Original subtitles

Little Thunder says he is much better.

I can't find any signs of congestion at all.

Would you ask him to breathe more deeply?

Whew!

What's that odor? It smells like garlic.

Cloud Dancing gives it with his tea and your medicine.

Really?

- Garlic for the lungs? - Mm-hmm.

He says he is strong like a bear.

Oh!

He says you must listen to Cloud Dancing.

You know the fancy medicine of the whites,

but he is wise in the old ways.

I will do that. Thank you so much.

Little Thunder?

Dr. Mike?

His name is No Harm Comes to Him.

When the soldiers destroyed our village at Sand Creek,

his mother covered him with her body.

No Harm Comes to Him -- It's a big name

for such a small boy.

My people call me "No Harm."

I am not so small -- only tired.

Well perhaps we can find out why.

Cloud Dancing, I have practiced.

Let us hear what you have learned.

He's quite a boy.

And very special to my husband,

more since Walks on Cloud has died.

He is special to all our people.

You call tell us what is wrong.

I can see what is wrong.

But she will not hear it from me.

No Harm has the same symptoms as I see

in many of your people --

dry skin, exhaustion, atrophied muscles.

Speak plain. He is starving.

He is just not getting enough of the proper food.

Sully's at Fort Lyon trying to retrieve government supplies.

He should be back any day.

Until then, perhaps No Harm could come home with me.

I could nurse him back,

if that would be all right with your tribe.

Would you like that?

I have a little boy at home. He's about the same age as you.

I know he'd love to have a new friend.

Come. We will get your bundle.

Cloud Dancing, if anyone can bring back those provisions,

I know Sully can.

What makes you think this time will be different?

Because I need to have hope.

Do you have a moment?

I tanned it and used the rope just as you suggested.

Made it much softer.

You have done your work well.

- Sully will be pleased. - I hope so.

It's the first time I've made a wedding present for a husband.

I found the stones I promised.

The hawk claws will give him courage to face the unknown.

You mean marriage to me?

Thank you.

Dog Soldiers?

- You must go now. - You still allow them here?

After everything they've done? They killed your son.

One Eye killed my son.

I will not judge all by the actions of one.

But it's wrong.

They're all stealing from innocent ranchers.

They are feeding my people.

Forgive him. My husband is ashamed.

He feels responsible.

So does Sully.

Snow Bird, surely you don't approve

of the Dog Soldiers' raids?

I have never found killing to be a true path to peace.

Nor has Cloud Dancing.

Loren, I can't find any peas outside.

Got to be here somewhere.

All I got left's in cans.

All right. I'll take five, please.

- Hello, Myra. - Hey.

Aw, I thought Samantha's crying had gone down.

Well, she started up again.

Well, maybe she started teething.

If you come by later, I'll give you something

you can put on her gums.

Thank you, Dr. Mike.

Loren, can I have two pounds of beans?

Yeah. Your total is going to be $7.

Ah, here it is.

Palmer homestead, East of Colorado Springs,

was attacked Thursday morning

by a Cheyenne war party of Dog Soldiers.

It -- it says two of his best steers were stolen.

"Palmer hid in his cellar throughout the savage attack.

'Thank the good Lord my women

and girls was in Denver,' Palmer said.

'Them blood thirsty Injuns was looking to scalp us all.'"

Sounds to me like they were looking for food.

By torching the barn?

Why, they were just striking out in frustration.

They wouldn't be raiding farms

if the government kept their promises to provide.

Michaela! You're the last person

that I would expect to defend Dog Soldiers.

Well I'm not defending them.

I'm --

I'm merely suggesting there's more to that story.

That paper presents a very limited point of view.

Chief Black Kettle and most of the Cheyenne people are --

- Oh! - Oh! Excuse me.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I wasn't watching.

Dr. Quinn.

How lovely it is to see you again.

I see no need for false pleasantries, Mr. Custer.

Well, perhaps this wild territory is

in more need of civility than I even thought.

Any chance of getting some eggs, Mr. Brey?

Why, I could have four dozen over to your camp

- before nightfall. - Well, that's fine.

Can't be making soufflés without eggs, now can we?

You just come to me if you need anything at all, General.

That goes for me, too.

I'll do that, gentlemen.

Ma'am.

And a good day to you, Dr. Quinn.

What brings you back to Colorado?

Well, I suppose you should ask General Sheridan that,

since it was he who requested my return.

Cavalry ready!

Forward!

I thought Custer was court-martialed.

Well, lucky for us, they changed their mind.

That wasn't anything, anyway.

He had his own men shot without so much as a trial.

They was traitors. Cowards!

Maybe they had good reason.

There you go again, trying to change everything all around.

Looks like the government's finally going to do something

about them savages.

I'm sorry. Stupid branch.

You cannot help it. You are not Cheyenne.

What does being Cheyenne got to do with it?

Being silent is everything to us.

If we laugh and the buffalo run off, we cannot eat.

If we cry and the enemy hears, our village could be attacked.

Cheyenne babies are taught never to cry.

A baby that never cries?

When the blue coats killed my mother,

I made myself very small, and she hid me under her.

And when she died, I made no sound.

I did not cry, so I lived.

My real ma died, too.

But I cried -- a lot.

Brian, we can be nah-yooh.

What's "nah-yooh"?

We will hunt together, share things,

and fight for each other in battle.

Sort of like being best friends.

Yes. Here.

My flute.

My knife.

I think it looks crooked.

Do you think it looks crooked?

It's fine.

I want it to fit right.

Sully's going to love it just because you made it.

He already knows you're not so good at sewing.

Well, got to put these claws in the shoulders.

And these stones go over the heart.

Cloud Dancing says it gives you a long life

because it lasts forever.

It's Sully.

Sully's back.

All right. All right, whoa!

No, Brian, wait.

- Oh! - What are you doing?

It's stuck! It's stuck!

Come out the back. Hurry.

Go!

Sully.

Hey, Brian.

Everybody.

- Welcome back. - Hi, Sully.

No Harm, didn't expect to see you here.

Brian is my nah-yooh.

We're going to watch after each other.

That's good. That's real good.

- I missed you. - Me, too.

Whatcha reading?

A book.

How was your trip?

You didn't get the supplies?

There weren't any.

And they ain't coming, either.

The army wants all the tribes moving south

to new Indian territory.

But this is their home now.

I'm afraid I have some bad news, too.

The Dog Soldiers raided another ranch.

And Custer is back.

You're joking.

I wish I were.

He's supposed to be kicked out.

Has to be a way to stop these Dog Soldiers

from these attacks.

Black Kettle can't even stop them.

We must try something.

That ain't gonna change nothing.

Loren! Why aren't you helping?

Well the last thing we ought to be doing is feeding them.

You didn't have any problem taking money for all this.

Oh, that's business.

It's good business for us to keep our promises

to our Cheyenne neighbors.

If we did, perhaps all this fighting would stop.

Warring is all them heathens know.

It's what they live for.

On more than one occasions,

those heathens have come to this town's assistance.

Tried to burn it, too.

Those were Dog Soldiers, and you know it.

An Injun's an Injun's an Injun, Michaela.

And there ain't gonna be no peace around here

until all of them is dead.

Got enough money for a couple more stacks of meal.

No Harm -- Is he well?

He's getting stronger every day.

And beating Brian at checkers.

- Please tell him he is missed. - We will.

And we have beans and cornmeal and dried beef and...

There are no government markings on this.

These did not come from the army.

And how long did you think you can feed all my people?

The government is shipping supplies to Fort Cobb now.

They want you all moving south.

Cloud Dancing, I know we can find a way.

And what way is that?

Aah!

He was hunting by Bear Creek. The soldiers shot him.

- It's Custer. - The Long Hair is back?

Little Thunder is dead.

Ohh!

It is done.

Where are you going?

I will help my people in my own way now.

By joining the Dog Soldiers? This ain't the way.

Listen to me -- You're just playing into their hands.

You're giving the army a reason to fight back.

Your Custer's tried to kill me twice.

He will not get another chance.

Cloud Dancing, don't do this!

When the rebs saw us coming,

their cannons quaked the earth like it would crack wide open.

So, what happened?

A soldier learns quickly what he must do if the cause is just.

Thank you, ma'am.

I could see that the horses were skittish under the roar.

So I turned to my musicians

and ordered them to strike up "Yankee Doodle."

And then, we charged.

I'll bet old Virginia regretted the day she ever saw the 7th.

Well, that she did, Mr. Bray. I can assure you.

Excuse me, General.

Are you finished already, Mrs. Jennings?

Well, I-I-I thought you'd like to look it over

before I did the printing.

It is fine work like this

that is helping to build a great America.

This?

This is nothing.

I'm afraid you're wrong, madam.

It is no act of chance

that God has chosen us to settle this land.

Always remember that.

Gentlemen.

- Oh. - Let me see that.

"With compliments

of Major General George Armstrong Custer,

Commander 7th Cavalry, United States Army,

the honor of your company and escort is requested

at a dinner."

You can tell him I decline.

Why would you do that?

Well, surely you're not going to accept?

Well, I most certainly am.

He's invited the council and --

and all the important people in town.

Michaela, General Custer came here to do a job.

He deserves our support.

Yesterday his men shot a Cheyenne in the back.

Well he must have been doing something.

He was an old, frail man trying to hunt.

He was no threat.

How do you know that? Did you see it happen?

Michaela, if you're not going,

you're going to have to tell the General yourself.

You know, maybe it's time

you make up your mind who's side your really on.

Who are you writing?

The president, the war department,

and now General Sherman.

They won't listen. You've already tried.

I believe opinions can be changed.

Everyone at school thinks Custer is a hero.

It just seems like you're all alone in this.

Standing alone doesn't make

the fight less important, Colleen.

You just have to try harder.

And you're not alone.

The Cheyenne have been friends to all of us.

Dog Soldiers aren't our friends.

No, they're not.

But I have to understand their desperation.

Seeing their people killed, their land stolen,

watching the railroad needlessly slaughter the buffalo.

That's Black Kettle.

Colleen, Matthew, I want you to watch the boys.

No Harm, I need you to stay inside.

I want to see my chief.

It's dangerous for Black Kettle

to be off the reservation.

You'll see him soon. I promise. Go.

He worries about Cloud Dancing.

He asked if they see him.

He says he knows Cloud Dancing rides with Dog Soldiers,

but he hoped to find him here.

The sons no longer listen to him.

He doesn't know how to call Cloud Dancing back.

He asked about No Harm.

He's fine.

He and my youngest son are nah-yooh.

He says we are of different nations

but of one people.

I wish it was always like this.

He says, "I live in hopes."

Hopes.

It's so hard to imagine Cloud Dancing riding

with Dog Soldiers.

It'd be like seeing you carry a rifle.

Snow Bird must be so worried.

Do you think he'll come back?

Not with Custer around.

Figure Sheridan brought him back

because he knows Custer is like a loaded gun.

The question isn't if they're going to use him.

It's when.

Of course, if somebody persuasive was to talk to him,

maybe bend his mind around a little bit...

Do you think I should go to his dinner?

You might think about it.

He's asked everybody who's got influence over the town.

Custer is not just here to kill Indians.

He's here to make sure folks think it's

the right thing to do.

I could never sit there eating government beefsteak,

not while the Cheyenne are going hungry over the hill.

I'd choke.

You're right.

Custer would never listen to me.

I'm delighted you changed your mind, Dr. Quinn.

Actually I was hoping you might do the same tonight.

Oh, change my mind?

I am intrigued.

Oh, the crystal is just lovely, General.

Well, thank you.

I try to maintain a little oasis of civilization

even out here in the wilderness.

No, thank you.

Well, I see we finally have something in common, Dr. Quinn.

You saying you don't drink?

I am, sir.

Unlike many of my fellow officers,

I believe liquor and war do not mix.

Is that what we're at, General -- war?

The United States does not wage war on the Indian.

But if they refuse to abide by our treaties,

they must suffer the consequences.

I haven't had turtle soup since my days in the seminary.

They do suffer the consequences of our treaties, General.

Your dogs eat better than the Cheyenne people.

Please try to understand, Dr. Quinn.

The United States has every intention

to feed Indians who want peace --

south of the Arkansas River at Fort Cobb.

But Black Kettle wants peace.

Why, they promised that he could stay north.

- And I -- - That treaty of Medicine Lodge

makes no such promise.

It was given to him verbally.

I was there. I heard it.

It seems to me, if a promise is made,

it shouldn't matter if it was written.

For someone who was abducted by Cheyenne renegades,

your attitude is quite surprising.

I happen to believe hurting innocent people is wrong,

no matter who the offender.

Sorry to interrupt, sir,

- but the lady doctor is needed. - What happened?

Railroad workers got attacked north of town.

They're bringing wounded in now.

Who attacked, Corporal?

Indian war party, sir.

Cheyenne.

Perhaps powder and lead will be the best food for them now.

I got a wife in Soda Springs.

- She's going to be worried. - You'll be all right.

I'm a doctor. Please put him over there.

Her name is Michelle.

Michelle Haley. Can you get word to her?

We'll make sure she knows you're safe.

Now, exactly did they attack?

A bunch of them were setting fire to the trestle.

And we chased them off.

The rest was raiding the grub tent.

How many were in the war party?

It was hard to say.

They was whooping and hollering all over the place.

Everybody here has got a stake in this.

The railroad is bringing the kind of progress we all want.

Them Indians know that.

And the man to do the job is right here.

Here he is.

People of Colorado Springs,

I give you General George Armstrong Custer.

- I don't like the feel of this. - You can't blame people.

What's to stop that war party from heading right into town?

I don't think it's going to happen, Myra.

But they done it before.

My good people.

We must now allow them to carry out this barbarous warfare

under any pretext they choose to allege.

Dr. Mike, we got to stop this.

I agree.

I will use all of my power to prevent them from doing so.

Everyone, please -- please listen.

Please stop!

All Cheyenne are not our enemies.

This attack was just a small band of Dog Soldiers.

They don't all cause trouble.

I got to say -- I met some good Injuns.

And I agree with my commanding officer, Mr. Brey.

The only good Indian is a dead Indian.

You have risked much to come here.

We have to talk.

I have been thinking of my son when he joined the Dog Soldiers.

I think now he was right.

And your father?

Was he wrong?

You have come about the train.

You ain't gonna be able to stop it.

And these attacks are only making things worse.

When I was a boy, I could ride for many days

and meet only my people.

I could hunt when I wanted.

And the buffalo were as many as the stones in this creek.

They would fill a valley as far as you could see.

Now they tell me where I must put my lodge,

where I can hunt, what I can eat.

And if I do not do as they say, they want to kill me.

Understand me -- I do not wish for this fight.

I do understand you, Cloud Dancing.

And I know what your people have lost.

But I can't figure what you think this is gonna accomplish.

In the north, Red Cloud and the Oglala, they fight.

They have driven the soldiers off.

Only 'cause the settlers aren't moving there.

Once the white man wants the Powder River country,

Red Cloud doesn't stand any more of a chance than you do.

My brother, is there nothing you would not fight for?

When war breaks out,

what happens to the women and the children

and the old ones?

My people have been promised protection at Fort Cobb.

Tonight Black Kettle will move them south so they will be safe.

Who is that over with Black Kettle?

His wife, Medicine Woman Hater.

When Black Kettle gave you your name,

you didn't not understand how it was special.

You have been my good friend, Medicine Woman.

You have stood with me through many sorrows.

You've been a good friend to me, also.

For your union with Sully.

This brought many happy suns over my lodge

with Cloud Dancing.

It's lovely. Thank you.

Why does it have to be this way?

One day, perhaps many seasons from now,

my people and your people will come

to understand one another

and no longer be afraid.

I know this truth 'cause I know you.

I will see you soon.

The sun is almost down. It is time.

This is right to do.

You will be safe with Black Kettle.

You have nothing to say?

You are a foolish man.

You have always been a foolish man.

I do not know why I have slept with you for so long.

I am fond of you, also.

I am afraid.

Do not worry. I go.

But I do not have to be happy about it.

It's supposed to be a surprise.

It's your wedding present.

Sully, it's so beautiful.

It will be when it's finished.

I figured we'd need a bed.

May I watch you work?

Sure.

Here.

Sit on this.

I've been thinking how lucky we are to have this house.

I can't imagine having to suddenly pack up

and leave everything.

They've been gone a week, and I feel like

they've been gone a year now.

I miss them, too.

You think they'll be all right?

They should be safe at Fort Cobb by now.

Once Custer's got his fill of chasing Dog Soldiers,

he'll move on, and maybe they'll be back.

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder

if you wish you could have gone along with them.

I mean, they've been your family for so long now.

The Cheyenne are my family. They always will be.

And so are you.

And you got to understand my heart's yours now.

You better get back to work, or we'll never have a bed.

You're so beautiful.

I never believed I could be this happy.

I love you so much.

Horace, Dr. Mike's got some medicine coming in.

Hold on just a minute.

Important telegram for the army.

Myra would have to go shopping now.

Horace, medicine?

Oh, uh, under the counter. Go ahead.

Are you certain?

I read it twice.

It said that Custer was ordered to take the 7th Cavalry

south of the Arkansas River.

But that's Indian territory.

You think Custer's up to something?

Black Kettle will have sanctuary at Fort Cobb.

They won't be in any danger.

You're getting pretty good, Brian.

Not as good as No Harm.

Well, he's been practicing much longer.

I'm sure he'll be impressed next time you see him.

Think they'll be back in time for your wedding?

I don't know, Brian.

I hope so.

Why don't you go tell Colleen that supper is ready?

- Cloud Dancing? - Sully -- Is he here?

Oh, we're just about to eat. Will you join us?

There is no time. I have come for your help.

What's wrong?

Black Kettle has been turned away from the fort.

What?

The agent said he did not have the power

to make peace with the Cheyenne.

He said Black Kettle must make peace

with the big war chief, Sheridan.

Sheridan ordered Custer south of the Arkansas.

Are you sure of this?

I saw a telegram.

Army's not sending Custer in to talk peace.

Where's Black Kettle now?

They made camp along the Washita.

We've got to warn them.

I'm going with you.

They're my friends, too. They may need me.

Don't worry about us. I'll sleep in here.

Well, I'd feel better if you asked Robert E. and Grace

to spend the nights with you, and if they can't,

stay at the clinic.

This won't taste like much.

I'm afraid when most of the girls

were in the kitchen with their mothers,

I was off with my father helping him set broken bones.

Your father, he wanted you to become a doctor?

It was a mutual decision.

My father passed his medicine on to me also.

I've never heard you speak of your father.

He was once a great warrior

and won many scalps from the enemy.

After the Fort Laramie treaty,

he put aside his weapons and learned medicine.

What made him decide to change?

The treaty brought many great nations together,

but some were old enemies.

On the way, a Cheyenne war party killed a Snake man,

so a council was called.

My people smoked the pipe with the Snake.

And our chiefs called on the warriors to stop fighting.

I still remember how the grandfather

embraced the warrior who had killed his grandson.

That warrior was my father.

What became of your father?

He died of whooping cough.

I did not know the medicine for this white man's sickness.

You must rest now.

We have a long ride to the river.

What's that?

Listen.

I don't hear nothing.

I do smell smoke.

We may be closer than I have believed.

We have put our lodges here in the spring.

The grass is tall then, and the river swollen.

Oh, my God.

Black Kettle?

Oh, Black Kettle.

Michaela!

Cloud Dancing!

Snow Bird?

I'm here now. I am here.

They fell into our camp before the sun.

We could not escape.

This is done.

What will Cloud Dancing do without me?

I found Black Kettle and his wife by the river.

They'd been shot in the back.

No Harm hid him.

Shh.