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Victoria held hostage by the bandidos.

The bandit, Ricardo, after Mano gets the drop on him.

Mano, believing that Victoria has been killed.

3.75  No Trouble at All             Victoria, Mano
Victoria's life is imperiled when she insists upon crossing dangerous Indian country to go to the aid of a friend.
Written by Jack B. Sowards         Directed by Phil Rawlins

Story Line:  Separated from her escorts Buck and Manolito when they are attacked by Apaches, Victoria is captured by a lone Indian who leads her on foot across the desert. Apparently "rescued" by a trio of men who overpower her captor, Victoria soon realizes her troubles have just begun when the riders turn out to be bandits on the run from the law.

Character Highlights: Very humorous scenes in the beginning where John and Victoria argue about her making the trip.  Excellent scene along the way where Buck and Mano argue the finer points of marriage with Victoria.  The episode includes a good horse trick where Buck and Mano both get their horses to lie down quietly until their pursuers pass.  As Buck and Mano trail Victoria and her captors they grow increasingly worried about her.  This leads to a good scene where Mano won't let Buck sleep as he paces.  
Mano:  Tell me, what kind of man would be around this country?  
Buck:   You mean besides us?  
Mano:  Of course besides us.
Victoria proves her courage and mettle in this episode, both when she is held hostage by the Apache and later when she is held by the bandidos and it includes a gripping scene when Mano believes she has been killed.  John gets the humorous role again in the end when he tries in exasperation to find out what happened, both with the buckboard and with the Martinez baby, which it turns out Buck has delivered.

Complete Episode Synopsis:  Victoria wants to journey to Rancho Monteseco to be with Senora Martinez, who is expecting a baby any day. Since the ranch is forty miles distant, John is against it. He and Victoria get into an argument. While they argue, Pedro hitches, unhitches and re-hitches the buckboard, according to whomever is winning the argument. When Mano steps in and suggests that John use reverse psychology on Victoria by telling her she can go in the belief that she will no longer want to go, it backfires. Victoria promptly sets off in the buckboard, and because they are laughing at the situation, Buck and Mano are sent along as her escort.

Along the way, they are attacked by an Apache hunting party. Taking refuge in the rocks, Mano and Buck realize they are trapped and that they cannot take Victoria with them in their escape. Mano conceals her in the rocks with instructions to wait there until either he returns for her or it becomes dark enough for her to journey by herself. He and Buck then remount, seize the buckboard’s horses and charge off into the desert with all the Apaches after them. All, that is, except one, who had been thrown from his horse and apparently stunned. When Victoria comes from her concealment, she is taken captive by this man. The Apache takes her over the rocks. On the way to his camp, Victoria manages to overpower him with a chunk of wood, but she doesn’t knock him out, and he pursues her. Advancing on her with his knife, he is shot by three men on horseback. These men urge Victoria to come with them because the shots have alerted other Apaches in the area. Victoria tells them her brother is coming for her, but she wisely goes with them.

Meanwhile, Buck and Mano have managed to evade the Apaches, losing the buckboard in the process. When they come back for Victoria, they find her missing. When Buck suggests that she may have started back to the ranch by herself, Mano says that ‘Victoria is many things, but stupid is not one of them.’ Since he knows his sister did not leave her concealment willingly, they begin to search for her. They discover the Apache tracks leading over the hill. Following the tracks, they hear gunfire, and following the gunfire, they find the wounded Apache, only he is unconscious and cannot tell them anything. As Mano treats the wounded man, Buck searches for and finds shod horses’ tracks. Buck is not surprised that Mano is treating the wounded Apache, but he does make mention that they would probably see him again in a month when he was recovered enough to fight. Mano says that the Apache could die overnight, but he covers him with his bedroll and leaves his canteen, just in case he might survive. The two men then continue their search for Victoria, following the new set of tracks they have found. In the desert, they lose the trail. Deciding to split up, Buck heads to Rancho Monteseco while Mano heads into the rocks.

In a cabin in the hills, Victoria learns that she is the prisoner of bank robbers. One is a gringo named Brady, and the other two are Mexican gentlemen bandits named Ricardo and Felipe. They are courteous and gentlemanly, after a fashion, but Brady is the worst of the lot. He torments and teases Victoria, and at one point she has to defend her honor. She also learns that they plan to kill her when they leave that night. At the appropriate time, the gentlemanly Ricardo takes her outside with a knife. She feigns a twisted foot and throws dirt into his face, managing to escape into the rocks. While Ricardo and Victoria are playing hide and seek in the rocks, Mano slips up on the cabin and takes the other two bandits prisoner. Ricardo then comes back and takes Mano prisoner. At this point, Mano is told Victoria is dead, and as the news sinks in, he goes berserk. He overpowers all three bandits. To save themselves, Ricardo admits that Victoria is alive in the rocks. Mano takes the stolen money and goes in search of her. Brady then goes in search of Mano and the money, as the two Mexicans give up the whole affair.

In the rocks, Brady is about to ambush and kill Mano, when an Apache ambushes and kills Brady. Mano and Victoria reunite only to find themselves surrounded by Apaches. It turns out that the wounded Apache survived, and these Apaches are his friends. They return the bedroll and canteen to Mano and let them go. They all get back together at the Martinez ranch. Finally back at the ranch, John wants to know why they left in a buckboard and came home in a wagon. Mano says they lost it, and when John looks astounded, Mano volunteers that "it’s an awfully big desert out there".  (Synopsis by Sandy Sturdivant)
 

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