"Some people spend their lives trying to move up in the world." "My friend Jack Dalton was at the top of that list:" "A dreamer who wakes up every morning with a new idea that'll rocket him to the top of the economic ladder." "The trouble is, because he was always in such a big hurry to get there, he'd take the kind of short cuts that would drop him a rung lower." "Living in this neighbourhood was the result of his last shortcut." "Two Eagles!" "How are you doing?" "You know my good buddy, MacGyver." "What are you doing out here?" " I was mugged." " You all right?" "Couple of young punks." "They got my wallet, my keys, food." "I couldn't do a thing." " Get out of this neighbourhood." " Go, before they steal your tires." " Sure there's nothing I can do?" " No, we got it under control." "Thanks for the ride home." "Come on, I'll get you cleaned up and fix you something to eat." "What?" "You don't like eggs with chocolate sauce?" "You make a better nurse than a chef." "Okay, so I'm not Betty Crocker or Florence Nightingale." " I am your friend." " Jack, my time has passed." "My people are scattered, lost." "No one knows about the old ways anymore." "The ways of the Wolf Spirit." "So you're a little down in the dumps." "I've been down once or twice too, you know." "But look at me now." "Did I tell you about the time we got thrown in this prison camp?" "I had an uncle who heard about a cache of hidden money." "Ever hear of BB Bartel?" "My uncle had this map that said where this money was hidden, so I figured, hey, I'll get myself thrown in this thrown in this prison camp." "Boy, did I ever get thrown in." "Thing was, I fixed it so Mac would get and he tossed it out in the tunnel." "Before I can say a word there's five million bucks worth of confetti flying around." "Enough to make a man weep." " The Mask of the Illehkam." " What?" " You would say "wolf"." " I would?" "Wolf?" "Jack, I want you to do something for me." " Take me somewhere." " What are you talking about?" "When I was a boy, my grandfather took me to the sacred place of the Kaqwani to visit the House of the Wolf, to see the Mask of Illehkam." "It's time for me to speak with the Great Wolf Spirit one last time." "Hey... you're not talking about dying, are you?" "That's up to the Illekam." "My people have been the keeper of the mask since the days before the white man." "But the time of the Kaqwani is coming to an end." "There are very few of us left." "You must help me get there, Jack." "No white man has ever laid eyes on the face of the wolf." "You will have the honour of being the first to know its powers, its secrets." "Help an old man, please, Jack." "Well, first we'll need transportation." "Isn't that gonna mess up your shirts later?" "You can just forget about it." "This is my first time off in months." "I'm not gonna spend it chasing you on a treasure hunt." "Where's your sense of adventure?" "What happened to that will-o'-the-wisp guy I love?" "He's going skiing at a resort, where the greatest danger is an overpopulated hot tub." "Besides, you've always got other angles to any story you bring here." "I come to you asking for assistance for a mission of mercy to help an elderly Native American, you shun me." "I didn't come here to be shunned." "I wouldn't shun you." " Why shun me?" "I hate being shunned." " Jack what's this all about?" "Everyday stuff." "We take Two Eagles to the Kaqwani Indian Reservation so he can commune with the Wolf Spirit." "He wants to get in touch with his roots, see a mask." "He's got a stick, it's got landmarks to tell him how to get there." "Two Eagles isn't the kind of guy that would string you along." " What's in it for you?" " Not a thing." "Strictly a mission of mercy." "I did place a couple of phone calls." "Any idea what National Geographic might pay for a photo of the Mask of Illehkam?" " Not to mention a first-person article." " I knew it." " There had to be something." " Oh, that's cold, Mac, real cold." "We're talking history here, culture." "And a great old man who really needs our help." " All right." " You'll do it!" "Why don't we do a little research before we see what we're getting into, okay?" "Oh, my man!" "Research." "I love it when you talk science." "I knew you'd come through." "Come on, we've been here two hours." "Can't you just take his word?" "There's such a thing as researching something to death." "Jack, come here." "It says, "The Mask of Illehkam is the most sacred object of the Kaqwani people, also known as the Tribe of the Wolf."" "I knew it." "We got the scoop of the century here." "Two Eagles remembers seeing it as a kid." "I'll see if there's more pictures." " What's that reference number, 709..." " Point one." "Point one." "We're gonna be the first white men to see it." ""The mask is assumed to be carved from cedar and adorned with gold, as was the practice of Kaqwani representations of the Illehkam figure."" ""While the existence is unconfirmed, the legend goes back for centuries."" "Here's the book." "There's an old boneyard up near Pine Creek..." " I knew Two Eagles was on the level." " Take a reference book in case his memory gets fuzzy." "Don't worry, he's got a walking stick that will lead us right to it." " Talking stick, Jack, talking stick." " Talking stick, yeah, that's it." " Did you hear that?" " The Mask of Illehkam." "That thing's nothing more than old man talk." "That's what they said about King Tut's tomb till they found it." "Let's not lose them." "You and Two Eagles get some stuff together." "I'm gonna go to my place and get gear." "It's gonna be cold out there, Jack." "Right." "You know that humongous red and black parka?" "I like that." "Oh, and boots." "I need some boots." "Ten and a half?" " Yes, Jack." " Thanks, Mac." "I really mean that." "You got a heart this big." "Perry, we're about to get rich." "They way I've got it figured, it's six hours to the reservation." "From there, you and your stick will point the way." "We start here, the main road into the reservation off Highway Ten." "From there, the trail will take us to the Circle of Totems." "Wild." "What then?" "You mean to tell me that stick has a map on it?" "It was made by my grandfather to provide a kind of road map." "Great." "So after the Circle, what then?" "There we travel north." "The Cave of the Wolf can be found beneath the spires of the Great Spirit." " And the mask, right?" " The Mask of Illehkam." " The Wolf Spirit." " This is gonna be great." "You don't mind me taking a few snapshots?" "Your pictures will help preserve the way of our people, Jack." "And the mask will preserve my lifestyle, gentlemen." "What is this?" "An opportunity of a lifetime, by my reckoning." "Perry..." " Who are these people, Jack?" " Garbage." "Give them what they want." "You're Kaqwani, what does it say?" "It's the old pictograph language." "I can't read it." "He can." "Come on." "Bring him along." "Hey, hey, look, come on." "Come on, he's an old guy." "Give it a break, we'll work something out." "Come on, old man, the Wolf Spirit is calling." "Jack?" "What's the matter?" "Are you all right?" " Man, they must have taken him." " What are you talking about?" "Two Eagles." "Two guys grabbed him." "They're after the mask." " How'd they know about that?" " I don't know." " Do you want to call the police?" " I already did." " And?" " I talked about Two Eagles and a wolf mask, they treated me like a nut case." "The Kaqwani Reservation is 400 miles out of their jurisdiction." " What do you want to do?" " Go after them." "They can't be far." "Two Eagles gave me an idea of where to go." "We hightail it to Indian country," " head the bad guys off at the pass." " We drive all night." "Don't worry, I'll spell you." "Nice piece of work." "Museum will pay a lot for this." "Museums pay nothing." "An art dealer in Chicago will pay 200,000 for that wolf mask." " No questions asked." " Oh, yeah?" " You would sell out your own people?" " What have they done for me lately?" "I look out for number one." "It's a long haul up to the reservation." "Where do we go after we get to the trail?" "Well, we can make this a very unpleasant trip for you, chief." "I'm too old to be afraid." "Yeah, but you're not too old to be history." "You know, we're gonna figure out those symbols and dig up that wolf mask." "Might as well make it easy on everybody." " We're going to hit snow up there." " Don't worry." "I got a buddy, top of Robertson Pass, who will set us up with snowmobiles." "Nothing gonna stop us." "Nothing." " What is it?" " Friend of mine." "You okay?" "Want me to take over?" "No, no, I'm wide awake." "We just passed over the summit of Robertson Pass." "We should make the reservation after dawn." "We're making good time." "We should catch up by morning." "You suppose they'll hurt Two Eagles?" "He's all right as long as he's leading them to where they want to go." " Yeah, what then?" " Just keep driving, Jack." "All right, the next stop is the Totem Circle thing, right?" "What you're asking me to do is a sacrilege." "I'm gonna let you in on a secret." "You've got five seconds, chiefie." "Don't be a fool, old man." "The mask is just another piece of wood." "The Mask of Illehkam is symbol of Kaqwani." " Your people too." " The Illehkam." "My father used to talk about it." "He thought if he worked a hard, clean life, the Wolf Spirit would reward him." " Like the tooth fairy." " Your father was a wise man." "My father was a fool." "Like you." "He followed the trap lines till he died in his tracks out here." "That's not gonna happen to me." "I work for Grant." "I drive a Camaro." "Bad trade for your soul." "Let's go." "Hang on tight, old man." "Two Eagles said it was the main trail off Highway Ten." "Let's check it out." " What did they have on the trailer?" " Snowmobiles." "Right, there's some tracks over here." "They look pretty fresh too." "Mac, this is it!" "Look." "Here, on the tree." "This belongs to Two Eagles." "He left us a sign." "We have to decide how we're gonna go after them." " We can't drive through that." " Too bad you didn't bring your skis." " Funny." " We can walk in, find the first stop, the worship ground, the Circle of Totems." "Yeah, and we do have tracks to follow." "Come on, let's get our warm gear." "Oh, man, this is too much like work." "Mac, think you can bend a branch or something and make a pair of snowshoes?" "This the place?" "Well?" "He's found the totem." "It's Kaqwani, all right." "We're on the right trail." "Now you're cooking, old man." "Which way now?" "This is the totem of the Great Eagle." "When it stood, it pointed the way to the Cave of the Wolf." "Okay, okay." "Which way?" " North." " North?" "How far north?" " Not far." " You'd better be right." "It's a long walk from home if we run out of fuel up there." "Let's go." "Your necklace." "The eagles." "What happened to it?" "I must have lost it somewhere." "Shall we continue?" "How come you're so cooperative?" "We are in Illehkam's world now." "He will decide my fate, and yours." "Come on." "Come on, come on, let's get going." "Civilization!" "Hello?" "Nice doggie..." "He won't bite." "Not unless I tell him to." "This is the Kaqwani Reservation, if you didn't know." " You need a permit to trap here." " Well, we're not interested in that." "We could use some information, however." "I'm Anna Lightfoot." "We can talk inside." "You can warm up by the stove, and I'll get you a cup of coffee." "We don't see people up here this time of year, unless they're poachers after the trap lines." "We were hoping you might know where the old Illehkam worship grounds are." "What for?" "Jamie Two Eagles is in trouble." "We found his necklace." "Yes, Two Eagles." "He's of our tribe." "I met him when I was a young girl." "We've been tracking these guys, but it's kind of a slow go on foot." "They're after the Mask of Illehkam." "Heard of it?" "Yes." "It's part of my tribe's legends." "The Great Wolf Spirit is sacred to my people." "If the mask is real, it belongs to us." "Not if these guys get there first." "We were hoping you might have a snowmobile for rent." "No, but I have something just about as good." "There's only two ways to get around here in the wintertime:" "Horse power and dog power." "I prefer dog power." "Oh, they're great dogs." "Easy, they're part wolf." "They're not pets." "They work for a living." "We've won the Band Dog Sled Race three years in a row." " I'm very impressed." " You should be." "It's been a couple of years since I've done this." ""Hike" is go "gee" is right." " "Haw", left?" " Got a good memory." "Gee." "Haw?" "I like it." "What about stopping?" "Say "whoa" and throw this against the nearest tree." "There's a brake between the skids, but give them time to slow down." " We'll take good care of them." " They'll take good care of you." "Thanks, Anna." "You all tucked in, Jack?" "Hike!" "Hike!" "Hike!" "Gee!" "Gee!" "Don't worry about it if you fall off." "The dogs know the way home!" " How about it, old man?" " This is the place." "Spires of the Great Spirit." "The place where Illehkam lives." "We are near the place we seek." "It's not too late." "You can still turn back." "We'll turn back when we get what we came for." "And not before." "This is it?" " Must have been the wind." " Must have been." "I'll tell you something, chiefie." "I'm tired of all this chasing around." "Now where is the mask?" "It is here that the ways of your people were born." "Do not shame them." "Well... will you look at that?" "Whoa, whoa!" "Looks like they might have stopped here." "I don't see any totems sticking up here." " Maybe they're not." " Not what?" "Sticking up." "I think Two Eagles is still trying to help us." "Yeah." "This must be the ruins of the Circle of Totems." "Yeah." "Right." "What's bugging you?" "I don't know, ever since Anna said they tried to avoid her place," " I've had this feeling..." " Yeah?" "What about?" "If they didn't want to be seen with Two Eagles, chances are they're not planning on bringing him back." "Let's go." "Hike!" "Hike!" "That's enough." "Here we are." "Perry?" "Come on up here." "Some kind of a pin holding it." "No, wait, wait, wait." "Hey, what's that?" "Booby trap, huh?" "So, that's why you became so cooperative all of a sudden." "You figured on us triggering it, didn't you?" "Forget it." "We've got the mask." "Let's just get out of here." "Oh, no, you don't!" "No." "He's an old man." "If the cold doesn't kill him, the wolves will." "Tie him up." "Wait!" "Wait, wait, whoa!" "Snowmobiles!" "We're not gonna sneak up on anybody with these guys." "Let's stash them in the trees." "Come on, Perry, let's get out of here." "This place is starting to give me the creeps." "Sorry, old man." "Perry, you're dragging your feet." "I got a bad feeling about all of this, Grant." "I don't like it." " No Two Eagles." " He's still got to be inside." "I think we're looking for trouble." "I think we should take it back." "Take it back?" "Why?" "Because of the old man?" "He's got one foot in the grave." "Come on." "It's not just the old man." "The Spirit of the Wolf is part of my people." "Since when?" "You and I have been stealing trinkets out of the graves of your people for three years." "Careful." "You're not gonna let a little old legend scare you, are you?" "Believe me, you'll sing a different tune when we get away from all this." "I want you to relax." "You'll like it all right when you get money in your hands." "Let's get out of here." " Take a look." " That's Two Eagles' talking stick." "Oh, wow!" "Two Eagles!" " Are you all right?" " Yes, they got the mask." "Yeah, we know." "Take it easy." "I shamed my people." "I led them here thinking I could trap them forever." " But I failed." " You did what you had to do." " You're lucky they didn't kill you." " I'm already dead." " Gonna cut you loose." " Forget the little red one." " Use this." " Jack, no!" "Jack?" " Jack?" " Yo." " You all right?" " Okay." "Man!" " Lift, Jack, lift!" " It's no use." "It's the justice of the Illehkam that I die here in the place I was sworn to protect." "I'm only sorry I have to take you with me." "Hey!" "We're not dead yet." "MacGyver's gonna get us out of here." " I haven't got a clue." " That's not like you." " This door's over a foot thick." " It's just wood." "We..." "We can burn it down." "Yeah!" "Yeah, that's it." "We burn a hole through it, walk out the hole!" "Jack, think asphyxiation." "Oh, yeah." "We've got to find a way to lift it." "Yeah, you bet." "Lift it!" "How?" "This sand poured out of a shaft inside the wall." "That's the booby trap." "Sand comes out, door goes down." "Big door goes down." "So big we can't budge it." "The shaft has got to run up and down here." "There should be a piston behind." "If we can get that to go up..." "We could shove some high-pressure water in there maybe?" "If we had some." "The door is sealed forever." "We must prepare ourselves." "Let me see that stuff." " What is it?" " Copper and zinc, I'd say." "Finely ground." "He's on to something." "We're saved!" "It's a long shot, a real long shot." "I'll take it!" "What do we do?" "The idea is to pack a charge at the bottom, and force the explosion back up into the shaft." "The explosion drives the piston up, raises the door and we walk out." " No, not quite." " No?" "If it works, the door will lift a foot or two, and then come crashing back down." "Mac, this is very tough on my nerves." "Two Eagles, that hemp on your belt." "Dip it in oil, make a fuse." "Jack, get that board, find a log." " Line them up at the door." " You got it." "It is here that the ways of your people were born." "Do not shame them." "We are in Illehkam's world now." "He will decide my fate and yours." "Now what?" " I'm out of gas." " Damn." "Must have run low on fuel lugging that old man around." "We can get gas at that cabin we passed on the way in." "Come on, get on." "Mac, I sure hope this is gonna work." "So do I. Let's get that board over here." "All right, Two Eagles." "Ready when you are." " Yes!" " Two Eagles, let's go!" "It's gonna break!" "Go for it, there's no more powder!" "I told you." "We made it." "My lucky hat!" "Got it!" "Safe!" "But not the mask." "Well, let's try to get it back for you." "Come on." "What can I do for you fellas?" "Well our other snowmobile ran out of gas a way back." "We'd like to buy a few gallons, if we could." "Come on inside." "I can help you with that." "I'll just get a container off the shelf." "So, what brings you up this way?" " What is this?" " That was gonna be my question." "The old man said he lost this on the trail." "Somebody's got to be tracking us." "Those friends of his." "They're in for a surprise when they get back here, aren't they?" "Perry, go hide the snowmobile." "You're not gonna get away with this." "Whoa, whoa!" " Looks like one of them ran out of gas." " They'll be looking for more." "Anna Lightfoot's place." "Maybe they filled up and moved on." "And if they haven't?" "Right." "Anna's in big trouble." "Here they come." "Keep her out of the way." "Perfect targets." "Don't let him do this." "Tie him up." " How did you know it was a trap?" " We knew they had to stop here for gas." "There was a chance they knew we were on their trail." "I think you're gonna live." "The old man." "We left him in the cave." "Sorry, old man." "You were right." "The Illehkam has returned your soul."