The Well
(September 27, 1973)

Guest Stars

Written by William Kelley
Directed by Jerry Thorpe

The Story

A Franciscan priest, Benito Cardona, has stolen a golden chalice he made for the tabernacle at San Blaise. Caine sees him murdered by four men, the Gilchrist gang, who steal the chalice. Before Cardona dies, he begs Caine to retrieve the chalice, which he stole because he was obsessed by it.

The Gilchrist gang has also stolen a Gatling gun being delivered to Captain Luther Staggers, a man known for being tough and mean. While Caine is trying to peacefully retrieve the chalice from the Gilchrist hideout, Staggers arrives and takes back his Gatling gun. Staggers uses the gun to try to kill the Gilchrist gang when they offer the chalice in exchange for their lives. Caine stops Staggers, and disables the Gatling gun. In exchange for breaking the gun, Caine goes into the hideout alone, captures the gang so that Staggers can get the reward, and retrieves the chalice.

Once they return to San Blaise, Staggers insists on fighting Caine to the point of riding his horse into the church and threatening the life of one of the parisioners. Outside, Staggers fights Caine using a whip made from chains, but Caine defeats him.

The Flashbacks

The flashbacks show Caine's first and last tries at taking the pebble from Master Kahn, and how Caine was able to leave China.

• Young Caine is kneeling before Master Kahn, who tells him that they have never admitted anyone who wasn't fully Chinese, but that there is a first time for everything. Master Kahn calls Caine forward, and tells him "As quickly as you can, take the pebble from my hand. When you can take the pebble from my hand, it is time for you to leave."
  

• Young man Caine, standing before Master Kahn, succeeds in taking the pebble from Master Kahn's hand. "Time for you to leave." We see Master Kahn's sorrow at his student leaving, and Caine's amazement and triumph as he walks away through the temple.
  

  "Remember always, that a wise man walks with his head bowed, humble, like the dust." -- Master Kahn, after Caine takes the pebble
  

  Caine tells Master Kahn that he is attached to the pebble, because he wanted it for so long.
  

  "The universe contains a certain pebble, known as the earth. And many are the men who have formed attachments to it, no less foolish than yours." -- Master Kahn
  

• Caine comes back to the temple to apologize to Master Kahn for committing murder. After allowing Caine to visit Master Po's grave, Master Kahn tells Caine that while he will still be a Shaolin priest, he must leave the temple forever. Caine takes a pebble from Master Po's grave with him, which he leaves at the grave of Benito Cardona.
  

• A Christian priest in China hides Caine from the Emperor's police in a confession booth, and arranges for Caine's passage from China.
  

• Caine comes to the Christian service to get his ticket away. The police arrive, and after Caine sneaks out, the police begin beating up the priest.
  

• Caine comes back to see the Christian priest before leaving. The priest is all bruised and bloody.
  

Other words of wisdom

The episode ended with these words on the screen:

"That we are possessed by what we would possess; held in bondage to earth and vested things by the attachments we form for them...even so holy a thing as a chalice, so slight a thing as a pebble."

Guest Stars

Written by Del Reisman
Directed by Richard Lang

The Story

Andy is seeking his father, who abandoned him and his mother ten years ago to seek gold. Caine reunites him with his father, a miner, who claims he left because his wife was going crazy. This is Andy's great fear, because he sees strange lights from time to time, and can't tell what's real from what's in his head. Caine helps him and his father deal with this while helping them fend off Bates, an alcoholic claim jumper.

The Flashbacks

The flashbacks tell one continuous story from Caine's youth.

• Young Caine speaks with Master Kahn about Master Sung, a Master from the temple, who took his own life.
  "Why did he take his own life? Yin and Yang?" -- Caine
  "The Yes and the No. In him, No conquered....Instead of the beauty we observed, he saw ugliness." -- Master Kahn
  "How is that possible?" -- Caine
  "He looked with his eyes, and we look with ours." -- Master Kahn
  

• Master Kahn sends Caine and two other boys to a clearing in the forest, and instructs them to see something happen and report back exactly what they see.
  

• The boys arrive at the clearing, where they see a warrior sleeping. Another man comes up to him and tries to steal his money pouch, but instead wakens him. The thief kills the warrior with his own sword, steals the pouch, and ties it around his neck. He then walks behind a large bush, and from the other side walks a peacock with the pouch around its neck.
  

• Another man comes up and bows to the peacock, which walks back behind the bush. The thief, wearing the pouch, comes out from behind the bush. All three men stand, face the boys, and remove their wigs, false beards, and outer clothing, to reveal themselves as Shaolin priests. They laugh, and bow to the boys.
  

• The boys return to Master Kahn and tell their stories. Each boy leaves out an important detail in his account.
  

• "You saw what your eyes told you." -- Master Kahn
  "But Master, what I saw was not real." -- Caine
  "You made it so. As Master Sung saw ugliness where nothing exists but a valley." -- Master Kahn
  

Other Words of Wisdom

"When I was a child, I saw a salamander. A strange beast. He did not know what was to become of him. He was ugly, and some men threw him in the fire to die. But the fire did not destroy him. It tested him, and made him strong." -- Caine
"Was he still ugly?" -- Andy
"I do not know how the salamander saw himself." -- Caine

"Is it not a child's fear to make things of terror out of nothing but innocent darkness?" -- Caine

The Hoots
(December 13, 1973)

Guest Stars

Teleplay by Lionel E. Siegel
Story by Jason McKinnon
Directed by Robert Totten

The Story

Caine meets a religious group, the "Hoots", led by Otto Schultz, who believe in hard work, turning the other cheek, and staying away from outsiders. The Hoots keep sheep, some of which are sick. Davidson, the local cattle baron, fears the sheep will infect his cattle, despite assurances from the Hoots that this is impossible.

Paul, one of the Hoots, does not want to leave the area. In order for the townspeople and the Hoots to get to know one another and to dispell the hate and fear between the groups, Paul goes to town. Davidson's men forcibly shave off Paul's beard, and the humilated man returns to his fellows, who now look at him with distrust because he looks different.

The cattlemen come to the Hoots' settlement to kill the sheep. Paul, along with Caine, battles the cattlemen, and in so doing learns that he can be true to himself without hurting others.

The Flashbacks

The flashbacks are all discussions between Master Po and Caine about philosophy.

"Master, I am puzzled." -- Caine
"That is the beginning of wisdom." -- Master Po

"The purpose of discipline is to live more fully, not less." -- Master Po

"The bird sings in the forest. Does it seek to be admired for its song?" -- Master Po

"It is written, shape clay into a vessel; it is the space within that gives it value. Place doors and windows in a house; it is the opening that brings light within. Set spokes within a wheel, it is the emptiness of the hub that makes them useful. Therefore, be the space at the center. Be nothing, and you will have everything to give to others." -- Master Po

"Would you make the whole world a temple? Be like the sun, and what is within you will warm the earth." -- Master Po

Trivia

• The Hoots are a real religious group of the time. They base their beliefs on Acts 2:44,45, which says, " And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need."
  

• The words spoken by Master Po ("...be the space at the center") is a close paraphrase of Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11.
  

• Rance Howard, who plays Sheriff Byrd in this episode, is the father of actor/director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard.
  

Guest Stars

I got the dates on which the episodes first appeared from here. No name was given for the compiler.

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