(84) Escape - Plunder of the Sun

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode 84: Escape – Plunder of the Sun

Date: August 11, 2026
Source Material: Adapted from David Dodge’s novel
Setting: High mountains of Peru, 1940s
Main Cast:

• Senor Colby (Narrator, American adventurer)
• Don Alfredo Berean (Peruvian collector/archaeologist)
• Anna Luce (Berean’s nurse)
• Jefferson (American “tourist,” in fact an ambitious rival)
• Senor Najaro (Inca expert/translator)

---

Overview and Main Theme

This episode of Escape transports listeners to the Andes for a classic “capers and consequence” adventure. Senor Colby, a self-described risk-taker, agrees to help smuggle a mysterious Inca artifact from Chile to Peru—ostensibly to repatriate it, but soon finds himself ensnared in a deadly pursuit involving murder, double-crossing companions, and a lost treasure said to be worth millions. Themes of morality, freedom, and greed run throughout, playing out against a backdrop of intrigue and Incan history.

---

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Smuggling Job is Set Up

• [01:23] Senor Colby is hired by Don Alfredo Berean, a collector, to smuggle an ancient Peruvian relic back into Peru because laws on both sides prohibit its legal movement.
  • “So you want me to smuggle it for you?” – Colby, [03:30]
  • “You will be performing a service to my country.” – Berean, [03:41]

2. Tensions Aboard the Ship

• [04:41] Another passenger, Jefferson, is introduced, and Berean’s unease upon seeing him signals early danger.
  • “His face had gone white with fear, and I knew I better keep a close eye on the man.” – Colby, [05:44]
• [06:39] Anna Luce tries to steal the package from Colby, indicating her own motives and desperation.

3. The Murder of Berean and the Nature of the Package

• [07:53] Berean is found dead from a supposed heart attack. The authorities are eager to avoid a scandal, but Colby is suspicious.
• [08:50] Colby examines the “relic” and discovers it’s a khipu (Inca message cord) and mysterious manuscript.
  • “All it contained was a tangle of little colored strings and a page of old manuscript in a language I didn't know.” – Colby, [08:54]

4. Pursuit, Double Crosses, and Anna’s Story

• [12:15] Anna confronts Colby, saying she must get the package, not for profit, but to buy her own freedom from a kind of “servitude.”

  • “With it I may buy my freedom.” – Anna Luce, [12:38]
  • “Here in Peru we have a kind of slavery.” – Anna Luce, [12:40]

• Jefferson then steals the (fake) package from Colby’s hotel room, while Colby has hidden the real manuscript.

5. The Real Treasure Revealed

• [17:28] Jefferson reveals his true colors—he is after the treasure for personal gain, knowing the manuscript provides directions to a cache of Inca gold.
  • “To millions. Literally millions in gold. Lost Inca treasure...the manuscript you have gives the exact directions on how to find one part of it.” – Jefferson, [17:28]

6. The Hunt for the Treasure

• [20:40] With Jefferson and Colby now forced into partnership, they decode the manuscript. They travel to Cusco with a guide.
• After a night of digging, they discover the gold statues in a hidden cache beneath a boulder.
  • “Just feast your eyes on that solid gold...these are magnificent. Priceless pieces.” – Colby, [22:26]

7. Betrayal and Confrontation

• [23:12] Jefferson betrays Colby (as expected), shoots him, and prepares to escape with the gold.

  • “You've got a stronger heart than Berean. I'll have to shoot you.” – Jefferson, [23:19]

• Colby, wounded and left for dead, is rescued by Anna Luce and Najaro’s intervention.

8. Resolution and Themes of Freedom

• Colby recovers in Najaro’s care. He’s offered an official reward but asks instead that Anna Luce be given her freedom.

  • “I want you to give Ana Luce her freedom.” – Colby, [25:21]
  • “But, senor, she is free. She is like my daughter.” – Najaro, [25:29]

• The pursuit for Jefferson—he kills the guide and flees toward Bolivia. The authorities chase him in a dramatic finale on Lake Titicaca, ending in his death as he attempts to board a Bolivian steamer.

  • “He raised his gun and pointed it at me. It was lucky for me that the Commandant was quick on the draw.” – Colby, [28:52]

• Anna Luce, now free, thanks Colby, but reveals she’s returning home to the man she loves—not Colby.

  • “I must get back to Callao...to the man I may now marry.” – Anna Luce, [29:38]

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Living the way I do by my wits, you get into all kinds of risky deals. But I had no idea...that it would lead me to terrible danger, to a beautiful woman and to a fabulous buried treasure of the Incas.” – Colby, [01:23]
• “My family was too poor to care for me, so they gave me to a rich family as a servant...With this package I can repay my debt to him and thus be free.” – Anna Luce, [12:38]
• “It is only that, like Berean, I am an archaeologist. I had hope it might be my name that was remembered as the discoverer of the Treasure of the Sun.” – Najaro, [24:54]
• “You don't owe me or anybody anything. Now. This is no way to start—your new life.” – Colby, [29:21]

---

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:23] – Assignment: Colby recruited to smuggle Inca relic
• [06:39] – Anna Luce’s betrayal and Berean’s murder
• [08:50] – Examination of the khipu and manuscript
• [12:15] – Anna reveals her “ransom” motive
• [14:06] – Jefferson’s betrayal (switches manuscript with fakes)
• [17:28] – Jefferson confesses knowledge of Inca treasure
• [20:16] – Final partnership with Jefferson, train to Cusco
• [22:26] – Discovery of the treasure
• [23:12] – Jefferson’s betrayal and shooting of Colby
• [24:53] – Authorities intervene, Colby negotiates Anna Luce’s freedom
• [26:34] – Final hunt for Jefferson on Lake Titicaca
• [28:52] – Jefferson’s death, Anna Luce’s parting
• [29:38] – Anna leaves Colby to return home and seek happiness

---

Summary Tone & Style

The episode carries the classic radio adventure tone—quick dialogue, moral dilemmas, betrayals, and atmospheric settings. Narration by Colby is wry, world-weary, at times darkly humorous, but always evocative of 1940s pulp adventure.

---

For Listeners

“Plunder of the Sun” is a tightly plotted, intrigue-laden jewel of old-time radio, mixing noir, romance, and South American mystery. Its themes about the cost of greed, the question of freedom, and the slippery morality of heroes and villains would still ring true to modern ears.

Recommended if you enjoy:

• Classic escapist pulp adventures
• Stories of lost treasure and ancient mysteries
• Strong, morally ambiguous characters

---

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

Every early morning run, every walk across campus at dusk, every ride back after dark. That's why she's Bertie created the Birdy disc, a clip on safety light and personal safety alarm for the students stepping into a whole new level of independence. On sale for bag to school. Buy two get one free A new campus, a new city, a whole new routine. An exciting life stage, but a vulnerable time for many women. The Birdy disc clips hands free to her backpack strap, sports bra or bike. Three LED modes make her visible to drivers in low light. And unlike an ordinary running light, it has a built in 130db siren. So if something feels wrong, one press brings every eye to her. Get your college girl the Byrdy disc during the back to school sale. Buy two get one free visit. She's birdie dot com. That's S-H-E-S-B-I-R-I E dot com

[Senor Colby]

tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all?

[Narrator/Host]

We offer you escape. Escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure.

[Senor Colby]

Tonight we escape to the high mountains of Peru and the hunt for a fabulous treasure of ancient Inca relics for which men are willing to die and to kill. As David Dodge tells it in his exciting novel Plunder of the Sun. Living the way I do by my wits, you get into all kinds of risky deals. But I had no idea when I took Senor Barian's little job that it would lead me to terrible danger. To a beautiful woman and to a fabulous buried treasure of the Incas. I didn't have to take the job. But you see, there was Ana Luce. She was Senor Berean's nurse. Pushed him around in his wheelchair, gave him his heart medicine, and so on. I first saw her that day when we all met in the park at Valparaiso. Here, let me brush that bench off for you first, senorita. It's pretty dirty.

[Anna Luce]

I'm glad you, Senor.

[Senor Colby]

Not at all.

[Anna Luce]

You are simpatico, Senor.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Senor Colby, right?

[Senor Colby]

Senor Berean. Now, what can I do for you?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

I am told that you are a capable man. One who can be persuaded sometime to take on a delicate assignment.

[Senor Colby]

Is it legal, Senhor Colbe?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

I'm a reputable businessman. There are, however, complications.

[Senor Colby]

For instance?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

For instance, I am going by boat back to my home in Peru. I wish to take along a small package. But this package contains an ancient Peruvian relic of great historical value. Peruvian law prohibits the export of such things. But this was smuggled out of Peru. I have come to Chile and recovered it, and I wish to return it to its rightful place in Peru. Unfortunately, however, Chilean law also prohibits its removal. And so.

[Senor Colby]

So you want me to smuggle it for you?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Smuggle? Well, not exactly. But, you see, I cannot carry it. I am too well known as a collector of such things. I will be thoroughly searched. However, you will be American tourists, you see. You will be performing a service to my country.

[Senor Colby]

You put it nicely, senor, but it's still smuggling.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

If I'm caught, I shall pay you 1,000American dollars.

[Senor Colby]

Oh, you will pay, not the government.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

I am a collector and an archaeologist. My name will be forever connected with the recovery of this relic. That is what matters to me.

[Senor Colby]

Well, I could see a lot of Peru on $1,000, especially if I had someone to show me around. Will the senorita be coming along?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

See? Of course. And most grateful to you.

[Senor Colby]

All right, I'll do it. The worst part of the boat trip was that I wasn't supposed to be seen with Berean or Annalise. The first day out, I was standing at the rail, talking to one of the passengers, another American, as they came along.

[Jefferson]

Yeah, it's a nice country. Lots to see in South America. Have you been to the Inca ruins in Cusco?

[Senor Colby]

No, I haven't gotten up that far yet.

[Jefferson]

Oh, well, you'll find it. Oh, pardon me.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Well.

[Jefferson]

Buenos dias, Don Alfredo.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Buenos dias, senor.

[Jefferson]

You're in good health, I trust?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

See? Gracias.

[Jefferson]

And how are you, Andalus?

[Anna Luce]

I am very well, senor Jefferson. Gracias.

[Jefferson]

Good. I hope to see you later. Perhaps.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Hasta luego, senor.

[Jefferson]

Oh, sure, sure. Hasta luego. Don Alfredo.

[Senor Colby]

Your friend seems surprised to see you here.

[Jefferson]

Surprised? He almost had another heart attack. The old robber.

[Senor Colby]

Interesting looking man. Who is he?

[Jefferson]

Name's Berean. Peruvian dealer in antiques.

[Curator/Translator]

Oh.

[Senor Colby]

And the girl?

[Jefferson]

Oh, his nurse.

[Senor Colby]

Even more interesting.

[Jefferson]

Yes, isn't she?

[Senor Colby]

Tell me, are you perhaps, also a dealer in antiques?

[Jefferson]

Me? I'm just a tourist, like you.

[Senor Colby]

That was the first hint of trouble When Berean saw this tourist, Jefferson. His face had gone white with fear, and I knew I better keep a close eye on the man. On our last night, our trouble came. I'd been playing poker with Jefferson and some of the passengers in the smoking room when Jefferson left. I got out of the game as soon as I could and went to my cabin. Just as I turned into the corridor, I saw a dark figure hurrying Away from my door. I went into my cabin and looked around. Everything seemed all right until I noticed the catch on my suitcase had been open. Then I knew that hurrying figure couldn't have been Jefferson. He was too tall. And only one person knew I had the package. I went out into the corridor. There was a light on in her cabin, and I entered without knocking.

[Anna Luce]

Senor Colby. What do you want?

[Senor Colby]

Ready for bed, senorita? Bathrobes, slippers? What do you have on under that, Senor Colby? Let me see. Just as I thought. Senorita, why are you fully dressed under your robe?

[Anna Luce]

That is none of your business.

[Senor Colby]

I think it is. It was a waste of time, senorita. I carry the package on me. Now, suppose we go next door to Berean's cabin and tell him you're not as trustworthy as he thought. That you're trying to get the package, too. We'll let him find out why. All right.

[Curator/Translator]

Come on.

[Anna Luce]

He's asleep.

[Senor Colby]

We'll wake him up.

[Anna Luce]

You cannot. I have given him sleeping pills.

[Senor Colby]

We'll see. Come on.

[Anna Luce]

Take your hands off me. Let me go.

[Curator/Translator]

Wait.

[Anna Luce]

That was Senor Barrion's little bell beside his bed. There is something wrong.

[Senor Colby]

Now, listen.

[Anna Luce]

Let me go. I must go to him.

[Senor Colby]

All right, we'll go together. Where's the light? Something hit me in the jaw and I went down hard. Somebody rushed past me and out into the corridor.

[Anna Luce]

Senor Colby. Senor Colby. Hurry. Turn on the light by the door. Something is wrong, all right.

[Senor Colby]

Wait a minute.

[Anna Luce]

Don Alfredo. Don Alfredo.

[Jefferson]

Yeah.

[Senor Colby]

Something's wrong, all right. He's dead.

[Narrator/Host]

We shall return to Escape in a moment. But first, ladies, you can get a haircut every afternoon without going to the barber. There's music, there's fun, There's a surprise. A minute with this haircut. Whose name is Gary Moore. Yes. Gary has his own daytime show now on cbs, exclusively. A full hour every weekday, Monday through Friday, on most of these same CBS stations. So, ladies, men, too, choose your chair and get that haircut right away. And now we return to Escape.

[Senor Colby]

Don Alfredo Berean was dead of a heart attack. Or so the authorities in Callao said. I wasn't so sure they were right. But they seemed to want as little trouble as possible. All I wanted then was my thousand dollars. But it looked like I was holding the bag unless I could find out what the package was and turn it into money. Soon as I was alone in my hotel room, I unwrapped it. All it contained was a tangle of little colored strings and a page of old manuscript in a language I didn't know. I could make nothing of it, so I took it to the curator of the Callao Museum.

[Curator/Translator]

Very interesting. Very. Where did you get it?

[Senor Colby]

From a friend. What is it?

[Curator/Translator]

A capu. An Inca message cord. A beauty. Yeah.

[Senor Colby]

What's the message?

[Curator/Translator]

It is not exactly a message, senor. Just a reminder of a story already known to the teller. Like tying a string around your finger for a reminder. Was there no. No manuscript with it?

[Jefferson]

Perhaps.

[Curator/Translator]

Aha. Then the manuscript will tell his story.

[Senor Colby]

Look, can you translate it for me?

[Curator/Translator]

Unfortunately, I do not know the language of the Incas.

[Senor Colby]

Well, could you recommend? Anybody?

[Curator/Translator]

The best is Don Alfredo Barian.

[Senor Colby]

No good. He's dead.

[Curator/Translator]

What? Don Alfredo. Dead?

[Senor Colby]

This morning. Of a heart attack. On the boat from Chile.

[Curator/Translator]

Oh, a pity. He was a fine man. Now I don't know. Perhaps Senor Najaro could do it. But I strongly advised you to turn it over to the museum. Under Peruvian law, it belongs to the government. Should you try to exploit it, you might get into serious trouble.

[Senor Colby]

Thanks. I'll remember that.

[Narrator/Announcer]

This episode sponsored by She's Birdie. You know that little wave of relief when someone texts made it home safe? That's exactly the feeling She's Byrde was designed for. The Birdie disc is a clip on personal safety light and alarm made for everyday moments where visibility and attention matter most. Night walks, early morning runs, parking garages, college campuses, dog walks, travel. It features bright flashing LED light modes, a built in flashlight and a 130 decibel siren that can quickly draw attention if something feels wrong. And because it's lightweight, rechargeable, TSA friendly and easy to clip onto jackets, bags, strollers, bikes or keychains. It actually fits into real life without being bulky or complicated. More than 4 million people already trust She'sbirdie for added peace of mind for the people you care most aboutdaughter, partner, friend, student or parent. This is one of those simple things that can make a real difference. Go to she'sbirdie.com Again, that's she'sbirdie.com Grainger knows. When you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building. You're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail. Filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, Easy reordering and 24. 7 support call. 1-800-Grainger Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it.

[Senor Colby]

When I got back to the hotel, Anna Luce was waiting for me in the lobby.

[Anna Luce]

Monseigneur Colby.

[Senor Colby]

Oh, Anna Luce. You come to show me the town?

[Anna Luce]

I have come for the package. You may give it to me now.

[Curator/Translator]

Why?

[Senor Colby]

Are you his heir?

[Anna Luce]

I was the closest to him.

[Senor Colby]

No, it's not good enough. Senorita. He obviously didn't mean for you to have it or you wouldn't have tried to steal it from me.

[Anna Luce]

I must have it. For me it is a kind of ransom. With it I may buy my freedom.

[Senor Colby]

Your freedom from what?

[Anna Luce]

From slavery, Senor. Here in Peru we have a kind of slavery. My family was too poor to care for me, so they gave me to a rich family as a servant. I am therefore the possessor of my patron who raised me. With this package I can repay my debt to him and thus be free.

[Senor Colby]

But if Berean was your patron, it

[Anna Luce]

would seem that he was not my patron.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Who then?

[Anna Luce]

I cannot tell. Please, senor. Please. You. You said that you would like to be my friend. Perhaps somehow that could be.

[Senor Colby]

Look, Anna Luce, I want to help you if I can. But I can't give you the package. I have to play the game my way. I'm sorry, Anelus. Very sorry. Suddenly she was dead looking and walked away from me. I knew she wasn't lying, that it was terribly important to her. Well, I supposed I'd lost her now. And I went up to my room feeling pretty miserable about it. The minute I opened the door I knew something was wrong. But too late. Everything went black. When I came to, I was trussed up on the bed, tied hand and foot. And Jefferson was standing over me, the package in his hand, grinning.

[Jefferson]

You were pretty easy, chum. Didn't even muss my hair.

[Senor Colby]

Oh, hello tourist. So you got it, huh? It was you in Burrien's cabin, of course.

[Jefferson]

Of course.

[Senor Colby]

Now I owe you two good socks. Not to mention something for Berean's murder and the loss of my commission.

[Jefferson]

I didn't kill him. He was dead when I got there.

[Senor Colby]

So you say.

[Jefferson]

So I say. Anyway, now you can forget it, Shem. You're all finished with this little party.

[Senor Colby]

That's what he thought then. And as he left I was wondering how he'd feel when he unwrapped the package and found it full of old newspaper clipping. After I got on to. I went down and got the manuscript out of the hotel safe. Took it to a photography Shop and had three blow up prints made of it. One of these I cut up word by word and separated the words into three piles. One pile I took along when I went out to look up Senor Najaro. He turned out to be an old crow of a man. Bald and harmless looking, but sharp.

[Curator/Translator]

She very interesting. These words are cut from a photograph of a manuscript. And you want me to translate them? That is hard, senor. They are out of context. Would be much easier if I could use the original or another photograph.

[Senor Colby]

No, we'll do it this way.

[Curator/Translator]

You do not trust me?

[Senor Colby]

I don't trust anybody until I see what it is. Do you want the job?

[Curator/Translator]

Oh, he's not A job, senor, is a pleasure. You see, I am interested. This kind of thing is my life.

[Senor Colby]

How soon will you have these?

[Curator/Translator]

You come back this evening. This evening, senor.

[Senor Colby]

I went back to the hotel and put the original manuscript and one copy into the hotel seat. Then when I turned around, I saw Anna Luce standing across the lobby, watching me. I started toward her, but she turned and almost ran out of the hotel. Seeing her run from me like that hurt, but I had to go through with it. And I had a feeling that it was mostly for her. That I was doing it to kill time till I could go back to Naharo's. I bought a copy of Prescott's book, the Conquest of Peru, hoping to read up on the Incas and perhaps find a clue to the manuscript. As it turned out, that was unnecessary. Because while I sat there in the hotel patio, I had a visitor.

[Jefferson]

Hello, chum.

[Senor Colby]

Well, Jefferson, what's new in the papers?

[Jefferson]

You're smarter than I thought. Smart enough not to have it on you then or now, huh? Maybe we better be partners.

[Senor Colby]

Partners?

[Jefferson]

Yeah. You've got the package. I know what it means.

[Senor Colby]

I'll know what it means too, very shortly.

[Jefferson]

You didn't give it to Nahara.

[Senor Colby]

How do you know about him?

[Jefferson]

He's the only logical one. And he'd give his soul to get his hands on that manuscript. He's worse than Berean, you fool.

[Senor Colby]

Don't worry. He hasn't got it. And he won't get it. He's merely translating isolated words.

[Jefferson]

You are smart, aren't you? But even that may be dangerous. We've got to beat him to it. To what? To millions. Literally millions in gold. Lost Inca treasure. You can read about it in that book you have there. How they had so much gold, they paved the streets with it. How they hid it away, buried it when their empire fell to The Spaniards. It's all there. And the manuscript you have gives the exact directions on how to find one part of it. A part that's sure to be worth a million dollars at present values.

[Senor Colby]

No wonder everyone's after it.

[Jefferson]

Now, look, there's no time to waste. Give me the manuscript. I can translate it.

[Senor Colby]

You're a man of many accomplishments.

[Jefferson]

I've been an archaeologist. Never mind that. I can translate it. If we're going to be partners, I'll think it over.

[Senor Colby]

So I had my hands on the key to the lost Treasure of the Sun. A fabulous cache of small, solid gold statues from the palaces of the great Incas. Oh, it was a little breathtaking. And I was still in the clouds when I went back to Naharo's that night. It was very pleasant. He gave me the translations, took the second batch of words. I paid him with a traveler's check because he wanted American dollars. Then he entertained me a while, showing me some of his Inca relics. Well, an hour passed before I could break away and get back to the hotel. I went to the desk to get the manuscript so I could start working on the translation. But when I asked for it.

[Curator/Translator]

Why, Senor Colby, did you not get your package?

[Senor Colby]

What do you mean?

[Curator/Translator]

We gave it to your messenger, the young lady, not an hour ago.

[Senor Colby]

My messenger?

[Curator/Translator]

See? Just as you instructed in this note. That is your signature, is it not?

[Senor Colby]

My sign? Yes. Yes, it is. Now, at last, I had it figured. A girl, Anna, loose. Of course, she'd seen me put the manuscript in the safe. But the signature. It was my signature. Or rather, a reasonable facsimile. A clever tracing. Who could have done it? What had I signed recently? And then I remembered. The traveler's check at Naharo's. He'd asked for it. American dollars. And suddenly I knew the truth. Anna. Lucy Naharo, he was her patron. It was for him all the time that she'd been trying to get it. And they'd beaten me. Only not quite. I still had up in my hotel room, between the pages of Prescott's book, the third print of the manuscript. And they didn't know about that. I hurried up and got it. And then I went to Jefferson's room.

[Jefferson]

Yeah?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Who is

[Narrator/Host]

that?

[Senor Colby]

Makes us even, Jefferson. Now we're partners. So get up and get to work on this print. Come on.

[Jefferson]

I'll fix you later, chum. Right now, or change your mind.

[Senor Colby]

Naharo got the original. We'll have to work fast. The treasure will be at Cusco, won't it?

[Jefferson]

Sure. The old Inca capital. Or near there.

[Senor Colby]

And while you're working, I'll get the tickets to Cusco. We'll leave on the first try. We rode all night on the mountain train to Cusco. And Jefferson sat there in the swaying coats, translating. By morning, we headed the directions to a million in gold, maybe more. In Cusco, we obtained burros and supplies and an Indian guide named Tasho. And by sundown, we were in the shadows of the tremendous brooding ruins of the Inca palace. Even in ruins, it was something you'd never forget. And I got the eerie feeling that the dead Incas were watching us with hate in their eyes. Then Tasho started pacing out the directions from the manuscript, striking down the hill out across the valley. We followed with equipment. We were looking for a certain stone. At first we couldn't find it.

[Jefferson]

An egg shaped boulder by the side of the stream. It said. There's no stream here.

[Senor Colby]

Yeah. Wait a minute. That was centuries ago. Maybe. Maybe. Since then it was made into one of these irrigation ditches. Let's look at that one over there.

[Jefferson]

Maybe you're right. Come on.

[Senor Colby]

We finally found the boulder, half buried in the hillside. Then it took us most of the night to dig around it, loosen it and finally topple it over. It was just dawn when we got down to the last perfectly fitted stone.

[Jefferson]

Hurry up. The minute it gets light, this place will be swarming with Indians coming out to work the fields.

[Senor Colby]

Okay, this is the last. Have Tasho lend a hand, will you?

[Jefferson]

All right. Come on, Tasho. Easy now.

[Senor Colby]

Good Lord, look at that.

[Jefferson]

Just feast your eyes on that solid gold.

[Senor Colby]

And look at the beautiful carving. These are magnificent. Priceless pieces.

[Jefferson]

Not priceless, chum. They'll bring a very pretty price when they melted down the bullion.

[Senor Colby]

Oh, no. You couldn't destroy works of art like this.

[Jefferson]

No. Come on, let's load them up.

[Senor Colby]

We had to hurry loading the small but heavy gold statues on Tashu's burrows because it was fast getting light. Once some Indians passed not 50 yards from us, but they didn't see us. We were at last finished. And suddenly Jefferson turned to me.

[Jefferson]

Okay, chum. So long.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Huh?

[Senor Colby]

What? What's the idea of the gun, Jefferson?

[Jefferson]

Just for you, chum. You've got a stronger heart than Berean. I'll have to shoot you.

[Senor Colby]

So you did kill Bereal.

[Jefferson]

Just scared him to death. Stuck the gun in his face. Ready? Now say goodbye, chum.

[Senor Colby]

It seemed like I was in a dream. I lay dreaming for an endless time. Faces came and went. I thought I saw Anna Loos. And she gave me A drink of water. Then later, much later, I woke up and saw her again.

[Anna Luce]

Senor Colby. Senor Colby, can you hear me?

[Senor Colby]

Then I knew it was no longer a dream. She was real. And behind her stood Naharo.

[Anna Luce]

Senor Colby.

[Senor Colby]

Hello, Annalus. How'd you get here? Wherever it is you are.

[Anna Luce]

In Senor Najaro's suite at the hotel. We brought you here yesterday after the Indians found you.

[Jefferson]

Thanks.

[Senor Colby]

How am I?

[Anna Luce]

You are going to be all right. Jefferson shot you, but only in the shoulder. Some Indians were nearby and he had to run for it. So he just threw you in the pit and left you to bleed to death.

[Senor Colby]

And you saved my life.

[Anna Luce]

It was not I, but the Indians who found you.

[Senor Colby]

Thanks anyway. And Jefferson got away with the goal?

[Curator/Translator]

Si, Senor Colby. Can you tell us anything to help us recover it? The government offers you a big reward if you can.

[Senor Colby]

The government?

[Curator/Translator]

You told them she. I always intended to give it to them anyway. It is only that, like Berean, I am an archaeologist. I had hope that it might be my name that was remembered as the discoverer of the Treasure of the Sun. But now, can you help us, senor?

[Senor Colby]

Yes, I think I can. But for a price.

[Curator/Translator]

I have told you there will be a reward.

[Senor Colby]

No more than that. I want you to give Ana lose her freedom.

[Curator/Translator]

But, senor, she is free. She is no longer my servant. She is like my daughter.

[Senor Colby]

Evidently, she still feels an oppressive debt to you. Isn't that right, Analouz?

[Anna Luce]

See? It is.

[Senor Colby]

But you see, senor, Will you release her?

[Curator/Translator]

But of course, senor. She owes me nothing.

[Anna Luce]

Senor, until the treasure is recovered and Senor Najaro's name is placed on it, as the discoverer, I can never feel free. Even so.

[Curator/Translator]

All right, then.

[Senor Colby]

We'll get the treasure. Help me out of this bed.

[Anna Luce]

Senor, you cannot.

[Senor Colby]

I think I can stay here, knowing how much this means to you. Onalus. Come. We must hurry.

[Curator/Translator]

See? But where?

[Senor Colby]

Coming up on the train, Jefferson talked about taking the treasure out of Peru by way of Puno and Lake Titicaca. Across the lake to Bolivia.

[Curator/Translator]

Ah, I see. See? Of course. Then we must charter a plane and fly to Puno. At.

[Senor Colby]

We flew up to the lake 12,000ft high in the Andes with the government commandant. He had a company of soldiers stationed there. Jeff would be able to get in. But our job was to be sure he didn't get out. Soon after we arrived, his soldiers brought in the word. They had found the body of Tasho shot in the outskirts of town.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Then he is Here already.

[Senor Colby]

And he's unloading excess baggage in his own familiar way.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

We shall search every house. We shall scour this entire shore of the lake. We'll find him.

[Senor Colby]

He will hang for murder, Commandant. There's no way he can get around the lake by land, is there?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Senor, these are some of the highest

[Senor Colby]

mountains in the world. It is impossible.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

And there is only one ship to the Bolivian shore. It leaves in the morning. We shall sure search every inch of it. He shall not get away now.

[Senor Colby]

But by morning, we weren't so sure. Every house had been searched, the shore had been scarred, and the ship gone over inch by inch. Jeff was nowhere to be found. The Bolivian steamer was whistling impatiently for clearance to set sail. They cared nothing for the search, since there is no love lost between the two countries. Finally, the commandant let them go. He could do nothing else. As we all stood and watched, it pulled away.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

I did what I could. I could not hold him any longer.

[Curator/Translator]

I am afraid that we have missed.

[Anna Luce]

I know it. I feel it. He has escaped.

[Jefferson]

Annalise, don't cry.

[Senor Colby]

Perhaps still there's a chance.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

No.

[Anna Luce]

No. He is gone. I will never feel free now.

[Senor Colby]

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What's that? Look out in the channel. A little native raft. It's making for the steamer. Trying to head it off in the channel. That's him. Come on. The Commandant and I jumped into the police launch at the pier. It looked like a close range.

[Narrator/Host]

If they stop.

[Senor Colby]

If they stop, they're slowing down for him. What if he gets aboard? Will they let us have him? No.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

The Bolivians would only laugh at us.

[Senor Colby]

Then we've got to make it.

[Narrator/Host]

We've got to.

[Senor Colby]

The commandant got everything he could out of the launch. But Jeff had almost reached the ship when we got there. We swung around the steamer and. Halt.

[Anna Luce]

Stop.

[Senor Colby]

Swing in between him and the boat.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

There.

[Senor Colby]

Stand where you are, Senor Jefferson.

[Narrator/Host]

You are under arrest.

[Senor Colby]

And when Jefferson saw me, hate filled his eyes. The hate that's part of the gold fever. He raised his gun and pointed it at me. It was lucky for me that the Commandant was quick on the draw. Might have been me instead of Jefferson, who toppled over into the water.

[Anna Luce]

Jose Colby. How can I ever repay you?

[Senor Colby]

Anna Luz, you. You don't owe me or anybody anything. Now. This is no way to start. I mean to start your new life.

[Anna Luce]

Thank you, Senor Colby. You have made me very happy. I hope that we shall meet again.

[Senor Colby]

But. You mean you're leaving?

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Why?

[Anna Luce]

I must get back to Callao and tell Carlos. Carlos see the man I love. The man I may now marry. Adios, senor.

[Don Alfredo Berean]

Yes, Senor Colby, you are a hero.

[Senor Colby]

You shall have a big reward, and

[Don Alfredo Berean]

the people of Peru will honor you.

[Senor Colby]

Perhaps. But they'll fall in love with guys by the name of Carlos.

[Narrator/Host]

Escape is produced and directed by William N. Robeson. Tonight we have presented Plunder of the sun by David Dodge, adapted for radio by John Dunkle. Featured in the cast were Paul Freeze as Colby, Gerald Moore as Jefferson and Lucille Meredith as Anna Loose. Also heard were Harry Bartel, Charlie Long and Tony Barrett. Special music was arranged and conducted by Del Castillo. Next week

[Senor Colby]

you are imprisoned in a lonely lighthouse off the steaming jungle coast of French Guiana. Your comrades, a maniac and a coward. Your captors, an army of gigantic hunger maddened rats.

[Narrator/Host]

Next week we escape to a nightmare world of terror and violence. As George Tudouse describes it in his hair raising tale Three Skeleton Key. Goodbye then, until this same time next week when once again we offer you Escape. Stay tuned now for Life with Luigi, which follows over most of these CBS stations. This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System.