En route to St. Louis, Daniel fends off a ham-handed attempt by medicine-show huckster Orlando (Hans Conried) and his young bondservant Rudi (Antony Alda) to steal his furs. Orlando gets the idea to take revenge by taking his show to Boonesborough in Dan's absence.
Another well-experienced veteran of stage acting, Conried is given free rein to flamboyantly dominate the stage in an adaption of the Fagin story. Antony Alda - half brother of Alan and who would grow into a noted directing career - provides a more advanced foil for Israel and gives a range to child acting not often present on the series.
By now the formula for around-the-fort DB filler episodes is set - Fess Parker either leaves early or shows up late if at all, any money to spend goes to guest stars, and plenty of use is made of Becky and Israel. This is Mingo's finale, and Ed Ames shows up, delivers some lines, and performs some very pro forma rescue duties. Unfortunate; he deserved a more fitting farewell and perhaps a spinoff, but the curtain was rapidly descending on using non-native actors for Native roles.
Despite the above, some historical discussion does infiltrate the hour regarding the topic of white indentured servitude. The practice was prevalent in colonial America, but no firm date is given for this episode; the practice corroded and dissipated rapidly post-Revolution as whites became uncomfortable with a practice equated with African slavery (growing uncomfortable with that would take a considerably longer time), and British convicts were diverted to Australia. Interestingly, Dan is en route to the Choteau trading firm in St. Louis. This is first time in the series that Dan is referred to as adventuring in the trans-Mississippi, and the real Boone lived in Missouri later in life.
Both Conried and Alda turn in a showcase hour, but a missed opportunity to fittingly end the Mingo story.
