June 24-29--Day 3: Kelly asks Mark if he thinks the people in the helicopter saw them. Mark says, "Probably...the question is, what are they going to do now?" Meanwhile, the pilot of the chopper says to Mr. Jones, "Now that you know where your target is, how are you going to get to her?" Mr. Jone replies, "I'm going to get some equipment, rent a boat, and pretend I'm just another fisherman!" Later, back at the boat rental, the Happy Attendant wishes Mr. Jones good luck with his fishing. He also warns him to be careful out there; the swamp is full of alligators. Mr. Jones replies, "Yeah, thanks, I will!" The Foreground Happy Attendant stops smiling as he watches Mr. Jones depart in his boat. Mr. Jones begins to talk to himself. He says, "If the girl and her protectors see me, I hope they will think I'm just a fisherman! If I have any problems, I may have to kill all of them!" Mr. Jones' nose begins to grow. Soon it resembles the nose of Danny Thomas. At Gator's camp, Mark asks Gator why he is on his hands and knees, holding his head to the ground. Gator is listening; he thinks a boat is coming towards the camp. Gator figures it is probably a fisherman or poacher. Forground Swampbird listens, wide-eyed. Mark says he will check it out; whoever was in the helicopter may be coming back. Gator will keep an eye on Kelly. Mark pats Kelly reassuringly. The visitor is probably just someone fishing, but Mark will find out. Mark brings along his rifle and soon spots the boat; the occupant appears to be fishing. Mr. Jones knows that Mark is watching. He thinks, "A man is watching...I must be in the right place...I'd better act like I'm fishing for real!" Mark asks the fisherman if he is having luck. Mr. Jones is not. He is coming ashore; maybe Mark can give him some tips that will improve his luck. He adds, "I didn't expect to see anyone out here...why the rifle?" Mark replies stoicly, "Just a protection against alligators."
July 1-6--Day 3: The Hired Assassin shakes hands with Mark, saying, "My name is Jones...I'm a city slicker, but I've always wanted to do a little fishing here in the swamp!" Mark replies, "My name's Mark Trail!" Foreground Armadillo watches Jones ask if Mark is the outdoor writer. Mark admits that he is. Jones says this is his lucky day; maybe Mark will tell me how to catch the fish. Mark looks sad and worried. Mark suggests Jones use a jig and to be careful of the gators. Jones asks if Mark is in the swamp to fish. Mark is doing research for a story. A Foreground Deer watches. As Jones leaves in his boat, he is not sure that Mark believed him. Mr. Jones now has to find where Mark is hiding the girl. He climbs a tree to see if he can spot the camp. He and Foreground Squirrel spot smoke about a mile away. He will check it out tonight. Mark tells Gator he's not sure the visitor was fishing; all his equipment was new, and Mark is willing to bet Jones is here to do more than fish. Foreground Otters watch as Kelly asks, "What are we going to do?" Mark says they must assume Jones is coming after Kelly. Kelly says, "This is scary!" Mark thinks Jones is the same Jones who was at Lost Forest. He grabs the coffeepot from the blazing fire. Kelly repeats, "WHAT are we going to do?" Mark says that if Jones is a paid assassin, they need evidence, and they need Jones alive. Mark hopes they can catch him off guard. Kelly shouts, "HOW?" Mark says they will trick him tonight. Kelly again shouts, "HOW?" Mark tells Kelly and Gator to get into their sleeping bags. Mark will stuff his with supplies and hide in the bushes.
July 8-13--Day 3: Mark tells Kelly to cover most of her head, so the killer will have to get close to identify her. Kelly says, "Please don't let him shoot me, Mark!" Kelly is not to worry. Mark will be close by. Meanwhile, Jones and Foreground Raccoon are not far away. Jones holds a handgun and says to himself that he will get the girl first. He does not want to kill more people than he is being paid for, but he may have to. Foreground Owl silently watches him sneak up on the camp. He spots Kelly from some feet away and will shoot her first with his silencer-equipped revolver. As he aims, he says, "This is nothing personal, lady, but I get paid big bucks for this!" Mark shouts, "HOLD IT! DROP THE GUN!" Jones shouts, "THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" He whirls and draws a bead on Mark, but misses. Mark holds his fire and shouts, "GIVE UP JONES, YOU CAN'T SURVIVE IN THE SWAMP!" Kelly chides Mark for not shooting Jones as Foreground Heron flies. She can't believe this is happening and holds her hand to her forehead. Gator will go find Jones's boat before he gets back to it. Mark will comfort Kelly. Gator wields a machete and quickly finds the boat. He says, "I'd like to see the surprise on the old boy's face when he sees his boat! He's going to learn that living in a swamp is not like city life!
July 15-20--Day 3 to Day 4: As the Would-Be Assassin runs back to his boat he says to himself, "It was a SETUP...Trail must know why I'm here, and he knew I would come after the girl! I'd better get back to my boat and try to figure out what to do!" Foreground Alligator jumps into the swamp with a mighty splash. As Foreground Swampbird eats a fish, Gator congratulates himself on disabling the city slicker's boat. It won't be easy for him to survive in the swamp. As Swampbird Flies, the hitman reaches his boat. He says, "WHAT TH...*@# Trail's smarter than I gave him credit for...He could have shot me, but he didn't...he wants me alive to testify against my employer!" Back at camp, Mark cooks food and drinks coffee over a blazing fire. Gator notes that although Mr. Jones won't be using his boat, he will be wandering around the swamp with a gun, and that he's probably a little nervous knowing that Mark and Gator will be coming after him. Foreground Raccoon is bemused. Gator adds that there is only one way out of the swamp without a boat, and only he and Mark know about it. Kelly stands, spread-legged before a crouching Mark and says, "The plane that brought us here is supposed to pick us up tomorrow!" Mark knows this. Kelly asks if Mark thinks he can catch Mr. Jones. Mark, brandishing a short thick piece of firewood, says, "Yes, he can put a lot of crooked people in jail!" Gator wrings his hands and says, "We've got to get this guy, Mark...I don't want him left here in the swamp!" Mark puts his hand, reassuringly on Gator's shoulder and says, "We will, Gator...I'm going out at daylight to look for him!" As daylight nears (Day 4), Mark drinks another cup of coffee as he crouches over the fire. He tells Gator and Kelly to stay close to camp. Mark figures Mr. Jones will be moving along the shore, trying to find a way out of the swamp. Gator tells Mark to be careful. Mark asks Gator to take Kelly to the plane if he doesn't get back in time. Mark's face is intent and strained.
July 22-27--Day 4: On the trail of Mr. Jones, Mark reads spoor indicating Jones headed back into the swamp. Mark realizes that Mr. Jones could be headed back to camp, hoping to catch them off guard. Mark wields his machete and says, "I'd better get back and warn Kelly and Gator before he gets there! Gator, meanwhile, tells Kelly he is going to catch some fish for their supper. Kelly is to stay close to camp. (Apparently Kelly is not taking the plane out of the swamp today afterall!) Kelly will take pictures for a story while Gator is gone. Her face is strangely gaunt. Meanwhile, Mr. Jones sneaks up, hoping to find Kelly in camp, alone. She spots Blackie, Gator's pet bear, and photographs him, moving gradually away from camp. Soon she spots Mr. Jones and says, "OH, NO, it's the man who is trying to KILL me...WHAT am I going to do? Please, oh, PLEASE don't let him see me!" Meanwhile a huge alligator sneaks up on Kelly from behind. As it lunges, she screams, "EEIIEE" She barely dodges it's snapping teeth, but the animal's whipping tail knocks her into the water. Suddenly pistol shots rip into the reptile's tough hide.
July 29-August 2--Day 4: Mr. Jones says to Kelly, "Okay, lady, come out of the water...I should have let the alligator eat you...but you're going to be my ticket out of this miserable swamp!" He grabs Kelly by the collar much as he once grabbed Cherry by the collar. As Foreground Swamp Birds watch and fly, Gator shouts, "KELLY, KELLY, WHERE ARE YOU?" Again he shouts, "KELLY, HELLY!...WHERE ARE YOU?" Jones orders her to answer. Kelly looks romantic, her bedroom eyes betraying no fear as she replies, "OVER HERE, GATOR!" Gator appears and shouts, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?...LET HER GO!" Mr. Jones advises him to, "STAY BACK, OLD MAN!" Gator tells Jones to let her go, she can't help him. Jones says Gator is wrong, adding, "If you don't show me how to get out of this place, I'll kill both of you!" Gator advises Mr. Jones to stay calm. Mr. Jones appears to put a sleeper hold on Kelly as he asks, "WHERE'S Trail?...I want him here where I can see him...COME ON OUT, TRAIL! OKAY, TRAIL, YOU'D BETTER SHOW YOURSELF NOW!" Mark emerges from bushes, saying calmly, "Relax, Mr. Jones, I'm over here!" Jones tells Mark that he made a smart move and to put his rifle down. Gator and Mark are going to show him how to get out of the swamp. Mark tells him to let Kelly and Gator stay in the swamp. Mr. Jones is not that stupid. He orders all of them to MOVE! Mark says, "You were hired to kill Kelly...if we show you how to get out of the swamp, how do we know you won't still do it?" Jones says they DON'T know, but they have no choice. Not far away, Blackie, Gator's pet bear, sees his friend and, hoping to get a handout, runs toward him. Jones again shouts for the others to "COME ON, MOVE!" Nearby, Blackie comes at a run to greet his friends. Mr. Jones spots him and, still wearing his earrings, shrieks, "A BEAR!"
August 5-10--Day 4: Again, Mr. Jones shrieks, "A BEAR!" Thinking that the pet bear is attacking, he shoots, but misses. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" he shouts. As Mr. Jones runs through the swamp, the bear is right behind him. Suddenly he sinks into quicksand. His pistol goes flying. The others watch as Mr. Jones sinks to his chest in the ooze. He asks what is going on. Kelly calmly tells him that the bear is a pet. Gator tells Blackie, "You don't know it, Blackie, but you probably saved our lives!" Mr. Jones shouts, "GET ME OUT OF HERE...THIS PLACE IS FULL OF ALLIGATORS!" Mark calmly replies, "Sorry, we can't help you, Mr. Jones!" Kelly smiles (as a dominatrix might smile) as Mr. Jones insists, "WAIT, I'LL TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW! HELP, TRAIL, PLEASE, I'LL TELL YOU WHO HIRED ME...HURRY, PLEASE, YOU CAN'T LET THAT ALLIGATOR GET ME!" Mark watches stoicly as the alligator advances, then cuts a vine and throws it to Mr. Jones. He taunts Mr. Jones, saying, "HURRY, MR. JONES, THAT OLD GATOR IS GETTING CLOSE!" Mr. Jones tells Mark, "You're worse than I am, Trail...you were going to let that creature eat me!" As Blackie the Bear smiles in the background, Mark tells Mr. Jones that he will be leaving the swamp tomorrow. Mr. Jones replies, "I would have been out of here if it hadn't been for that stupid bear! I didn't hurt anyone, so you have NOTHING on me!" Foreground Swamp Otter watches the crew march Mr. Jones back to camp. Mark says, "Your problems are just beginning, Mr. Jones...Now the mobsters will hire someone to take care of you! You may want to stay here in the swamp!"
August 12-17--Day 4 to Day 6: Day 5 has arrived, along with the plane
(which was supposed to arrive on Day 4!) that will take Mark, Kelly and Mr. Jones back to civilization. Mark apologizes to Gator for putting him in so much danger. Mark hopes that his next visit will be more peaceful. Gator tells Mark not to apologize; Gator needed a little excitement in his life. Gator wishes Kelly the best and hopes her testimony puts away the mobsters for a long time. Kelly thanks Gator and shakes his hand. It has been a pleasure for her. Back at Lost Forest, Kelly hangs up the telephone and tells Doc, "That was Mark...he got Kelly back safe and he'll be back home tomorrow!" Doc says, "Good...thank heaven no one was hurt!" The small plane has landed at the airport. Kelly embraces Mark and says, "Mark, it seems like I'm always thanking you for something...do you want me to call Cherry and explain everything?" Mark replies, "Uh...NO..I'll do that!" Kelly says, "Then until we meet again!" She gives Mark a deep, long kiss. (Alright, first of all, Mark already called Cherry; why does Kelly suggest she call her again? Why is Mark so embarrassed at this suggestion--he did betray his guilt with the fatal "Uh" in his response. And why, in the colorized, online versions of this noble strip are Kelly and Cherry wearing identical red workshirts!!? Finally, why did Mark tell Cherry he would be back "tomorrow?" Is he planning on hanging out in the airport lounge for a day? WHAT TH'?!!) On Day 6, Mark arrives at Lost Forest, tightly holding a bunch of flowers. Cherry gives him a kiss and says, MARK, it's good to have you home!" Mark tells Cherry that, "It's good to be home, sweetie!" Andy and Doc come running happily to see Mark. Cherry spies the flowers and says, "Flowers?...You must have a guilty conscience! Do you think I'm mad about you being with Kelly?" Mark says, "I'm just covering my bases!" Cherry arranges the flowers and says, "You don't have to explain about Kelly, Mark...a government agent called and explained about the job they gave you!" Andy leaps up on Mark. Mark says, "Good...I didn't have any idea who I would be hiding until I saw Kelly at the plane!" Cherry asks Mark, "Would you have taken the job if you had known it was going to be Kelly?...you don't have to answer that!" Mark grimaces and says nothing. Later as Mark, Cherry and Andy walk around the lake, Mark says, "Honey, there's nothing between Kelly and me...she's in the same business as I am...and our paths are bound to cross occasionally...the government asking me to hide her was a coincidence!" Cherry replies, "I know Mark...she is attraactive, and I guess I'm a little jealous!" At the dinner table, Mark apologizes to Doc for the problems he and Cherry had with Mr. Jones. Doc says, "He sure scared us! Kelly must have been a nervous wreck before he was caught!" Foreground Geese fly as Mark replies, "She was...but I think she was more afraid of the alligators in the swamp!"