Tonka (1958)

[bunniefuu]

What is happening, White Bull?

The wild ones run

like frightened creatures.

If only they let us ride.

We could catch them.

If you had your choice,

which would you take?

The big brown colt

who trails the herd.

He's too slow.

He can hardly keep.

He runs last to protect the little ones.

Ah, he has courage.

He's truly a brave one.

I do not want him.

Good. He is mine.

And look, they're turning back.

Once they get through the canyon,

you will never see your horse again.

- Where are you going?

- I'm going to capture my horse.

The rope belongs to Yellow Bull.

He has forbidden anyone to use it.

A friend does not tell on another.

- Why are you not watching the travois?

- I try to catch a wild horse.

You'd catch a wild horse

with your bare hands?

- No, I... I used a rope.

- You do not own a rope, my cousin.

I borrowed one.

From the pack horse?

Well where is it now?

Around the neck of the wild horse.

He pulled it away from me.

Bad enough you disobey orders.

You steal my most prized possession!

From now on,

you walk with the women and dogs.

There has been trouble.

My son walks.

A sign he is being punished.

Look, White Bull walks!

Why do you walk, White Bull?

Did your horse throw you?

The great hunter!

White Bull chase buffalo on foot!

Poor White Bull!

The great hunter!

I'm not hungry.

You must eat

if you are to grow to manhood.

It's not food

that keeps me from becoming a man.

Food is important, too.

Not as important as horses.

Or scalps.

You walked back to camp.

Yellow Bull wouldn't let me ride.

He took my horse.

- Why?

- Because...

White Bull!

The chief wants you.

Yellow Bull.

You will know soon enough

what happened, Mother.

The whole camp will.

Yellow Bull has told me

that you disobeyed him.

That you left the travois,

stole his catching rope

and lost it chasing wild horses.

Sometimes, there are

two sides to a story.

It is your turn to speak.

It is true. But I didn't steal the rope.

I only wanted to use it.

Besides,

Yellow Bull has done wrong, too.

He risked losing the meat

when he chased the wild horses.

But I left you to guard it, my cousin.

It is tribal law

that rank has its privileges.

Yellow Bull has earned rank.

It is his right to make decisions.

But it is not the right of an

untried youth to question them.

It was Yellow Bull's duty to teach him

the arts of the hunt and the battle.

- He has done none of these things.

- The boy was too young until now.

When the time comes to teach him these

things, does he prove himself worthy?

No, he steals my rope.

What is worse, he loses the bow

and quiver of arrows our chief gave him

on the passing of his 16th summer.

Is this true, my son?

It is true.

This is a serious thing you have done,

White Bull.

It fills me with sorrow.

You must not go hunting again until you

have proved you are worthy of the trust.

That is all.

- I'll get even with Yellow Bull.

- Vengeance is a poor substitute

for honest achievement, my son.

You first duty is to find

the bow and quiver of arrows.

- Surely, you did not look hard.

- I didn't look at all.

Yellow Bull wouldn't let me.

He wanted me to be punished.

I'll go with the new sun

and search until I find them.

You should have seen him, Mother.

He was a reddish-brown in color.

Just like the leaves of trees

when winter comes.

He was big and strong.

He did run a little clumsy, though.

Well, that's because

he's young and still growing.

Growing up is a hard time for colts,

as well as for boys.

A time for big heads,

and for bigger feet.

A clumsy time,

a time for making mistakes.

Eat your supper, boy,

and go to sleep with your dreams.

The sun gets up early.

Don't be afraid.

I won't hurt you.

Hold still now.

Hold still now.

So you were trying to reach

the water, weren't you?

I'll get you a drink.

Boy, you sure got yourself

all tangled up, didn't you?

Hold still now.

Hold still now, boy.

That's it.

Easy, boy.

Hold it, boy! Hold it. Easy now.

Drink.

Hold it steady.

Pretty soon I'll let you go, but first,

I wanna make sure that

you don't get away from me.

Good. Good boy.

Now.

I could cut the rope,

but then I won't have it to use again.

Hold still, boy. Hold still.

Besides, it belongs to Yellow Bull.

I only borrowed it to capture you.

I liked you

from the first time I saw you.

I thought you ran good.

But Strong Bear, well he's my friend.

He said you were clumsy.

Well, maybe you are. Well that's because

you're still growing, like me.

I'm going to keep you here

and not let anyone know I have you.

Till we ride back to camp together.

You belong to me now.

Now hold still.

Whoa...

Whoa.

You think you are smart, eh?

Tomorrow, I will show you who is master.

Settle down, boy.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

I'll be back.

You did not find the bow and arrows.

- I...

- Never mind.

- You will have better luck tomorrow.

- I'll find them, Mother.

And I'll find Yellow Bull's rope, too.

And I will capture a wild horse

and train him myself.

And he will be the best horse

in all the Dakotas.

I will call him...

I'll call him Tonka Wakan.

The Great One.

- Stop boasting and eat.

- I'm not boasting, Mother.

It will happen as I say.

No more will they call you the mother of

a son who does not know how to be a man.

I'm coming, Tonka.

Look, boy. Look what I've got.

Grass is still wet with dew

and very tender. Better hurry.

Oh, if you want the grass,

you come get it.

Hold it, Tonka! Stop, Tonka!

Now behave yourself.

Phew! It's too hot to fight

on a day like this.

You'd like to k*ll me, wouldn't you?

I guess I'd feel the same way

if a white man capture me.

But, but I

want to be your friend, Tonka.

That's your name, boy. Tonka Wakan.

Now you stop fighting me,

we'll get along real good.

Ah, now that's better.

Now you're being smart.

Hold still, now.

Hold still.

There. Soon as I get you washed,

and the burrs out of your hair, you'll

look as good as any horse in camp.

Hold still.

h*!

Well, captain,

looks like we're not so smart.

According to our manual, lieutenant,

surprise is a necessary element

of every attack.

Only they forgot to say

who gets surprised: us or the enemy.

We'll make camp here, Mr. Nowlan.

Place your picket line downstream.

- Prepare to dismount.

- Yes, sir.

Troop? Dismount, lead out.

Ha! Hyah!

Look, Tonka,

I brought you a friend.

She'll teach you

what a good horse should know.

Go on. Go on.

In an Indian tepee you will learn:

the woman is always the chief.

You want the grass, you come get it.

You better hurry, or she'll eat it all.

Well, you see?

There's nothing to be afraid of.

This is how a good horse behaves.

This is fun. Come on.

See this? This is wapato,

sweet as sugar and very good.

Mm, you like it. Good, huh?

Good, isn't it?

You want more? More?

No, you must earn it.

Easy.

Easy, Tonka.

Now if you'll let me ride you,

I'll give you more wapatos.

No, this time,

I think I give you more room.

Too many trees to bump into.

Too many rocks, too, to fall on.

No, no, you stay here,

so he'll come back if he throws me.

If he throws me.

Hyah!

You see?

There's nothing to be afraid of.

I'm your friend, Tonka.

You belong to me.

Let's stop and rest a while.

Soon, we'll start for my home,

far to the north.

There'll be rejoicing

when I return to my people.

My uncle is a great man. He'll forgive

me when he finds out what I've done.

Wapato.

No longer will my mother

hang her head in shame.

All that remains now

is to go on a hunt.

To k*ll a buffalo.

And to take a scalp in battle.

And we'll do these things together,

Tonka.

You'll take me to the hunt.

And you'll ride me to the battle.

Come.

Could be one of our horses.

Throw a couple of shots

and scare him.

Run, Tonka, run!

Come on. Come on, boy!

h*!

Hold it, Hank.

That horse runs like a scared Comanche

with a load of buckshot in his breeches.

He was a lot of horse, all right.

A lot!

We don't have anything

that could even follow him,

let alone catch him.

On the left, h*!

Strong Bear, Strong Bear,

it is White Bull! Look, he has a horse!

Where have you been?

It is the young colt

we saw running with the wild herd.

Where did you get him?

How did you get him?

You will soon find out, Strong Bear.

Welcome home, White Bull.

It is good to be home, my uncle.

I have come back to prove to my chief

that I can be trusted.

I have recovered the bow and arrows, and

the rope of many-colored horse hairs,

which belongs to my cousin, Yellow Bull.

I wish to give it back,

so there will no bad feeling between us.

You have acted wisely. It pleases me.

What of the horses, nephew?

This one I call Tonka Wakan.

I caught him and trained him myself.

Oh,

he's truly the Great One.

And this one I call Prairie Bird,

after my mother.

I stole her from the white soldiers when

they came to the camp to attack you.

What kind of lie do you tell us now?

It is no lie.

I overpowered a soldier.

I drove their horses away.

All except this one.

I kept her to ride

and to help train the colt.

If you k*lled a soldier,

where's his scalp?

There wasn't time.

The soldiers came runnin.

I had to go quickly.

But I have the soldier's long knife

to prove that what I say is true.

I wish you to have it, my chief.

It will long be remembered, my nephew.

In return...

...I wish to give you this talisman

to protect you from evil spirits.

Now that you have

horses of your own,

I give you permission to go on hunts.

If all goes well,

you may soon ride into battle.

He looks like a horse of much courage.

He's the greatest horse

in all the land of the Dakotas.

I will show you.

Come, Tonka. Come on.

Come on!

Whoa!

Tonka Wakan,

it is a good name for the colt.

He truly is a Great one.

Did I not keep my promise?

Only a man

could do what you have done.

I am proud, my son.

I forgot to give him his reward.

When he does well, he gets wapato.

Be good to him,

and he will serve you well.

Come, it grows late.

We must take the horses to the pen.

Wait!

I wish to speak with my cousin.

We are in a hurry.

My cousin can speak another time.

You'll wait.

It's a fine horse

you have there, my cousin.

You've trained him well.

Strong legs.

Good teeth. I'll take him.

No. Nobody takes him.

He's mine. Now get away.

- Let go! You're scaring him!

- My horses were stolen!

- I need a horse to start a new string!

- Then find another.

You can't have Tonka. He's mine.

I caught him and I trained him.

- I demand you give him to me.

- No. It isn't fair.

He belongs to White Bull.

You have no right

to take my son's horse.

I have the right.

It's the privilege of my rank.

Take the mare. I give her to you.

- I want this one.

- No! Now get away!

Wait!

We will let our chief decide.

Your mother speaks wisely.

We'll let our chief decide.

While I do not approve

of Yellow Bull's action,

I cannot deny it is his right

according to tribal custom.

He is a great brave with 40

eagle feathers in his w*r bonnet.

White Bull has yet to earn

a single feather.

I'm sorry, nephew. The horse will

have to be turned over to Yellow Bull.

The colt is young like the boy.

Treat him kindly.

He must learn quickly that I am master.

It'll only be for a little while, Tonka.

I'll get you back somehow.

We'll still be together.

I'll dig wapatos for you.

Come on.

Spotted Tail, Barking Dog.

Bring me the white man's muzzle

with the iron in the mouth.

I'll take no chances

with this young one.

I'll take my horse, White Bull.

Whoa! Hey!

Down, devil! Down!

I know how to treat your kind!

Down!

Get a rope on him!

Hold on, Spotted Tail! I know

how to deal with this one!

He doesn't know

what they're doing to him.

He is young.

He will soon learn the cruelties

of man's ways, and bow to them.

But the blame is mine. I caught him.

It's my fault he's being hurt.

Leave him alone! He's never

had a bit in his mouth before!

He doesn't know

what you're doing to him.

Well, it's time he learned.

Yellow Bull is a madman.

I'll k*ll him!

I am your friend.

I will help you k*ll him.

You talk foolish.

Yellow Bull is a cruel man,

but he is also a brave warrior.

You would have little chance

against such a man.

Whoa!

Hyah!

This sorrow will soon pass.

Here, you still have Prairie Bird.

Take care of her.

I'll break the devil's spirit in you!

I'll break you!

I'll break you! I'll break you!

I'll break you!

Get up!

I'll make a good horse out of you yet!

Get up!

I'll break the devil's spirit in you!

I'll break you! I'll break you!

I'll break you! I'll break you!

I can't bear to see you hurt, Tonka.

I'm sending you back to your own kind.

Where you will be safe.

This is goodbye.

Our chief said it would protect me.

It will protect you, too.

I'll never forget you, boy.

You'll always be my friend.

Now go.

Go on. Run, Tonka.

Run fast and far

so they'll never catch you. Go on.

All right.

One last wapato.

Well, don't stand there! Go on!

Well, do as I say! Run! Run!

Go on! Run!

Goodbye, Tonka.

Whoa! You boys be ready

with them poles when we peal 'em.

We don't wanna take a chance

on spoilin' 'em.

Now Jeb, you and Jim

circle around to the left

and me and Sud'll

close in on 'em from the right.

I'll signal you when to spook 'em.

Come on.

Hold it.

Looks like there's trouble afoot.

Hey, this is gonna make it easy.

They'll be so busy a-fightin', they

won't even see us. Come on, let's go.

Get your ropes ready!

This young'n's gonna jump!

He's a strong one, ain't he?

He oughta bring 90 dollars.

Yah! Yah! Yah! h*!

h*! h*!

Yah!

- Good morning, Hank.

- Morning, Myles.

Can I have a look at the new broncs

they brought in yesterday?

I'm always looking, Mr. Nowlan.

I'm the hopeful sort.

Well, you have a good horse, your Pokey.

Well, Pokey has good legs.

And a stomach only for hay,

not gunpowder.

You know, a cavalry mount should have

more than good legs and wind.

It should have a little extra...

something.

The glory of his snorting is terrible.

He paweth in the valley

and rejoices in his strength.

He goeth out to meet the armed men.

He mocketh at feat

and is not dismayed.

Neither turneth he back from the sword.

That, Mr. Nowlan,

is the kind of a horse I'm looking for.

That, Captain Keogh, is the best

description of a cavalry horse

I ever heard.

- Did you make it up?

- Book of Job, lieutenant.

Thirty-ninth chapter, 21st verse.

Hold still, you!

Ooh!

Where have I seen

that horse before, Hank?

It's not likely you ever did, Myles.

He's a real bronc.

He'll go down fightin' like a Comanche.

Wait a minute.

You remember that Indian

who ran away from us last fall

when we were looking

for stolen horses?

That's the young stallion he was riding.

Alright, get him down!

Alright, pry his mouth open.

How long has this been going on, Hank?

Ever since Corporal Jeeth was placed

in charge of the remount corrals.

That ring bit's his idea.

It's plain t*rture.

Grab him! Get a hold of him!

Yee-hoo!

Ah-ha! Ha!

Grab him! Hold him!

Look out! Stop that horse!

Get the corporal!

Whoa, boy, whoa!

Easy now. Nothing to be afraid of.

Easy, boy. That's it.

I don't blame you for doing

what you did, mister.

If that corporal isn't dead,

he deserves to be.

Get the corporal to the doc.

Bring me a halter.

Trooper, take the saddle off.

A good luck talisman.

You did belong to an Indian,

didn't you, boy?

I've got a hunch you took a beating

you didn't deserve.

But you stood up to him real good.

Yes sir, real good.

He goeth out to meet the armed men,

he mocketh at fear,

and is not dismayed.

I'll be wanting to buy this horse,

Mr. Nowlan.

- Make out the necessary papers.

- If you say so.

He'll take a name.

What are you gonna call him?

Comanche.

As for you, let me see or hear of

another breaking bit being used,

so help me, I'll give you a taste of it

in your own mouth. Now clear out.

Yes, sir.

Whoa.

Whoa.

Well, Mr. Nowlan, what did you think

of that little demonstration?

Well, he's a thoroughly trained horse,

that's for sure.

Not only thoroughly,

he's been trained gentle.

With a lot of patience.

We're gonna try

and do as well by you, mister.

No more ring bits, no tight cinches,

not even a martingale.

You can toss this big beautiful head

as much as you please.

Yes, sir, Comanche,

we're gonna get along fine.

Yes, sir.

Would you be good enough

to hold his head, Captain?

Go ahead, corporal,

I'll try to keep his mind occupied.

Well, now. Aren't you the handsome one?

You know, I think I can get

a fair price for you this morning.

Not that I'm gonna sell you, mind you.

Now you listen.

Now you see this?

It's a receipt for $100.

You belong to me, mister.

Until death do us part,

as the minister would say.

Right.

You see this, Comanche?

Plain old single bit.

This won't hurt your mouth any more

than this cigar hurts mine.

Now this, my friend,

is known as ground hitching.

It's very important a horse

learn to stay where a man leaves him.

Case he returns rather quickly with a

half a dozen redskins on his coattails.

Oh, no. No, sugar, you did it wrong.

You've gotta stay where I put you.

Now let's try it again.

All right. Wait a minute, Comanche.

You win. You win. You win.

Here you are.

Great chiefs, listen to me.

The young braves wear paint and cry

for w*r. We can restrain them no longer.

Each day, we grow strong in number.

Soon we will have more braves

than there are stars in the sky.

We must run the white men from our lands

or k*ll them off

as they have k*lled the buffalo.

First, we must know if the white man's

soldiers are many or few.

We will send braves to every fort

to find this out.

They will tell us

if we should have w*r or not.

Tonka. My horse, Tonka.

Turn out the door! Arm party!

We know how many soldiers

we have seen.

But we do not know

how many soldiers we have not seen.

When darkness comes,

let us go close to the fort.

- I will try to slip in.

- Too dangerous for you to go alone.

- I will go with you.

- No.

No. If I am to be a brave worthy

of trust, I must prove myself. Alone.

When darkness comes, the gates would be

closed and lights would be put out.

- You cannot count sleeping soldiers.

- I could count their horses.

That is true. And the risk is great.

But it would be a good thing to do.

See that he gets a good scrub down

and an extra ration of oats.

- Yes, sir.

- Captain Keogh reporting, sir,

- with 27 transferees from Hays.

- Welcome to Fort Lincoln, captain.

- Thank you, sir.

- General Custer, Commander of the 7th,

- Adjutant Cooke.

- I'm fortunate to have you with me.

I've been looking forward to this

for a long time, General.

Solid looking animal

you're riding, Captain.

Thank you, sir. Not as handsome

as your Vic or Dandy, General,

but all heart and legs.

Give him an

extra ration of oats and boom.

- He's ready to go again.

- What about you?

Give me a bag of oats, sir,

and I'm ready, too.

Good! The 7th's a fighting outfit.

There's some exciting times ahead.

Suits me fine. The sooner

you put me to work, the better.

Well,

then fall out at reveille, Mr. Keogh.

Captain Benteen's heading a small patrol

to run down some Indians.

Burned a wagon train, ran off with

two white women. They must be punished.

And the women rescued.

It's more important to teach those

red savages who's running this country.

They must learn quickly,

or be exterminated.

Mr. Cooke,

show, uh, Captain Keogh to his quarters.

- Yes, sir.

- See you at my table for supper.

- At 7:00.

- Yes, sir.

If I can't come back,

I will throw a rock over the wall.

A big rock

will mean there are many soldiers.

A little one, there are few.

Tonka!

It's good to see you again, Tonka.

You remember me, don't you?

Oh, I knew you would.

I... I saw them bring you here.

My heart was filled with sorrow.

But I knew you'd be protected.

Well, what is this?

Oh, you've been hurt, Tonka.

It's only a little thing, but...

White man's medicine. It is not good.

Only Indian medicine is good.

This will draw out the poison.

Soon as it dries. There.

Sorry to be late, old man,

but Chief Longhair was recounting

some of his Indian exploits,

and I couldn't walk out on him.

It doesn't pay to be rude

to a general. You remember that. Hear?

What's this?

Mud.

Climb out.

You understand white man talk?

What's your name? Your name!

- White Bull.

- What tribe?

- Teton Sioux.

- What are you doing in here?

- I came to see my horse.

- Your horse?

- Comanche?

- His name is Tonka Wakan.

- How do you know what his name is?

- He belonged to me.

I caught him. I named him.

What does Tonka Wakan mean?

- The Great One.

- I see.

And I suppose you trained him?

We had many good times together.

That explains a lot.

I knew he was trained

with great love and patience.

And I figured it was an Indian

because of the charm bag.

What puzzles me is how he got mixed up

in a band of wild horses again.

I was a youth without rank.

My cousin, Yellow Bull, claimed him.

He's a cruel man.

I couldn't bear to hear

Tonka's cries of pain in my sleep.

So I...

I set him free.

You think a lot of him, don't you?

I don't know why.

He's an ugly brute.

- He's beautiful.

- Well, in a homely sort of way.

When you came here tonight,

what were you gonna do?

- Steal him back?

- No.

No, Yellow Bull would only

take him from me again.

I saw you ride in this afternoon. I...

- I only wanted to see him.

- I think I understand, White Bull.

I feel the same way about Tonka.

Only I call him Comanche.

Because he's a fighter.

Well, I suppose it doesn't make any

difference how you got in here.

The fact remains

I can't let you just walk out.

They'll probably

wanna question you and...

But I promise you

no harm will come to you.

Let's go.

Oh, uh, wait a minute.

You think the, uh,

the mud is better than the salve?

Then we'll leave it.

I don't suppose it would do any good

to ask what you told 'em.

This much we know.

Sitting Bull is bringing all the tribes

of the Sioux Nation together.

Why?

I am only a youth. The great shaman

does not tell me what he is thinking.

Does he plan to make w*r?

- I don't know, Chief Yellow Hair.

- Lying, thieving redskin!

- Speak up!

- General.

He'd have his tongue cut out before he

told you the truth, even if he knew it.

Keogh's right, Custer.

The boy came to see his horse.

We caught him.

Now let it go at that.

All right. I'll let him go.

But first, I wanna give him a message

to take back to Sitting Bull.

Tell your great shaman that we have

many forts with many soldiers.

Tell him they will march and burn

every Sioux village to the ground,

unless he comes back to the reservation

and lives in peace.

Now you can turn him loose, captain.

Um... better lock him up. Turn him loose

first thing in the morning.

- My friends wait for me in the trees.

- Goodbye, White Bull.

I hope there will be no trouble

between your people and mine.

You have a good master, Tonka.

No longer will my heart

be heavy with sorrow for you.

Goodbye, boy.

Comanche, if we should ever meet him

out there as the enemy,

I want you to know

it was no doings of mine.

General Sheridan's plan of attack

calls for a three-pronged movement

against Sitting Bull's village here.

At the forks

of the Little and the Bighorn River.

General Gibbon will go up

the Yellowstone and down Bighorn.

General Custer

will go up the Rosebud two days' march.

Then move westward to meet up

with Gibbon and Cooke's column

on the 26th without forced march.

You will not attack

until you have joined forces.

- Any questions?

- Yes, sir.

Are we making w*r on all Indians?

Some are still at peace.

With your permission, General Terry,

I'd like to answer Captain Keogh.

There's no way

to separate the good from the bad.

They've burned, pillaged, m*rder*d.

They're all bad.

Are there any questions?

If not, you may proceed at once.

And remember, Custer, the 26th.

Wait for us.

Yes, sir.

It's probably rank heresy, Hank,

but I think Chief Longhair

has a few plans of his own. It'd be

interesting to know what they are.

I'd feel better if I was going with you.

Gibbon's a good man.

You take care of him,

- Comanche'll take care of me.

- Good luck, Myles.

Thank you.

- h*!

- h*!

Big Indian village. About half a day's

march away in Valley of Bighorn.

- Over hill.

- Good.

- Mr. Cooke.

- Yes sir.

Make camp. But no bugles.

I want an officer's call immediately.

- Yes.

- Forward!

- h*!

- h*!

Close up! Close up!

Oh, at ease, gentlemen.

Be seated if you wish.

I promised Elizabeth

I wouldn't make a target of myself.

You know, it would make

a tempting scalp lock at that.

Mark Kellogg, gentlemen.

Newspaperman from Bismarck.

He's here for a story,

and I think we can give him one.

A large Indian village

lies directly ahead

in the Valley of the Little Bighorn.

We'll hit them at dawn tomorrow morning.

Catch them in their sleep.

Begging the general's pardon,

our orders were not to attack

until we joined forces

with Gibbon and Cooke.

An unsuspecting enemy

lies ahead of us, Captain.

It would be dereliction of duty

if I did not press the advantage.

More Indians than soldiers.

More Indians than stars in sky.

I pay you for scouting, Boyer,

not to make decisions.

Captain Benteen, you will circle west

with troops D, H and K

to cut off retreat upriver.

Major Reno, you will push

straight into the village

with troops A, G and M

and spearhead the attack.

I will sustain you

with troops C, E, F, L and I.

We'll rest here

without cooking fires or bugles,

and move out two hours before dawn.

without the jingle of sabers, gentlemen,

to give away our approach.

Take them off.

- That's all.

- Excuse me, sir.

We saw Indians trailing us.

They fled in the

direction of a village 15 miles ahead.

- They know our position, sir.

- Very good, lieutenant.

We will not wait.

We'll strike the hostiles quickly,

before they have a chance to prepare.

Pass the word to assemble at once.

That's all, gentlemen.

My g*ns, Boyer.

- No sabers. That's a funny one.

- Funnier, him cutting his hair.

Maybe he's got a hunch.

Into the valley of Death

rode the brave 600.

If we had 600, we'd have a chance.

To split us up...

You heard what the scout said.

- Good luck.

- You too.

Follow me!

- h*!

- h*!

- Officers front, Mr. Cooke.

- Yes, sir. Officers front!

- Officers front!

- Officers front!

Major Reno's engaged the enemy.

We'll ride north.

Cross the river.

Attack their camp from the rear.

I'm afraid your element of surprise

is lost, general.

Do not turn back until I signal.

- Are you afraid?

- No.

- Are you?

- Of course not.

- I will count first coup.

- I will take many scalps.

Earn many feathers for my w*r bonnet.

They're trying

to draw us away from Reno.

Which suits my plan exactly.

Rejoin your troops, General. Ready

your small arms for close-in fighting.

You'll get a story today, My. Kellogg.

You'll write history.

Forward to the devil, Mr. Cooke! h*!

Fire at will! Fire at will!

Look, Strong Bear!

My friend, the white captain.

He's riding Tonka!

All white soldiers are enemies.

They must die!

Chief Yellow Hair is down!

It is a good omen!

Fight on foot! Dismount! Fight on foot!

Close up ranks!

Sound dismount!

- Form a service line!

- Steady now!

Form a line!

Take those horses uphill!

Horse holders, double up on your mounts!

Close up! Close up!

Watch that gully! Keep down!

Steady! Keep low!

Sir, our ammunition bags

are on those horses.

Never mind. Benteen'll be here soon.

Close ranks! Close ranks!

Watch your left flank!

Down, boy. Down! Down!

Close up! Rally! Rally!

Watch those shots!

Make every one count!

Pick your targets!

Watch Yellow Bull!

He will touch a dead soldier

and earn a feather for his bonnet!

I will earn a feather, too!

You won first coup.

You earned a feather.

We'll make 'em pay, boy.

We'll make 'em pay.

Ah!

Strong Bear?

May the spirit of Tonka Wakan

go with you.

Tonka? Tonka?

Tonka!

Tonka!

Your medicine is weak!

It didn't protect him.

Tonka.

h*!

Tonka.

Lieutenant!

Poor devil.

Might as well put him out of his misery.

No!

No.

This horse is not your enemy.

- I am your enemy. k*ll me.

- Glad to oblige you, redskin.

Wait!

This is the lad

we questioned at the fort.

Doctor.

7th Cavalry, US Army,

orders of the day.

Headquarters, US 7th Cavalry,

Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory,

April 10th, 1878.

General orders number seven.

The horse known as Comanche,

being the only living representative

of the bloody tragedy of the Bighorn,

Montana, June 25th, 1876,

his kind treatment and comfort

should be a matter

of special pride and solicitude

on the part of the 7th Cavalry.

To the end that his life

may be prolonged to the utmost.

The command officer of Troop I

will see that a special

and comfortable stall

is fitted up for Comanche.

He will not be ridden by any person

whatever under any circumstances,

nor will he bet put to any work.

Hereafter, and upon all occasions

of ceremony, Comanche saddled,

bridled and led by a trooper

of Company I will be paraded

with regiment

by command of Colonel Sturgess.

No.

No. No wapato.

Just because you're a hero, you think

you can do as you please, don't you?

I'm sorry, Chief Nowlan.

Tonka's like a child.

- He thinks he can do as he pleases.

- As far as the 7th is concerned,

he can do no wrong.

He knows it, too, don't you mister?

Too much sweet will make him

- fat and lazy, Chief Nowlan.

- It's gonna be your job

to see that he doesn't

get fat and lazy, White Bull.

- You must give him a ride every day.

- But the orders...

Sure, sure.

But generals who give orders

aren't smart

like you and me, White Bull.

We know he's gotta be exercised,

don't we?

Well, don't we?