Days Without End

Thomas doesn’t know how to face John after letting Winona go. Thomas stays at camp for a while, trying to learn about Winona’s life among the Sioux, but fails. One morning, the men are ordered to ride out, though nobody will tell Thomas where they’re going. They come to Caught-His-Horse-First’s camp. Thomas is excited over the proximity to Winona. Major, who drinks heavily since the loss of his wife and daughter, orders the men to kill everyone in camp, though Captain Sowell tries to gainsay him. They fire at the village from a distance, using Gatling and Napoleon guns. Major kills Caught-His-Horse-First. Thomas finds Winona in the village, ordering her to stay close as she begs him to save her. He tries to escape with Winona, even as he knows this means leaving the other women she was hiding with to be killed. He notices that none of the troopers have been killed and wonders why the Sioux aren’t shooting back.

Thomas encounters Starling and asks for his help, but Starling wants to kill Winona. Thomas kills him even as he thinks about his love for his “old crazy friend” (224). The soldiers kill everyone in the village and then mutilate corpses, laughing and remorseless.