The Manitou Page #5

medicine men already.

- Right.

Know anything about herbs, Mr. Erskine?

Just the oregano that I use in my salad.

Shame. Amazing things, herbs.

They can tell the future,

bring good luck.

What does a white man want

with Indian magic?

There's a 400-year-old medicine man

that's taking the way of the oil

on the neck of a...

a woman that I know.

How well do you know this woman?

Uh, quite well.

Well, that should help.

Love is one of the strongest

medicines there is.

Can you help me?

Mr. Erskine, have you ever heard

of "Gitche Manitou"?

No.

Well, Gitche Manitou is

a great spirit among Indians,

a bit like your Jesus or Jehovah.

Bad weeds this year.

S-So...

What you're dealing with

is the Manitou, or spirit,

of a great medicine man,

possibly in his fourth or fifth reincarnation.

Is that bad?

- For you, yes.

Each time a Manitou lives,

he gains in strength.

By the eighth reincarnation, he can

join Gitche Manitou as a permanent spirit.

Until then, the more lives lived,

the more powerful.

Five lives.

Well.. how... how do you stop it?

- You don't... You don't hold it,

you don't slow it down.

Each Manitou has its own momentum.

All you can do is avert the spell

and send it back from whence it came.

But that would take lots of power,

to force a Manitou

to make a 180-degree turn,

and so powerful a medicine man,

you might have to wait until

he leaves the woman's body.

That would kill her!

It would kill her body,

but her spirit would live in the medicine man.

"Spirit would live"... Great.

There's only one thing I know that might stop him.

- What's that?

Evoke the powers of other spirits.

Well... Well, how would I do that?

Well, Mountain is good.

Try Wind. It's one of my favorites.

Tell him John Singing Rock sent you.

Why won't you help me?

Mr. Erskine,

you see this valley?

From where we stand, there's over

a half million acres of land,

some of the richest farmland in the world.

200 years ago, my ancestors owned

all of this land.

Now it's under title to the Missouri

Holding Company.

I don't want your pleas for help,

Mr. White Man.

I don't need your money.

Wait a minute!

John!

Look, please.

Would you, if you were me?

No, I guess I wouldn't.

Mr. Erskine!

Normally I wait 3 risings of the sun

before I take on a job.

My fee will be $100,000 to the

Indian Educational Foundation.

And you?

Well, I need some tobacco.

I'm running a little low.

[Dr. Hughes] What do you think?

Well, to quote a hackneyed line,

Dr. Hughes,

this is heap powerful medicine.

What's next?

Next, we'll have to be ready

by tomorrow at the latest.

And I mean the latest.

I'm gonna have to draw

a circle around this bed.

If it works, maybe you can hold him long

enough for me to send him back

with my own medicine.

You, uh, don't sound very hopeful.

Dr. Hughes, "hope" is for saints and fools.

I'm just a South Dakota Indian

with a bag of tricks.

Well, I'd better get started.

Is there anything you need?

- No, I brought everything I need.

Harry, help me with this thing. I can't

work with it on.

And I want you all to understand

that once I make this circle,

it can't be broken.

You can step over it, but if you smudge it

or break it,

then all this becomes useless.

Everybody stand back, and I'll begin working.

Gitche Manitou, hear me.

Hear me and protect me.

John, look!

Who are you? Where do you come from?

I...

am mightier than you.

Your medicine

is of no consequence.

What is your name?

In life,

Misquamacus.

Leave the whites, little brother

from the plains.

Do not help them, or die.

John, what's the matter? what...

What'd he said?

It's... Misquamacus,

the greatest medicine man of all.

He turned rivers, made storms.

Mountains rose at his command.

No spirit ignored him; no demon denied him.

- My God...

Your God won't help you.

Nothing in your Christian world will help...

not prayers, not holy water,

not the weight of a thousand

of your churches.

What about that circle of sand?

He's sure to break it.

And I only hope it holds him long

enough for me to fight him.

Oh, great.

You're gonna play king of the mountain

with that Mixmaster. What about Karen?

Harry...

if I win... she lives.

If I lose, believe me,

she'll feel less pain than any of us.

He wants revenge, you heard him...

especially against me for helping you.

With his power,

once he gathers it,

once he directs it,

once he's strong...

You all right, Mr. Erskine?

- Oh, yeah, I'm fine, fine.

Hi.

- Hi, how are you tonight, Mr. Erskine?

Okay. Little nervous, that's all.

- Tension...

Yeah, really.

Uh, can I offer you something?

Well, maybe something for the tension.

What have you got in mind?

I'll see what I can find.

- Good.

This ought to do it.

- Oh, swell. Thanks.

Could I have another glass of water?

- Another glass? - Yes, please...

I always find I've got to need

two glasses of water with these.

Thanks... Yeah!

Guess this just isn't your day.

Think they'd give you some instructions.

Uh... thanks anyway.

Sorry, Mr. Erskine.

Joooohn!

John! John!

What's happened?

- Look, a face!

God, he's almost out.

Misquamacus invoked the spirit of the body

and stripped him of his skin.

Noooo!

Spirit of the Eagle, give me strength.

Spirit of the Wind, give me power.

Spirit of Rock, take my hand.

aaahh.. ! Nooo! aaahhh..

Get Dr. Hughes, quick!

Harry, go on!

Mountain Manitou...

hold Misquamacus.

Hold him in the circle of charms.

Chain him... lock him!.

Manitou, Bear Manitou,

hold Misquamacus... hold him!

Storm Manitou, hold Misquamacus.

Hold the circle.

River Manitou, help your brother!

hold Misquamacus... hold him!

Dr. Hughes, please, what happened?

Nurse, please, just stay at your station.

What's going on now?

Well... now we wait.

Could it break the circle?

- No, not yet.

But once he gains his strength,

I don't know.

Wolf, go and get something to cover

Michael with.

Do you still seriously think that

Karen can be saved?

According to Indian law, yes.

- I'm calling the police.

For a boy wonder, Hughes, you know

you ought to get your head examined.

Erskine, I have had it with you!

Oh, yeah? Then do something about it!

- Doctor!

It does no good to call the police.

Now, everything has a spirit or Manitous...

trees, wind, rain...

I don't need lectures about tree spirits.

Now, I suffered your presence here, and

there's your result... a man is dead.

Now, that's nothing. As I said, everything

has a Manitou

not only trees but man-made things as well.

- Oh, please...

The police will come with guns. Their guns

have Manitous.

Misquamacus will turn the guns against the

police and kill them with their own weapons!

Just like a scalpel was turned against you!

Now, you hired me to do a job. Why don't you

run with me?

First thing you can do is clear this floor.

It's an operating floor. Karen is the only

patient up here.

Well, that's good.

Here we are, living in a world

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