Crooked gamblers, inept buffalo hunters, needy women, a devious marshal, a politician who can't go back to Washington without his trophy, and a renegade Sioux band. In all his travels, Cheyenne Bodie has never encountered this eclectic an assortment. He's been hired to guide the white men to a herd of buffalo, but his job is being made harder by efforts to sabotage the hunt so that the real purpose of the party--a poker game to siphon off every dollar possible--can succeed.
There's intrigue at every turn. Who is George Naylor and where did he get all that money? What are the marshal and his sister really up to? Why is Phil Kenton so obnoxious? Who are Bart and Pete anyway? When will people ever learn that if they don't listen to Cheyenne Bodie, bad things will happen?
The Sioux chief Dull Knife demands the horses in exchange for their lives. He doesn't want to fight, only to have fresh horses so that his tribe can continue on their trek from the reservation to their ancestral home. Knowing that it's the only solution to their predicament, Cheyenne attempts to comply. However, the marshal convinces the rest of the party that their only hope for survival is to stand their ground, and he puts Cheyenne under guard to make sure he doesn't interfere. Three murders and a showdown later, Cheyenne is proved right.
This episode has enough drama to keep the viewer interested, as well as a good cast, especially in their interactions with the ever-engaging Clint Walker. Robert Clarke makes a sufficiently odious abusive Phil Kenton and Patricia Huston is good as his weary wife. Fresh off his portrayal of the vindictive Sioux warrior Sayapi in Clint Walker's impressive starring vehicle, "Yellowstone Kelly," Ray Danton makes a convincing vengeful lawman. It was nice to see Clyde Howdy's name in the credits after many appearances in which he was simply an anonymous background figure. Finally, Clint Walker's stand-in was an improvement over others who have had the job, giving the "Big Guy" a break from a few relatively benign action scenes.
After the final showdown that leaves the most reprehensible members of the hunting party dead due to their own greed and stupidity, the exhausted survivors are waiting for the Army to come to the rescue. Surveying four graves, the Senator blames the Indians. Cheyenne reminds him that the Sioux hadn't killed those men and that Dull Knife had kept his word. "The word of a savage," grumbles the Senator. Looking behind them at the boulders that had been their refuge, Cheyenne replies, "The savages were back in the rocks, with us."
There's intrigue at every turn. Who is George Naylor and where did he get all that money? What are the marshal and his sister really up to? Why is Phil Kenton so obnoxious? Who are Bart and Pete anyway? When will people ever learn that if they don't listen to Cheyenne Bodie, bad things will happen?
The Sioux chief Dull Knife demands the horses in exchange for their lives. He doesn't want to fight, only to have fresh horses so that his tribe can continue on their trek from the reservation to their ancestral home. Knowing that it's the only solution to their predicament, Cheyenne attempts to comply. However, the marshal convinces the rest of the party that their only hope for survival is to stand their ground, and he puts Cheyenne under guard to make sure he doesn't interfere. Three murders and a showdown later, Cheyenne is proved right.
This episode has enough drama to keep the viewer interested, as well as a good cast, especially in their interactions with the ever-engaging Clint Walker. Robert Clarke makes a sufficiently odious abusive Phil Kenton and Patricia Huston is good as his weary wife. Fresh off his portrayal of the vindictive Sioux warrior Sayapi in Clint Walker's impressive starring vehicle, "Yellowstone Kelly," Ray Danton makes a convincing vengeful lawman. It was nice to see Clyde Howdy's name in the credits after many appearances in which he was simply an anonymous background figure. Finally, Clint Walker's stand-in was an improvement over others who have had the job, giving the "Big Guy" a break from a few relatively benign action scenes.
After the final showdown that leaves the most reprehensible members of the hunting party dead due to their own greed and stupidity, the exhausted survivors are waiting for the Army to come to the rescue. Surveying four graves, the Senator blames the Indians. Cheyenne reminds him that the Sioux hadn't killed those men and that Dull Knife had kept his word. "The word of a savage," grumbles the Senator. Looking behind them at the boulders that had been their refuge, Cheyenne replies, "The savages were back in the rocks, with us."
