July 3-8, 2000--Day 1 to Day 2: As Cherry serves coffee and cake, Mark asks what's happened while he was gone. Cherry tells him not much, adding that the old Crossbar Ranch as a new owner who is an old friend of Doc's--a LADY friend! Mark asks Doc where he knew her. Doc replies that her name is Martha Mays and her son's name is Ronnie. Martha and Doc were sweethearts in high school. Mark wondered why Doc had that big smile on his face. Cherry notes that Doc is blushing. Mark asks Doc what the new owner will raise on the large ranch. Doc heard they will raise Arabian horses. Mark tells Cherry they should ride over to visit their new neighbors. Cherry has a better idea; she suggests they invite the new neighbors to dinner. Rusty shows Mark a photograph he took. Rusty was checking the fence when a deer jumped out. Mark says it's a fine picture of a deer. Rusty points out that there's something else of interest in the picture. An animal which could be a bear, wolf or cougar is lurking in the background. Mark decides the issue by saying it's a cougar. The numbers of cougars in Lost Forest is rising and there have been more attacks on humans. Cougars eat deer, elk and porcupines and just about anything else if they are hungry. Meanwhile, a mother cougar watches her cub. As Day 2 arrives, Mark, sporting a plaid shirt and sportcoat, awaits the arrival of the guests. Doc is duded up in a suit and tie. He wants to make a good impression.
July 10-15--Day 2: Mark says Rusty will soon have his job, if he's not careful. It is rare to get a photograph of a cougar and a deer. The mother cougar continues to watch her cub. The guests arrive at Lost Forest. Martha says that Tom Davis hasn't changed at all. Doc responds that Martha is flattering him as usual. Martha introduces her hunky son to Cherry. They are very glad to meet each other. Then Mark meets Ronnie. Mark understands that the new neighbors will be raising horses, mainly Arabians. Martha confides that they have sunk all of their assets into this venture. Mark introduces Rusty as the guy who runs Lost Forest. Martha invites him over to see their mare. Rusty would like that. Meanwhile the mother cougar watches her cub. Martha says she is sure that they will have problems since they are new to the horse-raising business. Doc will help in every way he can. Meanwhile a mother cougar watches her cub and a trophy hunter talks to his buddy about how they can get a good price for a big cougar.
July 17-22--Day 2: As Martha and Ronnie Mays return to their ranch, Ronnie asks Martha if she believes the neighbors know why they have really bought the ranch. Martha says they know nothing; the people who live in the sticks are rather naive. Arriving at their ranch, Ronnie pets their dog as Martha tells him they will be fine as long as the neighbors believe their real business is raising horses. Ronnie says he will check the horses before turning in. Martha says, "Good...we've got to learn all we can about our animals." Ronnie asks the mare how she is doing. The mare doesn't reply, but Ronnie adds that soon she will be a mother and that they are depending on her to make them legitimate in the horse business. Ronnie confides to the mare that if he had a woman like Cherry Trail, he could get to liking ranch life. Meanwhile, somewhere nearby, a mother cougar leaves her cub to search for food and somewhere else nearby, a hunter prepares to shoot cougars to sell to trophy hunters. Mother Cougar hears dogs and runs from them. They catch up to her and she climbs a tree, awaiting her fate. The hunters show up on horseback saying that the cougar is good-sized and will bring a good price. Hunter #1 tells Hunter #2 to keep the dogs back so they don't spoil the hide. Hunter #2 says that they will have to get out of this area fast in case a wildlife ranger hears the shot.
July 24-29--Day 2 to Day 4: Hunter #1 shoots the cougar, who falls from the tree. They leave with the dead cougar slung across one of the horses, saying that the cougar is good-sized and will bring a lot of money. Hunter #2 adds that there are probably more cougars in the area. Meanwhile the baby cougar waits anxiously for mother to return. After two days (bringing us to Day 4), the cub strikes out on its own, looking for mom and food. However it finds the wilderness an unfamiliar, frightening place and it begins to wail after seeing a huge beaver. Mark and Cherry are riding their horses nearby, and they hear the cries. Cherry says that it sounds like a kitten.
July 31-August 5--Day 4 to Day 5: Mark tells Cherry to be careful, the baby cougar is fiesty. Mark wraps it in his shirt and investigates. He finds blood nearby and a spent rifle cartridge. Cherry wonders why anyone would kill the mother. Mark doesn't know. Back at Lost Forest, Mark observes that the cub is adapting well. The cub takes a vicious swipe at Andy who dodges the blow. Cherry says they should name the cub as it nuzzles her. Rusty says they should name it Nosy since it's into everything. Ronnie Mays says that he likes ranch life; maybe they should do it for real. Martha says that they couldn't make it on the horse business alone. Ronnie is getting too close to his work and should go out and socialize. Ronnie decides to ask Cherry and Mark out. Martha thinks it's wise to be on good terms with the neighbors. Ronnie calls Cherry and invites her and Mark out to dinner tomorrow. Cherry accepts and asks Doc where Mark is. Doc thinks Mark is on his computer. Cherry tells Mark she has accepted Ronnie's invitation and asks if it's ok. Mark says it's fine, but he may not know until the last moment if he can make it. His editor is calling him about a story. But, as Foreground Heron and Foreground Beaver loom, Mark says there's no reason Cherry can't go out with Ronnie alone. Ronnie arrives on Day 5; he and Cherry agree that it's good to see each other. After Ronnie greets the cougar, Mark asks him how he likes horse ranching. Ronnie says it's a new experience, but things are going about as expected.
August 7-12--Day 5: Mark tells Ronnie that he can't go out, but that Ronnie and Cherry can go out to dinner. Cherry points out that perhaps Ronnie wouldn't like to go out without Mark along. Ronnie says he'd love to have dinner with Cherry if she would. She would. Mark tells them to "Have fun!" As the date begins, Ronnie tells Cherry that he appreciates her doing this. His mother wants him to socialize more. Cherry asks him what kind of work he used to do. Ronnie says he had several jobs, but mother always wanted to get him away from city life. Cherry is glad he is here. Ronnie's car appears to be the same shape as a car used in past episodes which crashed through a guardrail and went off a cliff on several separate occasions. At the restaurant, Ronnie tells Cherry that he has a plane for flying clients in to see the horses. Cherry asks if the plane is at the ranch. It is; Ronnie has cleared a small landing strip, and spends as much time as possible in the air. Ronnie would like to take Cherry up some time. Cherry says that it sounds like fun. Over coffee, Cherry observes that horse ranching is hard work. Ronnie says he likes it. The scenic view through the large restaurant windows indicate that the sun has not yet set. Arriving back at Lost Forest, Ronnie says maybe Cherry and Mark can come over and give him tips on raising horses. Cherry thinks this would be fun. Mark asks Cherry how her evening went. Cherry says she learned some things about Ronnie and his mother.
August 14-19--Day 5: Cherry asks Mark if his editor has called yet. He has. The local wildlife people have reported that someone is shooting cougars for trophy hunters. Mark is to look into it and write a story. Cherry says that's good; Mark will be at home. Mark says perhaps he can get caught up on his chores. Rusty reminds Mark that Mrs. Mays said he could come to see their colt when the time comes. Rusty wants to photograph it. Mark will let him know what he hears. Cherry remarks that Nosy is getting big. Nosy has grown (in the space of a day) from a kitten to the size of a large dog. Mark says Nosy needs to get out into the woods. Cherry worries about that. Mark says they will take their horses and let Nosy run about. After several training sessions with Mark and Cherry, the full grown cougar catches a huge rabbit. They note that it will be a problem releasing the cougar into the wild. Mark doesn't think it's a good idea to let the cougar go while cougar poachers are in the area. On what must be a new day (Day 6--cougars grow up fast in Lost Forest), Mark informs Cherry that he is going into town to find out about cougar poachers. Meanwhile, over beer, the sandy haired poacher tells Hawk, the black haired poacher that the cougar brought $2000. There are lots more cougars to poach; all they must do is avoid the law.
August 21-26--Day 5: In town, Mark asks poacher-turned-restauranteer (That Ain't Chicken) Hank what he knows about cougar poaching. Hank says his poaching days are done and that he does not associate with known poachers. Hank bears an uncanny resemblance to the restauranteer who Mark once worked for when he had amnesia! Mark is glad Hank no longer is a poacher. Hank hates to see those beautiful cougars poached, but he cannot help Mark with names. Hank suggests that the two hunter types in the corner may be able to help him out. Mark approaches them (they are, indeed, the cougar poachers) with a huge smile on his face, saying, "Excuse me, fellows! Do you happen to know who I can talk to aabout the cougars in this area!?" Despite this ice breaker, Sandy impassively responds, "Who are you!?" Mark introduces himself, saying he wants to photograph cougars. The hunters are sorry they can't help, but they know nothing of cougars. After Mark leaves they wonder if he might be a ranger. The hunters resolve to be very careful the next time they poach a cougar. Meanwhile, Mrs. May tells Ronnie it's time to make a trip; they'll have clients visiting in 3 days. Ronnie says he can make the flight in two days. Martha advises him to change his return route; he doesn't want to become too consistent. Ronnie says he will change the route. Martha tells him to be careful. As Ronnie steps into the plane he tells martha to check on the mare; the colt should be arriving soon. Mark and Cherry spot the Mays plane. Cherry wonders where he's going this time. As Andy and the full grown puma stroll about, Mark tells Cherry that having one's own aircraft is expensive. Ronnie and his mother must have other money coming in besides the horse business. Cherry remembers that Ronnie said he was in several businesses before they came here. She asks Mark if he learned anything about the cougar poachers while he was in town. Mark didn't learn a thing. He guesses he will have to spend time in the woods to pick up clues. Cherry hates to think that Nosey could be shot by poachers.
August 28-September 2--Day 5: Martha sees Ronnie's plane flying in. She asks if there were any problems. Ronnie says it was just routine and that they have got to get out of this business; their luck can't hold out much longer. Martha is glad Ronnie got back in time; the mare is ready to deliver her colt. Ronnie says, "That's great!" Ronnie examines the prone mare and concurs with Martha's diagnosis, adding that she'd better call the vet. Martha is glad to see him so concerned. Ronnie was always good with animals. Ronnie asks Martha to tell the vet to hurry; they don't want anything to happen to their first colt. The vet pronounces the colt healthy. Ronnie is happy; he didn't think he'd become so wound up about horses. He wants to call Mark and Cherry right away, but Martha tells him he'd better unload the shipment from the plane first. Cherry tells Mark that Ronnie wants them to come and see the colt. Mark has just finished his computer work, so this is a good time for him. Cherry guesses Rusty will have to see the colt later since he isn't around. Nosey comes along for the ride. Mark congratulates the Mays on their healthy colt as Cherry plays with it. Meanwhile, Nosey is excited by the smell of the colt but is unable to open a door on the station wagon to investigate the tantalizing smell. Mark tells Ronnie that birthing colts will be a common occurence in the horse business. Ronnie wishes raising horses was all he had to worry about. Cherry demands to know what he is talking about. Ronnie responds, "Oh, uh, I mean there are a lot of other things around a ranch to worry about."
September 4-9--Day 5 to Day 12: Ronnie asks Martha how they got into this mess. He is tired of the business they are in. Martha, her left arm morphing oddly replies that they have no choice; they must do what they have to do--a few more trips and the crooks won't bother them any more. Ronnie replies, "You don't believe that, do you?" Martha tells him to hang in. Things will get better. Ronnie agrees--if they're not in jail. Rusty and Mark see Ronnie's plane landing and remark that it makes a trip every week. We are therefore at Day 12, at the minimum. Rusty wants to go shoot some pictures of the Mays' colt. Mark thinks that is ok. Rusty takes pictures of the colt and the mare and then spies the Mays unloading packages from the plane. He decides that they would like to have a picture of this and shoots away. Ronnie, aghast, spots Rusty and asks him WHAT he is doing. Rusty reminds him that they said it was okay for him to come and see the colt. Rusty's head grows as he says he came over to get pictures of the colt. He will give them a copy when the pictures are developed. Ronnie wonders why Rusty took a picture of the airplane. Rusty thought he would want a picture of the plane. He will give them a copy of all the pictures after he and Mark develop them. Ronnie would like that.
September 11-16--Day 12 to Day 13: Martha tells Ronnie he has to get the film from Rusty. If the wrong person saw the picture of them unloading the plane, Martha and Ronnie would be in trouble. Ronnie offers to develop Rusty's film, but Rusty says that Mark taught him how to develop film himself. Ronnie says that he will save money that way, but Rusty likes to develop the films himself. He promises to give Ronnie a copy. Martha mutters that she hopes anyone seeing the picture doesn't suspect anything. Ronnie answers, "Why would they?" Meanwhile, Mark says that Nosy shouldn't be released into the wild until the cougar poachers are dealt with. Cherry puts a collar on Nosy, hoping that this will dissuade poachers from shooting a tame cougar.(Evidently, Cherry hasn't read about the recent killings in Minnesota of tame bears bears wearing prominent radio collars. The next morning (Day 13) the cougar recalls the smell of the new colt and decides to go find it. The cougar heads directly for the Mays Horse Ranch. Mark and Cherry have trained their temporary adoptee to find its own food. At the Mays ranch, the cougar and mother horse eye each other. The sight of the colt excites the cougar. It begins to charge the horses; the cougar has a big smile on its face as it begins its charge.
September 18-23--Day 13: The cougar continues to charge the horses. Martha shouts to Ronnie that something is attacking the colt. Ronnie streaks from the barn, pitchfork in hand, shouting, "It looks like a cougar!" The cougar, now looking much more like a cougar than last week, bears down on the colt as Ronnie continues to run with his pitchfork. The cougar veers off as Ronnie shouts, "Get! Get out of here!" Martha shouts that the cougar is wearing a collar. Ronnie noticed. He is pretty sure this cougar is the one Mark and Cherry have adopted. Martha and Ronnie examine the colt, who seems to be okay. Martha is not about to let that animal kill their horses. Ronnie agrees. He will stay with the colt overnight to protect it. "That's ridiculous!" says Martha. She is going to Lost Forest. At Lost Forest, Tom "Doc" Davis and Martha greet each other. Rusty's camera sits on a table in the foreground. Martha wants to talk to Cherry, who is out. Tom, a nascent gleam in his eye, suggests that he make coffee for them while they await Cherry's return. As Doc makes coffee, Martha spies the camera. We are able to read her thoughts, an extremely rare occurrence in Traildom. She realizes that the camera is Rusty's and slips it into her purse.
September 25-30--Day 13: Martha finishes slipping the camera into her purse. The purse begins to shrink. Cherry arrives and asks Martha about the colt. Martha tells Cherry of the cougar's attack as Doc brings in the coffee. (A point of interest: Even if Doc's coffee machine is a Bunn, it would take a good 3 minutes to brew a pot of coffee. During this period, he and Martha exchanged not a single word. Doc's romance with his old sweetheart is not exactly leaving the ground. Martha is sorry, but she will have to shoot the cougar if it returns. Cherry sadly understands. Martha knows that Cherry has become very close to the cougar. Cherry agrees. She and Mark will release the cougar right away in an area miles from Lost Forest. Cherry mournfully remarks that the cougar grew up so fast. Later, Mark arrives and she tells him of the cougar's attack on the colt. Mark asks if the colt was injured. Cherry says the colt is fine. Mark says that they should have released the cougar long ago. Cherry says how close she's become to Nosy. Doc asks Mark and Cherry what they will do about the cougar. Mark repeats that the cougar must be released, some distance from Lost Forest. Doc says that he guesses it's the best solution. The cougar has already been kept longer than it should have.
October 2-7--Day 13-14: Rusty asks if anyone has seen his camera; he thought he left it on the table after he took out the film from the Mays ranch. Doc can't help him. Mark saw it, but can't remember where he saw it. Maybe Rusty put it somewhere else. Rusty says, "Yeah, maybe," a glum expression on his face. Next morning (Day 14) Mark and Cherry are taking the cougar for a trip in their station wagon. Cherry is sitting in the back seat with the cougar, looking forlorn as Mark drives. Mark says that it will take some time for Nosy to adapt, but not to worry; he'll be fine. Cherry knows this and guesses she shouldn't have become so attached to him. No one is wearing a seat belt. As Foreground Grouse swoops over the mountain road, Mark says that they're about 100 miles from Lost Forest, so it should be alright to release the cougar in that area. Cherry admonishes the cougar to catch a rabbit or something as she ruefully bids it farewell. Mark says they can leave as soon as the cougar is out of site. The cougar happily gallops off, whereupon Cherry realizes with shock that they have forgotten to remove its collar. Hours later, the cougar returns, unable to understand why its friends have deserted it. After a few minutes of introspection, the cougar sets off for Lost Forest. Meanwhile the two poachers confer. They can get $2500 for a cougar; they decide to go for it. Cherry is very upset about leaving the cougar.
October 9-14--Day 14-17: The cougar walks back home for several days (placing us at Day 17), finally arriving at familiar territory. Cherry decides to pay the Mays family a visit and report what they did with the cougar. Mark thinks this is a good idea; he will go along. Cherry seems to be sporting long sideburns. Meanwhile the cougar surveys the Mays ranch from a mountainous crag. The cougar hunters are running their dogs and pick up Nosy's scent. Martha hears the dogs and wonders WHAT is going on. Ronnie, grabbing a shovel, will check it out. The lead poacher notes that the cornered cougar is not afraid of the dogs. It must be crazy. Nosy is waving at a particularly happy-looking dog. As the poacher aims, Ronnie shouts at him to stop! The cougar is wearing a collar and is a pet. The poacher tells Ronnie he must be crazy and to get out of the way.
October 16-21--Day 17: Mark tells the poacher, "You heard the man!" and repeats the command. The lead poacher tells Mark he is crazy. Ronnie in a frame with a dramatic dutch tilt (except for the coniferous trees in the background) repeats that the cougar is a pet and says that the poacher must not hear too well. He fells the poacher with just one punch. Mark knocks out the other poacher with just one punch, telling him that this is for all the cougars he killed. Ronnie speculates that these are the poachers responsible for cougar poaching locally. Mark agrees and tells Ronnie that the law will put the poachers out of commission for awhile. Cherry hugs Nosy as she tells Ronnie that they were on their way over to inform the Mays family that they had released the cougar a hundred miles away. She guesses that was not far enough. Cherry thanks Ronnie for helping to save Nosy. Ronnie wants her to understand that he will have to shoot the cougar if it comes over again. Cherry says they will keep it penned up until they decide what to do. Ronnie thinks that is for the best. Cherry tells Mark that the Mays family has been wonderful about Nosy. Mark agrees. They owe Martha and Ronnie big time. Cherry says that they must find a way to return Nosy to the wild. Mark thinks that his friends at the Fish and Wildlife service may help. He calls Jim at the Service, saying that they have a small problem at Lost Forest. Mark explains as Foreground Mother Bear and Baby Bear pensively look at Mark's house.
October 23-28--Day 17 to Day 18: Jim, from the Fish and Wildlife Service says that maybe they can help Mark out by dropping the cat in a remote area with one of their aircraft. Mark has done the Service a lot of favors. Jim says that they will pick him and the cougar up at Lost Forest tomorrow. Mark will be ready. On Day 18 Jim arrives with the helicopter. He says that there are lots of cougars in the area he has in mind and that maybe Nosy will become interested in a lady friend. The cougar has matured from a small kitten to adult male in only 18 days. Mark takes off Nosy's collar at the site and he and Cherry say goodbye to him. Mark tells Cherry not to worry; Nosy will be fine. Cherry hopes so, but is obviously dubious. From the chopper she spots him as Foreground Eagle looks on. Cherry can't believe it; Nosy has already found a friend! We cannot see if the friend is Foreground Eagle. Back at Lost Forest, Rusty tells Mark that he still cannot find his camera, however he had developed the pictures he took at the Mays ranch. Mark notes that Rusty is becoming a good photographer. Rusty points out the photograph of the Mays unloading the plane,
October 30-November 4--Day 18: Mark asks Rusty what the Mays were unloading from the plane. Rusty doesn't know; they were just boxes of something. He adds that they seemed upset about him taking their picture and that Ronnie even offered to have the pictures developed. Rusty told Ronnie that he and Mark like to develop their own film. Rusty tells Mark he is going to give the Mays a copy of his pictures. Mark says he will go along to tell them about the cougar. At the Mays ranch, Ronnie tells Mark and Ronnie it's good to see them. Rusty tells him he has the pictures of the colt. Ronnie tells Rusty the pictures of the colt are terrific. Rusty thanks him, agreeing that they turned out pretty good. He adds that there's a picture of Ronnie and his mother unloading the plane. Ronnie looks at Rusty narrowly and says, "Oh...oh yeah...what do you say we go inside and have some refreshments!" Rusty says, "Sounds good to me!" In the house, Mark tells Ronnie that they see him flying over Lost Forest occasionally. Where all does Ronnie go? Ronnie replies with an "uh," and says he goes to different places just to pick up supplies. Sometimes he is gone for a day or two. In the background, Rusty looks remarkably like Winky Ryatt of the comic strip, "The Ryatts." In the next panel Rusty sees his camera lying in plain view on a table. He says, "Hey, that looks like MY camera...HOW did it get over here?
November 6-11--Day 18: Ronnie says that he will try to explain. His mother stole the camera. Some drug smugglers in Central America own the ranch. They kidnapped Ronnie's father and will kill him if Ronnie does not fly the drugs into the states. Mark questions Ronnie closely about the layout of the landing strip in Central America. Ronnie's father is in good shape and locked in a small house near the runway. There are usually one or two men guarding the house. Ronnie usually arrives late and spends the night. By morning, his plane is loaded. Mark asks if he can fly in and jump out of the plane without being seen. Ronnie asks Mark, "What are you saying?"
November 13-18--Day 18-19: Ronnie asks Mark if he is really interested in helping free Ronnie's father from the kidnappers. Mark thinks it's worth a try. Ronnie worries that these are dangerous people and if he and Mark try this they may not come back. Mark says it is not likely that the kidnappers will free his father, so something must be tried. Ronnie agrees, but he can't believe Mark is willing to risk his life. Mark responds, saying that he owes Ronnie for not killing the pet cougar; besides, helping your friends is what it's all about! The tough part will be explaining to Cherry what he and Ronnie have planned. Mark hopes she understands. Cherry asks Mark if he is crazy. Fooling around with kidnappers and drug smugglers is dangerous business. Surely Mark is not serious about this. Mark says that everything will be alright; it's worth a try to save a life. The next morning (Day 19) as Mark and Ronnie fly to central America, Ronnie asks Mark what his plan is. Mark says that he will hide as Ronnie makes his approach and will jump out of the plane as it turns around. If all goes well, Mark and Ronnie's father will be waiting at the end of the runway the next morning. Ronnie wishes he were as confident as Mark about the plan working. Mark wears a grave countenance as he tells Ronnie to keep his fingers crossed.
November 20-25--Day 19: As the plane decends, Ronnie tells Mark to get down so the kidnappers don't see him. A bearded man watches the plane as it lands. He asks Ronnie how the trip went. Ronnie says there were no problems and asks about his father. The kidnapper says as long as Ronnie cooperates, he will be fine. The kidnappers are a compassionate people. He adds that Ronnie can stay with him until morning as usual. In the hut, Ronnie asks his Dad if he is being treated well. Dad is fine. Ronnie says that Mom sends her love, and if things go right tonight, he will be seeing her soon. Dad wants to know WHAT Ronnie is saying. Ronnie tells him about Mark flying in to try to help Dad escape. Dad says it isn't likely that one person could do the job; the kidnappers are killers. Ronnie has confidence. Meanwhile, Mark spots the hut, talking to himself about somehow getting the guards away from the house. He hopes that the plastic fishing line in his pocket will come in handy.
November 27-December 2--Day 19: Mark, talking to himself continuously, ties the fishing line between two trees. He hopes that it will do the trick, but now he has to lure the kidnappers into his trap. The kidnappers, one sporting long sideburns and the other a full beard, hear a noise which the bearded kidnapper recognizes as a pig rooting in the dirt. Mark continues to oink, hoping his ruse works. The sideburned kidnapper says that a little pig meat would taste good. He goes to investigate and trips over the fishing line, uttering a "WHAT TH'!" Mark apologizes as he clubs the man brutally over the head. Mark drags the man out of sight and hurries to the other guard. Time is short. The bearded kidnapper hears a whispered voice; he thinks it may be Godez, the sideburned one. He asks if Godez got the pig. Mark charges from behind, bellowing, "SURPRISE!" Mark knocks out the kidnapper with just one punch, saying, "Give my regards to your drug-dealing friends!" He then hurries to free Ronnie and his father.
December 4-9--Day 19: Mark kicks down the door and meets Ronnie's father. The men sneak through the jungle to the runway area. There are men all around the plane. Mark asks what is in a small building nearby. Ronnie says the kidnappers make their drugs there. Mark says that maybe they can create a diversion. Ronnie asks what Mark is planning. Mark says he has an idea. Ronnie and his father should stay ready to run for the plane. As Mark heads through the jungle he says that if his plan doesn't work, he and the Mays will be up to their necks in trouble. He sets the drug building on fire. Mark instructs the Mays to get in the plane as the smugglers are diverted. It is their only chance to get away. The smugglers see Ronnie taxi down the runway and shout, "THE YANKEES, THEY'RE ESCAPING!"
December 11-16--Day 19: The plane takes off.Mark says, "Get her up quick, Ronnie...I hear gunfire!" Ronnie says, "I'm trying...come on, baby, LIFT UP!" The smugglers fire wildly and miss the plane. Mark repeats his exhortation to "get her up." The smugglers quit shooting, muttering about blasted Yankees. Ronnie and his father are grateful for Mark's help. Ronnie hopes they can buy the ranch now from the government. Mark says, "good luck." He greets Cherry as Andy stares impassively. He says that they had no problems. Cherry wonders if the Mays will go to jail. Mark doesn't think so. The government knew Ronnie's dad was being held but could do nothing because of politics. Now that Mr. Mays is free, they can arrest the schemers.