White Feather Page #3

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you'll still be with your father...

and your brother and your friends.

The lady who came to the fort gate with you,

she is your woman?

No. I have no woman.

She is very beautiful.

To marry her will cost many horses.

As many as 200, do you think?

My father asks to see you.

Come with me.

My father.

Chief Broken Hand.

My son has told me of you.

He has said you come as a friend.

Is this true?

That is true.

Then you are welcome here.

You will come to the council and sit with us.

It is my wish.

The white one is here as our friend.

My son, Little Dog...

will tell those who need to be told.

It is the time of deciding.

I have listened to all

that has been said.

I have thought long thoughts.

In the time of our fathers...

there were two great herd

of buffalo across this land.

Then... when we were

young warriors...

there became only one herd ofbuffalo.

And now our sons for many moons...

have hunted for the buffalo

which is no longer...

as it was in this land.

It is gone.

Our neighbors, the Sioux...

the Blackfeet

and the Arapaho know this.

I have called this council

to tell you that on this day...

they have agreed to take

the offer of the white man...

and leave this country.

So if we stay in this, our land...

we will have to fight

the white man alone...

and without meat in our bellies...

to give us the strength to fight.

Our young men are brave!

We will fight!

Our young men are brave...

but if we stay in these hills,

they will be killed.

They will all die.

This I know.

So, the decision is made.

We will sign this treaty

with the white.

We will leave this land for

the new land in the south.

We will take our horses...

and our lodges and our weapons.

But we will never again use these weapons

to kill our Indian enemies...

or the white man.

That is over.

The killing is ended.

Ha!

Tanner.

You will wait for me in my lodge.

I will speak with you there.

It is best that he goes.

Things must now be said

that cannot be said before him.

It is my wish that you tell

the leader of the white soldiers...

what you have heard here.

- I will.

- If he brings the paper saying the things I have said...

tell him I will put my mark on it.

Is that all?

Sit down, my friend.

Little Dog was angry.

His blood ran hot at the council.

Does this mean that he will refuse

to go with you when you move away?

I do not know this.

In the days of my youth,

I would have stayed.

His blood is my blood.

If Little Dog asks all the young warriors

not to go with you...

but to stay and fight,

will they do this?

I am chief of all the Cheyennes.

My son would have to kill me to prevent me

from leading my people south.

He will not kill me.

But tonight he will decide

what he will do...

for he's gone to the lodge of

the medicine man alone.

You are his friend.

Would you go to him there?

His deciding

may mean his whole life.

I will go to Little Dog.

Where is the lodge

of the medicine man?

Josh...

Little Dog is my brother

and I love him.

I pray he will listen to you.

Little Dog?

Why did you come here?

I came to say good-bye to my friend.

You should not have heard

those words spoken this night.

That was not Cheyenne talk-

It was the talk of women!

Little Dog doesn't have

to prove his courage.

It is known by the white man

and by the Cheyenne.

It is known at Little Bighorn

and amongst the Sioux and the Crow...

that there is no warrior

who has more bravery than Little Dog.

But he must now show

that he is also wise-

as wise as the old warriors.

My father has spoken of me to you.

He doesn't want his son to die.

He would die here if he were not old!

I know this.

The chief of all the Cheyennes

must think for all his people.

Little Dog knows that it is not fear that

speaks within his father, but wisdom.

Then I do not like wisdom!

Would Tanner go south with

the women and the old ones?

I don't know, Little Dog.

Yes, I think I would

go south if I were you.

Sometimes there is a change.

We don't see the reason

for it, but it's there.

These things are easy

for Tanner to say...

because he is a white man.

Then let the white man go south.

We are not farmers-

We are Cheyennes!

And hunters! And fighters!

I will go into the hills by myself.

The spirits will tell me what to do.

They will not lie to me.

He went in the hills

to speak with the spirits.

Josh...

would you tell me something

to help me understand?

I'll try.

My father has said that

if we stay here, we will die.

The lady at the fort-

She can live in our land

and she will not have to die.

No.

And you will not have to die?

I have thought of it, and I cannot understand

why there must be this difference.

I don't think even the spirits

have an answer to that.

Maybe if- if we could live

in the white man's world...

there would be

no more talk of dying.

Many white people have come here.

Behind them, they must have

left a great empty space.

So if- if they no longer

want this place...

maybe the Cheyennes

could go there and live.

You will tell me

if this can be done?

Would you be happy in

a white man's world?

I would try.

Yes, I would be happy.

I'd give a great deal if

I could help Appearing Day.

I believe this.

Hard to believe that it's all over.

Did he say how soon

he'd be ready to sign?

I imagine the sooner

the better, sir.

Yeah, I suppose so.

Some of the other tribes have

already started to move out.

Well, I'll be glad

to see the end of it.

I'm sure it's been worse

for Broken Hand.

I know it has.

I feel sorry for him.

You told me once you had no feeling

about the Indians.

You've changed.

Sometimes you learn things

in spite of yourself, sir.

Good night, Mr. Tanner.

Oh, Mr. Tanner.

Thanks.

Maybe it was only your vest

I didn't like.

Good night, sir.

You will not have her.

She's mine!

She's promised to me.

I'll kill you!

Sentry! Guard!

Run him down there!

Get him down to the guardhouse.

- You hurt?

- No, I don't think so.

- Who was it?

- One of the Cheyennes.

I can't understand it.

I don't know why.

There's a Pawnee scout dead, sir.

That Cheyenne knifed him.

And it looked for a good three minutes

as though something might be settled.

- We'll have to hold the Indian. Nothing else we can do.

- Yes, sir.

- Ann.

- Josh.

That Indian girl is here.

Here?

She's waiting for you.

Appearing Day is here?

She said you told her

she should come.

I told her, but I didn't say

anything about-

So that's why American Horse tried to-

Where is she?

She's in your room.

Appearing Day,

you shouldn't have come here.

You wished to help, you said.

I think you meant it.

But you didn't tell me you were promised

to American Horse.

There's been much trouble.

I did not tell you of

American Horse because...

what was in his heart

was not in mine.

The word of my father was given,

but not my word.

But American Horse thinks I stole you.

He came here. He tried to kill me.

And now they've locked him

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