Original subtitles

♪ [ trumpet ]

Back in 1819, 93 years before New Mexico

became the 47th American state,

Spain still ruled the great Southwest

and warned Yanquis, "no trespassing."

A young man from New England headed down the trail

to Santa Fe looking for trade, not trouble.

And he met a madman who believed

that the only good Indians are dead ones.

He felt the same way about Yanquis.

But David Meriwether remembered what the Good Book says,

"Cast thy bread upon the waters."

And he cast "Bread on the Desert."

[ speaking Spanish ]

[ speaking Spanish ]

Aquí, Capitán?

[ laughing ] Aqu .

[ speaking Spanish ]

Preparen!

Apunten!

Fuego!

Comida por los coyotes.

S , Capitàn!

Monten!

Monten!

Adelante!

[ horses whinnying ]

[ nervous whinnies ]

Bart?

Bart! Shh...

Our mules think they got company.

Now!

Ah, I don't think she wants our scalps.

Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you.

We're friends. Americans.

"Friends."

"'Mericans."

You know Pike?

Did you say "Pike"?

Pike Oolee-So-Keksa.

Good friend.

Long time.

Where'd you learn how to speak English?

Pike teach my father.

My father teach me.

She's talking about Zebulon Pike.

He-He was through here, about...

twelve years ago. Wrote a book about it.

Hired Pawnee Indians as guides.

You Pawnee?

My father Pawnee war chief.

My name Wi-Sum-Ahi.

Means "arrow woman."

Pleasure to meet you, Wi-Sum-Ahi. [ chuckles ]

[ chuckling ] As a matter of fact, you're the first Indian

I've ever met.[ chuckles ]

My name's Meriwether. His name's Bart.

We're on our way to Santa Fe with some trade goods.

Santa Fe bad place for American people.

Yeah, I guess it was, when Pike was here.

Shows you how the past has a habit of hanging on.

The Spanish arrested Pike and took him down to Mexico.

Called him a spy.

A lot of his men died in prison down there.

Well, yes, times change, if you wait long enough.

Well, my guess is, they haven't.

Are you hungry?I hungry long time.

Very long time.

I'll start breakfast.

Hold it, Bart!

Look over here.

Did you bring them with you?

I tell them...

"All 'Mericans...

good people."

Like Pike?

Like Pike.

All [ speaking Pawnee ].

Do nice for hungry Indians.

Be a lot of miles between here and Santa Fe.

Lot of eatin' of our own to do.

Well, do we feed them, or don't we? You're the boss.

I stopped being the boss the day you started being a free man.

We're partners.

I'm wondering if there are any more of them.

Where is the rest of your tribe?

Rest... all gone.

Gone where?

Wattakacome with horse soldiers.

Who's Wattaka?

He horse soldier capitàn.

Name mean "devil who laughs."

[ speaking Pawnee ]

She "mad wolf."

Kill. Then laugh.

All warriors...

come to hunt buffalo.

Only sick men with us when Wattakacome.

They fight so old men, women,

little ones have time to run away.

He... I tell no more.

I'll fix the fire and start the bacon and beans.

[ speaking Pawnee ]

Come get. Bread.

Good Book says, "Cast thy bread upon the waters."

Here you are. Eat!

It's good.

I wish we could do more for your people, but we can't.

We've got to be in Santa Fe as soon as possible,

and we can't take you or your people with us.

When we get in Santa Fe, we'll tell about this Wattaka,

who murders your people.

These are for you. Take it.

Take them and hide. Hide from Wattaka.

Watch. And wait.

I'll say good-bye now.

[ Spanish ]

Adelante!

[ sinister chuckle ]

[ laughs ]

Atención!

[ speaking Spanish ]

[ Spanish ]

Vam s!

So, I catch two Yanquispies. [ laughing ]

You caught no spies. We're American citizens,

going to Santa Fe on business,

with passports cleared by the Spanish consul in St. Louis.

[ laughs ]

These?

[ snickering ]

So! Hay.

We begin again. You are the Yanquispy.

You know what I do to Yanquispies?

We know what you do with peaceful Indians.

You murder them, Wattaka.

Ahhh...!

Did the Indios tell you about me?

They call me "a devil who laugh."

[ laughing ]

It is true. You meet the devil, he laugh.

Well, it so happens that there's a treaty between

the United States and Spain,

that guarantees that all authorized travelers

are answerable only to the Spanish governor in Santa Fe.

Oh? Oh, you are far from Santa Fe!

[ both laughing ]

I tell you, if we don't show up, the governor's gonna want to know why not?

Possible.

So. This is not governor's country.

This is mycountry.

Me, my, nobody else.

Coronado.

The great conquistador.

He come here hunt for gold.

Coronado no find. He go home.

I,Vizcarra, I too am conquistador!

[ sighs ] Well, I know what that means.

And it doesn't fit you.

Silencio!

Vizcarra is speaking! I, Vizcarra.

I hunt gold until I find.

And when I find it, I keep it.

It's all mine! Nobody else!

No... No governor in Santa Fe,

and no Yanquispies!

The man's crazy as a coot!

What you say, black man?

I said you're crazy as a coot.

Slave!He's no slave!

He's a free American citizen, same as me.

Now, I'm warning you, Wattaka.

You may be able to butcher innocent Indians and not pay for it,

but you try killing American citizens!

Kill? Oh, who say I kill you?

[ laughs ] I show you.

I show you what I do with great Americanocitizens!

[ speaking Spanish ]

Adelante!

Alto!

Desmontar!

[ speaking Spanish ]

[ laughing ]

[ laughing continues ]

Water's very nice. Tastes good when you got.

No got? Oh, that's bad.

Those countries... no water.

Coronado crossed those countries.

Many men die. [ chuckling ]

It's called, "The journey of death."

You know we'll never make it.

Oh, you don't. That's too bad.

Oh, it's fine for you.

Santa Fe starts asking any questions, why, you never heard of us.

Must have wandered off the trail.

Got lost. Case closed.

Is true. Case closed!

[ speaking Spanish ]

For your journey.

With my compliments.

Vaya con Dios! Ha!

[ laughing ]

Vamanos.

Gun with a single shot.

This mule, maybe a half-pint of water.

A few pieces of hardtack to go on--

Hell to cross on foot.

But we'll make it. We'll make it!

And we'll be back!

"They went astray in the desert wilderness,

the way to a city they could not find."

Stop it, Bart.

"Hunger and thirst-- their life wasting away within."

I said stop it.

"He changed the desert into pools of water.

Waterless land into water-filled springs."

Bart!

Sorry, boss.

[ sighs ] For the last time, will you stop calling--

Calling you boss.

You know why I can't?

You can free a man by the book,

but from now on, it's up to him.

I just as soon lay down here and quit,

if it wasn't for you giving me orders.

I don't believe that.

You know it's true.

[ crying out ]

Let's go, mule.

The mule was my job.

The rifle was on the mule.

What's there to shoot at, anyway?

Maybe the mule smelled water.

They say an animal can smell water a mile off.

It's your turn.

Oh, finish it.

Rest. [ speaks Pawnee ]

It's all right. He's my father.

His name, Che-Tan-Ska.

War chief of Pawnee people.

Friend of Pike.

Pleasure to meet friends of my people.

Last 'Merican I shake hands with is Captain Pike!

I'm honored, sir.

My father and young men find us.

We tell them Wattaka go kill you and partner.

"Cast thy bread upon the waters" and it comes back buffalo meat.

[ laughs ]

While the chief and his warriors were looking for us,

they came across that crazy conquistador.

"The Devil Who Laughs"? He quit laughing.

[ laughing ] He won't be needing that anymore.

Estàn muertos.

Want keep? Remember by?

Want keep. Remember by.

Thank you, chief.

Please. Must eat.

By the way, boss--

[ sighs ] I mean, partner.

We're on the American side. The chief decided to move his people over here

until things were straightened out on the other side of the line.

You... go now?

We go now.

Back where we came from.

It's the only thing we can do.

We're broke, and out of business.

But we'll get to Santa Fe someday.

I don't know how or when, but...

we'll get there.

Sometime, you come back.

Sometime I come back.

And David Meriwether kept his promise.

It took him a long time-- thirty-four years--

but in 1853, after Manifest Destiny

completed conquest of the continent,

West to the Pacific, South to the Rio Grande,

David Meriwether reached Santa Fe at last,

as American governor of the new Territory

of New Mexico.

Another forgotten true story from the history of how the West was won.