54my lords,
34:55you live.
34:57You have come back
34:58from the dead.
35:00Blessed be
35:01the kind spirits
35:03that dwell
35:04in the sky.
35:10What's left to tell?
35:12We bade farewell
35:14to Ignorce,
35:15who supplied us
35:15with men
35:16to guide us back
35:17to the outside world.
35:19Then,
35:20wonder of wonders,
35:21when we approached
35:22an oasis
35:22on the third day,
35:24we saw a white man
35:26with an enormous
35:27black beard
35:28limping towards us.
35:29It was Sir Henry's
35:31long-lost brother.
35:33It seems that two years
35:34before,
35:35on his way
35:36to King Solomon's Mountains,
35:37a boulder
35:38had crushed his leg.
35:40The leg mended
35:41very slowly.
35:42He had lived
35:43on the oasis
35:44for two years,
35:45waiting to be rescued.
35:47Well, Curtis,
35:48it's been quite an adventure.
35:50You found your brother.
35:52We helped Mbopa
35:53regain his rightful throne.
35:55Yes,
35:56but we don't have
35:57a single diamond
35:58to prove we found
35:59King Solomon's mind.
36:00Now, wait a moment.
36:01I just remembered something.
36:03When we discovered
36:04that blessed draft
36:06of fresh air
36:07in the cave,
36:07just as we started
36:08to follow it,
36:09I scooped up
36:10a handful of diamonds
36:11and stuck them
36:12in the pocket
36:13of my jacket.
36:15Rather silly,
36:16wasn't it?
36:16Oh, silly my foot.
36:18Do you still have
36:18that jacket?
36:19Well, let's see.
36:21Ah, yes.
36:22Here it is.
36:25Ha-ha!
36:26The diamonds,
36:27gentlemen.
36:28Look!
36:29Well,
36:29quarterman,
36:31you've enough diamonds
36:32there to make you
36:33and Captain Good
36:34rich for life.
36:35I want none of it.
36:36Well, we'll share it
36:37with your brother.
36:39Is that all right
36:39with you, Captain?
36:40By all means.
36:41And what was it
36:42Shakespeare said?
36:44All's well
36:45that ends well.
36:46Well, as I said before,
36:58truth is stranger
36:59than fiction.
37:01But in our story,
37:03truth was also
37:04slower than fiction.
37:06Nobody before
37:07had ever suspected
37:08that diamonds
37:09were to be found
37:10in Africa.
37:11Ten years after
37:13this story was written,
37:15the Kimberley Mines
37:16were discovered
37:16in South Africa,
37:18the greatest diamond mine
37:20in the world.
37:22Out of fantasy
37:23had emerged reality.
37:25I'll be back shortly.
37:33Adventure
37:33is the act
37:34of looking for something
37:35and perhaps finding it.
37:37the thrill
37:38is in the search.
37:40You don't have to go
37:41to Africa
37:41to seek adventure.
37:43You don't have to
37:44go to the moon.
37:46Life
37:46is the adventure
37:47around you.
37:49Every day
37:49is an adventure.
37:51For me,
37:53bringing you
37:53these tales
37:54is an adventure
37:55in itself.
37:56An adventure
37:57we enjoy
37:58sharing with you.
38:00Our cast
38:01included
38:01Ralph Bell,
38:03Court Benson,
38:04William Griffiths,
38:05and Ian Martin.
38:06The entire
38:07production
38:08was under
38:09the direction
38:09of Hyman Brown.
38:11This is Tom Bosley
38:12inviting you
38:13to return
38:14to the General Mills
38:15Radio Adventure Theater
38:16for another
38:17exciting tale
38:18you can hear
38:19through the magic
38:21of radio.
38:22The General Mills
38:23Radio Adventure Theater
38:24is recommended
38:25by NEA,
38:27the National
38:27Education Association.
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