Original subtitles

Whipsaw.

Cover me.

Hold it right there.

No trouble. Me friend.

Me want trade.

What kind of trade?

Need knife. No need boy.

You take boy.

Give me knife. That one.

You mean you want to trade this kid for a knife?

Trade him. Work hard, good.

Who is he?

Him, Pawnee.

Take in fight. Work for sioux.

You no want? We trade to apache.

Apaches?

Why, they'd torture him to death.

You want to stay with me, boy?

All right.

Here's your knife.

Now, get.

Good horse.

White like snow.

I said get!

Howdy, folks. I'm the old ranger.

In the year 1862, in upper Utah,

around the Sweetwater,

the Indians had been attacking the station

of the overland company.

Killing, looting, burning, and stealing

the overland's fine horses.

The station keeper at rocky Springs

named Whipsaw McGee,

had an additional problem with the Indians

when he took one of them in.

One who became known as...

You're figuring on keeping him?

What do you want me to do?

Turn him out into the wilderness

to shift for himself like some animal?

How do you know them injuns didn't

leave him here to act as a spy?

You know how them red devils have been acting up lately.

Yeah, that reminds me.

Express rider came through this morning.

Got a letter from the company.

Government's still holding up those military escorts

on account of the civil war.

And that leaves us wide open out here.

Yeah, another massacre last week at split rock station.

Hodges and his wife both killed.

You see?

This kid's a spy, that's what.

We'll be the next.

Aw, look at him, gillis.

He ain't no spy. No how.

You just keep that kid here and see what happens.

He'll bring them down on us.

You just wait and see what happens.

Well, if they attack us,

they may find that we've made some plans of our own.

I'm gonna get me a drink of water.

This shoveling sure gives me hot coppers.

I still don't figure what good this here hole is gonna do us,

if them injuns come whoppin' down on us.

It's what the army calls a "secondary defense line."

If you're caught away from the house,

you got a place to fight.

Where's that kid?

I ain't seen him most of the afternoon.

He's minding the horses out in the back.

He's taken quite a shine to big snow.

Never in my born days I ever seen a grown man

so fret-up about a pint-sized young'UN.

He ain't just a young'UN. He's an injun.

[Scoffs]

You nice cayuse. Good cayuse.

You sure got a way with horses.

He don't usually cotton up to strangers.

Big snow good cayuse.

Yeah. I got him when he was just a Colt.

A lot of fellas want to buy him,

but it'd be just like selling my best pal.

Me ride?

Sure, if he lets you.

But I have an idea it's almost suppertime.

We gotta go down and help gillis with the trench.

Yup, almost 6:00.

That's, uh-- that's a watch.

Watch?

Yeah. You can tell time with it. Listen.

Hey, Whipsaw!

I thought you was gonna help me finish this trench.

In a minute.

When the sun is straight up,

these two hands are straight up, too.

What are you doin'?

I was just teaching the kid how to tell time.

He's sure taken a shine to my watch.

Make sure he don't take a shine to your scalp.

Come on, boy. We better put big snow away

and help this grouch before he gets all lathered up.

What's a matter, kid?

Cayuse. Many cayuse.

I don't hear nothin'.

Can't say that I do either,

but look at the kid.

Seems like he's sure hearing something.

Guns. Big fight.

I don't hear a thing.

I don't hear nothing but the wind.

I think it's the wind.

Big fight by river.

By a river?

Nearest river is the Sweetwater.

Ain't nobody can hear that far.

[Whistles] Yah!

[Gun fires]

Come on! Hyah! [Gun fires]

Yah! [Gunfire]

Yah!

You know, I've been trying to think of a name for him, gillis.

No, no.

In my people way, everyone eats with a spoon.

Here. Let me show you.

Watch me.

He's got it.

Don't he learn quick?

Oh, injuns are smart.

Too smart.

What's a matter, kid? Don't you like my stew?

Seems like he hears something again.

Oh, for the love of Pete.

Horses come. Pull big wagon.

The stage!

Oh, Bob ain't due for another three hours yet--

oh, no, you don't.

[Whipsaw] Hey, gillis!

The kid's right.

It's the stage.

Yeah. I hear it now.

Giddyup!

Giddyup!

Bob, what happened?

Injuns.

I had to bypass three fork station.

I was about a mile off, and I saw the smoke.

Station was raided by a band of sioux.

Burned.

What about the passengers?

They're all right. Just a little shook up

from that wild ride I give 'em.

We'd better get 'em in there and give 'em some food.

Yeah. All right, folks.

Right in the house there, and the food's on the table.

Headquarter said the sioux were on the warpath.

Yeah. Bunch of them took after us for a spell,

but I took the ol' wash.

Raced all the way, outrun 'em.

Where'd you lose 'em?

About three or four miles back.

By gum, the kid was right.

Poor, tired cayuse.

I fix. I help.

You my friend.

Son, you sure were right about there being a fight.

The sioux attacked the stage at three forks.

I hear far away.

All that distance.

Ears like cayuse.

You sure have, son.

And by gum, that's what I'm gonna call you.

"Little cayuse."

Hear that, gillis? Bob?

Little cayuse.

Do you realize what this can mean to us, gillis?

He can hear the stage coming a mile away.

We can save time, have the relay horses

ready and waiting when they get here.

Come on there, little cayuse.

You've got to finish your supper.

Let's, uh, let gillis take care of the horse.

Hey, gillis.

What's that injun kid doing here?

Whipsaw traded him for a knife.

You're joshin' me. Oh, no, I ain't.

Yesterday, a sioux injun rode in here with that boy,

and he talked Whipsaw into trading him

for his whittlin' knife.

He went soft all over the minute he'd seen that kid.

He lost his own son, you know.

What was that about him hearing the attack on the stage?

That kid claims he heard that attack

all the way from here,

but I don't believe him.

How do you account for him saying that, then?

He could've known it was gonna happen

from scarface.

Scarface?

That injun that brought the kid in yesterday

had a scar-- a long one-- right across his cheek.

Hey, there was a scarface sioux

leading the injuns that attacked the stage.

You see? It all adds up.

And do you know somethin' else?

I believe that scarface left that kid here

to spy on us and to help him attack the depot.

You might be right.

I gotta get that boy out of here.

Looks like I just gotta protect Whipsaw against himself.

Come on.

I don't reckon they're likely to hit us.

They know we've got plenty of defenses and guns.

Unless someone were to let 'em in

when we're asleep.

I'm getting sick and tired of you

taking digs at little cayuse.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself, picking on the lad.

I'm only saying these things for your own good

and for the sake of the depot.

It's getting late.

I better stash some extra ammunition in the trench,

just in case.

Oh--

Listen, boy...

I lost it yesterday,

and we just found it under your pillow.

No take.

But it just didn't up and walk there by itself.

No take watch.

Well, then how did it get under the pillow?

Don't know.

Look, little cayuse,

I ain't gonna do nothin' to you.

All I'm askin' you is to admit you done wrong.

No take.

Didn't I tell you you couldn't trust no Indian?

Oh, keep out of this, will ya?

You know...

I had a little boy of my own once.

The good lord took him away.

When you came along, I...

I sort of figured he was trying to make it up to me.

Why, you're just like my own son.

That's why I want you to be honest...

And good...

And truthful.

All I'm asking you is that you admit

you done wrong...

And promise never to steal again.

Now, what do you say?

No take. No take watch.

You sure gotta learn the hard way.

Go to bed without your supper.

When you decide to tell the truth,

come back and you can eat.

Get goin'.

[Voice breaking] Bye, big snow.

You be good cayuse.

Gillis!

He's gone!

He ain't nowhere around. He's run off!

Good riddance.

I-I gotta find him.

Now, you leave him be.

He don't belong here.

Who's got a right to say who belongs? You?

You've been leanin' on the kid ever since he got here.

What makes you better than him?

He's an injun.

And you're a fool.

I'm goin' after him.

Oh, Whipsaw, don't be cra--

[Speaks foreign language]

We rest. Later we attack depot.

Steal horses.

White horse mine.

[Suspenseful music]

[Horses approaching]

[Horse snorts]

Whoa. Whoa.

[Horse snorts]

Any trouble?

I didn't see none.

All right, gentlemen, everybody out.

Everybody inside. Food's on the table.

Where's Whipsaw?

Lookin' for the boy. He's run off.

That ain't too healthy, with scarface out roamin' them hills.

If we could only snag scarface,

these raids might let up.

He's sure raisin' Cain with business,

and passengers don't take kindly to scalping.

[Horse whinnies]

Big snow's gettin' spoiled rotten.

I better go feed him.

[Whinnies]

All right. All right. I know you're hungry.

Will you stop gabbin' and get him fed?

I'm hungry too.

[Whinnies]

What's a matter with that critter?

I ain't never seen him act like that before.

[Snorts]

[Gillis] Whipsaw!

Am I glad to see you.

I was beginnin' to be afraid you were scalped.

I couldn't find him. I searched all over.

That poor little boy.

Whipsaw! Whipsaw!

Little cayuse. Where in tarnation you been?

Me run. You no want me.

Oh, that ain't true, little cayuse.

Why did you ever do a thing like that?

No take watch.

Oh, forget about the watch.

Come on, let's go in and have something to eat.

No time! No time!

Scarface come. Steal big snow.

Scalp everybody!

Where'd you hear this?

In hills.

And you run all the way back to warn us.

You my friend.

Hear that, gillis? He come back to warn us.

Well, we'll be ready for them.

You boys break out the rifles,

we'll stay and watch at the windows,

and we'll give him a good reception.

No stay in depot. Better to wait in ditch.

Oh, no, you don't.

I think they sent him here to get us out in the open

so as they can pick us off easy.

It's a trick. No trick.

You stay in depot, you trapped.

They burn depot. No see in ditch.

I think he's got a point, Gillis.

They'll hit that depot first.

That ditch is there

only if we were to get caught out in the open.

I'm still in charge of this depot, Gillis.

We'll do as I say. How about you, Bob?

Out in the open, we'd be like sittin' ducks.

We'll be in the trench. They won't see us.

And we can pick them off.

What's a matter, boy?

Many Cayuse.

Come this way fast.

I think Scarface.

Grab the rifles and we'll head to the ditch.

But Whipsaw--

Now you get those passengers out here too, come on move.

Here they come.

Now, hold your fire till I tell ya.

Now!

Lil, Little Cayuse? I...thanks. Thanks.

So, I'm the one who took the watch. All I can say is I'm mighty ashamed of myself.

You think you can forgive a dumb mule like me, Lil' Cayuse?

What mean forgive?

It means you forget he ever done it.

So to make friends.

You know, shake hands?

That makes me feel better, boy.

And seeing you was so taken up with my watch,

I'm gonna make you a present of it.

Sort of a reward for savin' the people and our scalps.

You put that away, Whipsaw.

from me to you, little cayuse,

for savin' my good-for-nothin' life.

I'd be much obliged if you'd take it.

Don't you think he ought to get somethin' for savin' the depot?

Maybe, uh, maybe a horse?

named "big snow"?

You give me Big Snow?

Well, you saved him from Scarface, too

I reckon he's willin'.

Yep, he's yours.

[Horse whinnies] [Both laugh]

Mine

Well, Little Cayuse stayed on at the station with Whipsaw,

helping with the horses

until the Overland was finally displaced by the Iron Horse.

Some years later, Colonel Inman and Bill Cody

recorded the story of Little Cayuse

in their classic of the west,

"The Great Salt Lake Trail"