- jeb. jeb, you found 'em? - yep. i found them alright, mr. mckeever. they're alive and well? well, they're alive. but i think you'd best forget your daughters. you wouldn't know 'em, mr. mckeever. maybe wouldn't want to.

oh, good. this is cheyenne bodie, scout assigned to this post. - meet mr. edward mckeever. - mr. bodie. you know of kiowa village on the north fork of white water? no. that doesn't mean much. the kiowas keep moving their villages. but some time ago, mr. mckeever's two daughters were taken captive by the indians. e. you think you and 20 men could go and get 'em? how old are your daughters? jenny would be 18 now and ruth, 23. - how long've they been missing? - five years. mckeever and his family were in a train attacked by the indians. he was left for dead. mr. mckeever, i was taken by the cheyennes

when i was 18, i just walked away with their blessings. if your daughters have been with the kiowas for five years they're not prisoners anymore. you're not suggesting my girls want to stay. i'm saying more than that. send 20 men to that village, you'll be lucky to get 10 back. ten lives for two girls who could walk away if they wanted? doesn't add up. i believe this is a matter of principle not arithmetic, mr. bodie. my girls are in that village. i can understand your feeling that way but if you're asking me to volunteer, the answer's no. what kind of an army is this? do you have to ask your men-- that will do, mr. mckeever. i'd hoped to settle this on a volunteer basis. i haven't an officer to spare. and you're the best man for the job. so if i can find 20 men willing to go you'll lead them, and that's final. do you think men from c troop would take orders from a scout?

but i can't cut the strength of c troop. i'll find the men somewhere else. that's the mission. i'm asking for volunteers. when you come back, you won't return to the guardhouse and your records will be cleared. alright, who'll step forward? is private poinsett, a former rebel, the only volunteer? private morgan, united states army. it's my daughters you're going after, men. i'm offering $300 bonus to every man who goes. whether you succeed or not. sergeant baker, dismiss the-the rest of them. you volunteers hold your ground.

i get 11. - you can make it 12, sir. - thank you, baker. i'd like to make it 13, colonel. i've got more reason to go than anybody. no objection, sir. very well. on this mission, mr. bodie will be in charge. - you'll take orders from him. - it'll be just dandy. what's that, morgan? - nothin'. - nothing what, morgan? nothin', sir. colonel, i'd like the men issued civilian clothes. why? we won't fool the indians into thinking we're an army. we might fool them for a while into thinking we're hunters. - alright. anything else? - yes, sir. i'd like those new repeating carbines. would you like my right arm too? no, sir, just the carbines. i'm only allotted 20 of those guns.

ght. - break 'em out, sergeant. - yes, sir. with those carbines, we maybe got a chance. yeah. you'll be wantin' to see your wife. i'll take over here. thanks. alright, men, to the quartermaster, on the double. - 'oh, private ryan.' - 'no, i mean it.' (male #1) 'that's why i try to be like that southern general' who's always there firstest with the mostest. betty! betty, open this door! charlie, private ryan just came-- - don't bother. - i was only...wait! [dramatic music] 'baker! ryan!'

ryan, you knew this was off-limits to single men. what are you doing in this area? i have no business here, sir. i have no business here either, sir. with your permission, i'll go back to where i belong. i know, sir. the guardhouse again? i think not this time, ryan. you just volunteered for a mission. - report to the quartermaster. - yes, sir.

get up, ryan, and go on and relieve morgan. you don't have to break my ribs. i said get up. we'll probably lose a half a dozen men on this job. - you're gonna be one. - you listen to me-- alright, break it up, both of you. we'll have all the fightin' we want tomorrow. does this mission have a chance with men like these? you see that man? private poinsett? he's a private now. in the confederate army, he was a major. soldiering is the only thing he knows, so here he is.

of them fight? - i don't know. i guess a soldier fights 'cause he's proud of his outfit. doesn't want to let it down. and these are men without an outfit. the guardhouse brigade. and quite a few of this guardhouse brigade as you call 'em, won't be coming back, maybe none of 'em. well, i-- i don't blame you for trying to get your girls back. just for buying these men's lives for $300 apiece. [instrumental music]

you think that signal's about us? maybe. that girl. it's ruth! my older girl. all of you, take a good look at that tepee

[tribal music] baker, we need two men to cover us. alright. pace, you and joe stay here. (cheyenne) 'we're in luck with that war dance.' [tribal music continues]

it's alright, we're friends. [indistinct mumbling] give him a hand. don't you understand? we've come to help you. your father's out there. [muffled groans] alright, let's go.

ruth. [ruth crying] ruth, ruth. i never stopped searching for you. i knew i'd find you. i was afraid you'd never see us again. never see you? it's been too long. you don't know what's happened. oh, you don't need to worry any longer. jenny, what have they done to you? they've done nothing to me, but tanaka'll kill you all for this. she's to be chief tanaka's squaw. don't you see? i can't go back, and she doesn't want to. - ah. - ow! well, she-she's a savage.

well, say it. say you were right. you told me they wouldn't want to be rescued. why not let 'em go back? especially that one. because it would be wrong, not because they're my daughters because they're white women taken by force. maybe, they don't want to come with us now but in time, they'll both thank god for what we've done. orse and watch her when she comes to. we have to tie you? no. three days from the fort, let's make it in two. [slow music]

sorry, had to be so rough on you last night. feel like talkin'? how do you feel? look, if we're attacked, you and jenny will be in the same danger as the rest of us. - even if you like the indians-- - like them. i hate them. oh? then, maybe you'll tell me. is tanaka planning to attack the railroad? but he'll come and get jenny first. 'cause i'm gonna be tanaka's squaw. have you forgotten what he did to your mother and the others? they had no right here. this is kiowa land.

take cover! [dramatic music] [gunshots] bring up those horses, you idiots! leave the horses alone! stay where you are! poinsett, get the medicine kit. you crazy? we can't stay here. they'll kill us like flies. they're only scouts, they have to go back to get help. there's a stretcher on that packhorse, get it. - don't you wanna help? - what difference would it make? you'll all be dead by tomorrow. how's he know they're just scouts? - we don't take his orders. - then take 'em from me. if he don't know what he's doing, then we're all goners.

, but you're back here. what's the matter, you lost your nerve? well, we're headed for home, and i'm still alive.

he told us to find a place to rest. - how about this? - looks alright. we'll wait here and see what he thinks. alright, break it up! stay apart! settle this when you get back.

take care of the horses. how is he? no better. well, i wouldn't worry too much. at wound isn't as bad as it looks. maybe. but i'm no help to him. if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be lying there. you can't blame yourself for that. i've never been any good to anybody. couldn't even keep jenny from turning kiowa. now.. ...why don't you let me go back?

ruth.. ...what happened when the kiowas took you? i had an indian child. he died a year ago. and jenny? she was only 13 when they took us. later, the chief decided he wanted her for himself. don't you see? 'there's nothing waiting for me back home.' think any man would want to look at me now? i don't know about the prim and proper women but.. ...i'm looking at you, and i like what i see. 'ruth.' dad. all that's past now. i'll make it up to you.

and i'll get jenny back too.

now, how far do you think you'll get? why didn't they kill us and get done? they'd never caught us if you hadn't held us because of him. alright, so we let a handful of 'em set us afoot. we can still walk. a fat chance we got of getting to the fort on foot. would you rather wait here for tanaka? we'll stick to the higher rocks, least they can't track us there. that's fine. what about the gear?

[dramatic music] it's tanaka, alright.

all of you, stay down. (cheyenne) 'morgan!' - leave her alone. - but she gave us away. killing her won't change that now. maybe we could make a run for it.

but we got a strong position here. my guess is they'll wait us out figurin' we're short on water. his move now would be to surround us. that means we got maybe an hour before he nails us down. time for a man to slip through and go to the fort to get help. yeah. i'd like to try. better take one man with you, anybody you want. i'll take ryan...unless you're afraid to go. - i'll go. - alright. but, baker, we're depending on both of you. yes, sir. - you can take one canteen. - you need it worse than we do. we're only a couple of hours from the river. good luck. poinsett, you take baker's place, second-in-command. i won't serve under no reb.

and you haven't yet. (cheyenne) 'poinsett, position the men.' morgan, tie her up and watch her. but keep her alive. ruth, i'm putting you in charge of the water. collect all the canteens. poinsett, from now on, nobody takes a drink till ruth says so. you know how long an indian can go without water. it's up to you to see that we do as well. i can't believe it. jenny. forget it. chances are they'd have found us anyway. that's generous of you, or is it? you never did think much of our chances, did you? i guess you still figure it doesn't add up. well? well, for a while you had me believing it too. but we're not fighting just for two girls. we're fighting to show tanaka, all the tanakas

maybe we will die, but if we do, we'll still prove something. those indians will always remember that we value our women more than our lives and the west will be a little safer. i say that's worth dying for.

where's ruth? anybody seen her? she gave us a round of water.

- you know where she went? - no. i know about the water. she didn't wanna tell it was gone, didn't wanna worry 'em. that's what you say. where's she? she left with our canteen . - you put her in charge. - let's find her. poinsett, take four men and go that way. you two come with me. wait a minute, this ain't gettin' us nowhere. tanaka's got water, and we got jenny. - 'i say we trade.' - 'the answer's no.' why not? we gotta chance to save our hides. - i say we take it. - i said no. changed your mind? decided it does add up? i don't happen to have a choice. morgan. you wanna live, don't you? well?

e.' 'but not you.' not if i tell him you helped me. 'it's gotta be now.' while they're gone. it's your chance. jenny. don't make a sound. i'm telling you, don't. you won't shoot your father. - shut up! - i won't let you go back. i said shut up, or i will shoot!

it's just like i killed her myself. you only did what you had to do. you mustn't blame her, wasn't her that shot me, was a kiowa. (cheyenne) 'i know.' how did she get untied, anyway? she hit me in the head with a rock. with her hands tied? well, she got loose. i don't know nothing about it. this rawhide was cut. - with your knife. - wasn't either cut. how did you know? hold it. if we've get back to the fort, we'll need every man. gotta stop this fighting among ourselves.

life. i don't figure he'll make another mistake. any objections? no objections...sir. griffin, you and morgan take first guard duty. yes, sir. yes, sir. [dramatic music] [gunshots]

sure got us pinned down. - what do we do? - we wait. see anything? nothin'. gives you the creeps. i keep thinking we could just walk away from here. then those drums start again. we may walk away yet, if ryan and baker get through.

...and if they find jenny. [twigs snap] shh. stay here. i had a hunch you'd be back. i got this last night, and i couldn't get away. and you're ashamed to go back home. griffin, we got some water, thanks to ruth. - pass it around. - water, yeah. - how about you, sir? - later. if i'm going to pretend to be an officer i guess i have to set an example. you knew you'd be safe with the kiowa yet you came back. why? well, i guess there are times when just being safe doesn't mean as much as..

i had to come back. they don't seem to be watching over on the cliff side. guess they figure you can't get down that way. they're probably right too. still.. ...if they're not guardin' that side.. let's go have a look. it's a long chance. 'still, it is a chance.' - i think we lost them. - let's keep movin'. [gunshot]

sorry for what i was thinking. if we get out of this alright, you can quit worrying about me. i did a lot of thinking last night...about betty. i guess the man ain't to blame. yes, he is. this time, anyway. she didn't lock that door, i did. she didn't know anything about it. you. can you walk? sure.

[tribal drum beats] (cheyenne) 'you know what that means. they found jenny.' 'we'll make our stand across the river.'

(cheyenne) we got less than 200 rounds. make every shot count.

'holy smoke, look at 'em!' alright, so there's a lot of 'em, but they haven't many guns and they've never faced repeaters like these. just kind of a shock, seeing 'em all like that. we'll be alright. sure, we'll be alright. what are they doing now? workin' on our nerves. they like it quiet before they attack. - how about giving me a gun? - you'd best stay down. you may have plenty to do. men like a woman around when they're wounded.

hold your fire. (cheyenne) easy. hold it. fire! ya-hoo. we licked 'em! boy, am i glad i got you.

they'll all come at us next time. - anybody hurt? - no, sir. i take back all i said about the guardhouse brigade. i couldn't have asked for better men. it's a bit early to be passing out medals. i figure tanaka himself will head the next attack. 'cheyenne?' if i had it to do all over again i'd still do the same thing but i'd feel a lot better about it if you agreed with me. then feel as good as you want, 'cause if i had it all to do over again, i'd do the same thing too. only next time, i wouldn't argue about it. that's what i've been wantin' to hear. being as i'm all wound up, i guess i might as well say what else is on my mind. if the men at home get to know you like i know you there'll be a whole pack of 'em coming around.

for right now, you've almost got me believing you. and whatever happens, i thank you for that. [indians shouting] (male #2) 'here they come!' hold it. easy. wait.

cheyenne, over here!

i guess it don't make any difference what kind of a uniform a man wears. he was a good soldier. i'm proud to have served with him. they won't try again till they pick a new chief. let 'em come, we've licked 'em twice, we can do it again. [bugle blowing] [all cheering] - baker's with 'em. - they sure tookokheir time. they're brass-button soldiers, what'd you expect? let's go meet 'em. i want 'em to see it's been a job worth doin'.

mister... why don't you let the boy go? he's no match for you. you keep out of this, mitch. i'm no boy. and you're no man. ( fingersnap ) one more.