li'llilii'^ !'ii w 'liiiiy ll, ii ii 1 h '1 Hi Glass ^ Book. Copyright}!^. COPYRIGHT DEPOSnV JAIME FENIMORE COOPER CLASICOS LITERARIOS EN INGLES DE HEATH EL ULTIMO DE LOS MOHICANOS j/fenimore cooper CON NOTAS BIOGRlFICAS FOR EL Dr. JUAN G. WIGHT Director del Liceo Wadleigh, Nxteva York Y NOTAS CRITICAS DE LA LiCDA. ELENA M. PARKHURST D. C. HEATH & C0MPA:NIA, EDITORES BOSTON NUEVA YORK CHICAGO LONDRES COPTKIGHT, 1915, ■ For Introduction, Critical Notes, and Vocabxjlabt IN Spanish, bt D. C. HEATH & COMPANY K5 'T^^^C Es propiedad. Queda hecho el depdsito y el correspondiente regis- tro que ordena la ley en los EE. JJJJ.y en la RepilUica de Mexico, como tamhien en la Gran Bretana, para la proteccidn de esta ohra en aquellos, y en todos los palses que firmaron el Tratado de Bema. <^mm. I- INDICE pIginas J. Fenimore Cooper: Notas Biograficas 7 Pr6logo del Autor , . . . 25 Mapas 32 The Last of the Mohicans S7 Notas CrIticas 622 VOCABULARIO EN InGLES-EsPANOL 663 J. FENIMORE COOPER (1789-1851) BIOGRAFIA Cooper fu^ el und^cimo de una familia de doce hermanos. Hasta la edad de treinta y siete anos finno siempre Jaime Cooper, cambiando entonces la firma, mediante un acta le- gal, por la de Jaime Fenimore Cooper, para perpetuar el apellido de su madre, Isabel Fenimore. Poco despues re- nuncio al uso del guion, y generalmente escribio J. Fenimore Cooper. Por parte de su padre, era de estirpe cuaquera; su ascendencia materna era sueca. El padre del novelista, el Juez Cooper, en 1785, entro en posesion de extensos terrenos proximos al nacimiento del rio Susquehanna y, a fines de 1790, llevo a su familia a esa region, edificando, en lo que es hoy la aldea de Cooperstown, la mansion conocida con el nombre de Otsego Hall. El autor paso los primeros dias de su infancia en Cooperstown, que no era entonces mas que una colonia fronteriza designada con el apellido de su padre. Alli comenzo su educacion en una escuela particular. Al cabo de poco tiempo fue enviado a Albany, la capital del es- tado de Nueva York, donde efectuo los estudios preparato- rios para el ingreso a la universidad. En 1802, cuando no contaba mds de trece anos, entro a la de Yale en la clase de 7 8 BIOGRAFIA novicios, siendo tan joven que solo habfa otro de menor edad que el entre los alumnos de aquel centro docente. Por al- guna irregularidad de conducta, sus relaciones con la univer- sidad quedaron rotas cuando se hallaba cursando el tercer ano. En el otoiio de 18C6 embarco en el puerto de Nueva York, como simple marinero, a bordo del velero Sterling, que se dirigia a Cowes, Inglaterra. El Sterling fue tambien a Londres y, en enero siguiente, al Estrecho de Gibraltar. El buque, a su regreso, toco de nuevo a Londres, y Cooper llego a los Estados Unidos tras una ausencia de once meses. En enero de 1808, Cooper fue nombrado guardia marina en la armada de los Estados Unidos, y presto servicio durante tres anos proximamente. A primeros de enero de 1811, contrajo matrimonio con Miss de Lancey, cuyo padre habia sido capitan del partido ingles en la ^poca de la Revolucion. Lcs treinta primeros meses de vida conyugal los paso en una aldea cerca de la ciudad de Nueva York. Se traslado a Cooperstown en 1814, pero volvio tres aiios despues y se instalo en la aldea de Scars- dale, a poca distancia de Nueva York, donde vivio ociosamxente hasta 1820. En 1822 estableciose en la ciudad de Nueva York, y alli residio hasta tornar a Europa, en el verano de 1826. Su primer ensayo como autor. Precaution (Precaticion) , novela en dos tomos, aparecio en 1820 y a fines de 1821 pu- blico The Spy {El Espia), que constituyo un marcado triunfo y que afirmo el nombre de Cooper como autor. The Pio- BIOGRAFiA 9 neers (Los Exploradores) , que fu6 el primer libro publicado de la famosa serie titulada Medias de Cuero, pero el cuarto en el orden cronologico de los acontecimientos que relata, vio la luz en 1823, como tambien The Pilot {El Piloto). En 1825 salio de las prensas Lionel Lincoln {Leon Lincoln) , y un alio mds tarde The Last of the Mohicans {El tJltimo de los Mohicanos), que, asl en el orden de los acontecimientos como en el de la composicion, es el segundo y el mejor de la famosa serie referida. Cooper paso los siete anos desde 1826 a 1833 en Europa, la mayor parte del tiempo en Francia, donde desempeno en Lion, durante tres anos, el cargo de consul de los Estados Unidos. En esta €poca visito a Inglaterra, Holanda, Belgica, Suiza, Italia y Alemania, pasando largas temporadas en Paris, Londres, Florencia, Napoles, Sorrento, Roma, Vene- cia, Munich, Dresde. Fue en Paris donde encontro y conocio a Walter Scott, el gran novelista escoces. Con anterioridad a 1830, Cooper habia agregado, a su ya mencionada lista de novelas, cuatro narraciones puramente americanas: The Prairie {La Pradera), The Red Rover {El Pirata Rojo), The Wept of Wish-ton-Wish {El Lamento de Wish-ton-Wish) , y The Water-Witch {La Bruja del Mar), siendo la primeramente citada la ultima con relacion al des- arroUo de los sucesos del grupo Medias de Cuero, pero la tercera en orden de produccion. The Bravo {El Bravo) fue publicado en 1831, The Heidenmauer {El Heidenmauer) en 1832, y The Headsman {El Verdugo) un ano despues al regresar 10 BIOGRAFiA Cooper de Europa. Durante muchos anos paso los inviernos en la ciudad de Nueva York, haciendo de Cooperstown su residencia veraniega. Poco despues de su regreso dedico energica atencion a los criticos adversos a sus obras. Prolongada y amarga fue la controversia, y en el curso de ella, Cooper publico mucho que result 6 per judicial para su popularidad, siendo de ello muestra senalada la Letter to My Countrymen {Carta a mis Compatriotas). Por esta ^poca escribio The Monikins, que fu6 el m^s completo fracaso. Desde 1836 a 1838 public6 diez voliimenes de ^dajes, siendo esa labor no mds que mediana. A este grupo pertenece la Three Mile Point Con- troversy (Controversia sohre los Limites de laFaja MaritimaNa- cional), que acarreo animosidades violentas y una abundante serie de pleitos judiciales. En el mismo ano 1837 apareci6 Homeward Bound (De Vuelta), en cuyo voliimen generalize tanto la censura a sus compatriotas que provoco resenti- miento casi un^nime. De severidad absolutamente igiial fueron sus criticas acerca de Inglaterra. La History of the United States Navy (Historia de la Armada de los Estados Unidos) vio la luz en 1839. The Pathfinder (El Quia), el ter- cero por orden de acontecimientos de la serie de novelas Medias de Cuero, se publico en 1840 y, al ano siguiente, The Deerslayer' (El Cazador), la ultima de esa serie, aunque la primera con arreglo al desarrollo de la accion. Proxima- mente por la misma ^poca aparecio Mercedes of Castile (Mer- cedes de Castilla). En 1842 sus editores dieron a luz The BIOGRAFtA 11 Two Admirals {Los dos Almirantes), y, un ano despu^s, salio Wyandotte. En 1844 fu6 impresa Afloat and Ashore (En Mar y en Tierra), seguida por The Chainbearer (El Agrimensor) en 1845, y The Redskins (Los Pieles Rojas) en 1846. Las principales de las obras posteriores de Cooper, publicadas durante los cuatro liltimos anos de su vida, fueron: The Crater (El Volcdn), y Jack Tier. Pocos detalles interesantes se han consignado acerca de la infancia de Cooper y de la 6poca en que asistio a la escuela. La fascinadora rusticidad de la naturaleza que le rodeaba, el lago, el rio y la primitiva selva, imprimieron sin duda en su imaginacion una tendencia que se revelo en la pintura de in- teresantes cuadros de la vida en el mar y en la frontera, fan- tasias en prosa sobre asuntos en los cuales Cooper fu^ el explorador. Lo extremado de su juventud cuando ingres6 a la universidad es prueba excelente de su despierta inteli- gencia y del aprovechamiento eon que efectu6 los estudios escolares. La carrera de Cooper muestra de modo maravi- lloso como (da fortuna conduce algunas naves que carecen de timon.)) Su revelacion como autor a la tardia edad de treinta anos fu6 puramente fortuita; pues la circunstancia determinante de que llegase a ser el mds fecundo entre todos los prosistas que los Estados Unidos haya producido, de- biose a haberle desafiado su esposa un dia a que realizase lo que Cooper con jactancia afirmaba ser capaz de hacer: escri- bir una no vela mejor que la que ^1 acababa precisamente de leer. 12 BIOGRAFiA Sin ser piadoso, el fondo del cardcter de Cooper era fran- camente religioso. Tenia inclinaciones teologieas. En sus libros abundan las insinuaciones reveladoras de anti-puri- tanismo, a pesar de que el autor, sin darse cuenta de ello, tenia mucho de puritano. Sentia profundo respeto hacia la mujer, pero siempre en el sentido de ser ella el winds frdgil vaso)) y subordinada por completo al hombre. El ameri- canismo de Cooper es indiscutible y robusto, sin perjuicio de «sermonear gratuitamente a sus compatriotas cuando le daba la gana.)) Mientras estuvo en Francia quiso ser nom- brado consul en Lion, con el objeto de continuar asi el roce con su tierra natal, y nunca dejo de defender a esta cuando lo atacaron los extraiios. Poseia un sentimiento exagerado de su dignidad personal. Si a Cooper, como a la gran escritora inglesa, ((Jorge Eliot,)) no se le hubiera permitido conocer ninguna critica contraria a sus obras, se le habria proporcionado un beneficio. Jamds considero leve ataque alguno a su labor o a su fama, y siem- pre demostro ser enemigo digno de cruzar el acero con su antagonista. Muchas veces, en los prefacios de sus libros, vapuleo indirectamente a sus criticos. Para formar idea del cardcter de un hombre son elementos de primordial interes los detalles relativos a la vida intima de ^1 en el orden dom^stico. Un concienzudo analisis de la existencia familiar de Cooper descubre solo felicidad y notas amenas henchidas de dulzura. En la fecha de su muerte tinicamente le faltaba a Cooper un dia para cumplir sesenta BIOGRAFtA 13 y dos afios. Su tumba estd en el camposanto de Coopers- town, a media milla de la aldea donde se eleva el hermoso monumento de mdrmol dedicado a su memoria. Estd inspi- rado 6ste en la escena de la pantera, de Los Exploradores, y resulta atractivo e interesante, visto desde el lago de Otsego, el encantador ((Glimmerglass)) de los indios. COMO AUTOR El estudio de cualquiera de las producciones de un escritor debe tener por objeto despertar en el estudiante interes hacia todas las obras de aquel autor, o al menos hacia aqu611as de positivo m^rito, cosa senaladamente esencial en el caso de Cooper, Solo asi es posible llegar a una apreciaeion justa de su valor y de su categoria. Hay que hacer notar, desde ahora, que Walter Scott, modelo capaz de inducir a la des- esperacion a lui hombre menos resuelto, fu6 el ideal y el ins- pirador de Cooper, y que el gran novelista escoc^s le sugirio ideas respecto al alcance, a la variedad y al estilo de la pro- duccion literaria. Tambi^n conviene advertir que, tanto por su interns sostenido y el dramdtico enlace de los aconte- cimientos como por otras muchas buenas cualidades, se ha otorgado la preferencia, entre los setenta voliimenes de su autor, a El Ultimo de los Mohicanos, considerandolo como el mejor para el estudio en la segunda ensenanza. Un escritor que no comienza su carrera de autor hasta que ha cumpUdo treinta anos de edad carece de una educacion 14 BIOGRAFiA de estilo que ya probablemente nunca adquirir^, por grandes que sean su habilidad y su talento. En estas condiciones se encontr6 Cooper. Su educaci6n primaria fu^, sin embargo, completamente igual a la de muchos escritores que en los Estados Unidos y en otros paises ban alcanzado una perfec- cion de forma y de diccion nunca lograda por ^1. El estilo de Cooper no merece ser imitado, salvo en lo que concierne a descripciones. Sus f rases revelan a menudo apresura- miento y desalifio. Emplea con frecuencia el idioma f ranees • — en particular cuando trata de la guerra entre los colonos franceses del Canada y los indios — y utiliza amplia y varia- damente los dialectos, eligiendo para ello como personajes al indio, al negro, al frances, al holand^s, al yanqui y sobre todo al marinero. Del dialecto o de la jerga de este ultimo usa mucho menos de lo que pudiera esperarse, teniendo en cuenta su carrera preferida de marino. En sus me j ores novelas hablan poco los marineros que figuran en ellas, y sus carac- teres carecen de relieve. Las dotes de Cooper lucen su excelencia en las descrip- ciones, las cuales, aun cuando no todas igualmente buenas, son siempre, por su variedad e interes, dignas de estudio y aun de admiracion. Escribe con grandisima amenidad acerca de la naturaleza y ni aun por su abundancia resultan pesadas esas pinturas. Una de las mds famosas tiene como asunto el rio Hudson visto desde las cimas de las mon- tanas Catskill. En The Pioneers, pinta con habilidad y brillantez el escenario invernal. Es de lamentar que no BIOGRAFtA 15 haya presentado algunos de los m^s conmovedores y trd- gicos sucesos de sus narraciones indias, tomando como lugar de accion dicho paisaje. Las escenas amorosas, que abun- dan en sus novelas, son por lo general indignas de elogio. Probablemente una de las razones a las cuales se debe la aceptacion casi undnime alcanzada por The Deerslayer {El Cazador), consiste en que en esta obra tiene escaso relieve el elemento de ternura idilica. Y sin embargo no carece de cierto arte el gracioso aunque inutil intento efectuado por la hermosa protagonista Judit para conquistar el corazon del rudo cazador habitante de los bosques. La escena de la pantera, en The Pioneers {Los Explor adores), puede citarse como modelo de descripcion Uena de vigorosa realidad. Los entierros constituyen un asunto del agrado de Cooper, que sabe desarroUar ese tema liigubre con bastante acierto. Recuerdense, entre otros, los de Cora y Uncas en El tJltimo de los Mohicanos, y el del anciano Tomds Hutter en The Deerslayer. Las descripciones que Cooper ha hecho de la mar y de todas las maniobras de un barco, figuran entre las mejores, si es que no son las mejores, de la literatura. Tan grande es su entusiasmo como marino, que frecuentemente subordina el relato a la tecnica nd,utica. En una de sus novelas refiere con mucha fidelidad la faena de los arponeros en la pesca de la ballena. Como pintor de la tormenta merece elogios, y una de las que trazo mejor es la que se desarrolla en el lago Ontario. 16 BIOGRAFiA Las producciones novelescas de Cooper no se distinguen por la sutileza de la trama. Mds bien parece que la accion va surgiendo de un modo algo fortuito y caprichoso bajo la mano del autor. Menudean los episodios, bien desenvueltos y Uenos de atractiva variedad. El protagonista en El tJl- timo de los Mohicanos, en The Pathfinder (El Guia) y en The Pioneers (Los Exploradores) , estd, ideado para que luzca su destreza como tirador, en pruebas dificiles, y de tal manera aparecen retratados sus rasgos, que el lector se siente dis- puesto a dar credito hasta a lo increible. Como es de su- poner, la mayoria de las situaciones de mas merito tiene por escenario la mar. Muchas de ellas son acreedoras a especial mencion, y todas han sido copiadas e imitadas infinitas veces por otros escritores. Como dibujante de caracteres estd fuera de duda que Cooper alcanzo un triunfo supremo. El bondadoso, leal, justo y valiente explorador-cazador-guerrero, el protago- nista que, con el sobrenombre de ((Medias de Cuero,)) ha logrado popularidad universal es, segiin Carlyle, el filosofo escoc^s, «un gran compendio del hombre y de la naturaleza en aquella inmensa selvatiquez, que es el oeste de los Estados Unidos.)) Cinco volumenes representan a este heroe en cinco actos del largo drama de su vida y, reunidos, forman un conjunto biografico al cual debe el personaje su vigor, aunque uno de estos volumenes, solo, dejaria de producir impresion marcada. Medias de Cuero, que figura en Los Mohicanos bajo el sobrenombre de Hawkeye (Ojo de Halcon), aparece BIOGRAFlA 17 como antiguo partidario del ej^rcito ingles, y luego morador y cazador entre los indios Delawares. El cardcter es original y no ofrece analogia inmediata con el de Daniel Boone, el famoso explorador de la parte sur de los Estados Unidos. Este iletrado habitante de los bosques, que a veces bromea, pero que nunca profiere palabras impias, como hacen fre- cuentemente los marineros de Cooper, confia en Dios como en un poderoso aliado personal y habla con sencillez elo- cuente acerca de sus creencias religiosas. Jamds se desmien- ten su piedad y su filantropia, salvo cuando tiene que enten- derselas con un « Mingo ». En The Pioneers (Los Exploradores) le vemos en la iglesia con su larga escopeta, y le vemos tam- bien metido en cepos por desafiar a la autoridad civil. Su desasosiego ante las usurpaciones de la civilizacion estd bien reflejado, y justifica su deseo de sustraerse a esa esclavitud. Desde el punto de vista artistico es lamentable que el mo- mento de la emigracion, que forma la raison d'etre de The Prairie (La Pradera), Uegue cuando el protagonista se en- cuentra en edad avanzadisima. A un novelista le sirve de muy poco un protagonista despu^s que ^ste ha cumplido ochenta anos. En el mimero e importancia de tipos, Cooper procede con uniformidad monotona. En cada novela acostumbra colocar dos caracteres femeninos de relieve. Prescindiendo de su grande y linica creacion, no ha sobresalido mucho en sus retratos de hombres, y aun los que ejecut6 con mds for- tuna son en cierto modo reflejos vagos de Medias de Cuero. 18 BIOGRAFIA Buen ejemplo de esto es Tomas Coffin en The Pilot (El Pilotd). Deficiencias de esta clase no se registran entre los autores de verdadero genio, puesto que en sus creaciones menores hay realidad y rasgos distintivos de igual modo que en las m^s grandes. En la tragedia de Hamlet, Polonio tiene tanta per- sonalidad como el protagonista mismo. El negro es un persona] e favorite de Cooper, y en algunos casos constituye un elemento dramdtico de la novela. Los tipos medicos, extravagantes por lo general, no carecen de cierta lozania de caracter y de algun humorismo. De los clerigos y de los abogados saca poco partido. Las mujeres, en las obras de este autor, son de cardcter mds bien negative y no suelen reunir las condiciones para satisfacer las exigen- cias de la ficcion. Habitualmente son justas y buenas, pero rara vez grandes de espiritu. No obstante la opinion de los criticos que le ban regateado prestigios, Cooper merece continuar figurando como el mds grande de los novelistas norteamericanos, y su fama tiene y tendrd, siempre como base los cinco voWmenes de las nar rraciones de Mediae de Cuero. Ademas es seguro que El Ultimo de los Mohicanos es, entre todas sus obras, la mds. leida y la de fama m^s duradera. El que escribe esta nota encontro una vez, en Coopers- town, al General Sherman, conocido oficial en la Guerra Civil, y en el curso de la conversacion aludidse al hecho de que, habiendo muerto ya sus companeros, los Generales Grant y Sheridan, el General Sherman era el tinico supervi- BlOGRAFiA 19, viente de aquel famoso grupo. ((Si, — contesto Sherman, con acento melanc61ico, — soy el ultimo de los Mohicanosj) Esta cita, ((El ultimo de los Mohicanos, » serd repetida du- rante muchas generaciones venideras por millares de per- sonas que dificilmente podrian hacer otra cita alguna de su autor. Sin embargo, desde el punto de vista exclusivamente literario, The Pathfinder (El Guia) y The Deer slayer {El Ca- zador) son superiores a Los Mohicanos. Aun cuando muchos se manifiestan inclinados a colocar en el primer puesto The Deerslayer {El Cazador), por los aspectos nauticos y romd,n- ticos que habilisimamente reflejados muestra, parece que la balanza se inclina en favor de The Pathfinder {El Guia). Balzac elogi6 mucho la liltimamente citada obra, y un esta- dista de fama internacional cont6 al que escribe que, para leerla entera, durante la tramitacion de uno de sus litigios judiciales, pasose en vela toda la noche. Con la seguridad de acertar puede afirmarse que, para los adultos de buen gusto literario, sera mds fdcil leer esta novela sin saltarse p^ginas que cualquiera otra de asunto indio y del mismo au- tor. Cu^ntase que Isabel de Inglaterra manifest6 el deseo de que Shakespeare escribiese una comedia en la cual Fal- staff apareciera enamorado. De conformidad con el regie deseo surgieron las Alegres Comadres de Windsor. En The Pathfinder {El Guia), Cooper presenta al viejo protagonista Medias de Cuero en un papel andlogo. Se incurre con frecuencia en el error de suponer que Cooper desconocfa el cardcter del indio norteamericano, siendo asi 20 BIOGRAFiA que lo estudi6 asiduamente a trav^s de los libros y mediante observacion personal. Cuando sirvi6 como guardia marina en el lago Ontario, vivi6 entre los indios y examin6 de cerca sus rasgos y mientras alK tuvo excelente oportunidad para adquirir impresiones de la selva primitiva. A parte de esto, en su infancia Cooper seguramente tuvo noticias de muchas bandas de merodeadores aborfgenes, como las que cazaban en los alrededores del lago Otsego. Su concepto acerca del indio aborigen de los Estados Unidos no fu^, pues, el resul- tado de observacion superficial ni de juicio precipitado. Cooper expone los rasgos del cardcter indio, su perfidia, su espiritu vengativo, y su orgullo en cortarle al enemigo el peri- crdneo cabelludo. Cuando en algun caso particular idea- liza al hombre de piel roja y lo adorna con atributos del hombre bianco civilizado, lo hace a conciencia e intencio- nadamente. Respecto a todas las razas humanas puede afir- marse que algunos individuos son fundamentalmente buenos y otros fundamentalmente malos. En tanto cuanto al cora- zon se refiere, el indio norteamericano parece ser unico, y existen sin duda muchos motivos que parecen justificar hasta cierto punto la afirmacion antigua de que «no hay indios buenos. » El bueno de Uncas estd algo idealizado, pero tam- bien lo estan los personajes hist6ricos en los dramas de Shakespeare. Si el retrato que hace Cooper del indio norte- americano no se ajusta exactamente a la reahdad, es cuando menos una afortunada creacion imaginativa por la cual debemos gratitud al autor. BIOGRAFiA 21 La popularidad de un escritor, confirmada por el tiempo, ha de estimarse como uno de los datos indicadores de la cate- goria que le corresponde. No obstante, la fama duradera de un escritor debe descansar sobre la opinion de entendimien- tos disciplinados y maduros, mejor que sobre la acogida que alcancen sus obras entre el publico juvenil Asi juzgado, Cooper pierde algo. Pero no siempre hay que conceder cre- dito absoluto a la critica contempordnea que generahnente peca de apasionada, sea extremando la hsonja o sea recar- gando la censura. Ni los genios Hterarios poseen de modo invariable el don de la infahbilidad al tasar el m^rito de las producciones de su ^poca. Ciceron elogiaba, considerdndo- los llamados a rivahzar con Homero, a poetas de su tiempo, de los cuales no ya los escritos, pero ni casi los nombres se recuerdan hoy. De todos modos es innegable que tiene valor el que Cooper haya sido elogiado por maestros como Scott, Balzac, Thackeray y Carlyle. Es aventurado afirmar que los celos casi morbosos de Cooper acerca de su propia repu- tacion, revelados en los sanudos ataques a sus criticos, cons- tituyan una prueba de que el autor no tenia confianza en su talento. Cuando se mostro severo con los escritores de Nueva Inglaterra, logicamente debi6 de esperar que ^stos proce- diesen a la recfproca. Lowell, que afirmo que la mejor poesia ha sido la mds fieramente censurada, ha dejado algunas K- neas satirizando con causticidad a Cooper, pero como bdl- samo cicatrizador de esas heridas ha dejado, tambi^n, este expresivo elogio de Medias de Cuero: 22 BIOGRAFtA «Ha dibujado con potente brio un cardcter extrafio, original, y ha cogido una flor con el roclo de este lozano mundo occidental.)) Cooper, en el orden de tiempo, es el primero de los novelistas norteamericanos, y ha sido el mas popular de ellos en el ex- tranjero. De sus obras se han hecho traducciones en casi todos los idiomas cultos. Aun teniendo por rival contem- pordneo a Walter Scott, casi no fue a la zaga de aquel mdgico en punto a conquistar admiradores en otros paises; sin em- bargo, la disparidad entre las reputaciones de ambos se acentua ahora de afio en ano. Pero aun asl y con todo se puede calificar a Cooper, considerandolo como ((maestro de ficcion sana y varonil.)) LA TUMBA DE COOPER EN EL CEMENTERIO DE COOPERSTOWN, ESTADO DE NUEVA YORK PROLOGO DEL AUTOR* El autor habia pensado hasta ahora que el escenario donde se desarrolla la accion de esta obra asi como los dis- tintos detalles necesarios para comprender las alusiones que a la misma se refieren, aparecian suficientemente explicados al lector, bien en el propio texto, o bien en las notas que le acompanan. Sin embargo, existe tanta obscuridad en las tradiciones, y hay tanta confusion en los nombres indios, que acaso puedan resultar utiles algunas nuevas aclaraciones. Pocos caracteres de hombres presentan mas diversidad o mayores antitesis, valga la expresion, que los de los primeros habitantes de lo que ahora se llama los Estados Unidos. En la guerra, son temerarios, audaces, astutos, sin freno, pero al mismo tiempo abnegados y dispuestos al sacrificio propio; en la paz, son justos, generosos, hospitalarios, modestos y, en general, castos, pero vengativos y muy supersticiosos. Los oriundos de esta region no se distinguen todos en iden- tico grado por tales cualidades, aun cuando se las ve que predominan lo bastante, entre las tribus notables, para po- der considerarlas como caractensticas. Generalmente se cree que los aborigenes de Norte- America fueron de origen asiatico. En apoyo de esta opinion abun- 1 Este Prologo aparece en la edicion de 1851. 25 26 prOlogo del autor dan los rasgos fisicos y morales, pero hay algunos otros que parecen probar lo contrario. El autor estima que el color de los indios norteamericanos es peculiar de este pueblo. Sus pomulos indican de un modo sorprendeute el origen tdrtaro, mientras que en los ojos de los individuos de los dos pueblos no se observa la menor semejanza y, aunque el clima puede haber ejercido gran in- fluencia sobre el primer punto, es dificil explicar por que ha producido la positiva diferencia existente en el segundo. La imaginacion de los indios, asl en la poesia como en la oratoria, es mds bien oriental que otra, aunque sus producciones re- sultan mds conmovedoras, tal vez por lo limitado de sus cono- cimientos prdcticos. Obtienen los terminos para sus metd- foras de la naturaleza, — de las nubes, de las estaciones del ano, de las aves, de los demds animales y del reino vegetal. En este punto proceden como cualquier otra raza de en^r- gica fantasia, cuyas imdgenes estdn encauzadas o limitadas por la experiencia; pero es singular que los indios del norte de America vistan sus ideas con colores por complete orien- tales, y enteramente opuestos a los de los africanos. Su len- guaje posee toda la riqueza y toda la plenitud sentenciosa del de los chinos, pues expresa una frase en una palabra, cali- fica con una silaba el significado de un periodo, a veces hasta marca diferentes sentidos solo mediant e la inflexion de la voz. Los filologos, que han consagrado mucho tiempo a las in- vestigaciones sobre este tema, afirman que no existen sino dos o tres idiomas entre las numerosas tribus que ocuparon prOlogo del autor 27 antano el pais que actualmente constituye los Estados Uni- dos. Achaean las dificultades con que esas tribus tropiezan para entenderse unas con otras a la corrupcion de las primi- tivas lenguas, y a los dialectos resultantes. El autor recuerda haber presenciado una entre vista celebrada por dos jefes procedentes de las grandes praderas del oeste del rio Misi- sipi; los guerreros se hallaban, al parecer, en buena armonia y, tambien al parecer, conversaron juntos largo rato; no obstante, segun manifesto el interprete cuyos servicios fue- ron necesarios, ninguno de los dos comprendia ni una palabra de lo que decia el otro. Es de advertir que pertenecian a tribus hostiles que habianse alii reunido merced a la influen- cia del Gobierno americano, y es digno de nota el hecho de que una poKtica comiin les impulse a adoptar el mismo asunto de conversacion : es decir, el de socorrerse mutua- mente si los azares de la guerra haciaii caer a cualquiera de ellos en manos de sus enemigos. Sea cual fuere la verdad respecto a las raices y al genio de las lenguas indias, es lo cierto que ahora son tan distintas en sus palabras, que ofre- cen todos los inconvenientes de los idiomas extranjeros, y de ahi nacen las dificultades que presenta el estudio historico de las diferentes tribus y la incertidumbre de sus tradiciones. Como las naciones de importancia mds elevada, estos in- dios dan acerca de su propia casta detalles que varian mucho de los que suministran las otras tribus o los historiadores. Muestranse inclinadisimos a estimar sus perfecciones a ex- pensas de las de sus rivales o de las de sus enemigos. 28 PROLOGO DEL AUTOR Los blancos han contribuldo grandemente, con su mania de corromper los nombres indios, a llevar mayor obscuridad a las tradiciones de los aborigenes. Asi, ei nombre Mohicano que sirve de titulo a esta obra, ha sufrido los diversos cam- bios de Mahicani, Mohicanos, y Moheganos; siendo este iiltimo el generahnente adoptado por los colonos blancos. Con recordar que los holandeses, que fueron los primeros europeos en establecerse en Nueva York, asi como los ingleses y los franceses, cada colonia a su modo, dieron nombres a todas las tribus de indios que habitaban en el pais donde se desarrolla la accion de esta novela, y con recordar tambien que los indios frecuentemente designaban con distintas de- nominaciones no solo a sus enemigos, sino a ellos mismos, se comprendera sin esfuerzo la causa de la confusion. En esta obra, Lenni Lenape, Lenope, Delawares, Wapa- nachki y Mohicanos son un solo pueblo, o tribus de identico origen. Los Mengwe, los Maquas, los Mingoes y los Iro- queses, aun no siendo absolutamente iguales, se confunden muchas veces en raz6n a hallarse todos ellos animados por la misma politica y en contraposicion a los antecitados. Mingo era un t^rmino de censura, de igual modo que Mingwe y Maqua en grado menor. Oneida es el nombre de una de- terminada y poderosa tribu perteneciente a esta confedera- cion. Los Mohicanos eran los poseedores del pais que ocuparon los primeros colonos europeos en esta parte de America. Fueron, por consiguiente, los primeros desposeidos, y la prOlogo del autor 29 suerte inevitable de estos pueblos — que desapareclan ante el avance, o si se nos permite la frase, ante la invasion de la civilizacion, como los verdores de sus selvas virgenes calan ante los hielos del invierno, — estaba ya consumada en la 6poca en que principia la accion de esta novela. La comarca senalada como teatro de la accion ha sufrido acaso menos cambios desde la epoca de los acontecimientos que allf ocurrieron, que la mayorfa de los distritos de igual extension en los limites de los Estados Unidos. Hoy en dia (1851) hay un balneario de moda, muy concurrido, en el mismo sitio donde se encuentra la fuente ante la cual se de- tuvo Hawkeye para mitigar su sed, y hay caminos que cm- zan la selva que el recorrfa, lo mismo que sus amigos, sin encontrar senda alguna. En Glenn se encuentra hoy un pueblecillo y, mientras de la fortaleza de William Henry y aun de una fortaleza de fecha mds reciente s61o quedan ruinas, ha surgido otro pueblecito en las playas del Horican. Pero, fuera de esto, la raza en^rgica y emprendedora, que tanto ha hecho en otros lugares del pals, ha hecho muy poco en ^stos. El inmenso terreno donde se efectuaron los lilti- mos incidentes de esta novela continiia siendo casi una sole- dad, aun cuando los Pieles Rojas desertaron totalmente de esta comarca. De todas las tribus mencionadas en estas paginas, s61o restan algunos individuos semicivilizados de los Oneidas en sus respectivas demarcaciones en el estado de Nueva York. MAPAS Mapa de las regiones pobladas por las principales tribus de indios en la Epoca de la Colonia 33 ESTATUA DE MEDIAS DE CUERO EN EL CEMENTERIO DE COOPERSTOWN, ESTADO DE NUEVA YORK THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. CHAPTSK I. Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared ; The worst is worldly loss thou canst unfold : — Say, is my kingdom lost? Shakspeare, King Richard II. It was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars of ISTorth America, that the toils and dangers of the wilderness were to be encountered before the adverse hosts could ' meet. A wide and apparently an impervious boundary of forests severed the possessions of the hostile prov- 5 inces of France and England. The hardy colonist and the trained European who fought at his side frequently expended months in struggling against the rapids of the streams, or in effecting the rugged passes of the moun- tains, in quest of an opportunity to exhibit their courage 10 in a more martial conflict. But, emulating the patience and self-denial of the practised native warriors, they learned to overcome every difficulty ; and it would seem that, in time, there was no recess of the woods so dark, nor any secret place so lonely, that it might claim ex- 15 37 38 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. , emption from the inroads of those who had pledged their blood to satiate their vengeance, or to uphold the cold and selfish policy of the distant monarchs of Europe. 5 Perhaps no district throughout the wide extent of the intermediate frontiers can furnish a livelier picture of the cruelty and fierceness of the savage warfare of those periods than the country which lies between the head waters of the Hudson and the adjacent lakes. 10 The facilities which nature had there offered to the march of the combatants were too obvious to be neglected. The lengthened sheet of the Champlain stretched from the frontiers of Canada, deep within the borders of the neighboring province of New York, form- 15 ing a natural passage across half the distance that the French were compelled to master in order to strike their enemies. Near its southern termination it received the contributions of another lake, whose waters were so limpid as to have been exclusively selected by the 20 Jesuit missionaries to perform the typical purification of baptism, and to obtain for it the title of lake "du Saint Sacrement." The less zealous English thought they conferred a sufficient honor on its unsullied foun- tains, when they bestowed the name of their reigning 25 prince, the second of the House of Hanover. The two united to rob the untutored possessors of its wooded scenery of their native right to perpetuate its original appellation of " Horican." Winding its way among countless islands, and im- TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 39 bedded in mountains, the " holy lake " extended a dozen leagues still farther to the south. With the high plain that there interposed itself to the further passage of the water, commenced a portage of as many miles, which conducted the adventurer to the banks of the Hudson, 5 at a point where, with the usual obstructions of the rap- ids, or rifts as they were then termed in the language of the country, the river became navigable to the tide. While, in the pursuit of their daring plans of an- noyance, the restless enterprise of the French even 10 attempted the distant and difficult gorges of the Alle- ghany, it may easily be imagined that their proverbial acuteness would not overlook the natural advantages of the district we have just described. It became emphat- ically the bloody arena in which most of the battles for 15 the mastery of the colonies were contested. Forts were erected at the different points that commanded the facil- ities of the route, and were taken and retaken, razed and rebuilt, as victory alighted on the hostile banners. While the husbandmen shrank back from the dangerous 20 passes within the safer boundaries of the more ancient settlements, armies larger than those that had often dis- posed of the sceptres of the mother countries were seen to bury themselves in these forests, whence they rarely returned but in skeleton bands that were haggard with 25 care or dejected by defeat. Though the arts of peace were unknown to this fatal region, its forests were alive with men ; its shades and glens rang with the sounds of martial music, and the echoes of its mountains threw 40 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. back the laugh or repeated the wanton cry of many a gallant and reckless youth, as he hurried by them, in the noontide of his spirits, to slumber in a long night of forgetfulness. 5 It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred, during the third year of the war which England and France last waged for the possession of a country that neither was destined to retain. 10 The imbecility of her military leaders abroad and the fatal want of energy in her councils at home had low- ered the character of Great Britain from the proud ele- vation on which it had been placed by the talents and enterprise of her former warriors and statesmen. No 15 longer dreaded by her enemies, her servants were fast losing the confidence of self-respect. In this mortifying abasement, the colonists, though innocent of her imbe- cility, and too humble to be the agents of her blunders, were but the natural participators. 20 They had recently seen a chosen army from that coun- try, which, reverencing as a mother, they had blindly believed invincible, — an army led by a chief who had been selected from a crowd of trained warriors for his rare military endowments, — disgracefully routed by a 25 handful of French and Indians, and only saved from annihilation by the coolness and spirit of a Virginian boy, whose riper fame has since diffused itself, with the steady influence of moral truth, to the uttermost con- fines of Christendom. A wide frontier had been laid THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 41 naked by this unexpected disaster, and more substantial evils were preceded by a thousand fanciful and imagi- nary dangers. The alarmed colonists believed that tlie yells of the savages mingled with every fitful gust of wind that issued from the interminable forests of the 5 west. The terrific character of their merciless enemies increased immeasurably the natural horrors of warfare. Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollections ; nor was there any ear in the provinces so deaf as not to have drunk in with avidity the narrative lo of some fearful tale of midnight murder, in which the natives of the forests v/ere the principal and barbarous actors. As the credulous and excited traveller related the hazardous chances of the wilderness, the blood of the timid curdled with terror, and mothers cast anxious 15 glances even at those children which slumbered within the security of the largest towns. In short, the magni- fying influence of fear began to set at nought the calcu- lations of reason, and to render those who should have remembered their manhood the slaves of the basest of 20 passions. Even the most confident and the stoutest hearts began to think the issue of the contest was be- coming doubtful ; and that abject class was hourly in- creasing in numbers, who thought they foresaw all the possessions of the English crown in America subdued 25 by their Christian foes, or laid waste by the inroads of their relentless allies. When, therefore, intelligence was received at the fort which covered the southern termination of the portage 42 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, between the Hudson and the lakes, that Montcalm had been seen moving up the Champlain with an army " numerous as the leaves on the trees," its truth was admitted with more of the craven reluctance of fear 5 than with the stern joy that a warrior should feel in finding an enemy within reach of his blow. The news had been brought, towards the decline of a day in mid- summer, by an Indian runner, who also bore an urgent request from Munro, the commander of the work on the io shore of the " holy lake," for a speedy and powerful re-enforcement. It has already been mentioned that the distance between these two posts was less than five leagues. The rude path, which originally formed their line of communication, had been widened for the passage 15 of wagons, so that the distance which had been travelled by the son of the forest in two hours might easily be effected by a detachment of troops, with their necessary baggage, between the rising and setting of a summer sun. The loyal servants of the British crown had given to 20 one of these forest fastnesses the name of William Henry, and to the other, that of Fort Edward ; calling each after a favorite prince of the reigning family. The veteran Scotchman just named held the first with a regiment of regulars and a few provincials ; a force really 25 by far too small to make head against the formidable power that Montcalm was leading to the foot of his earthen mounds. At the latter, however, lay General Webb, who commanded the armies of the king in the northern provinces, with a body of more than five thou- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 43 sand men. By uniting the several detachments of his command, this officer might have arrayed nearly double that number of combatants against the enterprising Frenchman, who had ventured so far from his re-enforce- . ments with an army but little superior in numbers. 5 ' But, under the influence of their degraded fortunes, ■ both officers and men appeared better disposed to await the approach of their formidable antagonist within their works, than to resist the progress of their march by emulating the successful example of the French at Fort 10 du Quesne, and striking a blow on their advance. After the first surprise of the intelligence had a little abated, a rumor was spread through the intrenched camp, which stretched along the margin of the Hudson, forming a chain of outworks to the body of the fort 15 itself, that a chosen detachment of fifteen hundred men was to depart with the dawn for William Henry, the post at the northern extremity of the portage. That which at first was only rumor soon became certainty, as orders passed from the quarters of the commander-in- 20 chief to the several corps he had selected for this service, to prepare for their speedy departure. All doubt as to the intention of Webb now vanished, and an hour or two of hurried footsteps and anxious faces succeeded. The novice in the military art flew from point to point, 25 retarding his own preparations by the excess of his vio- , lent and somewhat distempered zeal ; while the more practised veteran made his arrangements with a delibe- ration that scorned every appearance of haste ; though 44 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, his sober lineaments and anxious eye sufficiently be- trayed that he had no very strong professional relish for the, as yet, untried and dreaded warfare of the wil- derness. At length the sun set in a flood of glory 5 behind the distant western hills, and as darkness drew its veil around the secluded spot, the sounds of prepara- tion diminished ; the last light finally disappeared from the log cabin of some ofiicer ; the trees cast their deeper shadows over the mounds and the rippling stream, and 10 a silence soon pervaded the camp, as deep as that which reigned in the vast forest by which it was environed. According to the orders of the preceding night the heavy sleep of the army was broken by the rolling of the warning drums, whose rattling echoes were heard issuing 15 on the damp morning air, out of every vista of the woods, just as day began to draw the shaggy outlines of some tall pines of the vicinity on the opening brightness of a soft and cloudless eastern sky. In an instant the whole camp was in motion ; the meanest soldier arousing 20 from his lair to witness the departure of his comrades, and to share in the excitement and incidents of the hour. The simple array of the chosen band was soon completed. While the regular and trained hirelings of the king marched with haughtiness to the right of the line, the 25 less pretending colonists took their humbler position on its left, with a docility that long practice had rendered easy. The scouts departed; strong guards preceded and followed the lumbering vehicles that bore the bag- gage; and before the gray light of the morning wasr THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 45 mellowed by the rays of the sun, the main body of the combatants wheeled into column, and left the encamp- ment with a show of high military bearing, that served to drown the slumbering apprehensions of many a novice, who was now about to make his first essay in arms. 5 While in view of their admiring comrades, the same proud front and ordered array was observed, until, the notes of their fifes growing fainter in distance, the forest at length appeared to swallow up the living mass which had slowly entered its bosom. 10 The deepest sounds of the retiring and invisible col- umn had ceased to be borne on the breeze to the listen- ers, and the latest straggler had already disappeared in pursuit, but there still remained the signs of another departure, before a log cabin of unusual size and accom- 15 modations, in front of which those sentinels paced their rounds who were known to guard the person of the English general. At this spot were gathered some half- dozen horses, caparisoned in a manner which showed that two, at least, were destined to bear the persons of 20 females of a rank that it was not usual to meet so far in the wilds of the country. A third wore the trappings and arms of an officer of the staff; while the rest, from the plainness of the housings, and the travelling mails with which they were encumbered, were evidently fitted for 25 the reception of as many menials, who were seemingly already awaiting the convenience or pleasure of those they served. At a respectful distance from this unusual show, were gathered divers groups of curious idlers ; 46 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. some admiring the blood and bone of the high-mettled military charger, and others gazing at the preparations with the dull wonder of vulgar curiosity. There was one man, however, who, by his countenance and actions, 5 formed a marked exception to those who composed the latter class of spectators, being neither idle nor seem- ingly very ignorant. The person of this individual was to the last degree ungainly, without being in any particular manner de- 10 formed. He had all the bones and joints of other men, without any of their proportions. Erect, his stature sur- passed that of his fellows ; though, seated, he appeared reduced within the ordinary limits of our race. The same contrariety in his members seemed to exist through- 15 out the whole man. His head was large ; his shoulders narrow; his arms long and dangling; while his hands '^ were small, if not delicate. His legs and thighs were thin nearly to emaciation, but of extraordinary length; and his knees would have been considered tremendous, 20 had they not been outdone by the broader foundations on which this false superstructure of blended human orders was so profanely reared. The ill-assorted and injudicious attire of the individual only served to render his awkwardness more conspicuous. A sky-blue coat, 25 with short and broad skirts and low cape, exposed a long thin neck and longer and thinner legs, to the worst an- imadversions of the evil disposed. His nether garment was of yellow nankeen, closely fitted to the shape, and tied at his bunches of knees by large knots of white rib- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 47 bon a good deal sullied by use. Clouded cotton stockings and shoes, on one of the latter. of which was a plated spur, completed the costume of the lower extremity of this figure, no curve or angle of which was concealed, but, on the other hand, studiously exhibited through the 5 vanity or simplicity of its owner. From beneath the flap of an enormous pocket of a soiled vest of embossed silk, heavily ornamented with tarnished silver lace, pro- jected an instrument, which, from being seen in such martial company, might have been easily mistaken for 10 some mischievous and unknown implement of war. Small as it was, this uncommon engine had excited the curiosity of most of the Europeans in the camp, though several of the provincials were seen to handle it, not only without fear, but with the utmost familiarity. A 16 large, civil cocked hat, like those vs^orn by clergymen within the last thirty years, surmounted the whole, fur- nishing dignity to a good natured and somewhat vacant countenance, that apparently needed such artificial aid to support the gravity of some high and extraordinary trust. 20 While the common herd stood aloof in deference to the sacred precincts of the quarters of Webb, the figure we have described stalked into the centre of the domes- tics, freely expressing his censures or commendations on the merits of the horses, as by chance they displeased or 25 satisfied his judgment. " This beast, I rather conclude, friend, is not of home raising, but is from foreign lands, or perhaps from the little island itself, over the blue water ? " he said, in a 48 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. voice as remarkable for the softness and sweetness of its tones as was his person for its rare proportions: "I may speak of these things and be no braggart, for I have been down at both havens ; that which is situate at the 5 mouth of Thames, and is named after the capital of Old England, and that which is called ' Haven,' with the ad- dition of the word ' ISTew ; ' and have seen the snows and brigantines collecting their droves, like the gathering to the ark, being outward bound to the island of Jamaica 10 for the purpose of barter and traffic in four-footed animals ; but never before have I beheld a beast which verified the true scripture war-horse like this : ' He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength; he goeth on to meet the armed men.' ^ He saith among the 15 trumpets, ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off; the thunder of the captains and the shouting.' — It would seem that the stock of the horse of Israel has descended to our own time ; would it not, friend ? '^ Eeceiving no reply to this extraordinary appeal, which, 20 in truth, as it was delivered with all the vigor of full and sonorous tones, merited some sort of notice, he who had thus sung forth the language of the holy book, turned to the silent figure to whom he had unwittingly addressed himself, and found a new and more powerful 25 subject of admiration in the object that encountered his gaze. His eyes fell on the still, upright, and rigid form of the '^ Indian runner," who had borne to the camp the unwelcome tidings of the preceding evening. Although in a state of perfect repose, and apparently disregarding, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 49 with characteristic stoicism, the excitement and bustle around him, there was a sullen fierceness mingled with the quiet of the savage, that was likely to arrest the attention of much more experienced eyes than those which now scanned him in unconcealed amazement. The 5 native bore both the tomahawk and knife of his tribe ; and yet his appearance was not altogether that of a war- rior. On the contrary, there was an air of neglect about his person, like that which might have proceeded from great and recent exertion, which he had not yet found 10 leisure to repair. The colors of the war-paint had blended in dark confusion about his fierce countenance, and rendered his swarthy lineaments still more savage and repulsive, than if art had attempted an effect which had been thus produced by chance. His eye alone, which 15 glistened like a fiery star amid lowering clouds, was to be seen in its state of native wildness. For a single in- stant his searching and yet wary glance met the wonder- ing look of the other, and then, changing its direction, partly in cunning and partly in disdain, it remained 20 fixed, as if penetrating the distant air. It is impossible to say what unlooked for remark this short and silent communication, between two such singu- lar men, might have elicited from the Avhite man, had not his active curiosity been again drawn to other objects. 25 A general movement among the domestics and a low sound of gentle voices announced the approach of those whose presence alone was wanted, in order to enable the cavalcade to move. The simple admirer of the war-horse 50 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. instantly fell back to a low, gaunt, switch-tailed mare, that was unconsciously gleaning the faded herbage of the camp, nigh by, where, leaning with one elbow on the blanket that concealed an apology for a saddle, he 5 became a spectator of the departure, while a foal was quietly making its morning repast on the opposite side of the same animal. A young man in the dress of an officer conducted to their steeds two females, who, it was apparent by their 10 dresses, were prepared to encounter the fatigues of a journey in the woods. One, and she was the most ju- venile in her appearance, though both were young, per- mitted glimpses of her dazzling complexion, fair golden hair, and bright blue eyes, to be caught, as she artlessly 15 suffered the morning air to blow aside the green veil which descended low from her beaver. The flush which still lingered above the pines in the western sky was not more bright nor delicate than the bloom on her cheek ; nor was the opening day more cheering than the 20 animated smile which she bestowed on the youth, as he assisted her into the saddle. The other, who appeared to share equally in the attentions of the young officer, concealed her charms from the gaze of the soldiery with a care that seemed better fitted to the experience of four 25 or five additional years. It could be seen, however, that her person, though moulded with the same exquisite proportions, of which none of the graces were lost by the travelling dress she wore, was rather fuller and more mature than that of her companion. TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 51 No sooner were these females seated than their at- tendant sprang lightly into the saddle of the war-horse, when the whole three bowed to Webb, who, in courtesy, awaited their parting on the threshold of his cabin, and turning their horses' heads, they proceeded at a slow 5 ; amble, followed by their train, towards the northern en- trance of the encampment. As they traversed that short distance, not a voice was heard amongst them ; but a slight exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females, as the Indian runner glided by her, unexpect- 10 edly, and led the way along the military road in her front. Though this sudden and startling movement of the Indian produced no sound from the other, in the surprise, her veil also was allowed to open its folds, and betrayed an indescribable look of pity, admiration, and 15 horror, as her dark eye followed the easy motions of the savage. The tresses of this lady were shining and black, like the plumage of the raven. Her complexion was not brown, but it rather appeared charged with the color of the rich blood that seemed ready to burst its bounds. 20 And yet there was neither coarseness nor want of shad- owing in a countenance that was exquisitely regular and dignified and surpassingly beautiful. She smiled, as if in pity at her own momentary forgetfulness, discovering by the act a row of teeth that would have shamed the 25 purest ivory ; when, replacing the veil, she bowed her face and rode in silence, like one whose thoughts were abstracted from the scene around her. JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER, CHAPTER 11. Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola! — Shakspeare, Merchant of Venice. While one of the lovely beings we have so cursorily presented to the reader was thus lost in thought, the other quickly recovered from the slight alarm which induced the exclamation, and, laughing at her own 5 weakness, she inquired of the youth who rode by her side, — " Are such spectres frequent in the woods, Hey ward ; or is this sight an especial entertainment, ordered in our behalf ? If the latter, gratitude must close our mouths ; 10 but if the former, both Cora and I shall have need to draw largely on that stock of hereditary courage of which we boast, even before we are made to encounter the redoubtable Montcalm." " Yon Indian is a ' runner ' of the army, and, after the 15 fashion of his people, he may be accounted a hero," re- turned the officer. " He has volunteered to guide us to the lakcj by a path but little known, sooner than if we followed the tardy movements of the column, and, by consequence, more agreeably." 20 " I like him not," said the lady, shuddering, partly in assumed, yet more in real terror. " You know hina. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 53 Duncan, or you would not trust yourself so freely to his keeping ? '' " Say, rather, Alice, that I would not trust you. I do know him or he would not have my confidence, and least of all, at this moment. He is said to be a Canadian, 5 too ; and yet he served with our friends the Mohawks, who, as you know, are one of the six allied nations. He was brought amongst us, as I have heard, by some strange accident, in which your father was interested, and in which the savage was rigidly dealt by — but 1 10 forget the idle tale; it is enough that he is now our friend." *' If he has been my father's enemy, I like him still less ! " exclaimed the now really anxious maiden. '^ Will you not speak to him. Major Hey ward, that I may hear 15 his tones ? Foolish though it may be, you have often heard me avow my faith in the tones of the human voice." ^^It would be in vain, and answered, most probably, by an ejaculation. Though he may understand it, he 20 affects, like most of his people, to be ignorant of the English ; and least of all will he condescend to speak it, now that war demands the utmost exercise of his dignity. But he stops ; the private path by which we are to jour- ney is, doubtless, at hand." 25 The conjecture of Major Hey ward was true. When they reached the spot where the Indian stood, pointing into the thicket that fringed the military road, a nar- row and blind path, which might, with some little in- 54 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. convenience, receive one person at a time, became visible. " Here, then, lies our way," said the young man in a low voice. " Manifest no distrust, or you may invite the 5 danger you appear to apprehend.'^ " Cora, what think you ? " asked the reluctant fair one. "If we journey with the troops, though we may find their presence irksome, shall we not feel better assurance of our safety ? " 10 " Being little accustomed to the practices of the sav- ages, Alice, you mistake the place of real danger,'' said Heyward. " If enemies have reached the portage at all, a thing by no means probable, as our scouts are abroad, they will surely be found skirting the column, where 15 scalps abound the most. The route of the detachment is known, while ours, having been determined within the hour, must still be secret." " Should we distrust the man, because his manners are not our manners, and that his skin is dark ? " coldly 20 asked Cora. Alice hesitated no longer ; but giving her Narragan- sett a smart cut of the whip, she was the first to dash aside the slight branches of the bushes, and to follow the runner along the dark and tangled path-way. The 25 young man regarded the last speaker in open admira- tion, and even permitted her fairer, though certainly not more beautiful companion, to proceed unattended, while he sedulously opened a way himself, for the passage of her who has been called Cora. It would seem that the THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 55 domestics had been previously instructed ; for, instead of penetrating the thicket, they followed the route of the column ; a measure, which Hey ward stated, had been dictated by the sagacity of their guide, in order to dimin- ish the marks of their trail, if, haply, the Canadian sav- 5 ages should be lurking so far in advance of their army. For many minutes the intricacy of their route admitted of no further dialogue ; after which they emerged from the broad border of underbrush, which grew along the line of the highway, and entered under the high, but 10 dark arches of the forest. Here their progress was less interrupted ; and the instant their guide perceived that the females could command their steeds, he moved on, at a pace between a trot and a walk ; and at a rate which kept the sure-footed and peculiar animals they 15 rode at a fast yet easy amble. The youth had turned to speak to the dark-eyed Cora, when the distant sounds of horses' hoofs, clattering over the roots of the broken way in his rear, caused him to check his charger ; and, as his companions drew their reins at the same instant, 20 the whole party came to a halt, in order to obtain an explanation of the unlooked for interruption. In a few moments, a colt was seen gliding, like a fal- low deer, amongst the straight trunks of the pines ; and in another instant the person of the ungainly man, de- 25 scribed in the preceding chapter, came into view, with as much rapidity as he could excite his meagre beast to endure, without coming to an open rupture. Until now this personage had escaped the observation of the travel- 66 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. lers. If he possessed the power to arrest any wander- ing eye, when exhibiting the glories of his altitude on foot, his equestrian graces were still more likely to at- tract attention. Notwithstanding a constant applica- 5 tion of his one armed heel to the flanks of the mare^ the most confirmed gait that he could establish, was a Can- terbury gallop with the hind legs, in which those more forward assisted for doubtful moments, though gene- rally content to maintain a loping trot. Perhaps the 10 rapidity of the changes from one of these paces to the other, created an optical illusion, which might thus magnify the powers of the beast ; for it is certain that Heyward, who possessed a true eye for the merits ©f a horse, was unable, with his utmost ingenuity, to decide 15 by what sort of movement his pursuer worked his sinuious way on his footsteps, with such persevering hardihood. The industry and movements of the rider were' not • less remarkable than those of the ridden. At each change in the evolutions of the latter, the former raised 20 his tall person in the stirrups ; producing, in this man- ner, by the undue elongation of his legs, such sijddeni growths and diminishings of the stature, as baffled every conjecture that might be made as to his dimensions- If to this be added the fact, that in consequence of the 25 ex parte application of the spur, one side of the mare appeared to journey faster than the other; and that the aggrieved flank was resolutely indicated, by unremitted flourishes of her bushy tail, we finish the picture of both horse and man. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 57 The frown which hfl,d gathered around the handsome, open, and manly brow of Heyward, gradually relaxed, and his lips curled into a slight smile, as he regarded the stranger. Alice made no very powerful effort to con- trol her merriment, and even the dark, thoughtful eye 5 of Cora lighted with a humor that it would seem the habit, rather than the nature, of its mistress, repressed. " Seek you any here ? " demanded Heyward, when the other had arrived sufficiently nigh to abate his speed ; " I trust you are no messenger of evil tidings." 10 "Even so," replied the stranger, making diligent use of his triangular castor to produce a circulation in the close air of the woods, and leaving his hearers in doubt, to which of the young man's questions he responded ; when, however, he had cooled his face and recovered his 15 breath, he continued : " I hear you are riding to Wil- liam Henry ; as I am journeying thitherward myself, I concluded good company would seem consistent to the wishes of both parties." " You appear to possess the privilege of a casting 20 vote," returned Heyward ; " we are three, whilst you liave consulted no one but yourself." " Even so. The first point to be obtained is to know ' one^s own mind. Once sure of that, and where women are concerned it is not easy, the next is to act up to the 25 decision. I have endeavored to do both, and here I am." " If you journey to the lake, you have mistaken your route," said Heyward, haughtily ; " the highway thither is at least half-a-mile behind you." 58 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. " Even so," returned the stranger, nothing daunted by this cold reception : " I have tarried at * Edward ' a week, and I should be dumb, not to have inquired the road I was to journey ; and if dumb, there would be an 5 end to my calling." After simpering in a small way, like one whose modesty prohibited a more open expres- sion of his admiration of a witticism, that was perfectly unintelligible to his hearers, he continued : ^' It is not prudent for one of my profession to be too familiar with 10 those he has to instruct ; for which reason, I follow not the line of the army : besides which, I conclude that a gentleman of your character has the best judgment in matters of wayfaring ; I have therefore decided to join company, in order that the ride may be made agreeable, 15 and partake of social communion." ^' A most arbitrary, if not a hasty decision ! " ex- claimed Heyward, undecided whether to give vent to his growing anger or to laugh in the other's face. " But you speak of instruction and of a profession ; are you 20 an adjunct to the provincial corps, as a master of the noble science of defence and offence ? or, perhaps, you are one who draws lines and angles under the pretence of expounding the mathematics ? " The stranger regarded his interrogator a moment in 25 wonder ; and then, losing every mark of self-satisfaction in an expression of solemn humility, he answered : " Of offence, I hope there is none to either party : of defence I make none — by God's good mercy having committed no palpable sin, since last entreating his par- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 59 doning grace. I understand not your allusions about lines and angles ; and I leave expounding to those who have been called and set apart for that holy office. I lay claim to no higher gift, than a small insight into the glorious art of petition and thanksgiving, as practised in 5 psalmody." ^' The man is, most manifestly, a disciple of Apollo," cried the amused Alice, " and I take him under my own especial protection. Nay, throw aside that frown, Hey- ward, and, in pity to my longing ears, suffer him to 10 journey in our train. Besides," she added, in a low and hurried voice, casting a glance at the distant Cora, who slowly followed the footsteps of their silent but sullen guide, " it may be a friend added to our strength in time of need." 15 '■' Think you, Alice, that I would trust those I love by this secret path, did I imagine such need could happen ? " ^^ Nay, nay, I think not of it now ; but this strange man amuses me ; and if he * hath music in his soul,' let us not churlishly reject his company." She pointed per- 20 suasively along the path, with her riding whip, while their eyes met in a look, which the young man lingered a moment to prolong; then, yielding to her gentle influ- ence, he clapped his spurs into his charger, and in a few bounds was again at the side of Cora. 25 ^^ I am glad to encounter thee, friend," continued the maiden, waving her hand to the stranger to proceed, as she urged her Narragansett to renew its amble. " Par- tial relatives have almost persuaded me, that I am not 60 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. entirely worthless in a duet myself ; and we may en- liven our wayfaring, by indulging in our favorite pur- suit. It might be of signal advantage to one, ignorant as I, to hear the opinions and experience of a master in B the art.'' " It is refreshing both to the spirits and to the body, to indulge in psalmody in befitting seasons,'' returned the master of song, unhesitatingly complying with her intimation to follow; '-and nothing would relieve the 10 mind more than such a consoling communion. But four parts are altogether necessary to the perfection of mel- . ody. You have all the manifestations of a soft and rich treble ; I can, by especial aid, carry a full tenor to the highest letter ; but we lack counter and bass ! Yon of- 15 ficer of the king, who hesitated to admit me to his com- pany, might fill the latter, if one may judge from the intonations of his voice in common dialogue." " Judge not too rashly, from hasty and deceptive ap- pearances," said the lady, smiling ; " though Major Hey- 20 ward can assume such deep notes, on occasion, believe me, his natural tones are better fitted for a mellow tenor, than the bass you heard." " Is he, then, much practised in the art of psalmody ? " demanded her simple companion. 25 Alice felt disposed to laugh, though she succeeded in suppressing her merriment, ere she answered, — '^I apprehend that he is rather addicted to profane song. The chances of a soldiers life are but little fitted for the encouragement of more sober inclinations." THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 61 " Man's voice is given to him, like his other talents, to be used, and not to be abused. None can say they have ever known me neglect my gifts ! I am thank- ful that, though my boyhood may be said to have been set apart, like the youth of the royal David, for the 5 purposes of music, no syllable of rude verse has ever profaned my lips." " You have, then, limited your efforts to sacred song ? " "Even so. As the psalms of David exceed all other language, so does the psalmody that has been fitted to 10 them by the divines and sages of the land, surpass all vain poetry. Happily, I may say, that I utter nothing but the thoughts and the wishes of the King of Israel himself ; for though the times may call for some slight changes, yet does this version, which we use in the colo- 15 nies of New England, so much exceed all other versions, that, by its richness, its exactness, and its spiritual sim- plicity, it approacheth, as near as may be, to the great work of the inspired writer. I never abide in any place, sleeping or waking, without an example of this gifted 20 work. 'Tis the six-and-twentieth edition, promulgated at Boston, Anno Domini, 1744 ; and is entitled, 'The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Old and New Testa- ments ; faithfully translated into English Metre, for the Use, Edification, and Comfort of the Saints in Public 25 and Private especially in New England.' " During this eulogium on the rare production of his native poets, the stranger had drawn the book from his pocket, and, fitting a pair of iron-rimmed spectacles to 62 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. his nose, opened the volume with a care and veneration suited to its sacred purposes. Then, without circumlocu- tion or apology, first pronouncing the word, " Standish,'^ and placing the unknown engine already described to 5 his mouth, from which he drew a high, shrill sound, that was followed by an octave below, from his own voice, he commenced singing the following words in full, sweet, and melodious tones, that set the music, the poetry, and even the uneasy motion of his ill-trained feeast, at 10 defiance : "How good it is, O see, And how it pleaseth well, Together, e'en in unity. For brethren so to dwell. 15 It's like the choice ointment, From head to th' beard did go : Down Aaron's beard, that downward went, His garment's skirts unto." The delivery of these skilful rhymes was accompanied, 20 on the part of the stranger, by a regular rise and fall of his right hand, which terminated at the descent, by suf- fering the fingers to dwell a moment on the leaves of the little volume ; and on the ascent, by such a flourish of the member, as none but the initiated may ever hope 25 to imitate. It would seem that long practice had ren- dered this manual accompaniment necessary ; for it did not cease, until the significant preposition which the poet had selected for the close of his verse had been duly delivered like a word of two syllables. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 63 Such an innovation on the silence and retirement of the forest could not fail to enlist the ears of those who journeyed at so short a distance in advance. The In- dian muttered a few words in broken English to Hey- ward, who, in his turn, spoke to the stranger; at once 5 interrupting, and, for the time, closing his musical ef- forts. " Though we are not in danger, common prudence would teach us to journey through this wilderness in as quiet a manner as possible. You will, then, pardon me, 10 Alice, should I diminish your enjoyments by requesting this gentleman to postpone his chant until a safer oppor- tunity.'' " You will diminish them, indeed," returned the arch maiden, -^ for never did I hear a more unworthy conjunc- 15 tion of execution and language, than that to which I have been listening; and I was far gone in a learned inquiry into the causes of such an unfitness between sound and sense, when you broke the charm of my mu- sings by that bass of yours, Dunc&n ! " 20 ^' I know not what you call my bass," said Heyward, piqued at her remark, " but I know that your safety, and that of Cora, is far dearer to me than could be any or- chestra of Handel's music." He paused, and turned his head quickly towards a thicket, and then bent his eyes 25 suspiciously on their guide, who continued his steady pace in undisturbed gravity. The young m.an smiled to himself, for he believed he had mistaken some shining berry of the woods, for the glistening eye-balls of a prowl- 64 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. ing savage, and he rode forward, continuing the conver- sation which had been interrupted by the passing thought. Major Hey ward was mistaken only in suffering his youthful and generous pride to suppress his active watch- 5 fulness. The cavalcade had not long passed, before the branches of the bushes that formed the thicket, were cautiously moved asunder, and a human visage, as fiercely wild as savage art and unbridled passions could make it, peered out on the retiring footsteps of the travellers. A 10 gleam of exultation shot across the darkly painted linea- ments of the inhabitant of the forest, as he traced the ■ route of his intended victims, who rode unconsciously onward ; the light and graceful forms of the females waving among the trees, in the curvatures of their path, 15 followed at each bend by the manly figure of Heyward, until, finally, the shapeless person of the singing master was concealed behind the numberless trunks of trees that rose in dark lines in the intermediate space. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 65 CHAPTER III. Before these fields were shorn and tilled, Full to the brim our rivers flowed; The melody of waters filled The fresh and boundless wood; And torrents dashed, and rivulets played, And fountains spouted in the shade. Bryant, An Indian at the Burial Place of his Fathers. Leaving the unsuspecting Heyward, and his confid- ing companions, to penetrate still deeper into a forest that contained such treacherous inmates, we must use an author's privilege, and shift the scene a few miles to the westward of the place where we have last seen them. 5 On that day, two men were lingering on the banks of a small but rapid stream, within an hour's journey of the encampment of Webb, like those who awaited the appearance of an absent person, or the approach of some expected event. The vast canopy of woods spread itself 10 to the margin of the river, overhanging the water and shadowing its dark current with a deeper hue. The rays of the sun were beginning to grow less fierce, and the intense heat of the day was lessened, as the cooler vapors of the springs and fountains rose above their 15 leafy beds and rested in the atmosphere. Still, that 6Q JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, breathing silence, whicli marks the drowsy sultriness of an American landscape in July, pervaded the secluded spot, interrupted, only, by the low voices of the men, an occasional and lazy tap of a woodpecker, the discordant 6 cry of some gaudy jay, or a swelling on the ear from the dull roar of a distant w^aterfall. These feeble and broken sounds were, however, too familiar to the foresters to draw their attention from the more interesting matter of their dialogue. While 10 one of these loiterers showed the red skin and wild ac- coutrements of a native of the woods, the other exhib- ited, through the mask of his rude and nearly savage equipments, the brighter, though sun-burnt and long- faded complexion of one who might claim descent from 15 an European parentage. The former was seated on the end of a mossy log, in a posture that permitted him to heighten the effect of his earnest language, by the calm but expressive gestures of an Indian, engaged in debate. His body, which was nearly naked, presented a terrific 20 emblem of death, drawn in intermingled colors of white and black. His closely shaved head, on which no other hair than the well-known and chivalrous scalping-tuft was preserved, was without ornament of any kind, with the exception of a solitary eagle's plume, that crossed 25 his crown, and depended over the left shoulder. A tom- ahawk and scalping-knife, of English manufacture, were in his girdle ; while a short military rifle, of that sort with which the policy of the whites armed their savage allies, lay carelessly across his bare and sinewy knee. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 67 The expanded chest, full-formed limbs, and grave coun- tenance of this warrior, would denote that he had reached the vigor of his days, though no symptoms of decay ap- peared to have yet weakened his manhood. The frame of the white man, judging by such parts as 5 were not concealed by his clothes, was like that of one who had known hardships and exertion from his earliest youth. His person, though muscular, was rather attenu- ated than full ; but every nerve and muscle appeared strung and indurated, by unremitted exposure and toil. 10 He wore a hunting-shirt of forest-green, fringed with faded yellow, and a summer cap of skins which had been shorn of their fur. He also bore a knife in a girdle of wampum, like that which confined the scanty garments of the Indian, but no tomahawk. His moccasins were 15 ornamented after the gay fashion of the natives, while the only part of his under dress which appeared below the hunting-frock, was a pair of buckskin leggings, that laced at the sides, and which were gartered above the knees, with the sinews of a deer. A pouch and horn 20 completed his personal accoutrements, though a rifle of a great length, which the theory of the more ingenious whites had taught them, was the most dangerous of all fire-arms, leaned against a neighboring sapling. The eye of the hunter, or scout, whichever he might be, was small, 25 quick, keen, and restless, roving while he spoke, on every side of him, as if in quest of game, or distrusting the sudden approach of some lurking enemy. Notwith- standing these symptoms of habitual suspicion, his 68 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB. countenance was not only without guile, but at the mo- ment at which he is introduced, it was charged with an expression of sturdy honesty. " Even your traditions make the case in my favor, 5 Chingachgook," ^ he said, speaking in the tongue which was known to all the natives who formerly inhabited the country between the Hudson and the Potomac, and of which we shall give a free translation for the benefit of the reader ; endeavoring, at the same time, to preserve 10 some of the peculiarities, both of the individual and of the language. ^' Your fathers came from the setting sun, crossed the big river, fought the people of the country, and took the land ; and mine came from the red sky of the morning, over the salt lake, and did their work much 15 after the fashion that had been set them by yours ; then let God judge the matter between us, and friends spare their words ! " " My fathers fought with the naked red-man ! ^' re- turned the Indian, sternly, in the same language ; ^' is 20 there no difference, Hawkeye, between the stone-headed arrow of the warrior, and the leaden bullet with which you kill ? '^ " There is reason in an Indian, though nature has made him with a red skin ! " said the white man, shaking his 25 head, like one on whom such an appeal to his justice was not thrown away. For a moment he appeared to be conscious of having the worst of the argument, then rallying again, he answered to the objection of his an- 1 Pronounced Chin-gah-gook'. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 69 tagonist in the best manner his limited information would allow : " I am no scholar and I care not who knows it ; but judging from what I have seen at deer chases, and squirrel hunts, of the sparks below, I should think a rifle in the hands of their grandfathers, was not 5 so dangerous as a hickory bow, and a good flint-head might be, if drawn with Indian judgment and sent by an Indian eye." '' You have the story told by your fathers," returned the other, coldly waving his hand. " What say your old 10 men ? do they tell the young warriors that the pale-faces met the red-men, painted for war and armed with the stone hatchet or wooden gun ? " '^1 am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts him- self on his natural privileges, though the worst enemy I 15 have on earth, and he is an Iroquois, daren't deny that I am genuine white," the scout replied, surveying, with secret satisfaction, the faded color of his bony and sin- ewy hand ; " and I am willing to own that my people have many ways, of which, as an honest man, I can't approve. 20 It is one of their customs to write in books what they have done and seen, instead of telling them in their vil- lages, where the lie can be given to the face of a cow- ardly boaster, and the brave soldier can call on his com- rades to witness for the truth of his words. In conse- 25 quence of this bad fashion, a man who is too conscien- tious to misspend his days among the women in learning the names of black marks, may never hear of the deeds of his fathers, nor feel a pride in striving to outdo them. 70 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. For myself, I conclude all the Bumppos could shoot ; for I have a natural turn with a rifle, which must have been handed down from generation to generation, as our holy commandments tell us, all good and evil gifts are be- 5 stowed ; though I should be loath to answer for other people in such a matter. But every story has its two sides ; so I ask you, Chingachgook, what passed, accord- ing to the traditions of the red men, when our fathers first met ? '' 10 A silence of a minute succeeded, during which the Indian sat mute ; then, full of the dignity of his office, . he commenced his brief tale with a solemnity that served to heighten its appearance of truth. " Listen, Hawkeye, and your ears shall drink no lies. 15 'Tis what my fathers have said, and what the Mohicans have done." He hesitated a single instant, and bending a cautious glance towards his companion, he continued in a manner that was divided between interrogation and assertion — "Does not this stream at our feet run to- 20 wards the summer, until its waters grow salt and the current flows upward ? " ''It can't be denied that your traditions tell you true in both these matters," said the white man ; " for I have been there and have seen them ; though why water, 25 which is so sweet in the shade, should become bitter in the sun, is an alteration for which I have never been able to account." " And the current ! " demanded the Indian, who ex- pected his reply with that sort of interest that a man THE LAST OF TUE MOHICANS. 71 feels in the confirmation of testimony at which he mar- vels even while he respects it ; '' the fathers of Chingach- gook have not lied ! " ^'The Holy Bible is not more true, and that is the truest thing in nature. They call this up-stream cur- 5 rent the tide, which is a thing soon explained and clear enough. Six hours the waters run in, and six hours they run out, and the reason is this ; Avhen there is higher water in the sea than in the river, it runs in, un- til the river gets to be highest, and then it runs out again/' 10 "■ The waters in the woods and on the great lakes run downward until they lie like my hand," said the Indian, stretching the limb horizontal before him, ^^and then they run no more." '' No honest man will deny it," said the scout, a little 15 nettled at the implied distrust of his explanation of the mystery of the tides; "and I grant that it is true on the small scale and where the land is level. But every- thing depends on what scale you look at things. Now, on the small scale, the 'arth is level ; but on the large 20 scale it is round. In this manner, pools and ponds, and even the great fresh water lakes, may be stagnant, as you and I both know they are, having seen them ; but when you come to spread water over a great tract, like the sea, where the earth is round, how in reason can the 25 water be quiet ? You might as well expect the river to lie still on the brink of those black rocks a mile above us, though your own ears tell you that it is tumbling over them at this very moment ! " .72 JAMES FE^IMOBE COOPER, If unsatisfied by the philosophy of his companion, the Indian was far too dignified to betray his mfbelief. He listened like one who was convinced, and resumed his narrative in his former solemn manner. 5 "We came from the place where the sun is hid at night, over great plains where the buffaloes live, until we reached the big river. There we fought the Allir gewi, till the ground was red with their blood. From the banks of the big river to the shores of the salt lake, 10 there was none to meet us. The Maquas followed at a distance. We said the country should be ours from the place where the water runs up no longer, on this stream, to a river, twenty suns' journey toward the summer. The land we had taken like warriors we kept like men. 15 We drove the Maquas into the woods with the bears. They only tasted salt at the licks ; they drew no fish from the great lake : we threw them the bones." " All this I have heard and believe," said the white man, observing that the Indian paused ; " but it was 20 long before the English came into the country." " A pine grew then where this chestnut now stands. The first pale faces who came among us spoke no Eng- lish. They came in a large canoe, when my fathers had buried the tomahawk with the red men around them. 25 Then, Hawkeye," he continued, betraying his deep emo- tion, only by permitting his voice to fall to those low, guttural tones, which render his language, as spoken at times, so very musical ; " then, Hawkeye, we were one people and we were happy. The salt lake gave us THE LAST OF TUE MOHICANS. 73 its fish, the wood its deer, and the air its birds. We took wives who bore us children ; we Avorshipped the Great Spirit; and we kept the Maquas beyond the sound of our songs of triumph ! " " Know you anything of your own family, at that 5 time ? " demanded the white. " But you are a just man, for an Indian ! and, as I suppose you hold their gifts, your fathers must have been brave warriors, and wise men at the council fire." " My tribe is the grandfather of nations, but I am lo an unmixed man. The blood of chiefs is in my veins, where it must stay forever. The Dutch landed, and gave my people the fire-water ; they drank until the heavens and the earth seemed to meet, and they fool- ishly thought they had found the Great Spirit. Then 15 they parted with their land. Foot by foot they were driven back from the shores, until I, that am a chief and a Sagamore, have never seen the sun shine but through the trees, and have never visited the graves of my fathers." 20 "Graves bring solemn feelings over the mind," re- turned the scout, a good deal touched at the calm suffer- ing of his companion ; " and they often aid a man in his good intentions, though, for myself, I expect to leave my own bones unburied, to bleach in the woods, or to be 25 torn asunder by the wolves. But where are to be found those of your race, who came to their kin in the Dela- ware country, so many summers since ? " "Where are the blossoms of those summers I — fallen, 74 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. one by one : so all of my family departed, each in his turn, to the land of spirits. I am on the hill-top, and must go down into the valley ; and when Uncas fol- lows in my footsteps, there will no longer be any of the 5 blood of the Sagamores, for my boy is the last of the Mohicans." " Uncas is here ! " said another voice, in the same soft, guttural tones, near his elbow ; " who wishes Uncas ? " The white man loosened his knife in its leathern 10 sheath, and made an involuntary movement of the hand towards his rifle, at this sudden interruption, but the Indian sat composed, and without turning his head at the unexpected sounds. At the next instant a youthful warrior passed be- 15 tween them with a noiseless step, and seated himself on the bank of the rapid stream. No exclamation of surprise escaped the father, nor was any question made or reply given for several minutes ; each appearing to await the moment when he might speak without be- 20 traying womanish curiosity or childish impatience. The white man seemed to take counsel from their customs, and, relinquishing his grasp of the rifle, he also remained silent and reserved. At length Chingachgook turned his eyes slowly towards his son, and demanded — 25 " Do the Maquas dare to leave the print of their moc- casins in these Avoods ? " " I have been on their trail," replied the young Indian, "and know that they number as many as the fingers of my two hands ; but they lie hid like cowards." THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 75 " The thieves are outlying for scalps and plunder ! " said the white man, whom we shall call Hawkeye, after the manner of his companions. ''That busy French- man, Montcalm, will send his spies into our very camp, but he will know what road we travel ! " 5 " 'Tis enough ! '' returned the father, glancing his eye towards the setting sun ; " they shall be driven like deer from their bushes. Hawkeye, let us eat to-night, and show the Maquas that we are men to-morrow.'^ " I am as ready to do the one as the other," replied 10 the scout ; " but to fight the Iroquois, 'tis necessary to find the skulkers; and to eat, 'tis necessary to get the game — talk of ths devil and he will come ; there is a pair of the biggest antlers I have seen this season, mov- ing the bushes below the hill ! Now, XJncas," he con- 15 tinned in a half whisper, and laughing with a kind of inward sound, like one who had learnt to be watchful, " I will bet my charger three times full of powder, against a foot of wampum, that I take him atwixt the eyes, and nearer co the right than to the left." 20 *' It cannot be ! " said the young Indian, springing to his feet with youthful eagerness j " all but the tips of his horns are hid ! " '' He's a boy ! " said the white man, shaking his head while he spoke, and addressing the father. " Does he 25 think when a hunter sees a part of the creatur, he can't tell where the rest of him should be ? " Adjusting his rifle, he was about to make an exhi- bition of that skill, on which he so much valued himself, 76 JAMES FENliMOBE COOPER, when the warrior struck up the piece with his hand saying : " Hawkeye ! will you fight the Maquas ? " ^' These Indians know the nature of the woods, as it 5 might be by instinct ! " returned the scout, dropping his rifle, and turning away like a man who was convinced of his error. " I must leave the buck to your arrow, Uncas, or we may kill a deer for them thieves, the Iroquois, to eat." 10 The instant the father seconded this intimation by an expressive gesture of the hand, Uncas threw himself on the ground and approached the animal with wary move- ments. When within a few yards of the cover, he fitted an arrow to his bow with the utmost care, while the 15 antlers moved, as if their owner snuffed an enemy in the tainted air. In another moment the twang of the cord was heard, a white streak was seen glancing into the bushes, and the wounded buck plunged from the cover to the very feet of his hidden enemy. Avoiding 20 the horns of the infuriated animal, Uncas darted to his side and passed his knife across the throat, when bound- ing to the edge of the river, it fell, dying the waters with its blood. " 'Twas done with Indian skill," said the scout, laugh- 25 ing inwardly, but with vast satisfaction ; " and was a pretty sight to behold ! Though an arrow is a near shot and needs a knife to finish the work." " Hugh ! " ejaculated his companion, turning quickly, like a hound who scented bis game. TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 77 " By the Lord, there is a drove of them ! " exclaimed the scout, whose eyes began to glisten with the ardor of his usual occupation ; " if they come within range of a bullet, I will drop one, though the whole Six Nations should be lurking within sound ! What do you hear, 6 Chingachgook ? for to my ears the woods are dumb." " There is but one deer, and he is dead," said the In- dian, bending his body, till his ear nearly touched the earth. " 1 hear the sounds of feet ! " "Perhaps the wolves have driven that buck to shel- 10 ter, and are following in his trail." " No. The horses of white men are coming ! " returned the other, raising himself with dignity, and resuming his seat on the log with his former composure. ^' Hawk- eye, they are your brothers ; speak to them." 15 " That will I, and in English that the king needn't be ashamed to answer," returned the hunter, speaking in the language of which he boasted ; " but I see noth- ing, nor do I hear the sounds of man or beast; 'tis strange that an Indian should understand white sounds 2C better than a man, who, his very enemies will own, has no cross in his blood, although he may have lived with the redskins long enough to be suspected ! Ha ! there goes something like the cracking of a dry stick, too — now I hear the bushes move — yes, yes, there is a tramp- 25 ing that I mistook for the falls — and — but here they come themselves ; God keep them from the Iroquois ! " 78 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, CHAPTER IV. "Well, go thy way; thou shalt not from this grove, Till I torment thee for this injury. Shakspeare, a Midsummer- Night 's Dream. The words were still in the mouth of the scout, when the leader of the party, whose approaching footsteps had caught the vigilant ear of the Indian, came openly into view. A beaten path, such as those made by the period- 5 ical passage of the deer, wound through a little glen at no great distance, and struck the river at the point where the white man and his red companions had posted themselves. Along this track, the travellers, who had produced a surprise so unusual in the depths of the for- 10 est, advanced slowly towards the hunter, who was in front of his associates, in readiness to receive them. " Who comes ? " demanded the scout, throwing his rifle carelessly across his left arm, and keeping the fore- finger of his right hand on the trigger, though he avoid- 15 ed all appearance of menace in the act — <' Who comes hither, among the beasts and dangers of the wilder- ness ? '^ " Believers in religion, and friends to the law and to the king," returned he who rode foremost. *^ Men who TUE LAST OF THE MOUICANS. 79 have journeyed since the rising sun, in the shades of this forest, without nourishment, and are sadly tired of their wayfaring." ^' You are, then, tost," interrupted the hunter, " and have found how helpless 'tis not to know whether to 5 take the right hand or the left ? " " Even so ; sucking babes are not more dependent on those who guide them, than we who are of larger growth, and who may now be said to possess the stature with- out the knowledge of men. Know you the distance to i^ a post of the crown called William Henry ? " " Hoot ! " shouted the scout, who did not spare his open laughter, though, instantly checking the dangerous sounds, he indulged his merriment at less risk of being overheard by any lurking enemies. " You are as much 15 off the scent as a hound would be, with Horican atwixt him and the deer ! William Henry, man ! if you are friends to the king and have business with the army, your better way would be to follow the river down to Edward and lay the matter before Webb, who tarries 20 there, instead of pushing into the defiles and driving this saucy Frenchman back across Champlain into his den again." "^I Before the stranger could make any reply to this •> unexpected proposition, another horseman dashed the 25 ^ bushes aside, and leaped his charger into the pathway /^ in front of his companion. "What, then, may be our distance from Eort Ed- ward ? " demanded a new speaker ; " the place you ad- 80 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. vise us to seek we left this morning, and our destination is the head of the lake." " Then you must have lost your eyesight afore losing your way, for the road across the portage is cut to a 5 good two rods, and is as grand a path, I calculate, as any that runs into London, or even before the palace of the king himself." " We will not dispute concerning the excellence of the passage," returned Heyward, smiling, for, as the reader 10 has anticipated, it was he. <' It is enough, for the pres- ent, that we trusted to an Indian guide to take us b}^ a nearer, though blinder path, and that we are deceived in his knowledge. In plain words, we know not where we are." 15 " An Indian lost in the woods ! " said the scout, shak- ing his head doubtingly ; " when the sun is scorching the tree-tops, and the water-courses are full ; when the moss on every beech he sees will tell him in which quarter the north star will shine at night ! The woods 20 are full of deer paths which run to the streams and licks, places well known to everybody ; nor have the geese done their flight to the Canada waters, altogether ] 'Tis strange that an Indian should be lost atwixt Horican and the bend in the river ! Is he a Mohawk ? " 25 " Not by birth, though adopted in that tribe ; I think his birthplace was farther north, and he is one of those you call a Huron." " Hugh ! " exclaimed the two companions of the scout, who had continued until this part of the dialogue, seated, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 81 Immovable, and apparently indifferent to what passed, but who now sprang to their feet with an activity and interest that had evidently gotten the better of their reserve, by surprise. ^'A Huron ! " repeated the sturdy scout, once more 5 shaking his head in open distrust. ^' They are a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they are adopted ; you can never make anything of them but skulks and vagabonds. Since you trusted yourself to the care of one of that na- tion, I only wonder that you have not fallen in with more." 10 "Of that there is little danger, since William Henry is so many miles in our front. You forget that I have told you our guide is now a Mohawk, and that he serves with our forces as a friend." "And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo will die 15 a Mingo." returned the other positively. "A Mohawk ! No, give me a Delaware or a Mohican for honesty ; and when they will fight, which they won't all do, having suffered their cunning enemies, the Maquas, to make them women — but when they will fight at all, look to 20 a Delaware or a Mohican for a warrior." " Enough of this," said Hey ward, impatiently. " I wish not to inquire into the character of a man that I know, and to whom you must be a stranger. You have not yet answered my question ; what is our distance from 25 the main army at Edward ? " "It seems that may depend on who is your guide. , One would think such a horse as that might get over a good deal of ground atwixt sun-up and sun-down." 82 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, " I wish no contention of idle words with yon, friend/' said Heyward, curbing his dissatisfied manner, and speak- ing in a more gentle voice ; ^^ if you will tell me the distance to Fort Edward and conduct me thither, your 5 labor shall not go without its reward." ''And in so doing how know I that I don't guide an enemy and a spy of Montcalm, to the works of the army ?. It is not every man who can speak the English tongue that is an honest subject." 10 " If you serve with the troops of whom I judge you to be a scout, you should know of such a regiment of the king as the 60th.'' " The 60th ! you can tell me but little of the Royal Americans that I don't know, though I do wear a hunt- 15 ing-shirt instead of a scarlet jacket." " Well, then, among other things you may know th^ name of its major." " Its major ! " interrupted the hunter, elevating his body like one who was proud of his trust. " If there is 20 a man in the country who knows Major Effingham, he stands before you." " It is a corps which has many majors ; the gentleman you name is the senior, but I speak of the junior of them all ; he who commands the companies in garrison 25 at William Henry." "Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of vast riches, from one of the provinces far south, has got the place. He is over young, too, to hold such rank, and to be put above men whose heads are beginning to THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 83 bleach ; and yet they say he is a soldier in his knowl- edge, and a gallant gentleman ! " " Whatever he may be, or however he may be qnali- fied for his rank, he now speaks to you, and of course can be no enemy to dread." 5 The scout regarded Heyward in surprise, and then lifting his cap, he answered, in a tone less confident than before — though still expressing doubt — " I have heard a party was to leave the encampment this morning for the lake shore." 10 " You have heard the truth ; but I preferred a nearer route, trusting to the knowledge of the Indian I men- tioned." " And he deceived you, and then deserted ? " "Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter, for 15 lie is to be found in the rear." " I should like to look at the creatur ; if it is a true Iroquois, I can tell him by his knavish look, and by his paint," said the scout, stepping past the charger of Heyward, and entering the path behind the mare of the 20 singing-master, whose foal had taken advantage of the halt to exact the maternal contributions. After shoving aside the bushes and proceeding a few paces, he en- countered the females, who awaited the result of the conference with anxiety, and not entirely without appre- 25 hension. Behind these the runner leaned against a tree, where he stood the close examination of the scout, with an air unmoved, though with a look so dark and savage that it might in itself excite fear. Satisfied with his 84 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, scrutiny, the hunter soon left him. As he repassed the females, he paused a moment to gaze upon their beauty, answering to the smile and nod of Alice with a look of open pleasure. Thence he went to the side of the 5 motherly animal, and spending a minute in a fruitless inquiry into the character of her rider, he shook his head and returned to Heyward. " A Mingo is a Mingo, and God having made him so, neither the Mohawks nor. any other tribe can alter him," he said, when he had re- 10 gained his former position. " If we were alone, and you would leave that noble horse at the mercy of the wolves to-night, I coiild show you the way to Edward myself within an hour, for it lies only about an hour's journey hence ; but with such ladies in your company, 'tis 15 impossible ! " " And why ? they are fatigued, but are quite equal to a ride of a few more miles." '' 'Tis a natural impossibility ! " repeated the scout. *'I wouldn't walk a mile in these woods after night gets 20 into them, in company with that runner, for the best rifle in the colonies. They are full of outlying Iroquois, and your mongrel Mohawk knows where to find them too well to be my companion." "Think you so," said Heyward, leaning forward in 25 the saddle, and dropping his voice nearly to a whisper ; " I confess I have not been without my own suspicions, though I have endeavored to conceal them, and affected a confidence I have not always felt, on account of my companions. It was because I suspected him, that I THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 85 would follow no longer ; making him, as you see, follow me." " I knew he was one of the cheats as soon as I laid eyes on him ! " returned the scout, placing his finger on his nose in sign of caution. " The thief is leaning 5 against the foot of the sugar sapling that you can see over them bushes ; his right leg is in a line with the bark of the tree, and," tapping his rifle, " I can take him, from where I stand, between the ankle and the knee, with a single shot, putting an end of his tramping lo through the woods for at least a month to come. If I should go back to him, the cunning varmint would sus- pect something, and be dodging through the trees like a frightened deer." ^' It will not do. He may be innocent, and I dislike 15 the act. Though, if I felt confident of his treachery " — " 'Tis a safe thing to calculate on the knavery of an Iroquois," said the scout, throwing his rifle forward, by a sort of instinctive movement. " Hold ! " interrupted Hey ward ; " it will not do — 20 we must think of some other scheme ; — and yet, I have much reason to believe the rascal has deceived me." The hunter, who had already abandoned his intention to maim the runner, mused a moment, and then made a gesture, which instantly brought his two red companions 25 to his side. They spoke together earnestly in the Dela- ware language, though in an under tone, and by the ges- tures of the white man, which were frequently directed towards the top of the sapling, it was evident he pointed 86 JA2IES FEN IM ORE COOPER. out the situation of their hidden enemy. His compan- ions were not long in comprehending his wishes, and laying aside their fire-arms, they parted, taking opposite sides of the path, and burying themselves in the thicket, 5 with such cautious movements, that their steps were in- audible. "Now, go you back," said the hunter, speaking again to Heyward, " and hold the imp in talk ; these Mohicans here, will take him, without breaking his paint." 10 " Nay," said Heyward, proudly, " I will seize him my- self." " Hist ! what could you do, mounted, against an In- dian, in the bushes ? " " But I will dismount." 15 " And, think you, when he saw one of your feet out of the stirrup, he would wait for the other to be free ! Whoever comes into the woods to deal with the natives, must use Indian fashions, if he would wish to prosper in his undertakings. Go, then ; talk openly to the mis- 20 creant, and seem to believe him the truest friend you have on 'arth." Heyward prepared to comply, though with strong disgust at the nature of the office he was compelled to execute. Each moment, however, pressed upon him a 25 conviction of the critical situation in which he had suf- fered his invaluable trust to be involved, through his own confidence. The sun had already disappeared, and the woods, suddenly deprived of his light, were assuming a dusky hue; which'< keenly reminded him, that the hour THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 87 the savage usually chose for his most barbarous and remorseless acts of vengeance or hostility was speedily drawing at hand. Stimulated by apprehension, he left the scout, who immediately entered into a loud conver- sation with the stranger that had so unceremoniously 5 enlisted himself in the party of the travellers that morning. In passing his gentler companions, Heyward uttered a few words of encouragement, and was pleased to find that, though fatigued with the exercise of the day, they appeared to entertain no suspicion that their 10 present embarrassment was other than the result of ac- cident. Giving them reason to believe he was merely employed in a consultation concerning their future route, he spurred his charger, and drew the reins again when the animal had carried him within a few yards of the 15 place, where the sullen runner still stood, leaning against the tree. " You may see. Magna," he said, endeavoring to assume an air of freedom and confidence, "that the night is •closing around us, and yet we are no nearer to William 20 Henry than when we left the encampment of Webb, with the rising sun. You have missed the way, nor have I been more fortunate. But happily we have fallen in with a hunter, him whom you hear talking to the singer, that is acquainted with the deer-paths and by-ways of 25 the woods, and who promises to lead us to a place where we may rest securely till the morning." The Indian riveted his glowing eyes on Heyward as he asked in his imperfect English, " Is he alone ? " 88 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. ^' Alone ! " hesitatingly answered Heyward, to whom deception was too new to be assumed without embar- rassment. " Oh ! not alone, surely, Magna, for you know that we are with him." 5 ^' Then Le Renard Subtil will go," returned the run- ner, coolly raising his little wallet from the place where it had lain at his feet ; " and the pale faces will see none but their own color.'^ " Go ! Whom call you Le Eenard ? " 10 '' 'Tis the name his Canada fathers have given to Magua," returned the runner, with an air that mani- fested his pride at the distinction. " Night is the same as day to Le Subtil, when Munro waits for him.'' ^' And what account will Le Renard give the chief of 15 William Henry concerning his daughters ? Will he dare to tell the hot-blooded Scotsman that his children are left without a guide, though Magua promised to be one ? '' " The gray head has a loud voice and a long arm, but 20 will Le Eenard hear him or feel him in the woods ? '' returned the wary runner. " But what will the Mohawks say ? They will make him petticoats, and bid him stay in the wigwam with the women, for he is no longer to be trusted with the busi- 25 ness of a man." '^ Le Subtil knows the path to the great lakes, and can find the bones of his fathers," was the answer of the unmoved runner. " Enough, Magua," said Hey ward j "are we not friends ? THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 89 Why should there be bitter words between us ? Munro has promised you a gift for your services when per- formed, and I shall be your debtor for another. Eest your weary limbs, then, and open your wallet to eat. We have a few moments to spare ; let us not waste them 5 in talk like wrangling women. When the ladies are refreshed, we will proceed." '' The pale faces make themselves dogs to their women," muttered the Indian in his native language, " and when they want to eat, their warriors must lay aside the toma- 10 hawk to feed their laziness." " What say you, Eenard ? " " Le Subtil says it is good." The Indian then fastened his eyes keenly on the open countenance of Heyward, but, meeting his glance, he 15 turned them quickly away, and seating himself delibe- rately on the ground, he drew forth the remnant of some former repast and began to eat, though not without first bending his looks slowly and cautiously around him. *^ This is well," continued Heyward ; " and Le Eenard 20 will have strength and sight to find the path in the morning." 'He paused, for sounds like the snapping of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose from the ad- jacent bushes, but, recollecting himself instantly, he con- tinued, " We must be moving before the sun is seen, or 25 Montcalm may lie in our path and shut us out from the fortress." The hand of Magna dropped from his mouth to his side, and though his eyes were fastened on the ground, 90 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER, his head was turned aside, his nostrils expanded, and his ears seemed even to stand more erect than usual, giving to him the appearance of a statue that was made to rep- resent intense attention. 5 Hey ward, who watched his movements with a vigilant eye, carelessly extricated one of his feet from the stirrup, while he passed a hand towards the bear-skin covering of his holsters. Every effort to detect the point most regarded by the runner, was completely frustrated by the 10 tremulous glances of his organs, which seemed not to rest a single instant on any particular object, and which, at the same time, could be hardly said to move. While he hesitated how to proceed, Le Subtil cautiously raised himself to his feet, though with a motion so slow and 15 guarded that not the slightest noise was produced by the change. Hey ward felt it had now become incumbent on him to act; throwing his leg over the saddle, he dis- mounted, with a determination to advance and seize his treacherous companion, trusting the result to his own 20 manhood. In order, however, to prevent unnecessary alarm, he still preserved an air of calmness and friend- ship. '' Le Eenard Subtil does not eat,'' he said, using the appellation he had found most flattering to the vanity of 25 the Indian. " His corn is not well parched, and seems dry. Let me examine ; perhaps something may be found among my own provisions that will help his appetite." Magna held out the wallet to the proffer of the other. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 91 He even suffered their hands to meet, without betraying the least emotion, or varying his riveted attitude of at- tention. But when he felt the fingers of Heyward mov- ing gently along his own naked arm, he struck up the limb of the young man, and uttering a piercing cry, as 5 he darted beneath it, plunged, at a single bound, into the opposite thicket. At the next instant, the form of Chin- gachgook appeared from the bushes, looking like a spec- tre in its paint, and glided across the path in swift pursuit. Next followed the shout of Uncas, when the 10 woods were lighted with a sudden flash, that was accom- panied by the sharp report of the hunter's rifle. 92 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, CHAPTER V. In such a night Did Thishe fearfully o'ertrip the dew, And saw the lion's shadow ere himself. Shakspeare, Merchant of Venice. The suddenness of the flight of his guide, and the I wild cries of the pursuers caused Hey ward to remain '■ fixed for a few moments, in inactive surprise. Then, recollecting the importance of securing the fugitive, he 5 dashed aside the surrounding bushes, and pressed eagerly forward to lend his aid in the chase. Before he had, however, proceeded a hundred yards, he met the three foresters already returning from their unsuccessful pur- suit. 10 " Why so soon disheartened ? " he exclaimed ; " the scoundrel must be concealed behind some of these trees, and may yet be secured. We are not safe while he goes at large.'^ " AYould you set a cloud to chase the wind ? " returned 15 the disappointed scout. " I heard the imp, brushing over the dry leaves like a black snake, and blinking a glimpse of him just over ag'inyon big pine, I pulled as it might be on the scent ; but 'twouldn't do ! and yet for a reason- ing aim, if anybody but myself had touched the trigger, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 93 I should call it a quick sight ; and I may be accounted to have experience in these matters and one who ought to know. Look at this sumach ; its leaves are red, though everybody knows the fruit is in the yellow blos- som in the month of July ! " S *^ 'Tis the blood of Le Subtil ! he is hurt and may yet fall!" "No, no," returned the scout, in decided disapproba- tion of this opinion, " I rubbed the bark off a limb, per- haps, but the creature leaped the longer for it.* A rifle 10 bullet acts on a running animal, when it barks him, much the same as one of your spurs on a horse ; that is, it quickens motion, and puts life into the flesh, instead of taking it away. But when it cuts the ragged hole, after a bound or two there is commonly a stagnation of fur- 15 ther leaping, be it Indian or be it deer !" " We are four able bodies to one wounded man ! " " Is life grievous to you ? '' interrupted the scout. " Yonder red devil would draw you within swing of the tomahawks of his comrades, before you were heated in 20 the chase. It was an unthoughtful act, in a man who has so often slept with the war-whoop ringing in the air, to let off his piece, within sound of an ambushment ! But then it was a natural temptation ! 'twas very natu- ral ! Come, friends, let us move our station, and in such 25 a fashion, too, as will throw the cunning of a Mingo on a wrong scent, or our scalps will be drying in the wind in front of Montcalm's marquee ag'in this hour to- morrow." 94 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. This appalling declaration, whicli the scout uttered with the cool assurance of a man who fully compre- hended, while he did not fear to face, the danger, served to remind Heyward of the importance of the charge 5 with which he himself had been intrusted. Glancing liis eyes around, with a vain effort to pierce the gloom that was thickening beneath the leafy arches of the forest, he felt as if, cut off from all human aid, his unre- sisting companions would soon lie at the entire mercy 10 of their barbarous enemies, who, like beasts of prey, only waited till the gathering darkness might render their blows more fatally certain. His awakened imagi- nation, deluded by the deceptive light, converted each waving bush, or the fragment of some fallen tree, into 15 human forms, and twenty times he fancied he could dis- tinguish the horrid visages of his lurking foes, peering from their hiding places, in never-ceasing watchfulness of the movements of his party. Looking upward, he found that the thin fleecy clouds, which evening had 20 painted on the blue sky, were already losing their faint- est tints of rose-color, while the embedded stream which glided past the spot where he stood, was to be traced only by the dark boundary of its wooded banks. "What is to be done?" he said, feeling the utter 25 helplessness of doubt in such a pressing strait; "desert me not, for God's sake ! remain to defend those I escort, and freely name your own reward ! " His companions, who conversed apart in the language of their tribe, heeded not this sudden and earnest appeal. TUB LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 95 Though their dialogue was maintained in low and cau- tious sounds, but little above a whisper, Heyward, who now approached, could easily distinguish the earnest tones of the younger warrior, from the more deliberate speeches of his senior. It was evident that they debated 5 on the propriety of some measure that nearly concerned the welfare of the travellers. Yielding to his powerful interest in the subject, and impatient of a delay that seemed fraught with so much additional danger, Hey- ward drew still nigher to the dusky group, with an in- 10 tention of making his offers of compensation more definite, when the white man, motioning with his hand, as if he conceded the disputed point, turned away, say- ing in a sort of soliloquy and in the English tongue : — "Uncas is right! it would not be the act of men, to 15 leave such harmless things to their fate, even though it breaks up the harboring place forever. If you would save these tender blossoms from the fangs of the worst of sarpents, gentleman, you have neither time to lose nor resolution to throw away ! '' 20 ^' How can such a wish be doubted ? have I not already offered " — " Offer your prayers to Him who can give us wisdom to circumvent the cunning of the devils who fill these woods,'' calmly interrupted the scout, " but spare your 25 offers of money, which neither you may live to realize nor I to profit by. These Mohicans and I will do what man's thoughts can invent to keep such flowers, which, though so sweet, were never made for the wilderness. 96 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. from harm, and that without hope of any other recom- pense but such as God always gives to upright dealings. First, you must promise two things, both in your own name and for your friends, or without serving you we 5 shall only injure ourselves !" "Name them.'^ "The one is, to be still as these sleeping woods, let what will happen; and the other is to keep the place where we shall take you forever a secret from all mor- 10 tal men." "I will do my utmost to see both these conditions fulfilled." " Then follow, for we are losing moments that are as precious as the heart's blood to a stricken deer ! " 15 Hey ward could distinguish the impatient gesture of the scout through the increasing shadows of the even- ing, and moved in his footsteps swiftly towards the place where he had left the remainder of his party. When they rejoined the expecting and anxious females, 20 he briefly acquainted them with the conditions of their new guide, and with the necessity that existed for their hushing every apprehension in instant and serious exer- tions. Although his alarming communication was not received without much secret terror by the listeners, his 25 earnest and impressive manner, aided perhaps by the nature of the danger, succeeded in bracing their nerves to undergo some unlooked for and unusual trial. Si- lently, and without a moment's delay, they permitted him to assist them from their saddles, when they THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 97 descended quickly to the water's edge, where the scout had collected the rest of the party, more by the agency of his expressive gestures than by any use of words. " What to do with these dumb creatures ! '' muttered the white man, on whom the sole control of their future 5 movements appeared to devolve ; " it would be time lost to cut their throats, and cast them into the river ; and to leave them here would be to tell the Mingos that they have not far to seek to find their owners ! " '' Then give them their bridles and let them range lO the woods," Heyward ventured to suggest. ^^No; it would be better to mislead the imps, and make them believe they must equal a horse's speed to run down their chase. Ay, ay, that will blind their fire-balls of eyes! Chingach — Hist! what stirs the 15 bush ? " ^' The colt." ^' That colt, at least, must die," muttered the scout, grasping at the mane of the nimble beast, which easily eluded his hand ; " Uncas, your arrows ! " 20 <^Hold ! " exclaimed the proprietor of the condemned animal aloud, without regard to the whispering tones used by the others ; ^' spare the foal of Miriam ! it is a comely offspring of a faithful dam, and would willingly injure naught." 25 " When men struggle for the single life God has given them," said the scout sternly, " even their own kind seem no more than the beasts of the wood. If you speak again, I shall leave you to the mercy of the Maquas ! 98 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. Draw to your arrow's head, Uncas ; we have no time for second blows ! '' The low, muttering sounds of his threatening voice were still audible, when the wounded foal, first rearing 5 on its hinder legs, plunged forward to its knees. It was met by Chingachgook, whose knife passed across its throat quicker than thought, and then precipitating the motions of the struggling victim, he dashed it into the river, down whose stream it glided away, gasping 10 audibly for breath with its ebbing life. This deed of apparent cruelty, but of real necessity, fell upon the spirits of the travellers, like a terrific warning of the peril in which they stood, heightened, as it was, by the calm though steady resolution of the actors in the 15 scene. The sisters shuddered, and clung closer to each other, while Heyward instinctively laid his hand on one of the pistols he had just drawn from their holsters, as he placed himself between his charge and those dense shadows, that seemed to draw an impenetrable veil 20 before the bosom of the forest. The Indians, however, hesitated not a moment, but taking the bridles they led the frightened and reluctant horses into the bed of the river. At a short distance from the shore, they turned, and 25 were soon concealed by the projection of the bank, under the brow of which they moved in a direction opposite to the course of the waters. In the meantime the scout drew a canoe of bark from its place of concealment beneath some low bushes, whose branches were waving THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 99 with the eddies of the current, into which he silently motioned the females to enter. They complied without hesitation, though many a fearful and anxious glance was thrown behind them, towards the thickening gloom, which now lay like a dark barrier along the margin of 5 the stream. So soon as Cora and Alice were seated, the scout, with- out regarding the element, directed Heyward to support one side of the frail vessel, and posting himself at the other, they bore it up against the stream, followed by 10 the dejected owner of the dead foal. In this manner they proceeded for many rods in a silence that was only interrupted by the rippling of the water, as its eddies played around them, or the low dash made by their own cautious footsteps. Heyward yielded the guidance of 15 the canoe implicitly to the scout, who approached or receded from the shore, to avoid the fragments of rocks, or deeper parts of the river, with a readiness that showed his knowledge of the route they held. Occasionally he would stop ; and in the midst of a breathing stillness, 20 that the dull but increasing roar of the waterfall only served to render more impressive, he would listen with painful intenseness to catch any sounds that might arise from the slumbering forest. When assured that all was still, and unable to detect, even by the aid of his prac- 25 tised senses, any sign of approaching foes, he would de- liberately resume his slow and guarded progress. At length they reached a point in the river where the rov- ing eye of Heyward became riveted on a cluster of black 100 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB. objects collected at a spot where the high bank threw a deeper shadow than usual on the dark waters. Hesitat- ing to advance, he pointed out the place to the attention of his companion. B "Ay/^ returned the composed scout, " the Indians have hid the beasts with the judgment of natives ! Water leaves no trail, and an owl's eyes would be blinded by the darkness of such a hole." The whole party were soon reunited, and another con- 10 sultation was held between the scout and his new com- rades, during which they, whose fates depended on the faith and ingenuity of these unknown foresters, had a little leisure to observe their situation more minutely. The river was confined between high and cragged 15 rocks, one of which impended above the spot where the canoe rested. As these, again, were surmounted by tall trees, which appeared to totter on the brows of the precipice, it gave the stream the appearance of running through a deep and narrow dell. All beneath the fan- 20 tastic limbs and ragged tree-tops, which were, here and there, dimly painted against the starry zenith, lay alike in shadowed obscurity. Behind them the curvature of the banks soon bounded the view by the same dark and wooded outline ; but in front, and apparently at no 25 great distance, the water seemed piled against the heavens, whence it tumbled into caverns out of which issued those sullen sounds that had loaded the evening atmosphere. It seemed, in truth, to be a spot devoted to seclusion, and the sisters imbibed a soothing impres- TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 101 sion of security, as they gazed upon its romantic, though not unappalling beauties. A general movement among their conductors, however, soon recalled them from a contemplation of the wild charms that night had as- sisted to lend the place, to a painful sense of their real 5 peril. The horses had been secured to some scattering shrubs that grew in the fissures of the rocks, where, standing ' in the water, they were left to pass the night. The scout directed Heyward and his disconsolate fellow-travellers 10 to seat themselves in the forward end of the canoe, and took possession of the other himself, as erect and steady as if he floated in a vessel of much firmer materials. The Indians warily retraced their steps towards the place they had left, when the scout, placing his pole 15 against a rock, by a powerful shove sent his frail bark directly into the centre of the turbulent stream. For many minutes the struggle between the light bubble in which they floated and the swift current w^as severe and doubtful. Forbidden to stir even a hand, and almost 20 afraid to breathe, lest they should expose the frail fabric to the fury of the stream, the passengers watched the glancing waters in feverish suspense. Twenty times they thought the whirling eddies were sweeping them to destruction, when the master-hand of their pilot would 25 bring the bows of the canoe to stem the rapid. A long, a vigorous, and, as it appeared to the females, a des- perate effort, closed the struggle. Just as Alice veiled her eyes in horror, under the impression that they were 102 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. about to be swept within the vortex at the foot of the cataract, the canoe floated, stationary, at the side of a flat rock that lay on a level with the water. " Where are we, and what is next to be done ? '' de- 5 manded Heyward, perceiving that the exertions of the scout had ceased. " You are at the foot of Glenn's," returned the other, speaking aloud, without fear of consequences, within the roar of the cataract ; " and the next thing is to make a 10 steady landing, lest the canoe upsets, and you should go down again the hard road we have travelled, faster than you came up it ; 'tis a hard rift to stem, when the river is a little swelled ; and five is an unnatural number to keep dry in the hurry-skurry, with a little birchen bark 15 and gum. There, go you all on the rock, and I will ■ bring up the Mohicans with the venison. A man had better sleep without his scalp than famish in the midst of plenty." His passengers gladly complied with these directions. 20 As the last foot touched the rock, the canoe whirled from its station, when the tall form of the scout was seen, for an instant, gliding above the waters, before it disap- peared in the impenetrable darkness that rested on the bed of the river. Left by their guide, the travellers re- 25 mained a few minutes in helpless ignorance, afraid even to move along the broken rocks, lest a false step should precipitate them down some one of the many deep and roaring caverns into which the water seemed to tumble on every side of them. Their suspense, however, was THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 103 soon relieved ; for, aided by the skill of the natives, the canoe shot back into the eddy, and floated again at the side of the low rock before they thought the scout had even time to rejoin his companions. " We are now fortified, garrisoned, and provisioned," 5 cried Heyward cheerfully, " and may set Montcalm and his allies at defiance. How, now, my vigilant sentinel, can you see anything of those you call the Iroquois on the main land ? " <• I call them Iroquois, because to me every native who 10 speaks a foreign tongue is accounted an enemy, though he may pretend to serve the king ! If Webb wants faith and honesty in an Indian, let him bring out the tribes of the Delawares, and send these greedy and lying Mohawks and Oneidas, with their six nations of varlets, where in 15 nature they belong, among the Frenchmen ! " " We should then exchange a warlike for a useless friend ! I have heard that the Delawares have laid aside the hatchet, and are content to be called women ! " ^^ Ay, shame on the Hollanders and Iroquois, who cir- 20 cumvented them by their deviltries into such a treaty ! But I have known them for twenty years, and I call him liar that says cowardly blood runs in the veins of a Delaware. You have driven their tribes from the sea- shore, and would now believe what their enemies say, 25 that you may sleep at night upon an easy pillow. No, no ; to me, every Indian who speaks a foreign tongue is an Iroquois, whether the castle of his tribe be in Canada or be in York.'* 104 JAMES FENIMOUE coopeb. Heyward perceiving that the stubborn adherence of the scout to the cause of his friends the Delawares or Mohicans, for they were branches of the same numerous people, was likely to prolong a useless discussion, 5 changed the subject. " Treaty or no treaty, I know full well that your two companions are brave and cautious warriors. Have they heard or seen anything of our enemies ? " ^'An Indian is a mortal to be felt afore he is seen," 10 returned the scout, ascending the rock, and throwing the deer carelessly down. " I trust to other signs than such as come in at the eye, when I am outlying on the trail of the Mingos." " Do your ears tell you that they have traced our re- 15 treat ? '' " I should be sorry to think they had, though this is a spot that stout courage might hold for a smart skrim- mage. I will not deny, however, but the horses cow- ered when I passed them, as though they scented the 20 wolves; and the wolf is a beast that is apt to hover about an Indian ambushment, craving the offals of the deer the savages kill.'' '^ You forget the buck at your feet ! or may we not owe their visit to the dead colt? Ha! what noise is 25 that ? " ^ " Poor Miriam," murmured the stranger ; " thy foal was foreordained to become a prey to ravenous beasts ! " Then suddenly lifting up his voice amid the eternal din of the waters, he sang aloud — THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 105 "First born of Egypt, smite did he, Of mankind, and of beast also ; O Egypt ! wonders sent 'midst thee, On Pharaoh and his servants too !" " The death of the colt sits heavy on the heart of its 5 owner," said the scout ; " but it's a good sign to see a man account upon his dumb friends. Pie has the re- ligion of the matter, in believing what is to happen will happen ; and with such a consolation it won't be long afore he submits to the rationality of killing a four- 10 footed beast to save the lives of human men. It may be as you say, " he continued, reverting to the purport of Heyward's last remark ; ^' and the greater the reason why we should cut our steaks, and let the carcass drive down the stream, or we shall have the pack howling 15 along the cliffs, begrudging every mouthful we swallow. Besides, though the Delaware tongue is the same as a book to the Iroquois, the cunning varlets are quick enough at understanding the reason of a wolf's howl." The scout, whilst making his remarks, was busied in 20 collecting certain necessary implements; as he con- cluded, he moved silently by the group of travellers, accompanied by the Mohicans, who seemed to compre- hend his intentions with instinctive readiness, when the whole three disappeared in succession, seeming to vanish 25 against the dark face of a perpendicular rock that rose to the height of a few yards within as many feet of the water's edge. 106 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. CHAPTER VI. Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide, He wales a portion with judicious care; And, "Let us worship God," he says, with solemn air. Burns, The Cotter's Saturday Night, Heyward and his female companions witnessed this mysterious movement with secret uneasiness ; for, though the conduct of the white man had hitherto been above reproach, his rude equipments, blunt address, and 5 strong antipathies, together with the character of his silent associates, were all causes for exciting distrust in minds that had been so recently alarmed by Indian treachery. The stranger alone disregarded the passing incidents. 10 He seated himself on a projection of the rocks, whence he gave no other signs of consciousness than by the struggles of his spirit, as manifested in frequent and heavy sighs. Smothered voices were next heard, as though men called to each other in the bowels of the 15 earth, when a sudden light flashed upon those without, and laid bare the much prized secret of the place. At the farther extremity of a narrow, deep cavern in the rock, whose length appeared much extended by the perspective and the nature of the light by which it was THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. lOT seeD, was seated the scout, holding a blazing knot of pine. The strong glare of the fire fell full upon his sturdy, weather-beaten countenance and forest attire, lending an air of romantic wildness to the aspect of an individual who, seen by the sober light of day, would 5 have exhibited the peculiarities of a man remarkable for the strangeness of his dress, the iron-like inflexibility of his frame, and the singular compound of quick, vigilant sagacity, and of exquisite simplicity, that by turns usurped the possession of his muscular features. At a lO little distance in advance stood Uncas, his whole person thrown powerfully into view. The travellers anxiously regarded the upright, flexible figure of the young Mohi- can, graceful and unrestrained in the attitudes and movements of nature. Though his person was more 15 than usually screened by a green and fringed hunting- shirt, like that of the white man, there was no conceal- ment to his dark, glancing, fearless eye, alike terrible and calm ; the bold outline of his high, haughty fea- tures, pure in their native red ; or to the dignified eleva- 20 tion of his receding forehead, together with all the finest proportions of a noble head, bared to the generous scalp- ing-tuft.^ It was the first opportunity possessed by Duncan and his companions to view the marked linea- ments of either of their Indian attendants, and each in- 25 1 The Indian warrior shaves all his head, with the exception of a single lock on the crown, which he leaves to assist his conqueror in removing the scalp; the sole memorial of his achievement, which the latter can produce. 108 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, dividual of the party felt relieved from a burden of doubt, as the proud and determined, though wild, ex- pression of the features of the young Avarrior forced itself on their notice. They felt it might be a being 6 partially benighted in the vale of ignorance, but it could not be one who would willingly devote his rich natural gifts to the purposes of wanton treachery. The ingenu- ous Alice gazed at his free air and proud carriage, as shft would have looked upon some precious relic of the Gre- 10 cian chisel, to which life had been imparted by the intervention of a miracle ; while Heyward, though ac- customed to see the perfection of form which abounds among the uncorrupted natives, openly expressed his admiration at such an unblemished specimen of the 15 noblest proportions of man. ^^I could sleep in peace," whispered Alice, in reply, "with such a fearless and generous looking youth for my sentinel. Surely, Duncan, those cruel murders, those terrific scenes of torture, of which we read and 20 hear so much, are never acted in the presence of such as he ! " "This, certainly, is a rare and brilliant instance of those natural qualities in which these peculiar people are said to excel," he answered. "I agree with you, 25 Alice, in thinking that such a front and eye were formed rather to intimidate than to deceive ; but let us not prac- tise a deception upon ourselves, by expecting any other exhibition of what we esteem virtue, than according to the fashion of a savage. As bright examples of great THE LAST OF THE MOUICANS. 109 qualities are but too uncommon among Christians, so are they singular and solitary with the Indians ; though, for the honor of our common nature, neither are incapable of producing them. Let us then hope that this Mohican may not disappoint our wishes, and prove, what his looks 5 assert him to be, a brave and constant friend." ^'Now Major Hey ward speaks as Major Heyward should," said Cora ; " who that looks at this creature of nature remembers the shade of his skin ? " A short, and apparently an embarrassed, silence sue- 10 ceeded this characteristic remark, which was interrupted by the scout calling to them aloud to enter. "This fire begins to show too bright a flame," he con- tinued, as they complied, "and might light the Mingos to our undoing. Uncas, drop the blanket and show the 15 knaves its dark side. This is not such a supper as a major of the Royal Americans has a right to expect, but I've known stout detachments of the corps glad to eat their venison raw, and without a relish, too. Here, you see, we have plenty of salt, and can make a quick broil. 20 There's fresh sassafras boughs for the ladies to sit on, which may not be as proud as their my-hog-guinea chairs, but which sends up a sweeter flavor than the skin of any hog can do, be it of Guinea, or be it of any other land. Come, friend, don't be mournful for the colt ; 25 'twas an innocent thing and had not seen much hard- ship. Its death will save the creature many a sore back and weary foot ! " Uncas did as the other had directed, and when the 110 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. voice of Hawkeye ceased, the roar of the cataract sounded like the rumbling of distant thunder. " Are we quite safe in this cavern ? " demand Hey- ward. " Is there no danger of surprise ? A single 5 armed man at its entrance would hold us at his mercy.'' A spectral looking figure stalked from out the dark- ness behind the scout, and seizing a blazing brand, held it towards the further extremity of their place of re- treat. Alice uttered a faint shriek, and even Cora rose 10 to her feet, as this appalling object moved into the light ; but a single word from Heyward calmed them, with the assurance it was only their attendant,. Chin gachgook, who, lifting another blanket, discovered that the cavern had two outlets. Then, holding the brand, he crossed 15 a deep, narrow chasm in the rocks, which ran at right angles with the passage they were in, but which, unlike that, was open to the heavens, and entered another cave, answering to the description of the first in every essen- tial particular. 20 ^' Such old foxes as Chingachgook and myself, are not often caught in a burrow with one hole," said Hawkeye, , laughing ; " you can easily see the cunning of the place — the rock is black limestone, which everybody knows is soft ; it makes no uncomfortable pillow, where brush 25 and pine wood is scarce ; well, the fall was once a few yards below us, and I dare to say was, in its time, as regular and as handsome a sheet of water as any along the Hudson. But old age is a great injury to good looks, as these sweet young ladies have yet to I'arn ! THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. Ill The place is sadly changed. These rocks are full of cracks, and in some places, they are softer than at other- some, and the water has worked out deep hollows for itself, until it has fallen back, ay, some hundred feet, breaking here and wearing there, until the falls have 5 neither shape nor consistency." " In what part of them are we ? '' asked Heyward. ^' Why, we are nigh the spot that Providence first placed them at, but where, it seems, they were too rebel- lious to stay. The rock proved softer on each side of 10 us, and so they left the centre of the river bare and dry, first working out these two little holes for us to hide " We are then on an island ? " "Ay! there are the falls on two sides of us, and the 15 fiver above and below. If you had daylight, it would be worth the trouble to step up on the height of this rock and look at the perversity of the water. It falls by no rule at all ; sometimes it leaps, sometimes it tum- bles ; there it skips ; here it shoots ; in one place 'tis 20 white as snow, and in another 'tis green as grass ; here- abouts it pitches into deep hollows that rumble and quake the 'arth ; and thereaway it ripples and sings like a brook, fashioning whirlpools and gullies in the old stone, as if 'twas no harder than trodden clay. The 25 whole design of the river seems disconcerted. First it runs smoothly, as if meaning to go down the descent as things were ordered ; then it angles about and faces the shores ; nor are there places wanting where it looks 112 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. backward, as if unwilling to leave the wilderness to mingle with the salt ! Ay, lady, the fine cobweb-looking cloth you wear at your throat is coarse, and like a fish net, to little spots I can show you, where the river fab- 5 ricates all sorts of images, as if, having broke loose from order, it would try its hand at everything. And yet what does it amount to ? After the water has been suf- fered to have its will for a time, like a headstrong man, it is gathered together by the hand that made it, and a 10 few rods below you may see it all, flowing on steadily towards the sea, as was foreordained from the first foun- dation of the 'arth ! " While his auditors received a cheering assurance of the security of their place of concealment, from this 15 untutored description of Glenn's, they were much in- clined to judge differently from Hawkeye of its wild beauties. But they were not in a situation to suffer their thoughts to dwell on the charms of natural objects ; and, as the scout had not found it necessary to cease his culi- 20 nary labors while he spoke, unless to point out, with a broken fork, the direction of some particularly obnox- ious point in the rebellious stream, they now suffered their attention to be drawn to the necessary, though more vulgar consideration of their supper. 25 The repast, which was greatly aided by the addition of a few delicacies that Heyward had the precaution to bring with him, when they left their horses, was exceed- ingly refreshing to the wearied party. Uncas acted as attendant to the females, performing all the little offices THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 113 within his power, with a mixture of dignity and anxious grace, that served to amuse Heyward, who well knew that it was an utter innovation on the Indian customs, which forbid their warriors to descend to any menial employment, especially in favor of their women. As 5 the rites of hospitality were, however, considered sacred among them, this little departure from the dignity of manhood excited no audible comment. Had there been one there sufficiently disengaged to become a close ob- server, he might have fancied that the services of the 10 young chief were not entirely impartial. That while he tendered to Alice the calabash of sweet water and the venison in a trencher, neatly carved from the knot of the pepperage, with sufficient courtesy, in performing the same offices to her sister his dark eye lingered on 15 her rich, speaking countenance. Once or twice he was compelled to speak, to command the attention of those he served. In such cases he made use of English, broken and imperfect, but sufficiently intelligible, and which he rendered so mild and musical by his ^ deep, guttural 20 voice, that it never failed to cause both ladies to look up in admiration and astonishment. In the course of these civilities a few sentences were exchanged, that served " to establish the appearance of an amicable intercourse between the parties. 25 In the meanwhile the gravity of Chingachgook re- mained immovable. He had seated himself more within 1 The meaning of Indian words is much governed by the emphar- sis and tones. 114 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. the circle of light, where the frequent, uneasy glances of his guests were better enabled to separate the natural expression of his face from the artificial terrors of the war-paint. They found a strong resemblance between 5 father and son, with the difference that might be ex- pected from age and hardships. The fierceness of his countenance now seemed to slumber, and in its place was to be seen the quiet, vacant composure which dis- tinguishes an Indian warrior, when his faculties are not 10 required for any of the greater purposes of his exist- ence. It was, however, easy to be seen, by the occasional gleams that shot across his swarthy visage, that it was only necessary to arouse his passions in order to give full effect to the terrific device which he had adopted 15 to intimidate his enemies. On the other hand, the quick, roving eye of the scout seldom rested. He ate and drank with an appetite that no sense of danger could disturb, but his vigilance seemed never to desert him. Twenty times the calabash or the venison was suspended before 20 his lips, while his head was turned aside, as though he listened to some distant and distrusted sounds — a move- ment that never failed to recall his guests from regard- ing the novelties of their situation to a recollection of the alarming reasons that had driven them to seek it. 25 As these frequent pauses were never followed by any remark, the momentary uneasiness they created quickly passed away and was for a time forgotten. *'Come, friend," said Hawkeye, drawing out a keg from beneath a cover of leaves, towards the close of the THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 115 repast, and addressing the stranger who sat at his elbow, doing great justice to his culinary skill, "try a little spruce ; ^twill wash away all thoughts of the colt, and quicken the life in your bosom. I drink to our better friendship, hoping that a little horseflesh may leave no 5 heartburnings atween us. How do you name your- self?" <* Gamut — David Gamut," returned the singing-mas- ter, preparing to wash down his sorrows, in a powerful draught of the woodman's high-flavored and well-laced 10 compound. " A very good name, and, I dare say, handed down from honest forefathers. I'm an admirator of names, though the Christian fashions fall far below savage cus- toms in this particular. The biggest coward I ever knew is was called Lyon ; and his wife, Patience, would scold you out of hearing in less time than a hunted deer would run a rod. With an Indian 'tis a matter of conscience ; what he calls himself, he generally is — not that Chin- gachgook, which signifies big sarpent, is really a snake, 20 big or little ; but that he understands the windings and turnings of human natur', and is silent, and strikes his enemies when they least expect him. What may be your calling ? " " I am an unworthy instructor in the art of psalmody." 25 " Anan ! " "I teach singing to the youths of the Connecticut levy." " You might be better employed. The young hounds 116 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, go laughing and singing too much already through the woods, when they ought not to breathe louder than a fox in his cover. Can you use the smooth bore, or handle the rifle ? " 5 " Praised be God, I have never had occasion to meddle with murderous implements!'^ " Perhaps you understand the compass, and lay down the water courses and mountains of the wilderness on paper, in order that they who follow may find places by 10 their given names ? " <' I practise no such employment." " You have a pair of legs that might make a long path seem short ! you journey sometimes, I fancy, with tidings for the general.'' 15 " Never ; I follow no other than my own high voca- tion, which is instruction in sacred music." "'Tis a strange calling!" muttered Hawkeye, with an inward laugh, '^ to go through life, like a catbird, mock> ing all the ups and downs that may happen to come out 20 of other men's throats. Well, friend, I suppose it is your gift, and mustn't be denied any more than if 'twas shooting, or some other better inclination. Let us hear what you can do in that way ; 'twill be a friendly manner of saying good-night, for 'tis time these ladies should be 25 getting strength for a hard and a long push, in the pride of the morning, afore the Maquas are stirring." "With joyful pleasure do I consent," said David, ad- justing his iron-rimmed spectacles, and producing his beloved little volume, which he immediately tendered to THE LAST OF TEE MOHICANS. 117 Alice. " What can be more fitting and consolatory than to offer up evening praise after a day of such exceeding jeopardy ? '' Alice smiled ; but regarding Heyward, she blushed and hesitated. 5 '* Indulge yourself," he whispered ; ^' ought not the suggestion of the worthy namesake of the Psalmist to have its weight at such a moment ? '^ Encouraged by his opinion, Alice did what both her pious inclinations and her keen relish for gentle sounds 10 had before so strongly urged. The book was open at a hymn not ill adapted to their situation, and in which the poet, no longer goaded by his desire to excel the inspired King of Israel, had discovered some chastened and re- spectable powers. Cora betrayed a disposition to sup- is port her sister, and the sacred song proceeded, after the indispensable preliminaries of the pitch-pipe and the tune had been duly attended to by the methodical David. The air was solemn and slow. At times it rose to the fullest compass of the rich voices of the sweet maidens, 20 who hung over their little book in holy excitement, and again it sank so low that the rushing of the waters ran through their melody like a hollow accompaniment. The natural taste and true ear of David governed and modi- fied the sounds to suit their confined cavern, every crev- 25 ice and cranny of which was filled with the thrilling notes of their flexible voices. The Indians riveted their eyes on the rocks, and listened with an attention that seemed to turn them into stone. But the scout, who had 118 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. placed his chin in his hand, with an expression of cold indifference, gradually suffered his rigid features to relax, until, as verse succeeded verse, he felt his iron nature subdued, while his recollection was carried back to boy- 5 hood, when his ears had been accustomed to listen to similar sounds of praise in the settlements of the colony. His roving eyes began to moisten, and before the hymn was ended scalding tears rolled out of fountains that had long seemed dry, and followed each other down those 10 cheeks that had oftener felt the storms of heaven, than any testimonials of weakness. The singers were dwell- - ing on one of those low, dying chords, which the ear de- vours with such greedy rapture, as if conscious that it is about' to lose them, when a cry that seemed neither hu- 15 man nor earthly rose in the outward air, penetrating not only the recesses of the cavern, but to the inmost hearts of all who heard it. It was followed by a still- ness apparently as deep as if the waters had been checked in their furious progress at such a horrid and unusual 20 interruption. " What is it ? " murmured Alice, after a few moments of terrible suspense. <^ What is it ? " repeated Heyward, aloud. Neither Hawkeye nor the Indians made any reply. 25 They listened, as if expecting the sound would be re- peated, with a manner that expressed their own aston- ishment. At length, they spoke together, earnestly, in the Delaware language, when Uncas, passing by the inner and most concealed aperture, cautiously left the TRE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 119 cavern. When he had gone, the scout first spoke in English. " What it is, or what it is not, none here can tell ; though two of us have ranged the woods for more than thirty years ! I did believe there was no cry that In- 5 dian or beast could make that my ears had not heard ; but this has proved that I was only a vain and conceited mortal.'' "Was it not, then, the shout the warriors make when they wish to intimidate their enemies ? " asked Cora, who 10 stood drawing her veil about her person, with a calmness to which her agitated sister was a stranger. " No, no ; this was bad and shocking, and had a sort of unhuman sound ; but when you once hear the war- whoop, you will never mistake it for anything else ! 15 Well, Uncas!" speaking in the Delaware to the young chief as he re-entered, " what see you ? do our lights shine through the blankets ? '' The answer was short and apparently decided, being given in the same tongue. 20 "There is nothing to be seen without," continued Hawkeye, shaking his head in discontent ; " and our hiding-place is still in darkness ! Pass into the other cave, you that need it, and seek for sleep ; we must be afoot long before the sun, and make the most of our time 25 to get to Edward, while the Mingos are taking their morning nap." Cora set the example of compliance, with a steadiness that taught the more timid Alice the necessity of obedi- 120 JAMES FENIMOllE COOPER, ence. Before leaving the place, however, she whispered a request to Duncan that he would follow. Uncas raised the blanket for their passage ; and as the sisters turned to thank him for this act of attention, they saw the scout 5 seated again before the dying embers, with his face rest- ing on his hands, in a manner which showed how deeply he brooded on the unaccountable interruption which had broken up their evening devotions. Heyward took with him a blazing knot, which threw 10 a dim light through the narrow vista of their new apart- ment. Placing it in a favorable position, he joined the females, who now found themselves alone with him, for the first time since they had left the friendly ramparts of Fort Edward. 15 '' Leave us not, Duncan/' said Alice ; " we cannot sleep in such a place as this, with that horrid cry still ringing in our ears ! " ^' First let us examine into the security of your for- tress," he answered, ''and then we will speak of rest." 20 He approached the farther end of the cavern, to an outlet, which, like the others, was concealed by blankets, and removing the thick screen, breathed the fresh and reviving air from the cataract. One arm of the river flowed through a deep, narrow ravine, which its current 25 had worn in the soft rock directly beneath his feet, forming an effectual defence, as he believed, against any danger from that quarter; the water, a few rods above them, plunging, glancing, and sweeping along, in its most violent and broken manner. TnE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 121 <' Nature has made an impenetrable barrier on this side/' he continued, pointing down the perpendicular declivity into the dark current, before he dropped the blanket ; and as you know that good men and true are on guard in front, I see no reason why the advice of our 5 honest host should be disregarded. I am certain Cora will join me in saying that sleep is necessary to you both." " Cora may submit to the justice of your opinion, though she cannot put it in practice," returned the elder 10 sister, who had placed herself by the side of Alice on a couch of sassafras; ^' there would be other causes to chase away sleep, though we had been spared the shock of this mysterious noise. Ask yourself, Heyward, can daughters forget the anxiety a father must endure, whose 15 children lodge, he knows not where or how, in such a wilderness and in the midst of so many perils ? " '• He is a soldier, and knows how to estimate the chances of the woods." " He is a father, and cannot deny his nature." 20 " How kind has he ever been to all my follies, how tender and indulgent to all my wishes ! " sobbed Alice. " We have been selfish, sister, in urging our visit at such hazard ! " " I may have been rash in pressing his consent in a 25 moment of so much embarrassment, but I would have proved to him that, however others might neglect him in his strait, his children were faithful ! " "When he heard of your arrival at Edv^^ard," said 122 JAMES FEN IM ORE COOPER, Heyward, kindly, " there was a powerful struggle in hi? bosom between fear and love ; though the latter, height- ened, if possible, by so long a separation, quickly pre- vailed. *It is the spirit of my noble-minded Cora that 5 leads them, Duncan,' he said, *and I will not balk it. Would to God that he who holds the honor of our royal master in his guardianship would show but half her firmness."' "And did he not speak of me. Hey ward ? " demanded 10 Alice, with jealous affection. '< Surely, he forgot not altogether his little Elsie ! " " That were impossible," returned the young man ; " he called you by a thousand endearing epithets, that I may not presume to use, but to the justice of which I 15 can warmly testify. Once, indeed, he said — " Duncan ceased speaking ; for while his eyes were riv- eted on those of Alice, who had turned towards him with the eagerness of filial affection to catch his words, the same strong, horrid cry, as before, filled the air and 20 rendered him mute. A long, breathless silence succeeded, during which, each looked at the others in fearful ex- pectation of hearing the sound repeated. At length, the blanket was slowly raised, and the scout stood in the aperture with a countenance whose firmness evidently 25 began to give way, before a mystery that seemed to threaten some unknown danger, against which all his cunning and experience might prove of no avail. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 123 CHAPTEK VIT. They do not sleep. On yonder cliffs, a grisly band, I see them sit. — Gray, The Bard. " 'TwouLD be neglecting a warning that is given for our good to lie hid any longer," said Hawkeye, " when such sounds are raised in the forest ! These gentle ones may keep close, but the Mohicans and I will watch upon the rock, where I suppose a major of the 60th would 5 wish to keep us company." *' Is then our danger so pressing ? " asked Cora. '^He who makes strange sounds and gives them out for man's information, alone knows our danger. I should think myself wicked unto rebellion against his 10 will, was I to burrow with such warnings in the air ! Even the weak soul who passes his days in singing is stirred by the cry, and, as he says, is ' ready to go forth to the battle.' If 'twere only a battle, it would be a thing understood by us all and easily managed ; but 1 15 have heard that when such shrieks are atween heaven and 'arth, it betokens another sort of warfare ! " "If all our reasons for fear, my friend, are confined to such as proceed from supernatural causes, we have 124 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, but little occasion to be alarmed," continued the undis- turbed Cora ; " are you certain that our enemies have not invented some new and ingenious method to strike us with terror, that their conquest may become more easy ? '* 5 <' Lady," returned the scout, solemnly, <' I have lis- tened to all the sounds of the woods for thirty years, as a man will listen, whose life and death depend so often on the quickness of his ears. There is no whine of the panther; no whistle of the catbird ; nor any invention of 10 the devilish Mingos, that can cheat me. I have heard the forest moan like mortal men in their affliction ; often and again have I listened to the wind playing its music in the branches of the girdled trees ; and I have heard the lightning cracking in the air, like the snapping of 15 blazing brush, as it spitted forth sparks and forked flames ; but never have I thought that I heard more than the pleasure of him, who sported with the things of his hand. But neither the Mohicans nor I, who am a white man without a cross, can explain the cry just 20 heard. We, therefore, believe it is a sign given for our good." J *' It is extraordinary ! " exclaimed Heyward, taking his pistols from the place where he had laid them, on entering ; " be it a sign of peace or a signal of war, it 25 must be looked to. Lead the way, my friend ; I fol- low." On issuing from their place of confinement the whole party instantly experienced a grateful renovation of spirits, by exchanging the pent air of the hiding-place THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 125 for the cool and invigorating atmospliere, which played around the whirlpools and pitches of the cataract. A heavy evening breeze swept along the surface of the river, and seemed to drive the roar of the falls into the recesses of their own caverns, whence it issued heavily 5 and constant, like thunder rumbling beyond the distant hills. The moon had risen, and its light was already glancing here and there on the waters above them ; but the extremity of the rock where they stood still lay in shadow. With the exception of the sounds produced 10 by the rushing waters, and an occasional breathing of the air, as it murmured past them in fitful currents, the scene was as still as night and solitude could make it. In vain were the eyes of each individual bent along the opposite shores, in quest of some signs of life, that might 15 explain the nature of the interruption they had heard. Their anxious and eager looks were baffled by the de- ceptive light, or rested only on naked rocks or straight and immovable trees. " Here is nothing to be seen but the gloom and quiet 20 of a lovely evening," whispered Duncan ; " how much we should prize such a scene, and all this breathing soli- tude, at any other moment, Cora. Fancy yourselves in security, and what now, perhaps, increases your terror, may be made conducive to enjoyment — " 25 *' Listen ! " interrupted Alice. The caution was unnecessary. Once more the same sound arose, as if from the bed of the river, and having broken out of the narrow bounds of the cliffs, was heard 126 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. "undulating through the forest in distant and dying cadences. " Can any here give a name to such a cry ? " de- manded Hawkeye, when the last echo was lost in the 5 woods ; " if so, let him speak ; for myself, I judge it not to belong to 'arth ! " ^' Here, then, is one who can undeceive you,'' said Duncan ; " I know the sound full well, for often have I heard it on the field of battle, and in situations which 10 are frequent in a soldier's life. 'Tis the horrid shriek that a horse will give in his agony ; oftener drawn from him in pain, though sometimes in terror. My charger is either a prey to the beasts of the forest, or he sees his danger without the power to avoid it. The sound might 15 deceive me in the cavern, but in the open air I know it too well to be wrong." The scout and his companions listened to this simple explanation with the interest of men, who imbibe new ideas at the same time that they get rid of old ones, 20 which had proved disagreeable inmates. The two latter uttered their usual and expressive exclamation, " Hugh ! " as the truth first glanced upon their minds, while the former, after a short musing pause, took on himself to reply. 25 " I cannot deny your words," he said ; " for I am lit- tle skilled in horses, though born where they abound. The w^olves must be hovering above their heads on the bank, and the timorsome creatures are calling on man for help, in the best manner they are able. Uncas " — THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 127 he spoke in Delaware — "Uncas, drop down in the canoe, and whirl a brand among the pack ; or fear may do what the wolves can't get at to perform, and leave us without horses in the morning, when we shall have so much need to journey swiftly." 6 The young native had already descended to the water to comply, when a long howl was raised on the edge of the river, and was borne swiftly off into the depths of the forest, as though the beasts, of their own accord, were abandoning their prey in sudden terror. Uncas, with 10 instinctive quickness, receded, and the three foresters held another of their low, earnest conferences. " We have been like hunters who have lost the points of the heavens, and from whom the sun has been hid for days,'' said Hawkeye, turning away from his compan- 15 ions ; " now we begin again to know the signs of our course, and the paths are cleared from briers. Seat yourselves in the shade, which the moon throws from yonder beach — 'tis thicker than that of the pines — and let us wait for that which the Lord may choose to send 2Q. next. Let all your conversation be in whispers ; though it would be better, and perhaps, in the end, wiser, if each one held discourse with his own thoughts for a time." The manner of the scout was seriously impressive, though no longer distinguished by any signs of unmanly 25 apprehension. It was evident, that his momentary weak- ness had vanished with the explanation of a mystery, which his own experience had not served to fathom ; and, thousrh he now felt all the realities of their actual condi- 128 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. tion, that he was prepared to meet them with the energy of his hardy nature. This feeling seemed also com- mon to the natives, w^ho placed themselves in positions which commanded a full view of both shores, while their 6 own persons were effectually concealed from observation. In such circumstances, common prudence dictated that Heyward and his companions should imitate a caution that proceeded from so intelligent a source. The young man drew a pile of the sassafras from the cave, and pla- 10 cing it in the chasm which separated the two caverns, it was occupied by the sisters, who were thus protected by the rocks from any missiles, while their anxiety was re- lieved by the assurance that no danger could approach without a warning. Heyward himself was posted at 15 hand, so near that he might communicate with his com- panions without raising his voice to a dangerous ele- vation ; while David, in imitation of the woodsmen, bestowed his person in such a manner among the fissures of the rocks, that his ungainly limbs were no longer 20 offensive to the eye. In this manner hours passed by without further in- terruption. The moon reached the zenith and shed its mild light perpendicularly on the lovely sight of the sis- ters, slumbering peacefully in each other's arms. Dun- 25 can cast the wide shawl of Cora before a spectacle he so much loved to contemplate, and then suffered his own head to seek a pillow on the rock. David began to utter sounds that would have shocked his delicate organs in more wakeful moments ; in short, all but Hawkeye and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 129 the Mohicans lost every idea of consciousness in uncon- trollable drowsiness. But the watchfulness of these vigilant protectors, neither tired nor slumbered. Im- movable as that rock, of which each appeared to form a part, they lay, with their eyes roving without intermis- 5 sion along the dark margin of trees that bounded the adjacent shores of the narrow stream. Not a sound es- caped them ; the most subtle examination could not have told they breathed. It was evident that this excess of caution proceeded from an experience, that no subtlety 10 on the part of their enemies could deceive. It was, how- ever continued without any apparent consequences, until the moon had set, and a pale streak above the tree-tops, at a bend of the river, a little below, announced the approach of day. 15 Then, for the first time, Hawkeye was seen to stir. He crawled along the rock and shook Duncan from his heavy slumbers. "Now is the time to journey," he whispered; "awake the gentle ones, and be ready to get into the canoe when 20 I bring it to the landing-place." " Have you had a quiet night ? " said Hey ward ; " for myself, I believe sleep has gotten the better of my vigi- lance." " All is yet still as midnight. Be silent, but be quick." 25 By this time Duncan was thoroughly awake, and he immediately lifted the shawl from the sleeping fair ones. The motion caused Cora to raise her hand as if to re- pulse him, while Alice murmured, in her soft, gentle 130 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. voice, " No, no, dear father, we were not deserted ; Dun- can was with us.'' " Yes, sweet innocence," whispered the youth ; *^ Dun- can is here, and while life continues or danger remains, 5 he will never quit thee. Cora ! Alice ! awake ! The hour has come to move." A loud shriek from the younger of the sisters, and the form of the other standing upright before him in bewildered 'horror, was the unexpected answer he re- 10 ceived. While the words were still on the lips of Hey- ward, there had arisen such a tumult of yells and cries as served to drive the swift currents of his own youthful blood back from its bounding course into the fountains of his heart. It seemed, for near a minute, as if the 15 demons of hell had possessed themselves of the air about them, and were venting their savage humors in barba- rous sounds. The cries came from no particular direc- tion, though it was evident they filled the woods, and, as the appalled listeners easily imagined, the caverns of 20 the falls, the rocks, the bed of the river, and the upper air. David raised his tall person in the midst of the infernal din, with a hand on either ear, exclaiming, — " Whence comes this discord ? Has hell broke loose, that man should utter sounds like these ? " 25 The bright flashes, and the quick reports of a dozen rifles, from the opposite banks of the stream, followed this incautious exposure of his person, and left the un- fortunate singing-master senseless on that rock where he had been so long slumbering. The Mohicans boldly THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 131 sent back the intimidating yell of their enemies, who raised a shout of savage triumph at the fall of Gamut. The flash of rifles was then quick and close between them, but either party was too well skilled to leave even a limb exposed to the hostile aim. Duncan listened with 5 intense anxiety for the strokes of the paddle, believing that flight was now their only refuge. The river glanced by with its ordinary velocity, but the canoe was nowhere to be seen on its dark waters. He had just fancied they were cruelly deserted by the scout, as a stream of flame 10 issued from the rock beneath him, and a fierce yell, blended with a shriek of agony, announced that the mes- senger of death, sent from the fatal weapon of Hawkeye, had found a victim. At this slight repulse the assail- ants instantly withdrew, and gradually the place became 15 still as before the sudden tumult. Duncan seized the favorable moment to spring to the body of Gamut, which he bore within the shelter of the narrow chasm that protected the sisters. In another minute the whole party was collected in this spot of 20 comparative safety. "The poor fellow has saved his scalp," said Hawk- eye, coolly passing his hand over the head of David; " but he is a proof that a man may be born with too long a tongue ! 'Twas downright madness to show six 25 feet of flesh and blood, and on a naked rock, to the ra- ging savages ; and I only wonder he has escaped with life." " Is he not dead ? " demanded Cora, in a voice whose 132 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. husky tones showed how powerfully natural horror struggled with her assumed firmness. " Can we do aught to assist the wretched man ? '^ <' No, no ! the life is in his heart yet, and after he has 5 slept a while he will come to himself, and be a wiser man for it, till the hour of his real time shall come," returned Hawkeye, casting another oblique glance at the insensible body, while he filled his charger with admirable nicety. " Carry him in, Uncas, and lay him 10 on the sassafras. The longer his nap lasts the better it will be for him ; as I doubt whether he can find a proper cover for such a shape on these rocks ; and singing won't do any good with the Iroquois." ''You believe, then, the attack will be renewed?" 15 asked Heyward. " Do I expect a hungry wolf will satisfy his craving with a mouthful ? They have lost a man, and 'tis their fashion, when they meet a loss and fail in the surprise, - to fall back ; but we shall have them on again, with new 20 expedients to circumvent us and master our scalps. Our main hope," he continued, raising his rugged coun- tenance, across which a shade of anxiety just then passed like a darkening cloud, " will be to keep the rock until Munro can send a party to our help. God send it may 25 be soon, and under a leader that knows the Indian cus- toms." " You hear our probable fortunes, Cora," said Duncan; "and you know we have everything to hope from the anxiety and experience of your father. Come, then, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 133 with Alice into this cavern, where you, at least, will be safe from the murderous rifles of our enemies, and where you may bestow a care suited to your gentle natures, on our unfortunkte comrade." The sisters followed him into the outer cave, where 6 David was beginning, by his sighs, to give symptoms of returning consciousness 5 and, then, commending the wounded man to their attention, he immediately pre- pared to leave them. ^' Duncan ! " said the tremulous voice of Cora, when he 10 had reached the mouth of the cavern. He turned, and beheld the speaker, whose color had changed to a deadly paleness, and whose lip quivered, gazing after him with an expression of interest which immediately recalled him to her side. ^' Eemember, Duncan, how necessary your 15 safety is to our own — how you bear a father's sacred trust — how much depends on your discretion and care — in short," she added, while the tell-tale blood stole over her features, crimsoning her very temples, ^' how very deservedly dear you are to all of the name of 20 Munro." " If anything could add to my own base love of life," said Heyward, suffering his unconscious eyes to wander to the youthful form of the silent Alice, " it would be so kind an assurance. As major of the 60th, our honest 25 host will tell you I must take my share of the fray ; but our task will be easy ; it is merely to keep these blood- hounds at bay for a few hours." Without waiting for reply, he tore himself from the 134 JAMES FEN IM ORE COOPER. presence of the sisters and joined the scout and his com- panions, who still lay within the protection of the little chasm between the two caves. " I tell you, Uncas," said the former, as Hey ward B joined them, "you are wasteful of your powder, and the kick of the rifie disconcerts your aim. Little powder, light lead, and a long arm, seldom fail of bringing the death screech from a Mingo. At least, such has been my experience with the creatur's. Come, friends; let 10 us to our covers, for no man can tell when or where a Maqua will strike his blow." The Indians silently repaired to their appointed sta- tions, which were fissures in the rocks, whence they could command the approaches to the foot of the falls. In the 15 centre of the little island a few short and stunted pines had found root, forming a thicket, into which Hawkeye darted with the swiftness of a deer, followed by the ac- tive Duncan. Here they secured themselves, as well as circumstances would permit, among the shrubs and frag- 20 ments of stone that were scattered about the place. Above them was a bare, rounded rock, on each side of which the water played its gambols, and plunged into the abysses beneath, in the manner already described. As the day had now dawned, the opposite shores no 25 longer presented a confused outline, but they were able to look into the woods and distinguish objects beneath the dark canopy of gloomy pines and bushes. A long and anxious watch succeeded, but without any further evidences of a renewed attack^ and Duncan be^ THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 135 gaii to hope that their fire had proved more fatal than was supposed, and that their enemies had been effectually repulsed. When he ventured to utter this impression to his companion, it was met by Hawkeye with an in- credulous shake of the head. 5- " You know not the nature of a Maqua, if you think he is so easily beaten back without a scalp. If there was one of the imps yelling this morning, there were forty, and they know our number and quality too well to give up the chase so soon. Hist ! look into the water above, lO just where it breaks over the rocks. I am no mortal, if the risky devils haven't swam down upon the very pitch, and as bad luck would have it, they have hit the head of the island ! Hist ! man, keep close ! or the hair will be off your crown in the turning of a knife ! " 15 Heyward lifted his head from the cover, and beheld what he justly considered a prodigy of rashness and skill. The river had worn away the edge of the soft rock in such a manner as to render its first pitch less abrupt and perpendicular than is usual at waterfalls. With no 20 other guide than the ripple of the stream where it met the head of the island, a party of their insatiable foes had ventured into the current and swum down upon this point, knowing the ready access it would give, if success- ful, to their intended victims. As Hawkeye ceased 25 speaking, four human heads could be seen peering above a few logs of drift wood, that had lodged on these naked rocks, and which had probably suggested the idea of the practicability of the hazardous undertaking. At the next 136 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB. moment a fifth form was seen floating over the green edge of the fall, a little from the line of the island. The savage struggled powerfully to gain the point of safety, and favored by the glancing water, he was already 5 stretching forth an arm to meet the grasp of his compan- ions, when he shot away again with the whirling current, appeared to rise into the air with uplifted arms and starting eye-balls, and then fell with a sullen plunge into that deep and yawning abyss over which he hovered. A 10 single wild, despairing shriek rose from the cavern, and all was hushed again as the grave. The first generous impulse of Duncan was to rush to the rescue of the hapless wretch, but he felt himself bound to the spot, by the iron grasp of the immovable 15 scout. "Would ye bring certain death upon us by telling the Mingos where we lie ? '' demanded Hawkeye sternly ; "'tis a charge of powder saved, and ammunition is as precious now as breath to a worried deer. Freshen the 20 priming of your pistols — the mist of the falls is apt to dampen the brimstone — and stand firm for a close strug- gle, while I fire on their rush." He placed his finger in his mouth and drew a long, shrill whistle, which was answered from the rocks below, 25 that were guarded by the Mohicans. Duncan caught glimpses of heads above the scattered drift wood, as this signal rose on the air, but they disappeared again as sud- denly as they had glanced upon his sight. A low, rus- tling sound, next drew his attention behind him, and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 137 turning his head, he beheld Uncas within a few feet, creeping to his side. Hawkeye spoke to him in Dela- ware, when the young chief took his position with singu- lar caution and undisturbed coolness. To Heyward this was a moment of feverish and impatient suspense ; 5 though the scout saw fit to select it as a fit occasion to read a lecture to his more youthful associates, on the art of using firearms with discretion. " Of all we'pons," he commenced, ^' the long barrelled, true grooved, soft metalled rifle, is the most dangerous 10 in skilful hands, though it wants a strong arm, a quick eye, and great judgment in charging, to put forth all its beauties. The gunsmiths can have but little insight into their trade, when they make their fowling-pieces and short horsemen's — '' 15 He was interrupted by the low, but expressive " Hugh " of Uncas. " I see them, boy, I see them ! " continued Hawkeye ; "they are gathering for their rush, or they would keep their dingy backs below the logs. Well, let them," he 20 added, examining his flint, " the leading man certainly comes on to his death, though it should be Montcalm " himself ! " At that moment the woods were filled with another burst of cries, and at the signal four savages sprang from 25 the cover of the drift wood. Heyward felt a burning desire to rush forward to meet them, so intense was the delirious anxiety of the moment ; but he was restrained by the deliberate examples of the scout and Uncas. 138 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, When their foes, who leaped over the black rocks that. divided them, with long bounds, uttering the wildest yells, were within a few rods, the rifle of Hawkeye slowly rose among the shrubs and poured out its fatal contents. 6 The foremost Indian bounded like a stricken deer and fell headlong among the clefts of the island. " Now, Uncas ! " cried the scout, drawing his long knife, while his quick eyes began to flash with ardor, " take the last of the screeching imps ; of the other two 10 we are sartain ! " He was obeyed ; and but two enemies remained to be overcome. Heyward had given one of his pistols to Hawkeye, and together they rushed down a little de- clivity towards their foes ; they discharged their weapons 15 at the same instant, and equally without success. "I know'd it! and I said it!" muttered the scout, whirling the despised little implement over the falls, with bitter disdain. '^ Come on, ye bloody minded hell- hounds ! ye meet a man without a cross ! " 20 The words were barely uttered, when he encountered a savage of gigantic stature and of the fiercest mien. At the same moment Duncan found himself engaged with the other in a similar contest of hand to hand. With ready skill Hawkeye and his antagonist each 25 grasped that uplifted arm of the other, which held the dangerous knife. For near a minute, they stood looking one another in the eye, and gradually exerting the power of their muscles for the mastery. At length the tough- ened sinews of the white man prevailed over the less TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 139 practised limbs of the native. The arm of the latter slowly gave way before the increasing force of the scout, who, suddenly wresting his armed hand from the grasp of his foe, drove the sharp weapon through his naked bosom to the heart. In the meantime, Heyward had 5 been pressed in a more deadly struggle. His slight sword was snapped in the first encounter. As he was destitute of any other means of defence, his safety now depended entirely on bodily strength and resolution. Though deficient in neither of these qualities, he had 10 met an enemy every way his equal. Happily, he soon succeeded in disarming his adversary, whose knife fell on the rock at their feet, and from this moment it be- came a fierce struggle who should cast the other over the dizzy height into a neighboring cavern of the falls. 15 Every successive struggle brought them nearer to the verge, where Duncan perceived the final and conquering effort must be made. Each of the combatants threw all his energies into that effort, and the result was that both tottered on the brink of the precipice. Heyward felt 20 the grasp of the other at his throat, and saw the grim smile the savage gave, under the revengeful hope that he hurried his enemy to a fate similar to his own, as he felt his body slowly yielding to a resistless power ; and the young man experienced the passing agony of such a 25 moment in all its horrors. At that instant of extreme danger, a dark hand and glancing knife appeared before him ; the Indian released his hold, as the blood flowed freely from around the severed tendons of the wrist; 140 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. and while Duncan was drawn backward by the saving arm of Uncas, his charmed eyes were still riveted on the fierce and disappointed countenance of his foe, who fell sullenly and disappointed down the irrecoverable 5 precipice. " To cover ! to cover ! " cried Hawkeye, who just then had despatched his enemy; ^^to cover, for your lives! the work is but half ended ! " The young Mohican gave a loud shout of triumph, and 10 followed by Duncan, he glided up the acclivity they had descended to the combat, and sought the friendly shelter of the rocks and shrubs. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 141 CHAPTER VIII. They linger yet, Avengers of their native land. — Gray, The Bard. The warning call of the scout was not uttered without occasion. During the occurrence of the deadly encounter just related, the roar of the falls was unbroken by any human sound whatever. It would seem that interest in the result had kept the natives on the opposite shores B in breathless suspense, while the quick evolutions and Bwift changes in the positions of the combatants effectu- all}^ prevented a fire that might prove dangerous alike to friend and enemy. But the moment the struggle was decided, a yell arose as fierce and savage as wild and re- 10 vengeful passions could throw into the air. It was fol- lowed by the swift flashes of the rifles, which sent their leaden messengers across the rock in volleys, as though the assailants would pour out their impotent fury on the insensible scene of the fatal contest. 15 A steady, although deliberate, return was made from the rifle of Chingachgook, who had maintained his post throughout the fray with unmoved resolution. When the triumphant shout of Uncas was borne to his ears, the gratified father had raised his voice in a single respon- 20 14^ JAMES FENlMOllE COOPER. sive cry, after which his busy piece alone proved that he still guarded his pass with unwearied diligence. In this manner many minutes flew by with the swiftness of thought; the rifles of the assailants speaking, at times, 5 in rattling volleys, and at others, in occasional, scattering shots. Though the rock, the trees, and the shrubs were cut and torn in a hundred places around the besieged, their cover was so close and so rigidly maintained, that, as yet, David had been the only sufferer in their little 10 band. ^'Let them burn their powder," said the deliberate scout, while bullet after bullet whizzed by the place where he securely lay , '^ there will be a fine gathering of lead when it is over, and I fancy the imps will tire 15 of the sport, afore these old stones cry out for mercy ! Uncas, boy, you waste the kernels by overcharging; and a kicking rifle never carries a true bullet. I told you to take that loping miscreant under the line of white paint; now, if your bullet went a hair's breadth, it went two 20 inches above it. The life lies low in a Mingo, and hu- manity teaches us to make a quick end of the sar- pents." A quiet smile lighted the haughty features of the young Mohican, betra^ang his knowledge of the English 25 language, as well as of the other's meaning; but he suf- fered it to pass away without vindication or reply. " I cannot permit you to accuse Uncas of want of judg- ment or of skill," said Duncan; "he saved my life in the coolest and readiest manner, and he has made a TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 143 friend who never will require to be reminded of the debt he owes." Uncas partly raised his body, and offered his hand to the grasp of Heyward. During this act of friendship the two young men exchanged looks of intelligence, fi which caused Duncan to forget the character and con- dition of his wild associate. In the meanwhile Hawk- eye, who looked on this burst of youthful feeling with a cool but kind regard, made the following reply : " Life is an obligation which friends often owe each 10 other in the wilderness. I dare say I may have served Uncas some such turn myself before now ; and I very well remember, that he has stood between me and death five different times : three times from the Mingos, once in crossing Horican, and — '' 15 " That bullet was better aimed than common ! " ex- claimed Duncan, involuntarily shrinking from a shot which struck the rock at his side with a smart re- bound. Hawkeye laid his hand on the shapeless metal, and 20 shook his head, as he examined it, saying, ^' Falling lead is never flattened ! had it come from the clouds this might have happened ! " But the rifle of Uncas was de iberately raised toward the heavens, directing the eyes of his companions to a 25 point where the mystery was immediately explained. A ragged oak grew on the right bank of the river, nearly opposite to their position, which, seeking the freedom of the open space, had inclined so far forward that its 144 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, upper branches overhung that arm of the stream which flowed nearest to its own shore. Among the topmost leaves, wliich scantily concealed the gnarled and stunted limbs, a savage was nestled, partly concealed by the 5 trunk of the tree, and partly exposed, as though looking down upon them, to ascertain the effect produced by his treacherous aim. " These devils will scale heaven to circumvent us to our ruin," said Hawkeye ; ^' keep him in play, boy, 10 until I can bring ^ Kill-deer' to bear, when we will try his metal on each side of the tree at once.'' Uncas delayed his fire until the scout uttered the word. The rifles flashed, the leaves and bark of the oak flew into the air and were scattered by the wind, 15 but the Indian answered their assault by a taunting laugh, sending down upon them another bullet in re- turn, that struck the cap of Hawkeye from his head. Once more the savage yells burst out of the woods, and the leaden hail whistled above the heads of the besieged, 20 as if to confine them to a place where they might be- come easy victims to the enterprise of the warrior who had mounted the tree. ^^ This must be looked to ! " said the scout, glancing about him with an anxious eye. " Uncas, call up your 25 father ; we have need of all our w^e'pons to bring the cunning varment from his roost." The signal was instantly given ; and before Hawk- eye had reloaded his rifle they were joined by Chin- gachgook. When his son pointed out to the experienced TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 145 warrior the situation of their dangerous enemy, the usual exclamatory " Hugh ! " burst from his lips ; after which, no further expression of surprise or alarm was suffered to escape from him. Hawkeye and the Mohi- cans conversed earnestly together in Delaware for a few 5 moments, when each quietly took his post, in order to execute the plan they had speedily devised. The warrior in the oak had maintained a quick, though . ineffectual, fire from the moment of his discovery. But his aim was interrupted by the vigilance of his enemies, lO whose rifles instantaneously bore on any part of his person that was left exposed. Still, his bullets fell in the centre of the crouching party. Tlie clothes of Hey- ward, which rendered him peculiarly conspicuous, were repeatedly cut, and once blood was drawn from a slight 15 wound in his arm. At length, emboldened by the long and patient watch- fulness of his enemies, the Huron attempted a better and more fatal aim. The quick eyes of the Mohicans caught the dark line of his lower limbs incautiously exposed 20 through the thin foliage, a few inches from the trunk of the tree. Their rifles made a common report, when, sinking on his wounded limb, part of the body of the savage came into view. Swift as thought Hawkeye seized the advantage and discharged his fatal weapon 25 into the top of the oak. The leaves were unusually agi- tated, the dangerous rifle fell from its commanding ele- vation, and after a few moments of vain struggling, the form of the savage was seen swinging in the wind; while 146 . JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. ' he grasped a ragged and naked branch of the tree with hands clinched in desperation. " Give him, in pity give him, the contents of another rifle ! '^ cried Duncan, turning away his eyes in horror 5 from the spectacle of a fellow-creature in such awful jeopardy. " Not a karnel ! '' exclaimed the obdurate Hawkeye ; *^his death is certain, and we have no powder to spare, for Indian fights sometimes last for days ; 'tis their 10 scalps or ours ! — and God, who made us, has put into our natures the craving to keep the skin on the head ! '^ Against this stern and unyielding morality, supported as it was by such visible policy, there was no appeal. From that moment the yells in the forest once more 15 ceased, the fire was suffered to decline, and all eyes, those of friends as well as enemies, became fixed on the hopeless condition of the wretch, who was dangling be- tween heaven and earth. The body yielded to the cur- rents of air, and though no murmur or groan escaped the '20 victim, there were instants when he grimly faced his foes, and the anguish of cold despair might be traced, through the intervening distance, in possession of his swarthy lineaments. Three several times the scout raised his piece in mercy, and as often, prudence getting 25 the better of his intention, it was again silently lowered. At length one hand of the Huron lost its hold and dropped exhausted to his side. A desperate and fruit- less struggle to recover the branch succeeded, and then the savage was seen for a fleeting instant grasping THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 147 wildly at the empty air. The lightning is not quicker than was the flame from the rifle of Hawkeye; the limbs of the victim trembled and contracted, the head fell to the bosom, and the body parted the foaming waters like lead, when the element closed above it in its cease- 6 less velocity, and every vestige of the unhappy Huron was lost forever. No shout of triumph succeeded this important advan- tage, but even the Mohicans gazed at each other in silent horror. A single yell burst from the woods, and all was 10 again still. Hawkeye, who alone appeared to reason on the occasion, shook his head at his own momentary weakness, even uttering his self-disapprobation aloud. "'Twas the last charge in my horn and the last bullet in my pouch, and 'twas the act of a boy ! '' he said ; 15 " what mattered it whether he struck the rock living or dead ! feeling would soon be over. Uncas, lad, go down to the canoe, and bring up the big horn ; it is all the powder we have left, and we shall need it to the last grain, or I am ignorant of the Mingo nature.'' 20 The young Mohican complied, leaving the scout turn- ing over the useless contents of his pouch, and shaking the empty horn with renewed discontent. From this unsatisfactory examination, however, he was soon called by a loud and piercing exclamation from Uncas, that 25 sounded even to the unpractised ears of Duncan, as the signal of some new and unexpected calamity. Every thought filled with apprehension for the precious treas- ure he had concealed in the cavern, the young man 148 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. started to Ms feet, totally regardless of the hazard he incurred by such an exposure. As if actuated by a com- mon impulse, his movement was imitated by his com- panions, and together they rushed down the pass to the 5 friendly chasm, with a rapidity that rendered the scat- tering fire of their enemies perfectly harmless. The un- wonted cry had brought the sisters, together with the wounded David, from their place of refuge, and the whole party, at a single glance, was made acquainted 10 with the nature of the disaster that had disturbed even the practised stoicism of their youthful Indian protector. At a short distance from the rock their little bark was to be seen floating across the eddy, towards the swift current of the river, in a manner which proved 15 that its course was directed by some hidden agent. The instant this unwelcome sight caught the eye of the scout, his rifle was levelled as by instinct, but the barrel gave no answer to the bright sparks of the flint. " 'Tis too late, 'tis too late ! " Hawkeye exclaimed, 20 dropping the useless piece, in bitter disappointment ; " the miscreant has struck the rapid, and had we powder, it could hardly send the lead swifter than he now goes ! " The adventurous Huron raised his head above the shelter of the canoe, and while it glided swiftly down 25 the stream, he waved his hand and gave forth the shout which was the known signal of success. His cry was answered by a yell, and a laugh from the woods, as tauntingly exulting as if fifty demons were uttering their blasphemies at the fall of some Christian soul. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 149 "Well may you laugh, ye children of the devil ! ^^ said the scout, seating himself on a projection of the rock, and suifering his gun to fall neglected at his feet, " for the three quickest and truest rifles in these woods, are no better than so many stalks of mullen, or the last year's 5 horns of a buck ! " " What is to be done ? " demanded Duncan, losing the first feeling of disappointment, in a more manly desire for exertion ; " what will become of us ? '' Hawkeye made no other reply than by passing his 10 finger around the crown of his head, in a manner so significant that none who witnessed the action could mistake its meaning. " Surely, surely, our case is not so desperate ! '' ex- claimed the youth ; " the Hurons are not here ; we may 15 make good the caverns ; we may oppose their landing." " With what ? '' coolly demanded the scout. " The arrows of Uncas, or such tears as women shed ! No, no ; you are young and rich, and have friends, and at such an age I know it is hard to die ! but," glancing his eyes 20 at the Mohicans, " let us remember we are men without a cross, and let us teach these natives of the forest, that white blood can run as freely as red, when the appointed hour is come." Duncan turned quickly in the direction indicated by 25 the other's eyes, and read a confirmation of his worst apprehensions in the conduct of the Indians. Chingach- gook, placing himself in a dignified posture on another fragment of the rock, had already laid aside his knife 150. JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, and tomahawk, and was in the act of taking the eagle's plume from his head and smoothing the solitary tuft of hair, in readiness to perform its last and revolting office. His countenance was composed, though thoughtful, while 5 his dark gleaming eyes were gradually losing the fierce- ness of the combat in an expression better suited to the change he expected momentarily to undergo. " Our case is not, cannot be so hopeless ! " said Dun- can ; " even at this very moment succor may be at hand. 10 I see no enemies ! they have sickened of a struggle, in which they risk so much with so little prospect of gain." " It may be a minute, or it may be an hour, afore the wily sarpents steal upon us, and it is quite in natur' for them to be lying within hearing at this very moment,'' 15 said Hawkeye ; " but come they will, and in such a fash- ion as will leave us nothing to hope. Chingachgook " — he spoke in Delaware — " my brother, we have fought our last battle together, and the Maquas will triumph in the death of the sage man of the Mohicans, and of the 20 pale face, whose eyes can make night as day and level the clouds to the mists of the springs." "Let the Mingo women go weep over their slain!" returned the Indian with characteristic pride and un- moved firmness ; " the great snake of the Mohicans has 25 coiled himself in their wigwams, and has poisoned their triumph with the wailings of children whose fathers have not returned ! Eleven warriors lie hid from the graves of their tribe, since the snows have melted, and none will tell where to find them, when the tongue of TUE LAST OF TUE MOHICANS. 151 CliingacJigook shall be silent ! Let them draw the sharp- est knife and whirl the swiftest tomahawk, for their bitterest enemy is in their hands. Uncas, topmost branch of a noble trunk, call on the cowards to hasten, or their hearts will soften and they will change to 5 women ! " "They look among the fishes for their dead!" re- turned the low soft voice of the youthful chieftain ; " the Hurons float with the slimy eels ! They drop from the oaks like fruit that is ready to be eaten ; and 10 the Delawares laugh ! " "Ay, ay," muttered the scout, who had listened to this peculiar burst of the natives with deep attention; "they have warmed their Indian feelings, and they'll soon provoke the Maquas to give them a speedy end. 15 As for me, who am of the whole blood of the whites, it is befitting that I should die as becomes my color, with no words of scoffing in my mouth, and without bitterness at the hearf "Why die at all?'^ said Cora, advancing from the 20 place where natural horror had, until this moment, held her riveted to the rock ; " the path is open on every side ; fly, then, to the woods, and call on God for succor ! Go, brave men, we owe you too much already ; let us no longer involve you in our hapless fortunes ! " 25 " You but little know the craft of the Iroquois, lady, if you judge they have left the path open to the woods," returned Hawkeye, who, however, immediately added in his simplicity ; " the down stream current, it is certain, 152 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB, might soon sweep us beyond the reach of their rifles, or the sounds of their voices." " Then try the river. Why linger to add to the num- ber of the victims of our merciless enemies ? " 5 " Why," repeated the scout, looking about him proud- ly, " because it is better for a man to die at peace with himself, than to live haunted by an evil conscience. What answer could we give Munro, when he asked us where and how we left his children ? " 10 " Go to him, and say that you left them with a mes- sage to hasten to their aid," returned Cora, advancing nigher to the scout in her generous ardor ; " that the Hurons bear them into the northern wilds, but that by vigilance and speed they may yet be rescued ; and if, 15 after all, it should please heaven that his assistance come too late, bear to him," she continued, her voice gradually lowering until it seemed nearly choked, " the love, the blessings, the final prayers of his daughters, and bid him not to mourn their early fate, but to look 20 forward with humble confidence to the Christian's goal to meet his children." The hard, weather-beaten features of the scout began ■ to work, and when she had ended he dropped his chin to his hand, like a man musing profoundly on the nature 25 of her proposal. ^' There is reason in her words," at length broke from his compressed and trembling lips ; " ay, and they bear the spirit of Christianity; what might be right and proper in a redskin may be sinful in a man who has not| TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 153 even a cross in blood to plead for his ignorance. Ciiin- gachgook ! Uncas ! hear you the talk of the dark-eyed woman ? " He now spoke in Delaware to his companions, and his address, though calm and deliberate, seemed very de- 5 cided. The elder Mohican heard him with deep gravity, and appeared to ponder on his words, as though he felt the importance of their import. After a moment of hesi- tation he waved his hand in assent, and uttered the English word " Good ! " with the peculiar emphasis of 10 his people. Then, replacing his knife and tomahawk in his girdle, the warrior moved silently to the edge of the rock which was most concealed from the banks of the river. Here he paused a moment, pointed significantly to the woods below, and saying a few words in his own 15 language, as if indicating his intended route, he dropped into the water and sank from before the eyes of the anxious witnesses of his movements. The scout delayed his departure to speak to the gener- ous maiden, whose breathing became lighter as she saw 20 the success of her remonstrance. " Wisdom is sometimes given to the young as well as to the old," he said ; " and what you have spoken is wise, not to call it by a better word. If you are led into the woods, that is, such of you as may be spared for a while, 25 break the twigs on the bushes as you pass, and make the marks of your trail as broad as you can, when, if mortal eyes can see them, depend on having a friend who will follow to the ends of the *arth afore he desarts you." 154 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB. He gave Cora an affectionate shake of the hand, lifted his rifle, and after regarding it a moment with melan- choly solicitude, laid it carefully aside, and descended to the place where Chingachgook had just disappeared, 5 For an instant he hung suspended by the rock ; and looking about him with a countenance of peculiar care, he added bitterly, '' Had the powder held out, this dis- grace could never have befallen ! " then, loosening his hold, the water closed above his head, and he also be- 10 came lost to view. All eyes were now turned on Uncas, who stood leaning against the ragged rock in immovable composure. After waiting a short time, Cora pointed dowQ the river, and said : 15 " Your friends have not been seen, and are now, most probably, in safety ; is it not time for you to follow ? " "Uncas will stay," the young Mohican calmly an- swered, in English. " To increase the horror of our capture, and to dimin- 20 ish the chances of our release ! Go, generous young man," Cora continued, lowering her eyes under the gaze of the Mohican, and, perhaps, with an intuitive conscious- ness of her power ; " go to my father, as I have said, and be the most confidential of my messengers. Tell 25 him to trust you with the means to buy the freedom of his daughters. Go ! 'tis my wish, 'tis my prayer, that you will go ! " The settled, calm look of the young chief changed to an expression of gloom, but he no longer hesitated. TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 155 With a noiseless step he crossed the rock, and dropped into the troubled stream. Hardly a breath was drawn by those he left behind, until they caught a glimpse of his head emerging for air, far down the current, when he again sank and was seen no more. 5 These sudden and apparently successful experiments had all taken place in a few minutes of that time, which had now become so precious. After the last look at Uncas Cora turned, and with a quivering lip addressed herself to Heyward. 10 " I have heard of your boasted skill in the water, too, Duncan," she said ; <' follow, then, the wise example set you by these simple and faithful beings." " Is such the faith that Cora Munro would exact from her protector ? " said the young man, smiling mournfully, 15 but with bitterness. ^' This is not a time for idle subtleties and false opin- ions," she answered ; " but a moment when every duty should be equally considered. To us you can be of no further service here, but your precious life may be saved 20 for other and nearer friends." He made no reply, though his eyes fell wistfully on the beautiful form of Alice, who was clinging to his arm with the dependency of an infant. " Consider," continued Cora, after a pause, during 25 which she seemed to struggle with a pang, even more acute than any that her fears had excited, "that the worst to us can be but death; a tribute that all must pay at the good time of God's appointment." ^ 156 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER, "There are evils worse tlian death," said Duncan, speaking hoarsely, and as if fretful at her importunity, ^' but which the presence of one who would die in your behalf may avert.'' Cora ceased her entreaties ; and, veiling her face in her shawl, drew the nearly insensible Alice after her into the deepest recess of the inner cavern. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 157 CHAPTER IX. Be gay securely; Dispel, my fair, with smiles, the tim'rous clouds, That hang on thy clear brow. — Death of Agrippina. The sudden and almost magical change from the stir- ring incidents of the combat, to the stillness that now- reigned around him, acted on the heated imagination of Heyward like some exciting dream. While all the images and events he had witnessed remained deeply 5 impressed on his memory, he felt a difficulty in persuad- ing himself of their truth. Still ignorant of the fate of those who had trusted to the aid of the swift current, he at first listened intently to any signal, or sounds of alarm, which might announce the good or evil fortune of their 10 hazardous undertaking. His attention was, however, bestowed in vain ; for, with the disappearance of Uncas, every sign of the adventurers had been lost, leaving him in total uncertainty of their subsequent fate. In a moment of such painful doubt Duncan did not li5 hesitate to look about him, without consulting that pro- tection from the rocks which just before had been so necessary to his safety. Every effort, however, to detect the least evidence of the approach of their hidden ene- 158 JAMSS FENIMORE COOPER. mies was as fruitless as the inquiry after his late com- panions. The wooded banks of the river seemed again deserted by everything possessing animal life. The up- roar which had so lately echoed through the vaults of 5 the forest was gone, leaving the rush of the waters to swell and sink on the currents of the air in the unmin= gled sweetness of nature. A fish-hawk, which, secure on the topmost branches of a dead pine, had been a distant spectator of the fray, now stooped from his high and 10 ragged perch, and soared in wide sweeps above his prey ; while a jay, whose noisy voice had been stilled by the hoarser cries of the savages, ventured again to open his discordant throat, as though once more left in undis- turbed possession of his wild domains. Duncan caught 15 from these natural accompaniments of the solitary scene a glimmering of hope ; and he began to rally his facul- ties to renewed exertions, with something like a reviving confidence of success. " The Hurons are not to be seen," he said, addressing 20 David, who had by no means recovered from the effects of the stunning blow he had received ; " let us conceal ourselves in the cavern and trust the rest to Provi- dence." " I remember to have united with two comely maidens 25 in lifting up our voices in praise and thanksgiving," re- turned the bewildered singing-master; " since which time I have been visited by a heavy judgment for my sins. I have been mocked with the likeness of sleep, while sounds of discord have rent my ears, such as might mani- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 15D fest the fulness of time, and that nature had forgotten her harmony.'^ " Poor fellow ! thine own period was, in truth, near its accomplishment ! But arouse and come with me ; I will lead you where all other sounds but those of your own 5 psalmody shall be excluded.'' " There is melody in the fall of the cataract, and the rushing of many waters is sweet to the senses ! " said David, pressing his hand confusedly on his brow. "Is not the air yet filled with shrieks and cries, as though 10 the departed spirits of the damned — " "Not now, not now," interrupted the impatient Hey- ward, "they have ceased ; and they who raised them, I trust in God, they are gone too ! everything but the water is still and at peace ; in, then, where you may 15 create those sounds you love so well to hear." David smiled sadly, though not without a momentary gleam of pleasure, at this allusion to his beloved voca- tion. He no longer hesitated to be led to a spot, which promised such unalloyed gratification to his wearied 20 senses ; and, leaning on the arm of his companion, .he entered the narrow mouth of the cave. Duncan seized a pile of the sassafras, which he drew before the pas- f sage, studiously concealing every appearance of an aper- ■ ture. Within this fragile barrier he arranged the 25 blankets abandoned by the foresters, darkening the in- ner extremity of the cavern, while its outer received a chastened light from the narrow ravine, through which one arm of the river rushed, to form the junction with its sister branch a few rods below. 30 160 JAMES fenimoue cooper, " I like not that principle of the natives, which teaches them to submit without a struggle in emergencies that appear desperate," he said, while busied in this employ- ment ; " our own maxim, which says, ' while life remains 5 there is hope,' is more consoling, and better suited to a soldier's temperament. To you, Cora, I will urge no words of idle encouragement; your own fortitude and undisturbed reason will teach you all that may become your sex ; but cannot we dry the tears of that trembling 10 weeper on your bosom ? " "I am calmer, Duncan," said Alice, raising herself from the arms of her sister, and forcing an appearance of composure through her tears ; " much calmer, now. Surely, in this hidden spot, we are safe, we are secret, 15 free from injury ; we will hope everything from those generous men, who have risked so much already in our behalf." ^' Now does our gentle Alice speak like a daughter of Munro ! " said Heyward, pausing to press her hand as 20 he passed towards the outer entrance of the cavern. "With two such examples of courage before him, a man ■ would be ashamed to prove other than a hero." He then seated himself in the centre of the cavern, grasping his remaining pistol with a hand firmly clinched, while 25 his contracted and frowning eye announced the sullen desperation of his purpose. " The Hurons, if they come, may not gain our position so easily as they think," he lowly muttered ; and, dropping his head back against the rock, he seemed to await the result in patience, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 161 though his gaze was unceasingly bent on the open avenue to their place of retreat. With the last sound of his voice, a deep, a long, and almost breathless silence succeeded. The fresh air of the morning had penetrated the recess, and its influence 5 was gradually felt on the spirits of its inmates. As minute after minute passed by, leaving them in undis- turbed security, the insinuating feeling of hope was gradually gaining possession of every bosom, though each one felt reluctant to give utterance to expectations 10 that the next moment might so fearfully destroy. David alone formed an exception to these varying emo- tions. A gleam of light from the opening crossed his wan countenance, and fell upon the pages of the little volume, whose leaves he was again occupied in turning, 15 as if searching for some song more fitted to their condi- tion than any that had yet met his eye. He was most probably acting all this time under a confused recollec- tion of the promised consolation of Duncan. At length, it would seem, his patient industry found its reward ; 20 for, without explanation or apology, he pronounced aloud the words "Isle of Wight," drew a long, sweet sound from his pitch-pipe, and then ran through the prelimi- nary modulations of the air whose name he had just mentioned, with the sweeter tones of his own musical 25 voice. " May not this prove dangerous ? " asked Cora, glan- cing her dark eyes at Major Heyward. " Poor fellow ! his voice is too feeble to be heard amid 162 JAMES FENIMORE COOPEB, the din of the falls," was the answer; "besides, the cavern will prove his friend. Let him indulge his pas- sion, since it may be done without hazard." " Isle of Wight ! " repeated David, looking about him 5 with all that imposing dignity with which he had long been wont to silence the whispering echoes of his school ; "'tis a brave tune, and set to solemn words; let it be sung with meet respect." After allowing a moment of stillness to enforce his 10 discipline, the voice of the singer was heard in low, murmuring syllables, gradually stealing on the ear, until it filled the narrow vault with sounds, rendered trebly thrilling by the feeble and tremulous utterance produced by his debility. The melody, v/hich no weakness could 15 destroy, gradually wrought its sweet influence on the senses of those who heard it. It even prevailed over the miserable travesty of the song of David, which the singer had selected from a volume of similar effusions, and caused the sense to be forgotten, in the insinuating 20 harmony of the sounds. Alice unconsciously dried her tears, and bent her melting eyes on the pallid features of Gamut, with an expression of chastened delight, that she neither affected nor wished to conceal. Cora be- stowed an approving smile on the pious efforts of the 25 namesake of the Jewish prince, and Heyward soon turned his steady, stern look from the outlet of the cavern, to fasten it, with a milder character, on the face of David, or to meet the wandering beams which at moments strayed from the humid eyes of Alice. The TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 163 open sympathy of the listeners stirred the spirit of the votary of music, whose voice regained its richness and volume, without losing that touching softness which proved its secret charm. Exerting his renovated powers to their utmost, he was yet filling the arches of the cave 5 with long and full tones, when a yell burst into the air without, that instantly stilled his pious strains, choking his voice suddenly, as though his heart had literally bounded into the passage of his throat. " We are lost ! " exclaimed Alice, throwing herself lO into the arms of Cora. '^ Not yet, not yet," returned the agitated but un- daunted Heyward ; " the sound came from the centre of the island, and it has been produced by the sight of their dead companions. We are not yet discovered and 15 there is still hope." Faint and almost despairing as was the prospect of escape, the words of Duncan were not thrown away, for it awakened the powers of the sisters in such a manner that they awaited the results in silence. A 20 second yell soon followed the first, when a rush of voices was heard pouring down the island, from its upper to its lower extremity, until they reached the naked rock above the caverns, where, after a shout of savage triumph, the air continued full of horrible cries 25 and screams, such as man alone can utter, and he only when in a state of the fiercest barbarity. The sounds quickly spread around them in every di- rection. Some called to their fellows from the water's 164 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. edge, and were answered from the heights above. Cries were heard in the startling vicinity of the chasm be- tween the two caves, which mingled with hoarser yells that arose out of the abyss of the deep ravine. In 5 short, so rapidly had the savage sounds diffused them- selves over the barren rock, that it was not difficult for the anxious listeners to imagine that they could be heard beneath, as, in truth, they were above and on every side of them. 10 In the midst of this tumult a triumphant yell was raised within a few feet of the hidden entrance to the cave. Heyward abandoned every hope, with the belief it was the signal that they were discovered. Again the impression passed away, as he heard the voices collect 15 near the spot where the white man had so reluctantly abandoned his rifle. Amid the jargon of the Indian dialects that he now plainly heard, it was easy to dis- tinguish not only words, but sentences in the patois of the Canadas. A burst of voices had shouted, simulta- 20 neously, " La Longue Carabine ! '' causing the opposite woods to re-echo with a name which Heyward well re- membered had been given by his enemies to a celebrated hunter and scout of the English camp, and who, he now learnt, for the first time, had been his late companion. 25 ^' La Longue Carabine ! La Longue Carabine ! '' passed from mouth to mouth, until the whole band appeared to be collected around a trophy, which would seem to an- nounce the death of its formidable owner. After a vociferous consultation, which was at times deafened THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 165 by bursts of savage joy, they again separated, filling the air with the name of a foe whose body, Heyward could collect from their expressions, they hoped to find con- cealed in some crevice of the island. " Now," he whispered to the trembling sisters, " now 5 is the moment of uncertainty ! if our place of retreat escape this scrutiny, we are still safe! In every event, • we are assured, by what has fallen from our enemies, that our friends have escaped, and in two short hours we may look for succor from Webb." 10 There were now a few minutes of fearful stillness, during which Heyward well knew that the savages con- ducted their search with greater vigilance and method. More than once he could distinguish their footsteps, as they brushed the sassafras, causing the faded leaves to 15 rustle and the branches to snap. At length the pile yielded a little, a corner of a blanket fell, and a faint ray of light gleamed into the inner part of the cave. Cora folded Alice to her bosom in agony, and Duncan sprang to his feet. A shout was at that moment heard, 20 as if issuing from the centre of the rock, announcing that the neighboring cavern had at length been entered. In a minute, the number and loudness of the voices indicated that the whole party was collected in and around that secret place. 25 As the inner passages to the two caves were so close to each other, Duncan, believing that escape was no longer possible, passed David and the sisters, to place himself between the latter and the first onset of the 166 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. terrible meeting. Grown desperate by bis situation, he drew nigh the slight barrier which separated him only by a few feet from his relentless pursuers, and placing his face to the casual opening, he even looked out, with 5 a sort of desperate indifference, on their movements. Within reach of his arm was the brawny shoulder of a gigantic Indian, whose deep and authoritative voice appeared to give directions to the proceedings of his fel- lows. Beyond him again, Duncan could look into the 10 vault opposite, which was filled with savages, upturning and rifling the humble furniture of the scout. The wound of David had dyed the leaves of sassafras with a color, that the natives well knew was anticipating the season. Over this sign of their success they set up a 35 howl, like an opening from so many hounds, who had recovered their lost trail. After this yell of victory they tore up the fragrant bed of the cavern, and bore the branches into the chasm, scattering the boughs, as if they suspected them of concealing the person of the man 20 they had so long hated and feared. One fierce and wild looking warrior approached the chief, bearing a load of the brush, and pointing exultingly to the deep red stains with which it was sprinkled, uttered his joy in Indian yells, whose meaning Heyward was only enabled 25 to comprehend, by the frequent repetition of the name of " La Longue Carabine ! " When his triumph had ceased, he cast the brush on the slight heap that Dun- can had made before the entrance of the second cavern, and closed the view. His example was followed by THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 167 others ; who, as they drew the branches from the cave of the scout, threw them into one pile, adding uncon- sciously to the security of those they sought. The very slightness of the defence was its chief merit, for no one thought of disturbing a mass of brush, which all of them 5 believed, in that moment of hurry and confusion, had been accidentally raised by the hands of their own party. As the blankets yielded before the outward pressure, and the branches settled into the fissure of the rock by 10 their own weight, forming a compact body, Duncan once more breathed freely. With a light step, and lighter heart, he returnM to the centre of the cave, and took the place he had left, where he could command a view of the opening next the river. While he was in the act 15 of making this movement, the Indians, as if changing their purpose by a common impulse, broke away from the chasm in a body, and were heard rushing up the island again towards the point whence they had origi- nally descended. Here another wailing cry betrayed 20 that they were again collected around the bodies of their dead comrades. Duncan now ventured to look at his companions ; for, during the most critical moments of their danger, he had been apprehensive that the anxiety of his countenance 25 might communicate some additional alarm to those who were so little able to sustain it. " They are gone, Cora ! '' he whispered ; " Alice, they are returned whence they came, and we are saved ! To 168 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. heaven, that has alone delivered us from the grasp of so merciless an enemy, be all the praise ! '' " Then to heaven will I return my thanks ! " exclaimed the younger sister, rising from the encircling arms of 5 Cora, and casting herself, with enthusiastic gratitude, on the naked rock to her knees ; " to that heaven who has spared the tears of a gray-headed father ; has saved the lives of those I so much love — " Both Hey ward and the more tempered Cora witnessed 10 the act of involuntary emotion with powerful sympathy, the former secretly believing that piety had never worn, a form so lovely, as it had now assumed in the youthful person of Alice. Her eyes were radiant with the glow of grateful feelings ; the flush of her beauty was again 15 seated on her cheeks, and her whole soul seemed ready and anxious to pour out its thanksgivings through the medium of her eloquent features. But when her lips moved, the words they should have uttered appeared frozen by some new and sudden chill. Her bloom gave 20 place to the paleness of death ; her soft and melting eyes grew hard, and seemed contracting with horror; while those hands which she had raised, clasped in each other, towards heaven, dropped in horizontal lines before her, the fingers pointing forward in convulsed 25 motion. Heyward turned the instant she gave a direc- tion to his suspicions, and, peering just above the ledge which formed the threshold of the open outlet of the cavern, he beheld the malignant, fierce, and savage fea- tures of Le Eenard Subtil. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 169 In that moment of surprise the self-possession of Heyward did not desert him. He observed by the va- cant expression of the Indian's countenance, that his eye, accustomed to the open air, had not yet been able to penetrate the dusky light which pervaded the depth 5 of the cavern. He had even thought of retreating be- yond a curvature in the natural wall, which might still conceal him and his companions, when, by the sudden gleam of intelligence that shot across the features of the savage, he saw it was too late, and that they were 10 betrayed. The look of exultation and brutal triumph which an- nounced this terrible truth was irresistibly irritating. Forgetful of everything but the impulses of his hot blood, Duncan levelled his pistol and fired. The report 15 of the weapon made the cavern bellow like an eruption from a volcano; and when the smoke it vomited had driven away before the current of air which issued, from the ravine, the place so lately occupied by the features of his treacherous guide was vacant. Eushing to the 20 outlet, Heyward caught a glimpse of his dark figure, stealing around a low and narrow ledge, which soon hid him entirely from his sight. Among the savages a frightful stillness succeeded the explosion, which had just been heard bursting from the 25 bowels of the rock. But when Le Kenard raised his voice in a long and intelligible whoop, it was answered by a spontaneous yell from the mouth of every Indian within hearing of the sound. The clamorous noises 170 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. again rushed down the island ; and before Duncan had time to recover from the shock, his feeble barrier of brush was scattered to the winds, the cavern was entered at both its extremities, and he and his companions were dragged from their shelter and borne into the day, where they stood surrounded by the whole band of the triumph- ant Hurons. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 171 CHAPTER X. I fear we shall outsleep tlie coining mom, As much as we this night have overwatched! Shakspeare, a Midsummer -Night^s Dream, The instant the shock of this sudden misfortune had abated, Duncan began to make his observations on the appearance and proceedings of their captors. Contrary to the usages of the natives in the wantonness of their success, they had respected not only the persons of the 5 trembling sisters but his own. The rich ornaments of his military attire, had indeed been repeatedly handled by different individuals of the tribe, with eyes express- ing a savage longing to possess the baubles ; but before the customary violence could be resorted to, a mandate lo in the authoritative voice of the large warrior already mentioned, stayed the uplifted hand, and convinced Heyward that they were to be reserved for some object of particular moment. While, however, these manifestations of weakness 15 were exhibited by the young and vain of the party, the more experienced warriors continued their search throughout both caverns, with an activity that denoted they were far from being satisfied with those fruits of 172 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. their conquest which had already been brought to light. Unable to discover any new victim, these diligent work- ers of vengeance soon approached their male prisoners, pronouncing the name of " La Longue Carabine " with 5 a fierceness that could not easily be mistaken. Duncan affected not to comprehend the meaning of their repeated and violent interrogatories, Avhile his companion was spared the effort of a similar deception, by his ignorance of French. Wearied at length by their importunities, 10 and apprehensive of irritating his captors by too stub- born a silence, the former looked about him in quest of Magua, who might interpret his answers to those ques- tions which were, at each moment, becoming more earnest and threatening. 15 The conduct of this savage had formed a solitary ex- ception to that of all his fellows. While the others were busily occupied in seeking to gratify their childish pas- sion for finery, by plundering even the miserable effects of the scout, or had been searching, with such blood- 20 thirsty vengeance in their looks, for their absent owner, Le Eenard had stood at a little distance from the pris- . oners, with a demeanor so quiet and satisfied as to be- tray that he, at least, had already effected the grand purpose of his treachery. When the eyes of Hey ward 25 first met those of his recent guide, he turned them away in horror at the sinister though calm look he encoun- tered. Conquering his disgust, however, he was able, with an averted face, to address his successful enemy : 1 " Le Renard Subtil is too much of a warrior," said the I THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 173 reluctant Hey ward, " to refuse telling an unarmed man what liis conquerors sa3^" "They ask for the hunter who knows the paths through the woods/' returned Magua in his broken Eng- lish, laying his hand at the same time, with a ferocious 5 smile, on the bundle of leaves, with which a wound on his own shoulder was bandaged ; " La Longue Carabine ! his rifle is good, and his eye never shut ; but like the short gun of the white chief, it is nothing against the life of Le Subtil ! " 10 " Le Eenard is too brave to remember the hurts re- ceived in war, or the hands that gave them." "Was it war, when the tired Indian rested at the sugar tree, to taste his corn ? Who filled the bushes with creeping enemies ? Who drew the knife, whose 15 tongue was peace, while his heart was colored with blood ? Did Magua say that the hatchet was out of the ground, and that his hand had dug it up ? " As Duncan dared not retort npon his accuser, by reminding him of his own premeditated treachery, and 20 disdained to deprecate his resentment by any words of apology, he remained silent. Magua seemed also con- tent to rest the controversy, as well as all further com- munication, there, for he resumed the leaning attitude against the rock, from which, in his momentary energy, 25 he had arisen. But the cry of " La Longue Carabine," was renewed the instant the impatient savages perceived that the short dialogue was ended. "You hear," said Magua, with stubborn indifference; 174 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. " the red Hurons call for the life of * The Long Eifle,' or they will have the blood of them that keep him hid ! '^ " He is gone — escaped ; he is far beyond their reach." Renard smiled with cold contempt, as he answered : 5 " When the white man dies, he thinks he is at peace ; but the red men know how to torture even the ghosts ot their enemies. Where is his body ? Let the Hurons see his scalp ! " " He is not dead, but escaped." 10 Magna shook his head incredulously. " Is he a bird, to spread his wings ? or is he a fish, to swim without air ? The white chief reads in his books, and he believes the Hurons are fools ! " " Though no fish, ' The Long Rifle ' can swim. He 15 floated down the stream when the powder was all burnt, and when the eyes of the Hurons were behind a cloud." "And why did the white chief stay?" demanded the still incredulous Indian. " Is he a stone, that goes to the bottom, or does the scalp burn his head ? " 20 ^' That T am not a stone, your dead comrade who fell into the falls might answer, were the life still in him," said the provoked young man, using in his anger, that boastful language which was most likely to excite the admiration of an Indian. <'The white man thinks none 25 but cowards desert their women." Magna muttered a few words iuaudibly between his teeth, before he continued, aloud : " Can the Delawares swim, too, as well as crawl in the bushes ? Where is * Le Gros Serpent ?' " THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 175 Duncan, who perceived by the use of these Canadian appellations, that his late companions were much better known to his enemies than to himself, answered reluc- tantly : ^^ He also is gone down with the water." " ' Le Cerf Agile ' is not here ? '^ 6 " I know not whom you call the < nimble deer,' '' said Duncan, gladly profiting by any excuse to create delay. ** Uncas," returned Magna, pronouncing the Delaware name with even greater difficulty than he spoke his Eng- lish words. " ^ Bounding Elk ' is what the white man 10 says, when he calls to the young Mohican." " Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Eenard," said Duncan, hoping to provoke a discussion. ^^ Daim is the French for deer, and ce?/ for stag ; elan is the true term when one would speak of an elk." 15 ^' Yes," muttered the Indian in his native tongue ; " the pale faces are prattling women ! they have two words for each thing, while a redskin will make the sound of his voice speak for him." Then changing his language he continued, adhering to the imperfect nomen- 20 clature of his provincial instructors, " The deer is swift, but weak ; the elk is swift, but strong ; and the son of *Le Serpent' is 'Le Cerf Agile.' Has he leaped the river to the woods ? " ^' If you mean the younger Delaware, he too is gone 25 down with the water." As there was nothing improbable to an Indian, in the manner of the escape, Magua admitted the truth of what he had heard with a readiness that afforded additional 176 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. evidence how little he would prize such worthless cap* lives. With his companions, however, the feeling was manifestly different. The Hurons had awaited the result of this short diar 5 logue with characteristic patience, and with a silence, that increased, until there was a general stillness in the band. When Hey ward ceased to speak, they turned their eyes, as one man, on Magna, demanding in this expressive manner an explanation of what had been said. Their in- 10 terpreter pointed to the river, and made them acquainted with the result, as much by the action as by the few words he uttered. When the fact was generally under- stood, the savages raised a frightful yell, which declared the extent of their disappointment. Some ran furiously 15 to the water's edge, beating the air with frantic gestures, while others spat upon the element, to resent the sup- posed treason it had committed against their acknowl- edged rights as conquerors. A few, and they not the least powerful and terrific of the band, threw lowering 20 looks, in which the fiercest passion was only tempered by habitual self-command, at those captives who still re- mained in their power ; while one or two even gave vent to their malignant feelings by the most menacing ges- tures, against which neither the sex, nor the beauty of 25 the sisters, was any protection. The young soldier made a desperate, but fruitless, effort to spring to the side of Alice, when he saw the dark hand of a savage twisted in the rich tresses, which were flowing in volumes over her shoulders, while a knife was passed around the head THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 177 from which they fell, as if to denote the horrid manner in which it was about to be robbed of its beautiful orna^ ment. But his hands were bound ; and at the first move- ment he made he felt the grasp of the powerful Indian, who directed the band, pressing his shoulder like a vise, 5 Immediately conscious of how unavailing any struggle against such an overwhelming force must prove, he sub- mitted to his fate, encouraging his gentle companions, by a few low and tender assurances, that the natives seldom failed to threaten more than they performed. 10 But, while Duncan resorted to these words of consola- tion to quiet the apprehensions of the sisters, he was not so weak as to deceive himself. He well knew that the authority of an Indian chief was so little conven- tional, that it was oftener maintained by his physical su- 15 periority than by any moral supremacy he might possess. The danger was, therefore, magnified exactly in propor- tion to the number of the savage spirits by which they were surrounded. The most positive mandate from him, who seemed the acknowledged leader, was liable to be 20 violated at each moment by any rash hand that might choose to sacrifice a victim to the manes of some dead friend or relative. While, therefore, he sustained an outward appearance of calmness and fortitude, his heart leaped into his throat, whenever any of their fierce cap- 23 tors drew nearer than common to the helpless sisters, or fastened one of their sullen, wandering looks on those fragile forms, which were so little able to resist the slightest assault. 178 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, • His apprehensions were, however, greatly relieved, when he saw that the leader had summoned his war- riors to himself in council. Their deliberations were short, and it would seem, by the silence of most of the 5 party, the decision unanimous. By the frequency with - which the few speakers pointed in the direction of the encampment of Webb, it was apparent they dreaded the approach of danger from that quarter. This consider- ation probably hastened their determination and quick- 10 ened the subsequent movements. During this short conference Heyward, finding a res- pite from his greatest fears, had leisure to admire the cautious manner in which the Hurons had made their approaches, even after hostilities had ceased. 15 It has already been stated that the upper half of the island was a naked rock, and destitute of any other de- fences than a few scattering logs of drift wood. They had selected this point to make their descent, having borne the canoe through the wood, around the cataract, 20 for that purpose. Placing their arms in the little vessel, a dozen men clinging to its sides had trusted themselves to the direction of the canoe, which was controlled by two of the most skilful warriors, in attitudes that en- abled them to command a view of the dangerous passage. 25 Favored by this arrangement, they touched the head of the island, at that point which had proved so fatal to their first adventurers, but with the advantages of su- perior numbers and the possession of fire-arms. That such had been the manner of their descent was rendered THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 179 quite apparent to Duncan, for they now bore the light bark from tlie upper end of the rock, and placed it in the water near the mouth of the outer cavern. As soon as this change was made, the leader made signs to the prisoners to descend and enter. As resistance was im- 5 possible and remonstrance useless, Heyward set the example of submission by leading the way into the canoe, where he was soon seated with the sisters and the still wondering David. Notwithstanding the Hu- rons were necessarily ignorant of the little channels 10 among the eddies and rapids of the stream, they knew the common signs of such a navigation too well to com- mit any material blunder. When the pilot chosen for the task of guiding the canoe had taken his station, the whole band plunged again into the river, the vessel 15 glided down the current, and in a few moments the cap- tives found themselves on the south bank of the stream, nearly opposite to the point where they had struck it, the preceding evening. Here was held another short but earnest consultation, 20 during which, the horses, to whose panic their owners ascribed their heaviest misfortune, were led from the cover of the woods and brought to the sheltered spot. The band now divided. The great chief, so often men- tioned, mounting the charger of Heyward, led the way 25 directly across the river, followed by most of his people, and disappeared in the woods, leaving the prisoners in charge of six savages, at whose head was Le Renard Subtil. Duncan witnessed all their movements with renewed uneasiness. 30 180 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER, He had been fond of believing, from the uncommon forbearance of the savages, that he was reserved as a prisoner to be delivered to Montcalm. As the thoughts of those who are in misery seldom slumber, and the in- 5 vention is never more lively than when it is stimulated by hope, however feeble and remote, he had even ima- gined that the parental feelings of Munro were to be made instrumental in seducing him from his duty to the king. For though the French commander bore a high 10 character for courage and enterprise, he was also thought to be expert in those political practices which do not always respect the nicer obligations of morality, and which so generally disgraced the European diplomacy of that period. 15 All those busy and ingenious speculations were now annihilated by the conduct of his captors. That portion of the band who had followed the huge warrior, took the route towards the foot of Horican, and no other expecta- tion was left for himself and companions than that they 20 were to be retained as hopeless captives by their savage conquerors. Anxious to know the worst, and willing, in such an emergency, to try the potency of gold, he over- came his reluctance to speak to Magna. Addressing himself to his former guide, who had now assumed the 25 authority and manner of one who was to direct the future movements of the party, he said, in tones as friendly and confiding as he could assume — " I would speak to Magua what is fit only for so great a chief to hear." THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 181 The Indian turned his eyes on the young soldier scorn- fully, as he answered — " Speak, then ; trees have no ears ! '^ " But the red Hurons are not deaf ; and counsel that is fit for the great men of a nation would make the young 5 warriors drunk. If Magua will not listen, the officer of the king knows how to be silent." The savage spoke carelessly to his comrades, who were busied, after their awkward manner, in preparing the horses for the reception of the sisters, and moved a little 10 to one side, whither, by a cautious gesture, he induced Heyward to follow. " Now speak," he said ; " if the words are such as Magua should hear." ^' Le Renard Subtil has proved himself worthy of the 15 honorable name given to him by his Canada fathers," commenced Heyward ; " I see his wisdom and all that he has done for us, and shall remember it, when the hour to reward him arrives. Yes ! Renard has proved that he is not only a great chief in council, but one who knows 20 how to deceive his enemies ! " " What has Renard done ? " coldly demanded the In- dian. " What ! has he not seen that the woods were filled with outlying parties of the enemies, and that the ser- 25 pent could not steal through them without being seen ? Then, did he not lose his path, to blind the eyes of the Hurons ? Did he not pretend to go back to his tribe, who had treated him ill and driven him from their wis- 182 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, ! warns like a dog ? And, when we saw what he wished to do, did we not aid him, by making a false face, that the Hurons might think the white man believed that his friend was his enemy ? Is not all this true ? And when 5 Le Subtil had shut the eyes and stopped the ears of his nation by his wisdom, did they not forget that they had once done him wrong and forced him to flee to the Mo- hawks ? And did they not leave him on the south side of the river with their prisoners, while they have gone 10 foolishly on the north ? Does not Eenard mean to turn like a fox on his footsteps, and carry to the rich and gray- headed Scotchman his daughters ? Yes, Magna, I see it all, and I have already been thinking how so much wis- dom and honesty should be repaid. First, the chief of 15 William Henry Avill give as a great chief should for such a service. The medal of Magna will no longer be of tin, but of beaten gold ; his horn will run over with powder ; dollars will be as plenty in his pouch as pebbles on the shore of Horican ; and the deer will lick his hand, for 20 they will know it to be vain to fly from the rifle he will carry ! As for myself, I know not how to ex- ceed the gratitude of the Scotchman, but I — yes, I will — '' '' What will the young chief who comes from towards 25 the sun give ? " demanded the Huron, observing that Heyward hesitated in his desire to end the enumeration of benefits with that which might form the climax of an Indian's wishes. " He will make the fire-water from the islands in the THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 183 salt lake flow before the wigwam of Magna, until the heart of the Indian shall be lighter than the feathers of the humming-bird and his breath sweeter than the wild honeysuckle." Le Renard had listened gravely as Heyward slowly 5 proceeded in this subtle speech. When the young man mentioned the artifice he supposed the Indian to have practised on his own nation, the countenance of the lis- tener was veiled in an expression of cautious gravity. At the allusion to the injury which Duncan affected to 10 believe had driven the Huron from his native tribe, a gleam of such ungovernable ferocity flashed from the other's eyes as induced the adventurous speaker to be- lieve he had struck the proper chord. And by the time he reached the part where he so artfully blended the 15 thirst of vengeance with the desire of gain, he had, at least, obtained a command of the deepest attention of the savage. The question put by Le Renard had been calm, and with all the dignity of an Indian; but it was quite apparent, by the thoughtful expression of the lis- 20 tener's countenance, that the answer was most cunningly devised. The Huron mused a few moments, and then laying his hand on the rude bandages of his wounded shoulder, he said with some energy — " Do friends make such marks ? " 25 "Would ^La Longue Carabine' cut one so light on an enemy ? " " Do the Delawares crawl upon those they love like snakes, twisting themselves to strike ? " 184 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, *' Would ^ Le Gros Serpent ' have been heard by the ears of one he wished to be deaf ? '^ " Does the white chief burn his powder in the faces of his brothers ? " 5 " Does he ever miss his aim when seriously bent to kill ? '^ returned Duncan, smiling with well-acted sin- cerity. Another long and deliberate pause succeeded these sententious questions and ready replies. Duncan saw 10 that the Indian hesitated. In order to complete his vic- tory, he was in the act of recommencing the enumera- tion of the rewards, when Magna made an expressive gesture, and said — " Enough ; Le Kenard is a wise chief, and what he 35 does will be seen. Go, and keep the mouth shut. When Magna speaks it will be the time to answer." Heyward, perceiving that the eyes of his companion were warily fastened on the rest of the band, fell back immediately, in order to avoid the appearance of any 20 suspicious confederacy with their leader. Magna ap- proached the horses, and affected to be well pleased with the diligence and ingenuity of his comrades. He then signed to Heyward to assist the sisters into their sad- dles, for he seldom deigned to use the English tongue, 25 unless urged by some motive of more than usual moment. There was no longer any plausible pretext for delay, and Duncan was obliged, however reluctantly, to comply. As he performed this office, he whispered his reviving hopes in the ears of the trembling maidens, who, through TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 185 dread of encountering the savage countenances of their captors, seldom raised their eyes from the ground. The mare of David had been taken with the followers of the large chief ; in consequence its owner, as well as Dun- can, was compelled to journey on foot. The latter did 5 not, however, so much regret this circumstance, as it might enable him to retard the speed of the party ; for he still turned his longing looks in the direction of Fort Edward, in the vain expectation of catching some sound from that quarter of the forest, which might denote the 10 approach of speedy succor. When all were prepared, Magna made the signal to proceed, advancing in front, to lead the party in his own person. Next followed David, who was gradually com- ing to a true sense of his condition, as the effects of the 15 wound became less and less apparent. The sisters rode in his rear with Hey ward at their side, while the Indians flanked the party and brought up the close of the march with a caution that seemed never to tire. In this manner they proceeded in uninterrupted silence, 20 except when Heyward addressed some solitary word of comfort to the females, or David gave vent to the mean- ings of his spirit in piteous exclamation, which he in- tended should express the humility of his resignation. Their direction lay towards the south, and in a course 25 nearly opposite to the road to William Henry. Not- withstanding this apparent adherence in Magua to the original determination of his conquerors, Heyward could not believe his tempting bait was so soon forgotten ; and 186 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. he knew the windings of an Indian path too well to suppose that its apparent course led directly to its object, when artifice was at all necessary. Mile after mile was, however, passed through the boundless woods in this 5 painful manner, without any prospect of a termination to their journey. Heyward watched the sun, as he darted his meridian rays through the branches of the trees, and pined for the moment when the policy of Magna should change their route to one more favorable 10 to his hopes. Sometimes he fancied that the wary sav- age, despairing of passing the army of Montcalm, in safety, was holding his way towards a well-known border settlement, where a distinguished officer of the crown, and a favored friend of the Six Nations, held his large 15 possessions, as well as his usual residence. To be de- livered into the hands of Sir William Johnson was far preferable to being led into the wilds of Canada ; but in order to effect even the former, it would be necessary to traverse the forest for many weary leagues, each step 20 of which was carrying him further from the scene of the war, and, consequently, from the post, not only of honor but of duty. Cora alone remembered the parting injunctions of the scout, and whenever an opportunity offered, she stretched 25 forth her arm to bend aside the twigs that met her hands. But the vigilance of the Indians rendered this act of precaution both difficult and dangerous. She was often defeated in her purpose by encountering their watchful eyes, when it became necessary to feign an alarm she did THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 187 not feel, and occupy the limb, by some gesture of femi- Dine apprehension. Once, and once only, was she com- pletely successful ; when she broke down the bough of a large sumach, and, by a sudden thought, let her glove fall at the same instant. This sign, intended for those 5 that might follow, was observed by one of her conductors, who restored the glove, broke the remaining branches of the bush in such a manner that it appeared to proceed from the struggling of some beast in its branches, and then laid his hand on his tomahawk, v/ith a look so lo significant that it put an effectual end to these stolen memorials of their passage. As there were horses to leave the prints of their foot- steps in both bands of the Indians, this interruption cut off any probable hopes of assistance being conveyed 15 through the means of their trail. Heyward would have ventured a remonstrance, had there been anything encouraging in the gloomy reserve of Magna. But the savage, during all this time, seldom turned to look at his followers and never spoke. With 20 the sun for his only guide, or aided by such blind marks as are only known to the sagacity of a native, he held his way along the barrens of pine, through occasional little fertile vales, across brooks and rivulets, and over undulating hills, with the accuracy of instinct and 25 nearly with the directness of a bird. He never seemed to hesitate. Whether the path was hardly distinguish- able, whether it disappeared, or whether it lay beaten and plain before him, made no sensible difference in his 188 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, speed or certainty. It seemed as if fatigue could not affect him. Whenever the eyes of the wearied travellers rose from the decayed leaves over which they trod, his dark form was to be seen glancing among the stems of e the trees in front, his head immovably fastened in a for- ward position, with the light plume on its crest, flutter- ing in a current of air, made solely by the swiftness of his own motion. But all this diligence and speed was not without an 10 object. After crossing a low vale, through which a gushing brook meandered, he suddenly ascended a hill, so steep and difficult of ascent, that the sisters were compelled to alight in order to follow. When the sum- mit was gained, they found themselves on a level spot, 15 but thinly covered with trees, under one of which Magna had thrown his dark form, as if willing and ready to seek that rest which was so much needed by the whole party. THE LAST OF TEE MOHICANS, 189 CHAPTER XL — Cursed be my tribe, If I forgive him. — Shy lock. The Indian had selected for this desirable purpose one of those steep, pyramidal hills, which bear a strong resemblance to artificial mounds, and which so frequently occur in the valleys of America. The one in question was high and precipitous ; its top flattened as usual ; 5 but with one of its sides more than ordinarily irregular. It possessed no other apparent advantages for a resting- place than in its elevation and form, which might ren- der defence easy and surprise nearly impossible. As Heyward, however, no longer expected that rescue, which 10 time and distance now rendered so improbable, he re- garded these little peculiarities with an eye devoid of interest, devoting himself entirely to the comfort and condolence of his feebler companions. The Narragan- setts were suffered to browse on the branches of the 15 trees and shrubs, that were thinly scattered over the summit of the hill, while the remains of their provisions were spread under the shade of a beech, that stretched its horizontal limbs like a canopy above them. Notwithstanding the swiftness of their flight, one of 20 190 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. the Indians had found an opportunity to strike a strag- gling fawn with an arrow, and had borne the more preferable fragments of the victim patiently on his shoulders to the stopping-place. Without any aid from 5 the science of cookery, he was immediately employed, in common with his fellows, in gorging himself with this digestible sustenance. Magna alone sat apart, without participation in the revolting meal, and apparently buried in the deepest thought. 10 This abstinence, so remarkable in an Indian when he possessed the means of satisfying hunger, at length at- tracted the notice of Heyward. The young man will- ingly believed that the Huron deliberated on the most eligible manner to elude the vigilance of his associates. 15 With a view to assist his plans by any suggestion of his own and to strengthen the temptation, he left the beech and straggled, as if without an object, to the spot where Le Renard was seated. " Has not Magua kept the sun in his face long enough 20 to escape all danger from the Canadians ? " he asked, as though no longer doubtful of the good intelligence established between them ; " and will not the chief of William Henry be better pleased to see his daughters before another night may have hardened his heart to 25 their loss, and will make him less liberal in his re- ward ? " "Do the pale faces love their children less in the morning than at night ? '' asked the Indian, coldly. " By no means," returned Heyward, anxious to recall THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 191 his error, if he had made one ; " the white man may, and does often, forget the burial-place of his fathers ; he sometimes ceases to remember those he should love, and has promised to cherish ; but the affection of a par- ent for his child is never permitted to die." 5 " And is the heart of the white-headed chief soft, and will he think of the babes that his squaws have given him ? He is hard to his warriors, and his eyes are made of stone ! " " He is severe to the idle and wicked, but to the sober lo and deserving he is a leader, both just and humane. I have known many fond and tender parents, but never have I seen a man whose heart was softer towards his child. You have seen the gray-head in front of his warriors. Magna ; but I have seen his eyes swimming 15 in water, when he spoke of those children who are now in your power ! " Heyward paused, for he knew not how to construe the remarkable expression that gleamed across the swarthy features of the attentive Indian. At first it seemed as 20 if the remembrance of the promised reward grew vivid in his mind, as he listened to the scources of parental feeling which were to assure its possession ; but as Dun- can proceeded, the expression of joy became so fiercely malignant, that it was impossible not to apprehend it 25 proceeded from some passion more sinister then avarice. ^' Go," said the Huron, suppressing the alarming ex- hibition in an instant, in a death-like calmness of coun- tenance ; " go to the dark-haired daughter and say, 192 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. Magua waits to speak. The father will remember what the child promises.'' Duncan, who interpreted this speech to express a wish for some additional pledge that the promised gifts should 5 not be withheld, slowly and reluctantly repaired to the place where the sisters were now resting from their fatigue, to communicate its purport to Cora. << You understand the nature of an Indian's wishes," he concluded, as he led her towards the place where she 10 was expected, " and must be prodigal of your offers of powder and blankets. Ardent spirits are, however, the most prized by such as he ; nor would it be amiss to add some boon from your own hand, with that grace you so well know how to practise. Eemember, Cora, that on 15 your presence of mind and ingenuity, even your life, as well as that of Alice, may in some measure depend." ^' Hey ward, and yours ! " <'Mine is of little moment; it is already sold to my king, and is a prize to be seized by any enemy who may 20 possess the power. I have no father to expect me, and but few friends to lament a fate which I have courted with the unsatiable longings of youth after distinction. But hush ! we approach the Indian. Magua, the lady, with whom you wish to speak, is here." 25 The Indian rose slowly from his seat, and stood for near a minute silent and motionless. He then signed with his hand for Heyward to retire, saying coldly : " When the Huron talks to the women, his tribe shut their ears." THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 193 Duncan still lingering, as if refusing to comply, Cora said, with a calm smile : " You hear, Heyward, and delicacy, at least, should urge you to retire. Go to Alice and comfort her with our reviving prospects. '^ 5 She waited until he had departed, and then turning to the native, with all the dignity of her sex, in her voice • and manner, she added: "What would Le Renard say to the daughter of Munro ? " " Listen," said the Indian, laying his hand firmly upon 10 her arm, as if willing to draw her utmost attention to his words ; a movement that Cora as firmly but quietly repulsed by extricating the limb from his grasp : '' Ma- gua was born a chief and a warrior among the red IIu- rons of the lakes ; he saw the suns of twenty summers 15 make the snows of twenty winters run off in the streams, before he saw a pale face ; and he was happy ! Then his Canada fathers came into the woods and taught him to drink the fire-water, and he became a rascal. The Hurons drove him from the graves of his fathers, as they 20 would chase the hunted buffalo. He ran down the shores of the lakes, and followed their outlet to the ^ City of Cannon.' There he hunted and fished, till the people chased him again through the woods into the arms of his enemies. The chief, who was born a Huron, was at last 25 a warrior among the Mohawks ! " " Something like this I had heard before," said Cora, observing that he paused to suppress those passions which began to burn with too bright a flame, as he re- called the recollection of his supposed injuries. 30 194: JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. " Was it the fault of Le Eenard that his head was not made of rock ? Who gave him the fire-water ? Who made him a villain ? 'Twas the pale faces, the people of your own color." 3 " And am I answerable that thoughtless and unprin- cipled men exist, whose shades of countenance may re- semble mine ? " Cora calmly demanded of the excited savage. '' No ; Magna is a man, and not a fool ; such as you 10 never open their lips to the burning stream ; the Great Spirit has given you wisdom ! " "What then have I to do or say in the matter of your misfortunes, not to say of your errors ? " " Listen," repeated the Indian, resuming his earnest 15 attitude ; " when his English and French fathers dug up the hatchet, Le Renard struck the war-post of the Mohawks and went off against his own nation. The pale faces have driven the redskins from their hunting- grounds, and now when they fight a white man leads the 20 way. The old chief of Horican, your father, was the great captain of our war party. He said to the Mohawks, do this, and do that, and he was minded. He made a law, that if an Indian swallowed the fire-water and came into the cloth wigwams of his warriors, it should not be for- 25 gotten. Magna foolishly opened his mouth, and the hot liquor led him into the cabin of Munro. What did the gray-head ? Let his daughter say.*' " He forgot not his words, and did justice by punish- ing the offender," said the undaunted daughter. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 195 " Justice ! " repeated the Indian, casting an oblique glance of the most ferocious expression at her unyielding countenance ; " is it justice to make evil, and then punish for it ? Magna was not himself ; it was the tire-water that spoke and acted for him ! but Munro did 5 not believe it. The Huron chief was tied up before all the pale faced warriors, and whipped like a dog." Cora remained silent, for she knew not how to palliate this imprudent severity on the part of her father, in a manner to suit the comprehension of an Indian. 10 " See ! " continued Magna, tearing aside the slight calico that very imperfectly concealed his painted breast ; " here are scars given by knives and bullets — of these a warrior may boast before his nation ; but the gray- head has left marks on the back of the Huron chief, 15 that he must hide, like a squaw, under this painted cloth of the whites. " ^'I had thought," resumed Cora, "that an Indian warrior was patient, and that his spirit felt not and knew not the pain his body suffered ? " 20 " When the Chippewas tied Magna to the stake and cut this gash," said the other, laying his finger on a deep scar on his bosom, " the Huron laughed in their faces, and told them. Women struck so light ! His spirit was then in the clouds ! But when he felt the blows of 25 Munro, his spirit lay under the birch. The spirit of a Huron is never drunk ; it remembers forever ! " " But it may be appeased. If my father has done you this injustice, show him how an Indian can forgive an 196 JAMES FENIMOJIE COOPER, injury, and take back his daughters. You have heard from Major Hey ward — '^ Magua shook his head, forbidding the repetition of offers he so much despised. 5 ^^ What would you have?'' continued Cora, after a most painful pause, while the conviction forced itself on her mind, that the too sanguine and generous Dun- can had been cruelly deceived by the cunning of the savage. 10 " What a Huron loves — good for good ; bad for bad!" " You would then revenge the injury inflicted by Munro, on his helpless daughters. Would it not be more like a man to go before his face and take the sat- 15 isfaction of a warrior ? " " The arms of the pale faces are long and their knives sharp ! '' returned the savage, with a malignant laugh ; *' why should Le Renard go among the muskets of his warriors, when he holds the spirit of the gray-head in 20 his hand ? '' " Name your intention, Magua," said Cora, struggling with herself to speak with steady calmness. " Is it to lead us prisoners to the woods, or do you contemplate even some greater evil ? Is there no reward, no means 25 of palliating the injury, and of softening your heart ? At least release my gentle sister, and pour out all your malice on me. Purchase wealth by her safety, and sat- isfy your revenge with a single victim. The loss of both his daughters might bring the aged man to his I THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 197 grave, and where would then be the satisfaction of Le Eeuard ? '' " Listen," said the Indian again. " The light eyes can go back to the Horican, and tell the old chief what has been done, if the dark-haired woman will swear, by the 5 Great Spirit of her fathers, to tell no lie." " What must I promise ? " demanded Cora, still main- taining a secret ascendency over the fierce native by the collected and feminine dignity of her presence. " When Magna left his people, his wife was given to 10 another chief ; he has now made friends with the Hurons, and will go back to the graves of his tribe on the shores of the great lake. Let the daughter of the English chief follow, and live in his wigwam forever." However revolting a proposal of such a character 15 might prove to Cora, she retained, notwithstanding her powerful disgust, sufficient self-command to reply with- out betraying the weakness. " And what pleasure would Magna find in sharing his cabin with a wife he did not love ; one who would be of 2Q a nation and color different from his own ? It would be better to take the gold of Munro and buy the heart of some Huron maid with his gifts." The voice of Magna answered in its tones of deepest malignancy : 25 ^' When the blows scorched the back of the Huron, he would know where to find a woman to feel the smart. The daughter of Munro would draw Iiis water, hoe his corn, and cook his venison. The body of the gray-head 198 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. would sleep among his cannon, but his heart would lie within reach of the knife of Le Subtil." " Monster I well dost thou deserve thy treacherous name ! " cried Cora, in an ungovernable burst of filial 5 indignation. " None but a fiend could meditate such a vengeance ! But thou overratest thy power ! You shall find it is, in truth, the heart of Munro you hold, and that it will defy your utmost malice ! " The Indian answered this bold defiance by a ghastly 10 smile, that showed an unaltered purpose, while he mo- tioned her away, as if to close their conference forever. ' Cora, already regretting her precipitation, was obliged to comply ; for Magna instantly left the spot and ap- proached his gluttonous comrades. Heyward flew to 15 the side of the agitated maiden, and demanded the result of a dialogue that he had. watched at a distance with so much interest. But unwilling to alarm the fears of Alice, she evaded a direct reply, betraying only by her countenance her utter want of success, and keeping her 20 anxious looks fastened on the slightest movements of their captors. To the reiterated and earnest questions of her sister concerning their probable destination, she made no other answer than by pointing towards the dark group with an agitation she could not control, and mur- 25 muring, as she folded Alice to her bosom : "There, there; read our fortunes in their faces; we shall see ! we shall see ! '' The action and the choked utterance of Cora spoke more impressively than any words, and quickly drew the THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 199 attention of her companions on that spot, where her OAvn was riveted with an intenseness that nothing but the importance of the stake could create. When Magua reached tlie cluster of lolling savages, who, gorged with their disgusting meal, lay stretched on 5 the earth in brutal indulgence, he commenced speaking with the dignity of an Indian chief. The first syllables he uttered, had the effect to cause his listeners to raise themselves in attitudes of respectful attention. As the Huron used his native language, the prisoners, notwith- 10 standing the caution of the natives had kept them within the swing of their tomahawks, could only conjecture the substance of his harangue, from the nature of those sig- nificant gestures with which an Indian always illustrates his eloquence. iS At first, the language, as well as the action of Magua, appeared calm and deliberative. When he had succeeded in sufficiently awakening the attention of his comrades, Heyward fancied, by his pointing so frequently toward the direction of the great lakes, that he spoke of the land 20 of their fathers and of their distant tribe. Frequent indications of applause escaped the listeners, who, as they uttered the expressive " Hugh ! " looked at each other in commendation of the speaker. Le Eenard was too skilful to neglect his advantage. He now spoke of 25 the long and painful route by which they had left those spacious grounds and happy villages to come and battle against the enemies of their Canadian fathers. He enu- merated the warriors of the party, their several merits, 200 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB. their frequent services to the nation, their wounds, and the number of the scalps they had taken. Whenever he alluded to any present (and the subtle Indian neglected none), the dark countenance of the flattered individual 5 gleamed with exultation, nor did he even hesitate to as- sert the truth of the words by gestures of applause and confirmation. Then the voice of the speaker fell and lost the loud, animated tones of triumph with which he had enumerated their deeds of success and victory. He 10 described the cataract of Glenn's ; the impregnable posi- tion of its rocky island, with its caverns and its numer- ous rapids and whirlpools ; he named the name of ^ La Longue Carabine,' and paused until the forest beneath them had sent up the last echo of a loud and long yell, 15 with which the hated appellation was received. He pointed toward the youthful military captive, and de- scribed the death of a favorite warrior, who had been precipitated into the deep ravine by his hand. He not only mentioned the fate of him who, hanging between 20 heaven and earth, had presented such a spectacle of hor- ror to the whole band, but he acted anew the terrors of his situation, his resolution and his death, on the branches of a sapling ; and, finally, he rapidly recounted the man- ner in which each of their friends had fallen, never 25 failing to touch upon their courage and their most ac- knowledged virtues. When this recital of events was ended, his voice once more changed, and became plain- tive, and even musical, in its low, guttural sounds. He now spoke of the wives and children of the slain j their THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 201 destitution ; their misery, both physical and moral ; their distance ; and, at last, of their unavenged wrongs. Then suddenly lifting his voice to a pitch of terrific energy, he concluded by demanding : " Are the Hurons dogs, to bear this ? Who shall say 5 to the wife of Menowgua, that the fishes have his scalp, and that his nation have not taken revenge ? Who will dare meet the mother of Wassawattimie, that scornful woman, with his hands clean ? What shall be said to the old men, when they ask us for scalps, and we have lo not a hair from a white head to give them ? The women will point their fingers at us. There is a dark spot on the names of the Hurons, and it must be hid in blood I " His voice was no longer audible in the burst of rage, 15 which now broke into the air, as if the wood, instead of containing so small a band, was filled with the nation. During the foregoing address, the progress of the speaker was too plainly read by those most interested in his suc- cess, through the medium of the countenances of the 20 men he addressed. They had answered his melancholy and mourning, by sympathy and sorrow ; his assertions, by gestures of confirmation ; and his boastings, with the exultation of savages. When he spoke of courage, their looks were firm and responsive ; when he alluded to their 25 injuries, their eyes kindled with fury; when he men- tioned the taunts of their women, they dropped their heads in shame ; but when he pointed out their means of vengeance, he struck a chord which never failed to 202 JAMES FENIMOUE COOPER. thrill in the breast of an Indian. With the first intima- tion that it was within their reach, the whole band sprang upon their feet as one man ; giving utterance to their rage in the most frantic cries, they rushed upon their 5 prisoners in a body, with drawn knives and uplifted tomahawks. Heyward threw himself between the sis- ters and the foremost, whom he grappled wdth a desper- ate strength that for a moment checked his violence. This unexpected resistance gave Magna time to inter- 10 pose, and with rapid enunciation and animated gestures he drew the attention of the band again to himself. In that language he knew so well how to assume, he diverted his comrades from their instant purpose, and invited them to prolong the misery of their victims. His pro- 15 posal w^as received with acclamations and executed with the swiftness of thought. Two powerful warriors cast themselves on Heyward, while another w^as occupied in securing the less active singing-master. Neither of the captives, however, sub- 20 mitted without a desperate though fruitless struggle. Even David hurled his assailant to the earth ; nor was Heyward secured, until the victory over his companion enabled the Indians to direct their united force to that object. He was then bound and fastened to the body of 25 the sapling, on whose branches Magna had acted the pantomime of the falling Huron. When the young sol- dier regained his recollection, he had the painful cer- tainty before his eyes, that a common fate was intended for the whole party. On his right was Cora, in a durance THE LAST OF TEE MOHICANS. 203 similar to his own, pale and agitated, but with an eye whose steady look still read the proceedings of their enemies. On his left the withes which bound her to a pine performed that office for Alice which her trembling limbs refused, and alone kept her fragile form from 5 sinking. Her hands were clasped before her in prayer, but instead of looking upward towards that Power which alone could rescue them, her unconscious looks wandered to the countenance of Duncan, with infantile dependency. David had contended ; and the novelty of the circum- lo stance held him silent, in deliberation on the propriety of the unusual occurrence. The vengeance of the Hurons had now taken a new direction, and they prepared to execute it, with that bar- barous ingenuity, with which they were familiarized by 15 the practice of centuries. Some sought knots, to raise the blazing pile ; one was riving the splinters of pine, in order to pierce the flesh of their captives with the burn- ing fragments ; and others bent the tops of two saplings to the earth, in order to suspend Heyward by the arms 20 between the recoiling branches. But the vengeance of Magna sought a deeper and a more malignant enjoy- ment. While the less refined monsters of the band prepared, before the eyes of those who were to suffer, these well 25 known and vulgar means of torture, he approached Cora, and pointed out, with the most malign expression of countenance, the speedy fate that awaited her, — " Ha ! " he added, " what says the daughter of Munro ? 204 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. Her head is too good to find a pillow in the wigwam of Le Eenard ; will she like it better when it rolls about this hill, a plaything for the wolves ? " " What means the monster ? " demanded the astonished 5 Heyward. " Nothing ! " was the firm reply. " He is a savage, a barbarous and ignorant savage, and knows not what he does. Let us find leisure, with our dying breath, to ask for him penitence and pardon." 10 "Pardon ! " echoed the fierce Huron, mistaking, in his anger, the meaning of her words ; " the memory of an Indian is longer than the arm of the pale faces ; his mercy shorter than their justice ! Say ; shall I send the yellow-hair to her father, and will you follow Magua to 15 the great lakes, to carry his water and feed him with corn ? " Cora beckoned him away with an emotion of disgust she could not control. "Leave me," she said, with a solemnity that for a mo- 20 ment checked the barbarity of the Indian ; " you mingle bitterness in my prayers, and stand between me and my God ! " The slight impression produced on the savage was, however, soon forgotten, and he continued, pointing with 25 taunting irony towards Alice. " Look ! the child weeps ! She is young to die ! Send her to Munro, to comb his gray hairs, and keep life in the heart of the old man." Cora could not resist the desire to look upon her youth- THE LAST OF TUE MOHICANS, 205 ful sister, in whose eyes she met an imploring glance, that betrayed the longings of nature. " What says he, dearest Cora ? " asked the trembling voice of Alice. "Did he speak of sending me to our father ? " 5 For many moments the elder sister looked upon the younger, with a countenance that wavered with powerful and contending emotions. At length she spoke, though her tones had lost their rich and calm fulness, in an expression of tenderness that seemed maternal. 10 "Alice," she said, "the Huron offers us both life — nay, more than both ; he offers to restore Duncan — our invaluable Duncan, as well as you, to our friends — to our father' — to our heart-stricken, childless father, if I will bow down this rebellious, stubborn pride of mine, 15 and consent — " Her voice became choked, and clasping her hand she looked upward, as if seeking, in her agony, intelligence from a wisdom that was infinite. " Say on," cried Alice ; " to what, dearest Cora ? Oh ! 20 that the proffer were made to me ! to save you, to cheer our aged father, to restore Duncan, how cheerfully could I die ! " " Die ! " repeated Cora, with a calmer and a firmer voice, " that were easy ! Perhaps the alternative may 25 not be less so. He would have me," she continued, her accents sinking under a deep consciousness of the degra- dation of the proposal, " follow him to the wilderness ; go to the habitations of the Hurons j to remain there : 206 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, in short, to become his wife ! Speak then, Alice ; child of my affections ! sister of my love ! And you, too, Major Hey ward, aid my weak reason with your counsel. Is life to be purchased by such a sacrifice ? Will you, 5 Alice, receive it at my hands, at such a price ? And you, Duncan ; guide me ; control me between you ; for I am wholly yours." ^' Would I ! " echoed the indignant and astonished youth. ^' Cora ! Cora ! you jest v/ith our misery ! Name 10 not the horrid alternative again ; the thought itself is worse than a thousand deaths." ^^ That such would be you?' answer, I well knew ! " exclaimed Cora, her cheeks flushing, and her dark eyes once more sparkling with the glow of the lingering emo- 15 tions of a woman. " What says my Alice ? for her will I submit without another murmur." Although both Heyward and Cora listened with pain- ful suspense and the deepest attention, no sounds were heard in reply. It appeared as if the delicate and sen- 20 sitive form of Alice would shrink into itself, as she listened to this proposal. Her arms had fallen length- wise before her, with the fingers moving in slight con- vulsions ; her head dropped upon her bosom, and her whole person seemed suspended against the tree, looking 25 like some beautiful emblem of the wounded delicacy of her sex, devoid of animation, and yet keenly conscious. In a few moments, however, her head began to move slowly, in a sign of deep, unconquerable disapproba- tion. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 207 "No, no, no; better that we die as we have lived, together ! '' " Then die ! " shouted Magna, hurling his tomahawk with violence at the unresisting speaker, and gnashing his teeth with a rage that could no longer be bridled, at 5 this sudden exhibition of firmness in the one he believed the weakest of the party. The axe cleaved the air in front of Heyward, and cutting some of the flowing ringlets of Alice, quivered in the tree above her head. The sight maddened Duncan to desperation. Collect- 10 ing all his energies in one effort, he snapped the twigs which bound him, and rushed upon another savage, who was preparing, with loud yells and a more deliberate aim, to repeat the blow. They encountered, grappled, and fell to the earth together. The naked body of his 15 antagonist afforded Heyward no means of holding his adversary, who glided from his grasp, and rose again with one knee on his chest, pressing him down with the weight of a giant. Duncan already saw the knife gleam- ing in the air, when a whistling sound swept past him, 20 and was rather accompanied, than followed, by the sharp crack of a rifle. He felt his breast relieved from the load it had endured ; he saw the savage expression of his adversary's countenance cnange to a look of vacant wildness, when the Indian fell dead, on the faded leaves 25 by his side. 208 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER, CHAPTEE XII. Clo. — I am gone, sir, And anon, sir, I'll be with you again. Shakspeare, Twelfth Night. The Hurons stood aghast at this sudden visitation of death on one of their band. But, as they regarded the fatal accuracy of an aim, which had dared to immolate an enemy, at so much hazard to a friend, the name of 5 " La Longue Carabine " burst simultaneously from every lip, and was succeeded by a wild and a sort of plaintive howl. The cry was answered by a loud shout from a little thicket, where the incautious party had piled their arms ; and, at the next moment, Hawk eye, too eager to 10 load the rifle he had regained, was seen advancing upon them, brandishing the clubbed weapon, and cutting the air with wide and powerful sweeps. Bold and rapid as was the progress of the scout, it was exceeded by that of a light and vigorous form, which bounding past him, 15 leaped, with incredible activity and daring, into the very centre of the Hurons, where it stood, whirling a toma- hawk and flourishing a glittering knife with fearful menaces, in front of Cora. Quicker than the thoughts could follow these unexpected and audacious movements, I THE LAST OF TUE MOHICANS. 209 an image, armed in the emblematic panoply of death, glided before their eyes, and assumed a threatening atti- tude at the other's side. The savage tormentors recoiled before these warlike intruders, and uttered, as they appeared, in such quick succession, the often repeated 6 and peculiar expression of surprise followed by the well-known and dreaded appellations of — " Le Cerf Agile ! Le Gros Serpent ! " But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons, was not so easily disconcerted. Casting his keen eyes around 10 the little plain, he comprehended the nature of the assault at a glance, and encouraging his followers by his voice, as well as by his example, he unsheathed his long and dangerous knife, and rushed, with a loud whoop upon the expecting Chingachgook. It was the signal for 15 a general combat. Neither party had fire-arms, and the contest was to be decided in the deadliest manner; hand to hand, with weapons of offence and none of defence. Uncas answered the whoop, and leaping on an enemy, 20 with a single, well-directed blow of his tomahawk, cleft him to the brain. Heyward tore the weapon of Magna from the sapling and rushed eagerly towards the fray. As the combatants were now equal in number, each sin- gled an opponent from the adverse band. The rush and 25 blows passed with the fury of a whirlwind and the swiftness of lightning. Hawkeye soon got another enemy within reach of his arm, and with one sweep of his formidable weapon, he beat down the slight and in- 210 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. artificial defences of liis antagonist, crushing him to the earth with the blow. Ileyward ventured to hurl the tomahawk he had seized, too ardent to await the mo- ment of closing. It struck the Indian he had selected 5 on the forehead, and checked for an instant his onward rush. Encouraged by this slight advantage, the impetu- ous young man continued his onset, and sprang upon his enemy with naked hands. A single instant was suffi- cient to assure him of the rashness of the measure, for 10 he immediately found himself fully engaged, with all his activity and courage, in endeavoring to ward the desperate thrusts made with the knife of the Huron. Unable longer to foil an enemy so alert and vigilant, he threw his arms about him, and succeeded in pinning the 15 limbs of the other to his side, with an iron grasp, but one that was far too exhausting to himself to continue long. In this extremity he heard a voice near him, shouting : " Extarminate the varlets ! no quarter to an accursed 20 Mingo ! " At the next moment, the breech of Hawkeye's. rifle fell on the naked head of his adversary, whose muscles appeared to wither under the shock, as he sunk from the arms of Duncan, flexible and motionless. 25 When Uncas had brained his first antagonist, he turned, like a hungry lion, to seek another. The fifth and only Huron disengaged at the first onset had paused a moment, and then seeing that all around him were employed in the deadly strife, he had sought, with hell- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 211 ish vengeance, to complete the baffled work of revenge. Eaising a shout of triumph, he sprang towards the de- fenceless Cora, sending his keen axe as the dreadful precursor of his approach. The tomahawk grazed her shoulder, and cutting the withes which bound her to the 5 tree, left the maiden at liberty to fly. She eluded the • grasp of the savage, and reckless of her own safety, threw herself on the bosom of Alice, striving, with con- vulsed and ill-directed fingers, to tear asunder the twigs which confined the person of her sister. Any other than lo a monster would have relented at such an act of gener- ous devotion to the best and purest affection ; but the breast of the Huron was a stranger to sympathy. Seiz- ing Cora by the rich tresses which fell in confusion about her form, he tore her from her frantic hold, and bowed 15 her down with brutal violence to her knees. The savage drew the flowing curls through his hand, and raising them on high with an outstretched arm, he passed the knife around the exquisitely moulded head of his victim, with a taunting and exulting laugh. But he purchased 20 this moment of fierce gratification with the loss of the fatal opportunity. It was just then the sight caught the eye of Uncas. Bounding from his footsteps, he appeared for an instant darting through the air, and descending in a ball he fell on the chest of his enemy, 25 driving him for many yards from the spot, headlong and prostrate. The violence of the exertion cast the young Mohican at his side. They arose together, fought, and bled, each in his turn. But the conflict was soon de- 212 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, cided ; the tomahawk of Heyward, and the rifle of Hawk- eye descended on the skull of the Huron at the same moment that the knife of Uncas reached his heart. The battle was now entirely terminated, with the ex- 5 ception of the protracted struggle between " Le Eenard Subtil'' and "Le Gros Serpent." Well did these bar- barous warriors prove that they deserved those signifi- cant names, which had been bestowed for deeds in former wars. When they engaged, some little time was 10 lost in eluding the quick and vigorous thrusts which had been aimed at their lives. Suddenly darting on each other, they closed, and came to the earth, twisted to- gether, like twining serpents, in pliant and subtle folds. At the moment when the victors found themselves un- 15 occupied, the spot where these experienced and desperate combatants lay could only be -distinguished by a cloud of dust and leaves, which moved from the centre of the little plain towards its boundary, as if raised by the passage of a whirlwind. Urged by the different motives 20 of filial affection, friendship, and gratitude. Hey ward and his companions rushed with one accord to the place, encircling the little canopy of dust which hung above the warriors. In vain did Uncas dart around the cloud, with a wish to strike his knife into the heart of his 25 father's foe ; the threatening rifle of Hawkeye was raised and suspended in vain ; while Duncan endeavored to seize the limbs of the Huron, with hands that ap- peared to have lost their power. Covered, as they were, with dust and blood, the swift evolutions of the com- TnE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 213 batants seemed to incorporate their bodies into one. Tlie death-like looking figure of the Mohican and the dark form of the Huron gleamed before their eyes in such quick and confused succession, that the friends of the former knew not where nor when to plant their 5 succoring blows. It is true, there were short and fleet- ing moments, when the fiery eyes of Magna were seen glittering, like the fabled organs of the basilisk, through the dusty wreath by which he was enveloped, and he read by those short and deadly glances the fate of the 10 combat in the hated countenances and in the presence of his enemies ; ere, however, any hostile hand could descend on his devoted head, its place was filled by the scowling visage of Chingachgook. In this manner, the scene of the combat was removed from the centre of 15 the little plain to its verge. The Mohican now found an opportunity to make a powerful thrust with his knife ; Magna suddenly relinquished his grasp, and fell back- ward, without motion, and, seemingly, without life. His adversary leaped on his feet, making the arches of the 20 forest ring with the sounds of his shout of triumph. " Well done for the Delawares ! victory to the Mo- hican ! " cried Hawkeye, once m.ore elevating the butt of the long and fatal rifle; "a finishing blow from a man without a cross will never tell against his honor 25 nor rob him of his right to the scalp ! " But, at the very moment when the dangerous weapon was in the act of descending, the subtle Huron rolled swiftly from beneath the danger, over the edge of the 214 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. precipice, and falling on his feet, was seen leaping with a single bound into the centre of a thicket of low bushes which clung along its sides. The Delawares, who had believed their enemy dead, uttered their excla- 5 mation of surprise, and were following with speed and clamor, like hounds in open view of the deer, when a shrill and peculiar cry from the scout, instantly changed their purpose and recalled them to the summit of the hill. 10 " 'Twas like himself ! " cried the inveterate forester, whose prejudices contributed so largely to veil his natural sense of justice in all matters which concerned the Mingos ; " a lying and deceitful varlet as he is ! An honest Delaware now, being fairly vanquished, would 15 have lain still and been knocked on the head, but these knavish Maquas cling to life like so many cats-o'-the- mountain. Let him go — let him go; 'tis but one man, and he without rifle or bow, many a long mile from his French commerades ; and, like a rattler that has lost his 20 fangs, he can do no farther mischief, until such time as he, and we too, may leave the prints of our moccasins over a long reach of sandy plain. See, Uncas," he added, in Delaware, " your father is flaying the scalps already ! It may be well to go round and feel the vagabonds that 25 are left, or we may have another of them loping through the woods, and screeching like a jay that has been winged ! " So saying, the honest, but implacable scout, made the circuit of the dead, into whose senseless bosoms he thrust TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 215 his long knife, with as much coolness as though they had been so many brute carcasses. He had, however, been anticipated by the elder Mohican, who had already torn the emblems of victory from the unresisting heads of the slain. 5 But Uncas, denying his habits, we had almost said his nature, flew with instinctive delicacy, accompanied by Heyward, to the assistance of the sisters, and quickly releasing Alice placed her in the arms of Cora. We shall not attempt to describe the gratitude to the Almighty lo Disposer of events which glowed in the bosoms of the lovely maidens, who were thus unexpectedly restored to life, and to each other. Their thanksgivings were deep and silent ; the offerings of their gentle spirits burning brightest and purest on the secret altars of their hearts ; 15 and their renovated and more earthly feelings exhibiting themselves in long and fervent, though speechless ca- resses. As Alice arose from her knees, where she had sunk, by the side of Cora, she threw herself on the bosom of the latter and sobbed aloud the name of their aged 20 father, while her soft, dove-like eyes, sparkled with the rays of hope. " We are saved ! we are saved ! " she murmured ; "to return to the arms of our dear, dear father, and his heart will not be broken with grief ! And you too, Cora, my 25 sister; my more than sister, my mother; you too are spared ! and Duncan," she added, looking round upon the youth, with a smile of ineffable innocence, " even our own brave and noble Duncan has escaped without a hurt I '^ 216 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, To these ardent and nearly incoherent words, Cora made no other answer than by straining the youthful speaker to her heart, as she bent over her, in melting' tenderness. The manhood of Hey ward felt no shame in 5 dropping tears over this spectacle of affectionate rapture ; and Uncas stood, fresh and blood-stained from the com- bat, a calm, and apparently an unmoved looker-on, it is true, but with eyes that had already lost their fierceness, and were beaming with a sympathy that elevated him 10 far above the intelligence, and advanced him probably centuries before the practices, of his nation. During this display of emotion so natural in their sit- uation, Hawkeye, whose vigilant distrust had satisfied itself that the Hurons, who disfigured the heavenly 15 scene, no longer possessed the power to interrupt its har- mony, approached David and liberated him from the bonds he had, until that moment, endured with the most exemplary patience. " There," exclaimed the scout, casting the last withe 20 behind him, "you are once more master of your own limbs, though you seem not to use them with much greater judgment than that in which they were first fashioned. If advice from one who is not older than yourself, but who, having lived most of his time in the 25 wilderness, may be said to have experience beyond his years, will give no offence, you are welcome to my thoughts ; and these are, to part with the little tooting instrument in your jacket to the first fool you meet with, and buy some useful we'pon with the money, if it be TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 21T only the barrel of a horseman's pistol. By industry and care you might thus come to some prefarment ; for by this time I should think your eyes would plainly tell you that a carrion crow is a better bird than a mocking thresher. The one will, at least, remove fonl sights 5 from before the face of man, while the other is only good to brew disturbances in the woods by cheating the ears of all that hear them." <^ Arms and the clarion for the battle, but the song of thanksgiving to the victory ! " answered the liberated lO David. "Friend," he added, thrusting forth his lean, delicate hand toward Hawkeye in kindness, while his eyes twinkled and grew moist, "I thank thee that the hairs of my head still grow where they were first rooted by Providence ; for, though those of other men may be 15 more glossy and curling, I have ever found mine own well suited to the brain they shelter. That I did not join myself to the battle was less owing to disinclination than to the bonds of the heathen. Valiant and skilful hast thou proved thyself in the conflict, and I hereby 20 thank thee, before proceeding to discharge other and more important duties, because thou hast proved thyself well worthy of a Christian's praise ! " " The thing is but a trifle, and what you may often see, if you tarry long among us," returned the scout, a good 25 deal softened toward the man of song by this unequiv- ocal expression of his gratitude. " I have got back my old companion, ' Kill-deer,' " he added, striking his hand on the breech of his rifle; "and that in itself is a vie- 218 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. tory. These Iroquois are cunning, but they outwitted themselves when they placed their fire-arms out of reach ; and had Uncas or his father been gifted with only their common Indian patience, we should have come in upon 5 the knaves with three bullets instead of one, and that would have made a finish of the whole pack ; yon lop- ing varlet, as well as his commerades. But 'twas all foreordered and for the best ! " "Thou sayest well," returned -David, "and hast 10 caught the true spirit of Christianity. He that is to be saved will be saved, and he that is predestined to be damned will be damned ! This is the doctrine of truth, and most consoling and refreshing it is to the true believer." 15 The scout, who by this time was seated, examining into the state of his rifle with a species of parental as- siduity, now looked up at the other in a displeasure that he did not affect to conceal, roughly interrupting further speech. 20 " Doctrine, or no doctrine,'^ said the sturdy woods- man, " 'tis the belief of knaves and the curse of an hon- est man ! I can credit that yonder Huron was to fall by my hand, for with my own eyes I have seen it ; but nothing short of being a witness will cause me to think 25 he has met with any reward, or that Chingachgook, there, will be condemned at the final day." " You have no warranty for such an audacious doc^ trine, nor any covenant to support it," cried David, who w^as deeply tinctured with the subtle distinctions, which, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 219 in his time, and more especially in his province, had been drawn around the beautiful simplicity of revelation by endeavoring to penetrate the awful mystery of the divine nature, supplying faith by self-sufficiency, and by conse- quence involving those who reasoned from such human 5 dogmas in absurdities and doubt ; " your temple is reared on the sands, and the first tempest will wash away its foundation. I demand your authorities for such an un- charitable assertion. Like other advocates of a system, David was not always accurate in his use of terms. 10 Name chapter and verse ; in which of the holy books do you find language to support you ? " " Book ! " repeated Hawkeye, with singular and ill- concealed disdain ; " do you take me for a whimpering boy, at the apron string of one of your old gals ; and 15 this good rifle on my knee for the feather of a goose's wing, my ox's horn for a bottle of ink, and my leathern pouch for a cross-barred handkercher to carry my dinner ! Book ! what have such as T, who am a warrior of the wilderness, though a man without a cross, to do with 20 books ! I never read but in one, and the words that are written there are too simple and too plain to need much schooling; though I may boast that of forty long and hard-working years." " What call you the volume ? " said David, misconceiv- 25 ing the other's meaning. " 'Tis open before your eyes," returned the scout •, " and he who owns it is not a niggard of its use. I have heard it said that there are men who read in books, to 220 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. convince themselves there is a God ! I know not but man may so deform his works in the settlements as to leave that which is so clear in the wilderness, a matter of doubt among traders and priests. If any such there 5 be, and he will follow me from sun to sun through the windings of the forest, he shall see enough to teach him that he is a fool, and that the greatest of his folly lies in striving to rise to the level of one he can never equal, be it in goodness or be it in power," 10 The instant David discovered that he battled with a disputant who imbibed his faith from the lights of na- ture, eschewing all subtleties of doctrine, he willingly abandoned a controversy from which he believed neither profit nor credit was to be derived. While the scout 15 was speaking, he had also seated himself, and producing the ready little volume and the iron-rimmed spectacles, he prepared to discharge a duty which nothing but the unexpected assault he had received in his orthodoxy, could have so long suspended. He was, in truth, a min- 20 strel of the western continent, of a much later day, cer- tainly, than those gifted bards who formerly sang the profane renown of baron and prince, but after the spirit of his own age and country ; and he was now prepared to exercise the cunning of his craft in celebration of, or 25 rather in thanksgiving for, the recent victory. He waited patiently for Hawkeye to cease ; then, lifting his eyes, together with his voice, he said, aloud : " I invite you, friendg, to join in praise for this signal deliverance from the hands of barbarians and infidels, THE LAST OF TUB MOHICANS. 221 to the comfortable and solemn tones of the tune called ^ Northampton.' " He next named the page and verse where the rhymes he had selected were to be found, and applied the pitch- '■ pipe to his lips, with the decent gravit}^ that he had been 5 wont to use in the temple. This time he was, however, without any accompaniment, for the sisters were just then pouring out those tender effusions of affection, which have been already alluded to. Nothing deterred by the smallness of his audience, which, in truth, consisted only IG of the discontented scout, he raised his voice, commen- cing and ending the sacred song, without accident or interruption of any kind. Hawkeye listened, while he coolly adjusted his flint and reloaded his rifle, but the sounds wanting the extra- 15 neous assistance of scene and sympathy, failed to awaken his slumbering emotions. Never minstrel, or by what- ever more suitable name David should be known, drew upon his talents in the presence of more insensible audi- tors ; though considering the singleness and sincerity of 20 his motive, it is probable that no bard of profane song ever uttered notes that ascended so near to that throne where all homage and praise is due. The scout shook his head, and muttering some unintelligible words, among which " throat " and " Iroquois " were alone audible, he 25 walked away, to collect and to examine into the state of the captured arsenal of the Hurons. In this oflice he was now joined by Chingachgook, who found his own, as well as the rifle of his son, among the arms. Even Hey- 222 JAMES FENIMORE COOPEB. ward and David were furnished with weapons, nor was ammunition wanting to render them all effectual. When the foresters had made their selection and dis- tributed their prizes, the scout announced that the hour 5 had arrived when it was necessary to move. By this time the song of Gamut had ceased, and the sisters had learned to still the exhibition of their emotions. Aided by Duncan and the younger Mohican, the two latter de- scended the precipitous sides of that hill which they had 10 so lately ascended under such very different auspices, and whose summit had so nearly proved the scene of their massacre. At the foot they found their Narragan- setts browsing the herbage of the bushes, and having mounted, they followed the movements of a guide, who, 15 in the most deadly straits, had so often proved himself their friend. The journey was, however, short. Hawk- eye, leaving the blind path that the Hurons had followed, turned short to his right ; and, entering the thicket, he crossed a babbling brook, and halted in a narrow dell, 20 under the shade of a few water elms. Their distance from the base of the fatal hill was but a few rods, and the steeds had been serviceable only in crossing the shal- low stream. The scout and the Indians appeared to be familiar with 25 the sequestered place where they now were ; for, leaning their rifles against the trees, they commenced throwing aside the dried leaves and opening the blue clay, out of which a clear and sparkling spring of bright, glancing water quickly bubbled. The white man then looked THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 223 about him, as though seeking for some object which was not to be found as readily as he expected. "Them careless imps, the Mohawks, with their Tus- carora and Onondaga brethren, have been here slaking their thirst," he muttered, "and the vagabonds have 5 thrown away the gourd ! This is the way with benefits, when they are bestowed on such disremembering hounds ! Here has the Lord laid his hand, in the midst of the howling wilderness, for their good, and raised a fountain of water from the bowels of the 'arth, that might laugh lO at the richest shop of apothecary's ware in all the colo- nies ; and see ! the knaves have trodden in the clay and deformed the cleanliness of the place, as though they were brute beasts instead of human men ! '^ Uncas silently extended towards him the desired 15 gourd, which the spleen of Hawkeye had hitherto pre- vented him from observing suspended on a branch of an elm. Filling it with water, he retired a short dis- tance to a place where the ground was more firm and dry : here he coolly seated himself, and after taking a 20 long, and, apparently, a grateful draught, he commenced a very strict examination of the fragments of food left by the Hurons, which had hung in a wallet on his arm. " Thank you, lad," he continued, returning the empty 25 gourd to Uncas ; " now we will see how these rampaging Hurons lived, when outlying in ambushments. Look at this ! The varlets know the better pieces of the deer, and one would think they might carve and roast a sad- 224 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, die equal to the best cook iu the land ! But everything is raw, for the Iroquois are thorough savages. Uncas, take my steel and kindle a fire ; a mouthful of a tender broil will give natur' a helping hand after so long a 5 trail." Heyward, perceiving that their guides now set about their repast in sober earnest, assisted the maidens to alight, and placed himself at their side, not unwilling to enjoy a few moments of grateful rest, after the bloody 10 scene he had just gone through. While the culinary process was in hand, curiosity induced him to inquire into the circumstances which had led to their timely and unexpected rescue. ''How is it that we see you so soon, my generous 15 friend," he asked, *' and without aid from the garrison of Edward?" "Had we gone to the bend in the river, we might have been in time to rake the leaves over your bodies, but too late to have saved your scalps," coolly answered 20 the scout. " No, no ; instead of throwing away strength and opportunity by crossing to the fort, we lay by under the bank of the Hudson, waiting to watch the movements of the Hurons." " You, then, were witnesses of all that passed ! " 25 " Not of all ; for Indian sight is too keen to be easily cheated, and we kept close. A difficult matter it was, too, to keep this Mohican boy snug in the ambushment ! Ah ! Uncas, Uncas, your behavior was more like that of a curious woman, than of a warrior on his scent ! '' THE LAST OF THE MOUICANS. 225 Uncas permitted his eyes to turn for an instant on the sturdy countenance of the speaker, but he neither spoke nor gave any indication of repentance for his er- ror. On the contrary, Hey ward thought the manner of the young Mohican was disdainful, if not a little fierce, 5 and that he suppressed passions that were ready to ex- plode, as much in compliment to the listeners as from the deference he usually paid to his white associate. " You saw our capture ? " Heyward next demanded. " We heard it," was the significant answer. " An 10 Indian yell is plain language to men who have passed their days in the woods. But when you landed, we were driven to crawl, like serpents, beneath the leaves ; and then we lost sight of you entirely, until we placed eyes on you again trussed to the trees, and ready bound 15 for an Indian massacre." ^' Our rescue was the deed of Providence ! It was nearly a miracle that you did not mistake the path, for the Hurons divided, and each band had its horses." " Ay ! there we were thrown off the scent, and might, 20 indeed, have lost the trail, had it not been for Uncas. We took the path, however, that led into the wilder- ness ; for we judged, and judged rightly, that the savages would hold that course with their prisoners. But when we had followed it for many miles without 25 finding a single twig broken, as I had advised, my mind misgave me; especially as all the footsteps had the prints of moccasins." " Our captors had the precaution to see us shod like V 226 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. themselves," said Duncan, raising a foot, and exhibiting the buckskin he wore. *^ Ay ! 'twas judgmatical, and like themselves ; though we were too expart to be thrown from a trail by so 5 common an invention." " To what, then, are we indebted for our safety ? " " To what, as a white man who has no taint of Indian blood, I should be ashamed to own ; to the judgment of the young Mohican, in matters which I should know 10 better than he, but which I can now hardly believe to be true, though my own eyes tell me that it is so. " " 'Tis extraordinary ! will you not name the reason ? " ^' Uncas was bold enough to say that the beasts ridden by the gentle ones," continued Hawkeye, glancing his 15 eyes, not without curious interest on the sorrel fillies of the ladies, 'f planted the legs of one side on the ground at the same time, which is contrary to the movements of all trotting foor-footed animals of my knowledge except the bear. And yet here are horses that always 20 journey in this manner, as my own eyes have seen, and as their trail has shown for twenty long miles ! " " 'Tis the merit of the animal. They come from the shores of Narragansett Bay, in the small province of Providence Plantations, and are celebrated for their 25 hardihood, and the ease of this peculiar movement; though other horses are not imfrequently trained to the same. " " It may be — it may be, " said Hawkeye, who had listened with singular attention to this explanation; THE LAST OF TEE MOHICANS. 227 '' though I am a man who has the full blood of the whites, my judgment in deer and beaver is greater than in beasts of burthen. Major Effingham has many noble chargers, but I have never seen one travel after such a sidelong gait." 5 " True, for he would value the animals for very dif- ferent properties. Still is this a breed highly esteemed, and as you witness, much honored with the burdens it is often destined to bear. " The Mohicans had suspended their operations about 10 the glimmering fire to listen, and when Duncan had done, they looked at each other significantly, the father uttering the never-failing exclamation of surprise. The scout ruminated, like a man digesting his newly ac- quired knowledge, and once more stole a curious glance 15 at the horses. "I dare to say there are even stranger sights to be seen in the settlements," he said, at length; "natur' is sadly abused by man, when he once gets the mastery. But, go sidelong, or go straight, Uncas had seen the 20 movement, and their trail led us on to the broken bush. The outer branch, near the prints of one of the horses, was bent upward, as a lady breaks a flower from its stem, but all the rest were ragged and broken down, as if the strong hand of a man had been tearing them. 25 So I concluded, that the cunning varmints had seen the twig bent, and had torn the rest, to make us be- lieve a buck had been feeling the boughs with his ant- lers." 228 JAMES FENIMORE COOPEB. " I do believe your sagacity did not deceive you ; foi- some such thing occurred." " That was easy to see," added the scout, in no degree conscious of having exhibited any extraordinary sagar 5 city ; '' and a very different matter it was from a wad- dling horse ! It then struck me the Mingos would push for this spring, for the knaves w^ell know the vartue of its w^aters." " Is it, then, so famous ? " demanded Heyward, exam- 10 ining, with a more curious eye, the secluded dell, with its bubbling fountain, surrounded, as it was, by earth of a deep dingy brown. <' Few redskins who travel south and east of the great lakes but have heard of its qualities. Will you taste 15 for yourself ? " Heyward took the gourd, and after swallowing a little of the water, threw it aside with grimaces of discontent. The scout laughed in his silent, but heartfelt manner, and shook his head with vast satisfaction. 20 "Ah ! you want the flavor that one gets by habit ; the time was when I liked it as little as yourself; but I have come to my taste, and I now crave it, as a deer does the licks. Your high-spiced wines are not better liked than a redskin relishes this water ; especially when 25 his natur' is ailing. But Uncas has made his fire, and it is time we think of eating, for our journey is long and all before us." Interrupting the dialogue by this abrupt transition, the scout had instant recourse to the fragments of food TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 229 which had escaped the voracity of the Hurons. A very summary process completed the simple cookery, when he and the Mohicans commenced their humble meal, with the silence and characteristic diligence of men who ate in order to enable themselves to endure great and unre- 5 mitting toil. When this necessary, and, happily, grateful duty had been performed, each of the foresters stooped and took a long and parting draught at that solitary and silent spring, around which and its sister fountains, within 10 fifty years, the wealth, beauty, and talents of a hemi- sphere, were to assemble in such throngs, in pursuit of health and pleasure. Then Hawkeye announced his determination to proceed. The sisters resumed their saddles ; Duncan and David grasped their rifles and fol- 15 lowed on their footsteps ; the scout leading the advance and the Mohicans bringing up the rear. The whole party moved swiftly through the narrow path, towards the north, leaving the healing waters to mingle unheeded with the adjacent brook, and the bodies of the dead to 20 fester on the neighboring mount without the rites of sepulture ; a fate but too common to the warriors of the woods to excite either commiseration or comment. 230 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. CHAPTER XIIL I'll seek a readier path. Parnell, a Night-Piece on Death. The route taken by Hawkeye lay across those sandy plains, relieved by occasional valleys and swells of land, which had been traversed by their party on the morning of the same day, with the baffled Magna for their guide. 5 The sun had now fallen low towards the distant moun- tains, and as their journey lay through the interminable forest, the heat was no longer oppressive. Their prog- ress, in consequence, was proportionate ; and long before the twilight gathered about them, they had made good 10 many toilsome miles, on their return path. I . The hunter, like the savage whose place he filled, seemed to select among the blind signs of their wild route with a species of instinct, seldom abating his speed, and never pausing to deliberate. A rapid and 15 oblique glance at the moss on the trees, with an occa- sional upward gaze toward the setting sun, or a steady but passing look at the direction of the numerous water courses through which he waded, were sufficient to de- termine his path and remove his greatest difficulties, 20 In the meantime the forest began to change its hues, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 231 losing that lively green which had embellished its arches, in the graver light, which is the usual precursor of the close of day. While the eyes of the sisters were endeavoring to catch glimpses through the trees of the flood of golden 5 glory, which formed a glittering halo around the sun, tingeing here and there with ruby streaks, or bordering with narrow edgings of shining yellow, a mass of clouds that lay piled at no great distance above the western hills, Hawkeye turned suddenly, and, pointing upward 10 towards the gorgeous heavens, he spoke. " Yonder is the signal given to man to seek his food and natural rest," he said ; " better and wiser would it be, if he could understand the signs of nature, and take a lesson from the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the 15 fields ! Our night, however, will soon be over, for, with the moon, we must be up and moving again. I remem- ber to have fou't the Maquas hereaways, in the first war in which I ever drew blood from man ; and we threw up a work of blocks, to keep the ravenous varmints from 20 handling our scalps. If my marks do not fail me, we shall find the place a few rods further to our left." Without waiting for an assent, or, indeed, for any reply, the sturdy hunter moved boldly into a dense thicket of young chestnuts, shoving aside the branches 25 of the exuberant shoots which nearly covered the ground, like a man who expected at each step to discover some object he had formerly known. The recollection of the scout did not deceive him. After penetrating through 232 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, the brushj matted as it was with briars, for a few hun- dred feet, he entered into an open space that surrounded a low, green hillock, which was crowned by the decayed block-house in question. This rude and neglected build- 5 ing was one of those deserted works which, having been thrown up on an emergency, had been abandoned with the disappearance of danger, and was now quietly crumbling in the solitude of the forest, neglected, and nearly forgotten, like the circumstances which had 10 caused it to be reared. Such memorials of the passage and struggles of man are yet frequent throughout the broad barrier of wilderness, which once separated the hostile provinces, and form a species of ruins, that are intimately associated with the recollections of colonial 15 history, and which are in appropriate keeping with the gloomy character of the surrounding scenery. The roof of bark had long since fallen and mingled with the soil ; but the huge logs of pine, which had been hastily thrown together, still preserved their relative positions, though 20 one angle of the work had given way under the pressure, and threatened a speedy downfall to the remainder of the rustic edifice. While Heyward and his companions hesitated to approach a building so decayed, Hawkeye and the Indians entered within the low walls, not only 25 without fear, but with obvious interest. While the former surveyed the ruins, both internally and exter- nally, with the curiosity of one whose recollections were reviving at each moment, Chingachgook related to his son, in the language of the Delawares, and with the TEE LAST OF TEE MOHICANS. 233 pride of a conqueror, the brief history of the skirmish which had been fought in his youth in that secluded spot. A strain of melancholy, however, blended with his triumph, rendering his voice, as usual, soft and musical. 5 In the meantime the sisters gladly dismounted and prepared to enjoy their halt in the coolness of the even- ing, and in a security which they believed nothing but the beasts of the forest could invade. " Would not our resting-place have been more retired, 10 my worthy friend," demanded the more vigilant Duncan, perceiving that the scout had already finished his short survey, " had we chosen a spot less known and one more rarely visited than this ? " " Few live who know the block-house was ever raised," 15 was the slow and musing answer ; " 'tis not often that books are made and narratives written of such a skrim- mage as was here fou't atween the Mohicans and the Mohawks, in a war of their own waging. I was then a younker, and went out with the Delawares, because 20 I know'd they were a scandalized and wronged race. Forty days and forty nights did the imps crave our blood around this pile of logs, which I designed and partly reared, being, as you'll remember, no Indian my- self, but a man without a cross. The Delawares lent 25 themselves to the work, and we made it good ten to twenty, until our numbers were nearly equal, and then we sallied out upon the hounds, and not a man of them ever got back to tell the fate of his party. Yes, yes ; I 234 JAMES FSNIMOEE COOPER. was then young, and new to the sight of blood, and not relishing the thought that creatures who had spirits like myself, should lay on the naked ground, to be torn asunder by beasts, or to bleach in the rains, I buried 5 the dead with my own hands, under that very little hil- lock, where you have placed yourselves ; and no bad seat does it make either,, though it be raised by the bones of mortal men." Hey ward and the sisters arose on the instant from 10 the grassy sepulchre ; nor could the two latter, notwith- standing the terrific scenes they had so recently passed through, entirely suppress an emotion of natural horror, when they found themselves in such familiar contact with the grave of the dead Mohawks. The gray light, 15 the gloomy little area of dark grass, surrounded by its border of brush, beyond which the pines rose in breath- ing silence, apparently into the very clouds, and the death-like stillness of the vast forest, were all in unison to deepen such a sensation. 20 "They are gone and they are harmless," continued Hawkeye, waving his hand, with a melancholy smile, at their manifest alarm ; '' they'll never shout the war- whoop, nor strike a blow with the tomahawk, again ! And of all those who aided in placing them where they 25 lie, Chingachgook and I only are living ! The brothers and family of the Mohican formed our war party, and you see before you all that are now left of his race." The eyes of the listeners involuntarily sought the forms of the Indians, with a compassionate interest in THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 235 their desolate fortune. Their dark persons were still to be seen within the shadows of the block-house, the son listening to the relation of his father with that sort of intenseness, which would be created by a narrative that redounded so much to the honor of those, whose names he 5 had long revered for their courage and savage virtues. ^' I had thought the Delawares a pacific people," said Duncan, " and that they never waged war in person ; trusting the defence of their lands to those very Mo- hawks that you slew." 10 " 'Tis true in part," returned the scout, " and yet, at the bottom, ^tis a wicked lie. Such a treaty was made in ages gone by, through the deviltries of the Dutchers, who wished to disarm the natives that had the best fight to the country where they had settled themselves. IS The Mohicans, though a part of the same nation, having to deal with the English, never entered into the silly bargain, but kept to their manhood ; as in truth did the Delawares, when their eyes were opened to their folly. You see before you, a chief of the great Mohican Saga- 20 mores ! Once his family could chase their deer over tracts of country wider than that which belongs to the Albany Patteroon, without crossing brook or hill, that was not their own ; but what is left to their descendant ? He may find his six feet of earth, when God chooses ; 25 and keep it in peace, perhaps, if he has a friend who will take the pains to sink his head so low that the ploughshares cannot reach it ! " " Enough !" said Hey ward, apprehensive that the sub- 236 JAMES fenimoue cooper. ject might lead to a discussion that would interrupt the harmony so necessary to the preservation of his fair companions ; *' we have journeyed far, and few among us are blest with forms like that of yours, which seems 5 to know neither fatigue nor weakness.'' " The sinews and bones of a man carry me through it all," said the hunter, surveying his muscular limbs with a simplicity that betrayed the honest pleasure the com- pliment afforded him ; " there are larger and heavier 10 men to be found in the settlements, but you might travel many days in a city before you could meet one able to w^alk fifty miles without stopping to take breath, or who has kept the hounds within hearing during a chase of hours. However, as flesh and blood are not 15 always the same, it is quite reasonable to suppose that the gentle ones are willing to rest after all they have seen and done this day. Uncas, clear out the spring, while your father and I make a cover for their tender heads of these chestnut shoots, and a bed of grass and 20 leaves." The dialogue ceased, while the hunter and his com- panions busied themselves in preparations for the comfort and protection of those they guided. A spring, which many long years before had induced the natives to 25 select the place for their temporary fortification, was soon cleared of leaves, and a fountain of crystal gushed from the bed, diffusing its waters over the verdant hil- lock. A corner of the building was then roofed in such a manner as to exclude the heavy dew of the climate, TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 237 and piles of sweet shrubs and dried leaves were laid be- neath it, for the sisters to repose on. While the diligent woodsmen were employed in this manner, Cora and Alice partook of that refreshment which duty required, much more than inclination 5 prompted, them to accept. They then retired within the walls, and first offering up their thanksgivings for past mercies, and petitioning for a continuance of the Divine favor throughout the coming night, they laid their tender forms on the fragrant couch, and in spite of 10 recollections and forebodings, soon sank into those slum- bers which nature so imperiously demanded, and which were sweetened by hopes for the morrow. Duncan had prepared himself to pass the night in watchfulness, near them, just without the ruin ; but the scout, perceiving 15 his intention, pointed towards Chingachgook, as he coolly disposed his own person on the grass, and said : " The eyes of a white man are too heavy and too blind for such a watch as this ! The Mohican will be our sen- tinel ; therefore, let us sleep." 20 ^^ I proved myself a sluggard on my post during the past night," said Hey ward, "and have less need of re- pose than you, who did more credit to the character of a soldier. Let all the party seek their rest, then, while I hold the guard." 25 " If we lay among the white tents of the 60th, and in front of an enemy like the French, I could not ask for a better watchman," returned the scout ; " but in the darkness, and among the signs of the wilderness, your *2o8 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER, judgment would be like the folly of a child, and your vigilance thrown away. Do, then, like Uncas and my- self, sleep, and sleep in safety." Heyward perceived, in truth, that the younger Indian B had thrown his form on the side of the hillock, while they were talking, like one who sought to make the most of the time allotted to rest, and that his example had been followed by David, whose voice literally '^ clove to his jaws," with the fever of his wound, heightened, a'3 10 it was, by their toilsome march. Unwilling to prolong a useless discussion, the young man affected to comply, by posting his back against the logs of the block-house in a half-recumbent posture, though resolutely determined in his own mind, not to close an eye until he had deliv- 15 ered his precious charge into the arms of Munro himself. Hawkeye, believing he had prevailed, soon fell asleep, and a silence as deep as the solitude in which they had found it pervaded the retired spot. For many minutes Duncan succeeded in keeping his 20 senses on the alert, and alive to every moaning sound that arose from the forest. His vision became more acute as the shades of evening settled on the place, and even after the stars were glimmering above his head he was able to distinguish the recumbent forms of his com- 25 panions, as they lay Stretched on the grass, and to note the person of Chingachgook, who sat upright and motion- less as one of the trees, which formed the dark barrier on every side of them. He still heard the gentle breathings of the sisters, who lay within a few feet of him, and not THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 239 a leaf was ruffled by the passing air of whicli his ear did not detect the whispering sound. At length, how- ever, the mournful notes of the whippoorwill, became blended with the moanings of an owl ; his heavy eyes occasionally sought the bright rays of the stars, and 5 then he fancied he saw them through the fallen lids. At instants of momentary wakefulness, he mistook a bush for his associate sentinel ; his head next sank upon his shoulder, which, in its turn, sought the support of the ground ; and, finally, his whole person became relaxed lO and pliant, and the young man sank into a deep sleep, dreaming that he was a knight of ancient chivalry, hold- ing his midnight vigils before the tent of a re-captured • princess, whose favor he did not despair of gaining by such a proof of devotion and watchfulness. 15 How long the tired Duncan lay in this insensible state he never knew himself, but his slumbering visions had been long lost in total forgetfulness, when he was awa- kened by a light tap on the shoulder. Aroused by this signal, slight as it was, he sprang upon his feet, with a 20 confused recollection of the self-imposed duty he had assumed with the commencement of the night — "Who comes?" he demanded, feeling for his sword,, at the place where it was usually suspended. " Speak ! friend or enemy ? '' 25 " Friend," replied the low voice of Chingachgook ; who, pointing upward at the luminary which was shed- ding its mild light through the opening in the trees directly on their bivouac, immediately added, in his rudt- 240 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. English, "moon comes, and white man's fort far — far off; time to move, when sleep shuts both eyes of the Frenchman." *^ You say true ; call up your friends, and bridle the 5 horses, while I prepare my own companions for the march." " We are awake Duncan," said the soft, silvery tones of Alice within the building, " and ready to travel very fast, after so refreshing a sleep ; but you have watched 10 through the tedious night, in our behalf, after having endured so much fatigue the livelong day ! " <' Say, rather, I would have watched, but my treacher- ous eyes betrayed me ; twice have I proved myself unfit for the trust I bear." 15 " Nay, Duncan, deny it not," interrupted the smiling Alice, issuing from the shadows of the building into the light of the moon, in all the loveliness of her freshened beauty ; ^' I know you to be a heedless one, when self is the object of your care, and but too vigilant in favor of 20 others. Can we not tarry here a little longer, while you find the rest you need ? Cheerfully, most cheerfully, will Cora and I keep the vigils, while you and all these brave men endeavor to snatch a little sleep." " If shame could cure me of my drowsiness, I should 25 never close an eye again," said the uneasy youth, gazing at the ingenuous countenance of Alice, where, however, in its sweet solicitude, he read nothing to confirm his half-awakened suspicion. " It is but too true, that after leading you into danger by my heedlessness, I have not THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 241 even the merit of guarding your pillows as should become a soldier." "No one but Duncan himself should accuse Duncan of such a weakness ! Go, then, and sleep ; believe me, neither of us, weak girls as we are, will betray our 5 watch." The young man was relieved from the awkwardness of making any further protestations of his own demerits, by an exclamation from Chingachgook, and the attitude of riveted attention assumed by his son. 10 " The Mohicans hear an enemy ! " whispered Hawk- eye, who, by this time, in common with the whole party, was awake and stirring. " They scent danger in the wind ! " " God forbid ! " exclaimed Heyward. " Surel}^, we 15 have had enough of bloodshed ! " While he spoke, however, the young soldier seized his rifle, and advancing towards the front, prepared to atone for his venial remissness, by freely exposing his life in defence of those he attended. 20 " ^Tis some creature of the forest prowling around us in quest of food," he said, in a whisper, as soon as the low, and apparently distant sounds which had startled the Mohicans, reached his own ears. " Hist ! " returned the attentive scout : " 'tis man ; 25 even I can now tell his tread, poor as my senses are, when compared to an Indian's. That scampering Huron has fallen in with one of Montcalm's outlying parties, and they have struck upon our trail. I shouldn't like 242 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER,: myself to spill more human blood in this spot/' he added, looking around with anxiety in his features at the dim objects by which he was surrounded; *'but what must be, must. Lead the horses into the block- 5 house, Uncas ; and, friends, do you follow to the same shelter. Poor and old as it is, it offers a cover, and has rung with the crack of a rifle afore to-night ! '^ He was instantly obeyed, the Mohicans leading the Narragansetts within the ruin, whither the whole party 10 repaired with the most guarded silence. The sounds of approaching footsteps was now too dis- tinctly audible, to leave any doubts as to the nature of the interruption. They were soon mingled with voices, calling to each other in an Indian dialect, which the .15 hunter, in a whisper, affirmed to Heyward, was the lan- guage of the Hurons. When the party reached the point where the horses had entered the thicket which surrounded the block -house, they were evidently at fault, ha,ving lost those marks which, until that moment, had 20 directed their pursuit. It would seem by the voices that twenty men were soon collected at that one spot, mingling their different opinions and advice in noisy clamor. *' The knaves know our weakness," whispered Hawk- 25 eye, who stood by the side of Heyward, in deep shade, looking through an opening in the logs, "or they wouldn't indulge their idleness in such a squaw's march. Listen to the reptiles ! each man among them seems to have two tongues, and but a single leg ! '^ THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 243 Duncan, brave as he was in the combat, could not, in such a moment of painful suspense, make any reply to the cool and characteristic remark of the scout. He only grasped his rifle more firmly, and fastened his eyes upon the narrow opening, through which he gazed upon 5 the moonlight view with increasing anxiety. The deeper tones of one who spoke as having authority, were next heard amid a silence that denoted the respect with which his orders, or rather advice, was received. After which, by the rustling of leaves and cracking of dried twigs, it 10 was apparent the savages were separating in pursuit of the lost trail. Fortunately for the pursued the light of the moon, while it shed a flood of mild lustre, upon the little area around the ruin, was not sufficiently strong to penetrate the deep arches of the forest, where the objects 15 still lay in deceptive shadow. The search proved fruit- less 5 for so short and sudden had been the passage from the faint path the travellers had journeyed into the thicket, that every trace of their footsteps was lost in the obscurity of the woods. 20 It was not long, however, before the restless savages were heard beating the brush, and gradually approach- ing the inner edge of that dense border of young chest- nuts which encircled the little area. " They are coming ! " muttered Heyward, endeavoring 25 to thrust his rifle through the chink in the logs ; ^' let us fire on their approach ! " " Keep everything in the shade," returned the scout ; " the snapping of a flint, or even the smell of a single 244 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. karnel of the brimstone, would bring the hungry varlets on us in a body. Should it please God that we must give battle for the scalps, trust to the experience of men who know the ways of the savages, and who are not often 5 backward when the war-whoop is howled." Duncan cast his eyes behind him, and saw that the trembling sisters were cowering in the far corner of the building, while the Mohicans stood in the shadow, like two upright posts, ready, and apparently willing, to 10 strike, when the blow should be needed. Curbing his impatience, he again looked out upon the area and awaited the result in silence. At that instant the thicket opened and a tall and armed Huron advanced a few paces into the open space. As he gazed upon the 15 silent block-house, the moon fell upon his swarthy coun- tenance and betrayed its surprise and curiosity. He made the exclamation, which usually accompanies the former emotion in an Indian, and calling in a low voice, soon drew a companion to his side. 20 These children of the woods stood together for several moments, pointing at the crumbling edifice and convers- ing in the unintelligible language of their tribe. They then approached, though with slow and cautious steps, pausing every instant to look at the building like startled 25 deer, whose curiosity struggled powerfully with their awakened apprehensions for the mastery. The foot of one of them suddenly rested on the mound, and he stooped to examine its nature. At this moment Hey- ward observed that the scout loosened his knife in its TEE LAST OF TEE MOEICANS. 245 sheath and lowered the muzzle of his rifle. Imitating these movements, the young man prepared himself for the struggle which now seemed inevitable. The savages were so near that the least motion in one of the horses, or even a breath louder than common, 5 would have betrayed the fugitives. But, in discovering the character of the mound, the attention of the Hurons appeared directed to a different object. They spoke together, and the sounds of their voices were low and solemn, as if influenced by a reverence that was deeply 10 blended with awe. Then they drew warily back, keep- ing their eyes riveted on the ruin, as if they expected to see the apparitions of the dead issue from its silent walls, until, having reached the boundary of the area, they moved slowly into the thicket, and disappeared. 15 Hawkeye dropped the breech of his rifle to the earth, and drawing a long, free breath, exclaimed in an audible whisper : "Ay! they respect the dead, and it has this time saved their own lives, and it may be, the lives of better 20 men too ! " Heyward lent his attention for a single moment to his companion, but without replying, he again turned towards those who just then interested him more. He heard the two Hurons leave the bushes and it was soon 25 plain that all the pursuers were gathered about them in deep attention to their report. After a few minutes of earnest and solemn dialogue, altogether different from the noisy clamor with which they had first collected 246 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. about the spot, the sounds grew fainter, and more dis- tant, and finally were lost in the depths of the forest. Hawkeye waited until a signal from the listening Chingachgook assured him, that every sound from the 5 retiring party was completely swallowed by the distance, when he motioned to Heyward to lead forth the horses ' and to assist the sisters into their saddles. The instant ' this was done they issued through the broken gate-way, and, stealing out by a direction opposite to the one by 10 which they had entered, they quitted the spot, the sisters casting furtive glances at the silent grave and crumbling ruin, as they left the soft light of the moon to bury themselves in the gloom of the woods. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 247 CHAPTER Xiy. Guard. Qui est la? Puc. Paysans, pauvres g:ens de France.^ Shakspeare, King Henry VL During the rapid movement from the block-house, and until the party was deeply buried in the forest, each individual was too much interested in the escape, to hazard a word even in whispers. The scout resumed his post in the advance, though his steps, after he had 5 thrown a safe distance between himself and his enemies, were more deliberate than in their previous march, in consequence of his utter ignorance of the localities of - the surrounding woods. More than once he halted to consult with his confederates, the Mohicans, pointing lo upwards at the moon, and examining the barks of the trees with care. In these brief pauses, Heyward and the sisters listened, with senses rendered doubly acute by their danger, to detect any symptoms which might announce the proximity of their foes. At such moments, 15 it seemed as if a vast range of country lay buried in sternal sleep; not the least sound arising from the forest unless it was the distant and scarcely audible 1 Watch. "Who is there? Puc. Peasants, poor people of France. 248 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, rippling of a water course. Birds, beasts, and man ap- peared to slumber alike, if, indeed, anj of the latter were to be found in that wide tract of wilderness. But the sounds of the rivulet, feeble and murmuring as they 5 were, relieved the guides at once from no trifling em- barrassment, and towards it they immediately held their way. When the banks of the little stream were gained, Hawkeye made another halt; and, taking the moccasins 10 from his feet, he invited Heyward and Gamut to follow his example. He then entered the water, and for near an hour they travelled in the bed of the brook, leaving no trail. The moon had already sunk into an immense pile of black clouds, which lay impending above the 15 western horizon, when they issued from the low and devious water course to rise again to the light and level of the sandy but wooded plain. Here the scout seemed to be once more at home, for he held on his way with the certainty and diligence of a man who moved in the 20 security of his own knowledge. The path soon became more uneven, and the travellers could plainly perceive that the mountains drew nigher to them on each hand, and that they were, in truth, about entering one of their gorges. Suddenly Hawkeye made a pause, and waiting 25 until he was joined by the whole party, he spoke, though in tones so low and cautious that they added to the solemnity of his words, in the quiet and darkness of the place. <'It is easy to know the path-ways, and to find the THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 249 licks and water courses of the wilderness," he said ; " but who that saw this spot could venture to say that a mighty army was at rest among yonder silent trees and barren mountains ? '' "We are then at no great distance from William 5 Henry ? " said Heyward, advancing nigher to the scout. " It is yet a long and weary path," was the answer, "and when and where to strike it, is now our greatest difficulty. See," he said, pointing through the trees towards a spot where a little basin of water reflected 10 the bright stars from its still and placid bosom, " here is the 'bloody pond ; ' and I am on ground that I have not only often travelled, but over which I have fou't the enemy, from the rising to the setting sun ! " " Ha ! that sheet of dull and dreary water, then, is 15 the sepulchre of the brave men who fell in the contest. I have heard it named, but never have I stood on its banks before." " Three battles did we make with the Dutch-French- man in a day ! " continued Hawkeye, pursuing the train 20 of his own thoughts, rather than replying to the remark of Duncan. " He met us hard by, in our outward march to ambush his advance, and scattered us, like driven deer, through the defile, to the shores of Horican. Then we rallied behind our fallen trees, and made head against 25 him, under Sir William — who was made Sir William for that very deed ; and well did we pay him for the disgrace of the morning ! Hundreds of Frenchmen saw the sun that day for the last time ; and even their leader, 250 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. Dieskau himself, fell into our hands, so cut and torn with the lead that he has gone back to his own country, unfit for further acts in war." " 'Twas a noble repulse ! " exclaimed Heyward in the 5 heat of his youthful ardor ; " the fame of it reached us early in our southern army." ' " Ay ! but it did not end there. I was sent by Major Effingham, at Sir William's own bidding, to out-flank the French and carry the tidings of their disaster across 10 the portage to the fort on the Hudson. Just hereaway, where you see the trees rise into a mountain swell, 1 met a party coming down to our aid, and I led them where the enemy were taking their meal, little dream- ing that they had not finished the bloody work of the 15 day." " And you surprised them ! " " If death can be a surprise to men who are thinking only of the cravings of their appetites ! we gave them but little breathing time, for they had borne hard upon 20 us in the fight of the morning, and there were few in our party who had not lost friend or relative by their hands. When all was over, the dead, and some say the dying, were cast into that little pond. These eyes have seen its waters colored with blood, as natural water 25 never yet flowed from the bowels of the 'arth." ^' It was a convenient, and, I trust, will prove a peace- ful grave for a soldier ! You have, then, seen much service on this frontier ? " " I ! " said the scout, erecting his tall person with an TnE LAST OF TUE MOHICANS, 251 air of military pride ; " there are not many echoes among these hills that haven't rung with the crack of my rifle, nor is there the space of a square mile atwixt Horican and the river, that ^Kill-deer' hasn't dropped a living body on, be it an enemy, or be it a brute beast. As for 5 the grave there, being as quiet as you mention, it is an- other matter. There are them in the camp, who say and think man to lie stilly should not be buried while the breath is in the body ; and certain it is that in the hurry of that evening, the doctors had but little 10 time to say who was living and who was dead. Hist ! see you nothing, now, walking on the shore of the pond ? " "'Tis not probable that any are as houseless as our- selves in this dreary forest." 15 " Such as he may care but little for house or shelter, and night dew can never wet a body that passes its days in the water," returned the scout, grasping the shoulder of Hey ward, with such convulsive strength, as to make the young soldier painfully sensible how much supersti- 29 tious terror had gotten the mastery of a man, who was usually so dauntless. " By heaven ! there is a human form, and it ap- proaches ! stand to your arms, my friends, for we know not whom we encounter." 25 " Qui vive ? " ^ demanded a stern, quick voice, which sounded like a challenge from another world, issuing out Df that solitary and solemn place. 1 " Who ffoes there? " 252 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, " What says it ? '' whispered the scout j " it speaks neither Indian nor English ! '' ^' Qui vive ? " repeated the same voice, which was quickly followed by the rattling of arms, and a menacing 5 attitude. " France! '' cried Hey ward, advancing from the shadow of the trees to the shore of the pond, within a few yards of the sentinel. " D'ou venez-vous — ou allez-vous, d'aussi bonne 10 heure ? " ^ demanded the grenadier, in the language and with the accent of a man from old France. " Je viens de la decouverte, et je vais me coucher." "^ <' Etes-vous officier du roi ? " ^ "Sans doute, mon camarade ; me prends-tu pour un 15 provincial ! Je suis capitaine de chasseurs (Heyward well knew that the other was of a regiment in the line) — j'ai ici, avec moi, les filles du commandant de la forti- fication. Aha ! tu en as entendu parler ! je les ai fait prisonnieres pres de I'autre fort, et je les conduis au 20 general.*' ^ " Ma foi ! mesdames ; j'en suis fache pour vous," ex- 1 "Whence do you come; where do you go at such an early hour?" 2 "I have been scouting, and T am going to bed! " 8 " Are you an officer of the king ? " 4 " Sure, comrade, do you take me for a provincial? I am a cav- alry captain ; I have with me the daughters of the commander of the fortification. Ah! you have heard them talked of. I have taken them prisoners near the other fort, and am taking them to the gen- eral." TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 253 claimed the young soldier, touching his cap with grace ; " mais — fortune de guerre ! vous trouverez notre general un brave homme, et bien poll avec les dames '' ^ ^^C'est le caractere des gens de guerre," said Cora, with admirable self-possession. " Adieu, mon ami ; je 5 vous souhaiterais un devoir plus agreable a remplir." ^ The soldier made a low and humble acknowledgment for her civility; and Hey ward adding a "Bonne nuit, mon camarade," ^ they moved deliberately forward ; leav- ing the sentinel pacing the banks of the silent pond, little 10 suspecting an enemy of so much effrontery, and hum- ming to himself those words which were recalled to his mind by the sight of women, and perhaps by recollections of his own distant and beautiful France — "Vive le vin, vive Taniour," etc., etc.* 15 " 'Tis well you understood the knave ! " whispered the scout, when they had gained a little distance from the place, and letting his rifle fall into the hollow of his arm again ; " I soon saw that he was one of them uneasy Trenchers, and well for him it was, that his speech was 20 friendly, and his wishes kind, or a place might have been found for his bones amongst those of his countrymen." 1 "On my word, ladies, I am sorry for you, but — the fortune of •war! you will find our general a good fellow, and right polite toward the ladies." 2 " It is characteristic of warriors. Good-by, friend; I wish you a more agreeable duty to perform." 3 "Good-night, my comrade." * "Here's to wine, here's to love," etc. 254 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. He was interrupted by a long and heavy groan which arose from the little basin, as though, in truth, the spirits of the departed lingered about their watery sep- ulchre. 5 " Surely it was of flesh ! " continued the scout ; " no spirit could handle its arms so steadily ! " <'It was of flesh, but whether the poor fellow still belongs to this world, may well be doubted," said Hey- ward, glancing his eyes around him, and missing Chin- 10 gachgook from their little band. Another groan, more faint than the former, was succeeded by a heavy and sullen plunge into the water, and all was as still again as if the borders of the dreary pool had never been awakened from the silence of creation. While they yet 15 hesitated in uncertainty, the form of the Indian was seen gliding out of the thicket. As the chief rejoined them, with one hand he attached the reeking scalp of the unfortunate young Erenchman to his girdle, and with the other he replaced the knife and tomahawk that 20 had drunk his blood. He then took his wonted station, with the satisfied air of a man who believed he had done a deed of merit. The scout dropped one end of his rifle to the earth, and, leaning his hands on the other, he stood musing in 25 profound silence. Then shaking his head in a mourn- ful manner, he muttered : ^' 'Twould have been a cruel and an unhuman act for a white-skin ; but 'tis the gift and natur' of an Indian, and I suppose it should not be denied ! I could wish, TEE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 255 though, it had befallen an accursed Mingo, rather than that gay young boy, from the old countries ! " " Enough ! " said Hey ward, apprehensive the uncon- scious sisters might comprehend the nature of the deten- tion, and conquering his disgust by a train of reflections g very much like that of the hunter; "'tis done, and though better it were left undone, cannot be amended. You see we are, too obviously, within the sentinels of the enemy ; what course do you propose to follow ? " "Yes," said Hawkeye, rousing himself again, " 'tis, lO as you say, too late to harbor further thoughts about it ! Ay, the French have gathered around the fort in good earnest, and we have a delicate needle to thread in pass- ing them." <*And but little time to do it in," added Heyward, 15 glancing his eyes upward towards the bank of vapor that concealed the setting moon. "And little time to do it in," repeated the scout. " The thing may be done in two fashions, by the help of Providence, without which it may not be done at 20 all." " JSTame them quickly, for time presses." " One would be, to dismount the gentle ones, and let their beasts range the plain ; by sending the Mohicans in front, we might then cut a lane through their sen- 25 tries, and enter the fort over the dead bodies." "It will not do — it will not do!" interrupted the generous Heyward; "a soldier might force his way in this manner, but never with such a convoy." 256 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, " 'Twould be, iikdeed, a bloody path, for such tender feet to wade in ! " returned the equally reluctant scout, " but I thought it befitting my manhood to name it. We must then turn on our trail, and get without the 5 line of their lookouts, when w^e will bend short to the west, and enter the mountains ; where I can hide you so that all the devil's hounds in Montcalm's pay would be thrown off the scent for months to come." ^' Let it be done, and that instantly." 10 Further words were unnecessary ; for Hawkeye, merely uttering the mandate to "follow," moved along the route, by which they had just entered their present critical, and even dangerous situation. Their progress, like their late dialogue, was guarded and without noise ; 15 for none knew at what moment a passing patrol, or a crouching picket, of the enemy, might rise upon their path. As they held their silent way along the margin of the pond, again Heyward and the scout stole furtive glances at its appalling dreariness. They looked in vain 20 for the form they had so recently seen stalking along its silent shores, while a low and regular wash of the little waves, by announcing that the waters were not yet sub- sided, furnished a frightful memorial of the deed of blood they had just witnessed. Like all that passing 25 and gloomy scene, the low basin, however, quickly melted in the darkness, and became blended with the mass of black objects in the rear of the travellers. Hawkeye soon deviated from the line of their retreat, and, striking off towards the mountains which form the THE LAST OF THE MOUICANS. 257 western boundary of the narrow plain, he led his fol- lowers with swift steps, deep within the shadows that were cast from their high and broken summits. The route was now painful, lying over ground ragged with rocks, and intersected with ravines, and their progress 5 proportionately slow. Bleak and black hills lay on every side of them, compensating in some degree for the additional toil of the march, by the sense of security they imparted. At length the party began slowly to rise a steep and rugged ascent by a path that curiously 10 wound among rocks and trees, avoiding the one, and supported by the other, in a manner that showed it had been devised by men long practised in the arts of the wilderness. As they gradually rose from the level of the valleys, the thick darkness which usually precedes 15 the approach of day, began to disperse, and objects were seen in the plain and palpable colors with which they had been gifted by nature. When they issued from the stunted woods which clung to the barren sides of the mountain, upon a flat and mossy rock that formed its 20 summit, they met the morning, as it came blushing above the green pines of a hill that lay on the opposite side of the valley of the Horican. The scout now told the sisters to dismount; and, tak- ing the bridles from the mouths and the saddles off the 25 backs of the jaded beasts, he turned them loose to glean a scanty subsistence among the shrubs and meagre her- bage of that elevated region. _"Go," he said, "and seek your food where natur' 258 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. gives it you ; and beware that you become not food to ravenous wolves yourselves, among these hills." " Have we no further need of them ? " demanded Heyward. 5 " See, and judge with your own eyes," said the scout, advancing towards the eastern brow of the mountain, whither he beckoned for the whole party to follow ; " if it was as easy to look into the heart o' man, as it is to spy out the nakedness of Montcalm's camp from this 10 spot, hypocrites would grow scarce, and the cunning of a Mingo might prove a losing game, compared to the honesty of a Delaware." When the travellers reached the verge of the precipice, they saw at a glance the truth of the scout's declaration, 15 and the admirable foresight with which he had led them to their commanding station. The mountain on which they stood, elevated perhaps • a thousand feet in the air, was a high cone, that rose a little in advance of that range which reached for miles 20 along the western shores of the lake, until, meeting its sister piles, beyond the water, it ran off far towards the Canadas, in confused and broken masses of rock, thinly sprinkled with evergreens. Immediately at the feet of the party, the southern shore of the Horican swept in a 25 broad semicircle, from mountain to mountain, marking a wide strand that soon rose into an uneven and some- what elevated plain. To the north stretched the limpid, and, as it appeared from that dizzy height, the narrow sheet of the " holy lake," indented with numberless bays, i TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 259 embellished by fantastic headlands, and dotted with countless islands. At the distance of a few leagues, the bed of the waters became lost among mountains, or was wrapped in the masses of vapor that came slowly rolling along their bosom, before a light morning air. But a 5 narrow opening between the crests of the hills pointed out the passage by which they found their way still far- ther north, to spread their pure and ample sheets again, before pouring out their tribute into the distant Cham- plain. To the south stretched the defile, or rather broken 10 plain, so often mentioned. For several miles in this di- rection the mountains appeared reluctant to yield their dominion, but within reach of the eye they diverged, and finally melted into the level and sandy lands, across which we have accompanied our adventurers in their 15 double journey. Along both ranges of hills, which bounded the opposite sides of the lake and valley, clouds of light vapor were rising in spiral wreaths from the un- inhabited woods, looking like the smokes of hidden cot- tages, or rolled lazily down the declivities to mingle with 20 the fogs of the lower land. A single, solitary, snow- white cloud floated above the valley, and marked the spot, beneath which lay the silent pool of the "bloody pond." Directly on the shore of the lake, and nearer to its 25 western than to its eastern margin, lay the extensive earthen ramparts and low buildings of William Henry. Two of the sweeping bastions appeared to rest on the water which washed their bases, while a deep ditch and 260 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. extensive morasses guarded its other sides and angles. The land had been cleared of wood for a reasonable dis- tance around the work, but every other part of the scene lay in the green livery of nature, except where the lim- 5 pid water mellowed the view, or the bold rocks thrust their black and naked heads above the undulating out- lines of the mountain ranges. In its front, might be seen the scattered sentinels, who held a weary watch against their numerous foes ; and within the walls them- 10 selves, the travellers looked down upon men still drowsy with a night of vigilance. Towards the southeast, but in immediate contact with the fort, was an intrenched camp, posted on a rocky eminence, that would have been far more eligible for the work itself, in which Hawkeye 15 pointed out the presence of those auxiliary regiments that had so recently left the Hudson, in their company. From the woods, a little farther to the south, rose numer- ous dark and lurid smokes, that were easily to be distin- guished from the purer exhalations of the springs, and 20 which the scout also showed to Heyward as evidences that the enemy lay in force in that direction. But the spectacle which most concerned the young soldier was on the western bank of the lake, though quite near to its southern termination. On a strip of 25 land, which appeared, from his stand, too narrow to con- tain such an army, but which in truth extended many hundreds of yards from the shores of the Horican to the base of the mountain, were to be seen the white tents and military engines of an encampment of ten thousand i THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 261 men. Batteries were already thrown up in their front, and even while the spectators above them were looking down, with such different emotions, on a scene, which lay like a map beneath their feet, the roar of artillery rose from the valley, and passed off in thundering echoes, 5 along the eastern hills. " Morning is just touching them below," said the de- liberate and musing scout, " and the watchers have a mind to wake up the sleepers by the sound of cannon. We are a few hours too late ! Montcalm has already 10 filled the woods with his accursed Iroquois." "The place is, indeed, invested," returned Duncan; *'but is there no expedient by which we may enter? capture in the works would be far preferable to falling, again, into the hands of roving Indians." 15 "See!" exclaimed the scout, unconsciously directing the attention of Cora to the quarters of her own father, " how that shot has made the stones fly from the side of the commandant's house ! Ay ! these Frenchers will pull it to pieces faster than it was put together, solid 20 and thick though it be ! " " Hey ward, I sicken at the sight of danger that I can- not share," said the undaunted but anxious daughter. "Let us go to Montcalm, and demand admission; he dare not deny a child the boon ! " 25 "You would scarce find the tent of the Frenchman with the hair on your head ! " said the blunt scout. " If I had but one of the thousand boats which lie empty along that shore, it might be done. Ha ! here will soon 262 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. be an end of the firing, for yonder comes a fog that will turn day to night, and make an Indian arrow more dan- gerous than a moulded cannon. Now, if you are equal to the work, and will follow, I will make a push ; for I 5 long to get down into that camp, if it be only to scatter some Mingo dogs, that I see lurking in the skirts of yon- der thicket of birch." "We are equal!" said Cora, firmly; "on such an errand we will follow to any danger!" 10 The scout turned to her with a smile of honest and cordial approbation, as he answered : "I would I had a thousand men, of brawny limbs and quick eyes, that feared death as little as you ! I'd send them jabbering Frenchers back into their den again afore 15 the week was ended, howling like so many fettered hounds, or hungry wolves. But stir," he added, turning from her to the rest of the party, " the fog comes rolling down so fast we shall have but just the time to meet it on the plain and use it as a cover. Remember, if any 20 accident should befall me, to keep the air blowing on your left cheeks — or rather follow the Mohicans ; they'd scent their way, be it in day, or be it at night." He then waved his hand for them to follow, and threw himself down the steep declivity with free but careful 25 footsteps. Heyward assisted the sisters to descend, and in a few minutes they were all far down a mountain, whose sides they had climbed with so much toil and pain. The direction taken by Hawkeye soon brought the THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 263 travellers to the level of the plain, nearly opposite to a sally-port, in the western curtain of the fort, which lay, itself, at the distance of about half a mile from the point where he halted to allow Duncan to come up with his charge. In their eagerness, and favored by the na- 5 ture of the ground, they had anticipated the fog, which was rolling heavily down the lake, and it became neces- sary to pause, until the mists had wrapped the camp of the enemy in their fleecy mantle. The Mohicans profited by the delay to steal out of the woods and to make a lo survey of surrounding objects. They were followed at a little distance by the scout, with a view to profit early by their report, and to obtain some faint knowledge for himself of the more immediate localities. In a very few moments he returned, his face reddened 15 with vexation, while he muttered forth his disappoint- ment in words of no very gentle import. "Here, has the cunning Frenchman been posting a picket directly in our path," he said ; " redskins and whites ; and we shall be as likely to fall into their midst, 20 as to pass them in the fog ! " " Cannot we make a circuit to avoid the danger,'' asked Heyward, " and come into our path again when it is past ? " "Who that once bends from the line of his march in 25 a fog can tell when or how to turn to find it again ? The mists of Horican are not like the curls from a peace- pipe, or the smoke which settles above a mosquito fire.'' He was yet speaking, when a crashing sound was 264 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, heard, and a cannon-ball entered the thicket, striking the body of a sapling and rebounding to the earth, its force being much expended by previous resistance. The Indians followed instantly like busy attendants on the 5 terrible messenger, and Uncas commenced speaking ear- nestly, and with much action, in the Delaware tongue. " It may be so, lad," muttered the scout, when he had ended; "for desperate fevers are not to be treated like a toothache. Come, then, the fog is shutting in." 10 " Stop ! " cried Hey ward ; " first explain your expec- tations." " 'Tis soon done, and a small hope it is ; but then it is better than nothing. This shot that you see," added the scout, kicking the harmless iron with his foot, " has 15 ploughed the 'arth in its road from the fort, and we shall hunt for the furrow it has made, when all other signs may fail. No more words, but follow ; or the fog may leave us in the middle of our path, a mark for both armies to shoot at." 20 Heyward perceiving that, in fact, a crisis had arrived, when acts were more required than words, placed him- self between the sisters, and drew them swiftly forward, keeping the dim figure of their leader in his eye. It w^as soon apparent that Hawkeye had not magnified the 25 power of the fog, for before they had proceeded twenty yards, it was difficult for the different individuals of the. party to distinguish each other in the vapor. They had made their little circuit to the left, and were already inclining again towards the right, having, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 265 as Heyward thought, got over nearly half the distance to the friendly works, when his ears were saluted with the fierce summons, apparently within twenty feet of them, of — " Qui va la ? '' 1 5 " Push on ! " whispered the scout, once more bending to the left. " Push on ! " repeated Heyward ; when the summons was renewed by a dozen voices, each of which seemed charged with menace. 10 ^' C'est moi,'' ^ cried Duncan, dragging, rather than leading, those he supported, swiftly onward. " Bete ! qui ? moi ! " ^ "Un ami de la France." * *' Tu m'as plus Fair d'un ennemi de la France ; arrete ! 15 ou pardieu je te ferai ami du diable. Non ! feu, cama- rades, feu ! " ^ The order was instantly obeyed, and the fog was stirred by the explosion of fifty muskets. Happily, the aim was bad, and the bullets cut the air in a direction a 20 little different from that taken by the fugitives ; though still so nigh them that to the unpractised ears of David and the two maidens it appeared as if they whistled within a few inches of the organs. The outcry was re- 1 "Who goes there?" s "Brute! who is I?" 2 ''It's I." 4 *' A friend of France." 6 " You appear to me more like an enemy of France. Halt ! or by Jove, I'll make you a friend of the devil. You won't ! fire, comrades, fire ! " 266 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. newed, and the order, not only to fire again, but to pur- sue, was too plainly audible. When Heyward briefly explained the meaning of the words they heard, Hawk- eye halted, and spoke with quick decision and great firm- 5 ness. "Let us deliver our fire," he said; "they will believe it a sortie and give way; or will wait for re-enforce- ments." The scheme was well conceived, but failed in its effect. 10 The instant the French heard the pieces, it seemed as if the plain was alive with men, muskets rattling along its whole extent, from the shores of the lake to the farthest boundary of the woods. " We shall draw their entire army upon us, and bring 15 on a general assault," said Duncan. "Lead on, my friend, for your own life and ours!" I The scout seemed willing to comply ; but, in the hurry of the moment, and in the change of position, he had lost the direction. In vain he turned either cheek to- 20 wards the light air ; they felt equally cool. In this di- lemma, Uncas lighted on the furrow of the cannon-ball, where it had cut the ground in three adjacent ant-hills. " Give me the range," said Hawkeye, bending to catch a glimpse of the direction, and then instantly moving 25 onward. Cries, oaths, voices calling to each other, and the re- ports of muskets, were now quick and incessant, and, apparently, on every side of them. Suddenly, a strong glare of light flashed across the scene, the fog rolled up- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 267 ward in thick wreaths, and several cannon belched across the plain, and the roar was thrown heavily back from the bellowing echoes of the mountain. ^' 'Tis from the fort ! " exclaimed Hawkeye, turning short on his tracks; ^'and we, like stricken fools, were 5 rushing to the woods, under the very knives of the Maquas." The instant their mistake was rectified, the whole party retraced the error with the utmost diligence. Duncan willingly relinquished the support of Cora to 10 the arm of Uncas, and Cora as readily accepted the wel- come assistance. Men, hot and angry in the pursuit, were evidently on their footsteps, and each instant threatened their capture, if not their destruction. " Point de quartier aux coquins ! " ^ cried an eager 15 pursuer, who seemed to direct the operations of the enemy. ^' Stand firm, and be ready, my gallant 60ths ! " sud- denly exclaimed a voice above them ; " wait to see the enemy ; fire low, and sweep the glacis.^' 20 " Father ! father ! " exclaimed a piercing cry from out the mist ; " it is I ! Alice ! thy own Elsie ! spare, oh ! save, your daughters ! " " Hold ! '' shouted the former speaker, in the awful tones of parental agony, the sound reaching even to the 25 woods, and rolling back in solemn echo. " 'Tis she ! God has restored me my children ! Throw open the sally-port j to the field, 60ths, to the field ; pull not a 1 " No quarter for scoundrels! *' 268 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. trigger, lest ye kill my lambs ! Drive off these dogs of France with your steel." Duncan heard the grating of the rusty hinges, and darting to the spot, directed by the sound, he met a long 5 line of dark-red warriors passing swiftly towards the glacis. He knew them for his own battalion of the royal Americans, and, flying to their head, soon swept every trace of his pursuers from before the works. For an instant Cora and Alice had stood trembling 10 and bewildered by this unexpected desertion ; but, before either had leisure for speech, or even thought, an officer of gigantic frame, whose locks were bleached with years and service, but whose air of military grandeur had been rather softened than destroyed by time, rushed out of 15 the body of the mist and folded them to his bosom, while large scalding tears rolled down his pale and wrinkled cheeks, and he exclaimed, in the peculiar accent of Scotland : " For this I thank thee, Lord ! Let danger come as it 20 will, thy servant is now prepared ! " THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 269 CHAPTEE XV. Then go we in, to know his embassy, Which I could with a ready guess declare, Before the Frenchman speak a word of it. Shakspeare, King Henry V. The few succeeding days were passed amid all the privations, the uproar, and the dangers of the siege, which was vigorously pressed by a power against whose approaches Munro possessed no competent means of re- sistance. It appeared as if Webb, with his army, which 5 lay slumbering on the banks of the Hudson, had utterly forgotten the strait to which his brethren were reduced. Montcalm had filled the woods of the portage with his savages, every yell and whoop from whom rang through the British encampment, chilling the hearts of men, who lo were already but too much disposed to magnify the dan- ger, with additional terror. Not so, however, with the besieged. Animated by the words, and stimulated by the examples of their leaders, they had found their courage, and maintained their an- 15 cient reputation, with a zeal that did justice to the stern character of their commander. As if satisfied with the toil of marching through the wilderness to encounter his enemy, the French general, though of approved skill, 270 JAMES FENIMOEE COOPER. had neglected to seize the adjacent mountains ; whence the besieged might have been exterminated with impu- nity, and which, in the more modern warfare of the country, would not have been neglected for a single hour. 5 This sort of contempt for eminences, or rather dread of the labor of ascending them, might have been termed the besetting weakness of the warfare of the period. It ori- ginated in the simplicity of the Indian contests, in which, from the nature of the combats, and the density of the 10 forests, fortresses were rare, and artillery next to useless. The carelessness engendered by these usages descended even to the war of the Eevolution, and lost the States the important fortress of Ticonderoga, opening a way for the army of Burgoyne, into what was then the bosom of 15 the country. We look back at this ignorance, or infatu- ation, whichever it may be called, with astonishment, . knowing that the neglect of an eminence whose difficul- ties, like those of Mount Defiance, had been so greatly exaggerated, would, at the present time prove fatal to 20 the reputation of the engineer who had planned the works at their base, or to that of the general, whose lot it was to defend them. The tourist, the valetudinarian, or the amateur of the beauties of nature, who, in the train of his four-in-hand, 25 now rolls through the scenes we have attempted to describe, in quest of information, health, or pleasure, or floats steadily towards his object on those artificial waters, which have sprung up under the administration of a statesman, who has dared to stake his political THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 271 character on the hazardous issue, is not to suppose that his ancestors traversed those hills or struggled with the same currents with equal facility. The transportation of a single heavy gun, was often considered equal to a • victory gained ; if happily the difficulties of the passage 5 had not so far separated it from its necessary concomi- tants, the ammunition, as to render it no more than an useless tube of unwieldy iron. The evils of this state of things pressed heavily on the fortunes of the resolute Scotsman, who now defended 10 William Henry. Though his adversary neglected the hills, he had planted his batteries with judgment on the plain, and caused them to be served with vigor and skill. Against this assault, the besieged could only oppose the imperfect and hasty preparations of a fortress in the is wilderness. It was on the afternoon of the fifth day of the siege, and the fourth of his own service in it, that Major Hey- ward profited by a parley that had just been beaten, by repairing to the ramparts of one of the water bastions 20 to breathe the cool air from the lake, and to take a sur- vey of the progress of the siege. He was alone, if the solitary sentinel who paced the mound be excepted ; for the artillerists had hastened also to profit by the tempo- rary suspension of their arduous duties. The evening 25 was delightfully calm, and the light air from the limpid water fresh and soothing. It seemed as if, with the termination to the roar of artillery and the plunging of shot, nature had also seized the moment to assume her 272 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. mildest and most captivating form. The sun poured down liis parting glory on the scene, without the oppres- sion of those fierce rays that belong to the climate and the season. The mountains looked green and fresh and 5 lovely, tempered with the milder light, or softened in shadow, as thin vapors floated between them and the sun. The numerous islands rested on the bosom of the Horican, some low and sunken, as if imbedded in the waters, and others appearing to hover above the ele- 10 ment, in little hillocks of green velvet ; among which the fishermen of the beleaguering army peacefully rowecl their skiffs, or floated at rest on the glassy mirror, in quiet pursuit of their employment. The scene was at once animated and still. All that 15 pertained to nature was sweet, or simply grand ; while those parts which depended on the temper and move- ments of man, were lively and playful. Two little spotless flags were abroad, the one on a salient angle of the fort, and the other on the advanced 20 battery of the besiegers ; emblems of the truce which existed, not only to the acts, but it would seem, also, to the enmity of the combatants. Behind these, again, swung, heavily opening and closing in silken folds, the rival standards of England and France. 25 A hundred gay and thoughtless young Frenchmen were drawing a net to the pebbly beach, within danger- ous proximity to the sullen but silent cannon of the fort, while the eastern mountain was sending back the loud shouts and gay merriment that attended their THE LAST OF TRE MOHICANS. 273 sport. Some were rushing eagerly to enjoy the aquatic games of the lake, and others were already toiling their way up the neighboring hills, with the restless curiosity of their nation. To all these sports and pursuits, those of the enemy who watched the besieged, and the be- 5 sieged themselves, were, however, merely the idle, though sympathizing spectators. Here and there a picket had, indeed, raised a song, or mingled in a dance, which had drawn the dusky savages around them from their lairs in the forest. In short, everything wore 10 rather the appearance of a day of pleasure than of an hour stolen from the dangers and toil of a bloody and vindictive warfare. Duncan had stood in a musing attitude, contemplat- ing this scene a few minutes, when his eyes were 15 directed to the glacis in front of the sally-port, already mentioned, by the sounds of approaching footsteps. He walked to an angle of the bastion, and beheld the scout advancing, under the custody of a French officer, to the body of the fort. The countenance of Hawkeye was 20 haggard and careworn, and his air dejected, as though he felt the deepest degradation at having fallen into the power of his enemies. He was without his favorite weapon, and his arms were even bound behind him with thongs made of the skin of a deer. The arrival of flags, 25 to cover the messengers of summons, had occurred so often of late, that when Heyward first threw his care- less glance on this group, he expected to see another of the officers of the enemy charged with a similar office ; 274 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. but the instant he recognized the tall person and still sturdy, though downcast, features of his friend, the woodsman, he started with surprise, and turned to descend from the bastion into the bosom of the work. 5 The sounds of the other voices, however, caught his attention, and for a moment caused him to forget his purpose. At the inner angle of the mound he met the sisters walking along the parapet in search, like him- self, of air and relief from confinement. They had not 10 met from that painful moment when he deserted them on the plain, only to assure their safety. He had parted from them worn with care and jaded with fa- tigue ; he now saw them refreshed and blooming, though still timid and anxious. Under such an inducement it 15 will cause no surprise, that the young man lost sight, for a time, of other objects in order to address them. He was, however, anticipated by the voice of the ardent and youthful Alice. " Ah ! thou truant ! thou recreant knight ! he who 20 abandons his damsels in the very lists," she cried. " Here have we been days, nay, ages, expecting you at our feet, imploring mercy and forgetfulness of your craven back- sliding, or, I should rather say, back-running — for verily you fled in a manner that no stricken deer, as our worthy 25 friend the scout would say, could equal ! " " You know that Alice means our thanks and our blessings," added the graver and more thoughtful Cora. ** In truth, we have a little wondered why you should so rigidly absent yourself from a place, where the gratitude THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 275 of the daughters might receive the support of a parent's thanks." '^ Your father himself could tell you that, though ab- sent from your presence, I have not been altogether for- getful of your safety," returned the young man; *'the 5 mastery of yonder village of huts," pointing to the neigh- boring intrenched camp, "has been keenly disputed; and he who holds it, is sure to be possessed of this fort and that which it contains. My days and my nights have all been passed there, since we separated, because 10 I thought that duty called me thither. But," he added with an air of chagrin, which he endeavored, though un- successfully, to conceal, " had I been aware, that what I then believed a soldier's conduct, could be so construed, shame would have been added to the list of reasons." 15 " Hey ward ! — Duncan ! " exclaimed Alice, bending forward to read his half-averted countenance, until a lock of her golden hair rested on her flushed cheek, and nearly concealed the tear that had started to her eye ; " did I think this idle tongue of mine had pained you, 1 20 would silence it forever. Cora can say, if Cora would, how justly we have prized your services, and how deep — I had almost said, how fervent — is our gratitude ! " " And will Cora attest the truth of this ? " cried Dun- can, suffering the cloud to be chased from his counte- 25 nance by a smile of open pleasure. "AVhat says our graver sister ? Will she find an excuse for the neglect of the night, in the duty of a soldier ? " Cora made no immediate answer, but turned her face 276 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, toward the water, as if looking on the sheet of the Hori- can. When she did bend her dark eyes on the young man, they were yet filled with an expression of anguish that at once drove every thought but that of kind solici- 5 tude from his mind. ^' You are not well, dearest Miss Munro ! '^ he ex- claimed ; " we have trifled, while you are in suffering ! '' " ^Tis nothing," she answered, refusing his offered support, with feminine reserve. " That I cannot see the 10 sunny side of the picture of life, like this artless but ardent enthusiast," she added, laying her hand lightly, but affectionately, on the arm of her sister, ^rk shadow that fell from the eastern mountains, on the glossy surface of the lake ; then he demanded : "What need hs.ve we for this stolen and hurried de- 5 parture ? " " If the blood of an Oneida could stain such a sheet of pure water as this we float on," returned the scout, "your two eyes would answer your own ques- tion. Have you forgotten the skulking reptile whom 10 Uncas slew ? " " By no means. But he was said to be alone, and dead men give no cause for fear ! " " Ay, he was alone in his deviltry ! but an Indian, whose tribe counts so many warriors, need seldom fear 15 his blood will run without the death-shriek coming speedily from some of his enemies." " But our presence — the authority of Colonel Munro • — would prove a sufficient protection against the anger of our allies, especially in a case where the wretch so 20 well merited his fate. I trust in Heaven you have not deviated a single foot from the direct line of our course, with so slight a reason." " Do you think the bullet of that varlet's rifle would have turned aside, though his sacred majesty, the King, 25 had stood in its path ? " returned the stubborn scout. " Why did not the grand Erencher, he who is captain general of the Canadas, bury the tomahawks of the Hurons, if a word from a white can work so strongly on the natur' of an Indian ? " TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 369 The reply of Heyward was interrupted by a groan from Munro ; but after he had paused a moment in deference to the sorrow of his aged friend, he resumed the subject. " The Marquis of Montcalm can only settle that error 5 with his God," said the young man, solemnly, " Ay, ay, now there is reason in youx words, for they . are bottomed on religion and honesty. There is a vast difference between throwing a regiment of white coats atwixt the tribes and the prisoners, and coaxing an 10 angry savage to forget he carries a knife and a rifle, with words that must begin with calling him ^your son.' No, no,'' continued the scout, looking back at the dim shore of William Henry, which now appeared to be fast receding, and laughing in his own silent but heartfelt 15 manner ; " I have put a trail of water atween us ; and unless the imps can make friends with the fishes, and hear who has paddled across their basin this fine morn- ing, we shall throw the length of the Horican behind us before they have made up their minds which path to 20 take." " With foes in front and foes in our rear, our journey is like to be one of danger." "Danger," repeated Hawkeye calmly; "no, not abso- lutely of danger ; for, with vigilant ears and quick eyes, 25 we can manage to keep a few hours ahead of the knaves j or, if we must try the rifle, there are three of us who Tinderstand its gifts as well as any you can name on the borders. No, not of danger; but that we shall have 370 JA2IES FENIMOBE COOPER. what you may call a brisk push of it is probable ; and it may happen, a brush, a skrimmage, or some such divar- siou, but always where covers are good and ammunition abundant." 5 It is possible that Heyward's estimate of danger dif- fered in some degree from that of the scout, for, instead of replying, he now sat in silence, while the canoe glided over several miles of water. Just as the day dawned they entered the narrows of the lake, and stole swiftly 10 and cautiously among their numberless little islands. It was by this road that Montcalm had retired with his army, and the adventurers knew not but he had left some of his Indians in ambush, to protect the rear of his forces and collect the stragglers. They, therefore, ap- 15 proached the passage with the customary silence of their guarded habits. Chingachgook laid aside his paddle ; while Uncas and the scout urged the light vessel through crooked and in- tricate channels, where every foot that they advanced 20 exposed them to the danger of some sudden rising on their progress. The eyes of the Sagamore moved warily from islet to islet, and copse to copse, as the canoe pro- ceeded ; and when a clearer sheet of water permitted, his keen vision was bent along the bald rocks and im- 25 pending forests, that frowned upon the narrow strait. Heyward, who was a doubly interested spectator, as well from the beauties of the place as from the ap- prehension natural to his situation, was just believing that he had permitted the latter to be excited without THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 371 sufficient reason, when the paddles ceased moving in obedience to a signal from Chingachgook. " Hugh ! " exclaimed Uncas, nearly at the moment that the light tap his father had made on the side of the canoe, notified them of the vicinity of danger. 5 " What now ? " asked the scout ; '^ the lake is as smooth as if the wind had never blown, and I can see along its sheet for miles ; there is not so much as the black head of a loon dotting the water.'' The Indian gravely raised his paddle and pointed in 10 the direction that his own steady look was riveted. Duncan's eyes followed the motion. A few rods in their front lay another of the low wooded islets, but it appeared as calm and peaceful as if its solitude had never been disturbed by the foot of man. 15 " I see nothing," he said, " but land and water ; and a lovely scene it is ! " <^ Hist ! " interrupted the scout. " Ay, Sagamore, there is always a reason for what you do. 'Tis but a shade and yet it is not natural. You see the mist, major, that 20 is rising above the island ; you can't call it a fog, for it - < is more like a streak of thin cloud " — ■ ^^ It is vapor from the water." " That a child could tell. But what is the edging of blacker smoke that hangs along its lower side, and 25 which you may trace down into the thicket of hazel ? 'Tis from a fire ; but one that in my judgment, has been suffered to burn low." " Let us then push for the place, and relieve our 372 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB. doubts/' said the impatient Duncan ; " the party must be small that can lie on such a bit of land." "If you judge of Indian cunning by the rules you find in books, or by white sagacity, they will lead you 5 astray, if not to your death," returned Hawkeye, ex- amining the signs of the place with that acuteness which distinguished him. " If I may be permitted to speak in this matter, it will be to say that we have but two things to choose between : the one is to return and give up all 10 thoughts of following the Hurons — " " Never ! " exclaimed Hey ward, in a voice far too loud for their circumstances. "Well, well," continued Hawkeye, making a hasty sign to repress his impatience ; " I am much of your 15 mind myself ; though I thought it becoming my experi- ence to tell the whole. We must then make a push, and if the Indians or Trenchers are in the narrows, run the gauntlet through these toppling mountains. Is there reason in my words. Sagamore ? '' 20 The Indian made no other answer than by dropping his paddle into the water and urging forward the canoe. As he held the office of directing its course, his resolu- tion was sufficiently indicated by the movement. The whole party now plied their paddles vigorously, and in 25 a very few moments they had reached a point whence they might command an entire view of the northern shore of the island, the side that had hitherto been concealed. <« There they are, by all the truth of signs/' whispered THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 373 the scout; "two canoes and a smoke. The knaves haven't yet got their eyes out of the mist, or we should hear the accursed whoop. Together, friends, we are leaving them, and are already nearly out of whistle of a bullet.'' 5 The well-known crack of a rifle, whose ball came skip- ping along the placid surface of the strait, and a shrill . yell from the island interrupted his speech and an- nounced that their passage was discovered. In another instant several savages were seen rushing into the 10 canoes, which were soon dancing over the water in pur- suit. These fearful precursors of a coming struggle ^ produced no change in the countenances and movements - of his three guides, so far as Duncan could discover, except that the strokes of their paddles were longer and 15 more in unison, and caused the little bark to spring for- ward like a creature possessing life and volition. <^Hold them there. Sagamore," said Hawkeye, look- ing coolly backward over his left shoulder, while he still plied his paddle ; " keep them just there. Them Hu- 20 rons have never a piece in their nation that will execute at this distance ; but ' Kill-deer ' has a barrel on which a man may calculate." The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were sufficient of themselves to maintain the requisite dis- 25 tance, deliberately laid aside his paddle and raised the fatal rifle. Three several times he brought the piece to his shoulder, and when his companions were expecting its report, he as often lowered it, to request the Indians 374 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPEB. would permit their enemies to approach a little nigher. At length his accurate and fastidious eye seemed satis- fied, and throwing out his left arm on the barrel he was slowly elevating the muzzle, when an exclamation from 5 Uncas, who sat in the bow, once more caused him to suspend the shot. " What now, lad ? " demanded Hawkeye ; " you saved a Huron from the death-shriek by that word ; have you reason for what you do ? '' 10 Uncas pointed towards the rocky shore, a little in their front, whence another war canoe was darting di- rectly across their course. It was too obvious now that their situation was imminently perilous, to need the aid of language to confirm it. The scout laid aside his rifle 15 and resumed the paddle, while Chingachgook inclined the bows of the canoe a little towards the western shore, in order to increase the distance between them and this new enemy. In the mean time they were reminded of the presence of those who pressed upon their rear, by 20 wild and exulting shouts. The stirring scene awakened even Munro from his apathy. "Let us make for the rocks on the main," he said, with the mien of a tried soldier, " and give battle to the savages. God forbid that I, or those attached to me and 25 mine, should ever trust again to the faith of any servant of the Louises ! " "He who wishes to prosper in Indian warfare," re- turned the scout, " must not be too proud to learn from the wit of a native. Lay her more along the land, Sag- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 375 amore ; we are doubling on the varlets, and perhaps they may try to strike our trail on the long calculation." Hawkeye was not mistaken ; for, when the Hurons found their course was likely to throw them behind their chase, they rendered it less direct, until by gradu- 5 ally bearing more and more obliquely, the two canoes were, ere long, gliding on parallel lines, within two hundred yards of each other. It now became entirely a trial of speed. So rapid was the progress of the light vessels that the lake curled in their front in miniature 10 waves, and their motion became undulating by its own velocity. It was, perhaps, owing to this circumstance, in addition to the necessity of keeping every hand em- ployed at the paddles, that the Hurons had not imme- diate recourse to their fire-arms. The exertions of the 15 fugitives were too severe to continue long, and the pur- suers had the advantage of numbers. Duncan observed, with uneasiness, that the scout began to look anxiously about him, as if searching for some further means of assisting their flight. 20 " Edge her a little more from the sun, Sagamore," said the stubborn woodsman ; " I see the knaves are sparing a man to the rifle. A single broken bone might lose us our scalps. Edge more from the sun, and we will put the island between us." 25 The expedient was not without its use. A long, low island lay at a little distance before them, and as they closed with it, the chasing canoe was compelled to take a side opposite to that on which the pursued passed. 376 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. The scout and his companions did not neglect this ad- vantage, but the instant they were hid from observation by the bushes, they redoubled efforts that before had seemed prodigious. The two canoes came round the 5 last low point, like two coursers at the top of their speed, the fugitives taking the lead. This . change had brought them nigher to each other, however, while it altered their relative positions. " You showed knowledge in the shaping of birchen 10 bark, Uncas, when you chose this from among the Huron canoes," said the scout, smiling apparently more in satisfaction at their superiority in the race than from that prospect of final escape, which now be- gan to open a little upon them. " The imps have put 15 all their strength again at the paddles, and we are to struggle for our scalps with bits of flattened wood, instead of clouded barrels and true eyes, A long stroke and together, friends." " They are preparing for a shot," said Heyward ; " and 20 as we are in a line with them it can scarcely fail." *• Get you then into the bottom of the canoe," re- turned the scout ; " you and the colonel ; it will be so much taken from the size of the mark." Heyward smiled, as he answered : 25 " It would be but an ill example for the highest in rank to dodge, while the warriors were under fire ! " " Lord ! Lord ! that is now a white man's courage ! " exclaimed the scout ; " and like too many of his notions not to be maintained by reason. Do you think the Sag- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 877 amore or Uncas or even I, who am a man without a cross, would deliberate about finding a cover in a skrim- mage, when an open body would do no good ? For what have the Frenchers reared up their Quebec, if fighting is always to be done in the clearings ? '^ 5 " All that you say is very true, my friend," replied Hey ward ; " still, our customs must prevent us from doing as you wish." A volley from the Hurons interrupted the discourse, and as the bullets whistled about them Duncan saw the lO head of Uncas turned, looking back at himself and Munro. Notwithstanding the nearness of the enemy and his own great personal danger, the countenance of the young warrior expressed no other emotion, as the former was compelled to think, than amazement at find- 15 ing men willing to encounter so useless an exposure. Chingachgook was probably better acquainted with the notions of white men, for he did not even cast a glance aside from the riveted look his eye maintained on the object, by which he governed their course. A ball soon 20 struck the light and polished paddle from the hands of the chief, and drove it through the air far in the ad- vance. A shout arose from the Hurons, who seized the opportunity to fire another volley. Uncas described an arc in the water with his own blade, and as the canoe 25 passed swiftly on, Chingachgook recovered his paddle, and flourishing it on high he gave the war-whoop of the Mohicans, and then lent his own strength and skill again to the important task. 378 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. The clamorous sounds of "Le Gros Serpent/^ "La Longue Carabine," " Le Cerf Agile," burst at once from the canoes behind, and seemed to give new zeal to the pursuers. The scout seized "Kill-deer" in his left hand, 5 and elevating it above his head he shook it in triumph at his enemies. The savages answered the insult with a yell, and immediately another volley succeeded. The bullets pattered along the lake, and one even pierced the bark of their little vessel. No perceptible emotion 10 could be discovered in the Mohicans during this critical moment, their rigid features expressing neither hope nor alarm ; but the scout again turned his head, and laugh- ing in his own silent manner he said to Hey ward : " The knaves love to hear the sounds of their pieces ; 15 but the eye is not to be found among the Mingos that can calculate a true range in a dancing canoe ! You see the dumb devils have taken off a man to charge, and by smallest measurement that can be allowed . we move three feet to their two." 20 Duncan, who was not altogether as easy under this nice estimate of distances as his companions, was glad to find, however, that owing to their superior dexterity and the diversion among their enemies they were very sensibly obtaining the advantage. The Hurons soon 25 fired again, and a bullet struck the blade of Hawkey e'S' paddle without injury. " That will do," said the scout, examining the slight indentation with a curious eye ; " it would not have cut the skin of an infant; much less of men, who, like us, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 379 have been blown upon by the heavens in their anger. Now, major, if you will try to use this piece of flattened wood. I'll let < Kill-deer^ take a part in the conver- sation." Heyward seized the paddle and applied himself to 5 the work with an eagerness that supplied the place of skill, while Hawkeye was engaged in inspecting the priming of his rifle. The latter then took a swift aim and fired. The Huron in the bow of the leading canoe had risen with a similar object, and he now fell back- lo ward, suffering his gun to escape from his hands into the water. In an instant, however, he recovered his feet, though his gestures were wild and bewildered. At the same moment his companions suspended their efforts, and the chasing canoes clustered together, and became 15 stationary. Chingachgook and Uncas profited by the interval to regain their wind, though Duncan continued to work with the most persevering industry. The father and son now cast calm but inquiring glances at each other, to learn if either had sustained any injury by the 20 fire ; for both well knew that no cry or exclamation would, in such a moment of necessity, have been per- mitted to betray the accident. A few large drops of blood were trickling down the shoulder of the Sagamore, who, when he perceived that the eyes of Uncas dwelt 25 too long on the sight, raised some water in the hollow of his hand, and washing off the stain was content to manifest in this simple manner the slightness of the injury. 880 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER, " Softly, softly, major," said the scout, who by this time had reloaded his rifle ; " we are a little too far al- ready for a rifle to put forth its beauties, and you see yonder imps are holding a council. Let them come up 5 within striking distance — my eye may well be trusted in such a matter — and I will trail the varlets the length of the Horican, guaranteeing that not a shot of theirs shall, at the worst, more than break the skin, while ^ Kill- deer ' shall touch the life twice in three times." 10 " We forget our errand," returned the diligent Duncan. '' For God's sake, let us profit by this advantage, and in- crease our distance from, the enemy." " Give me my children," said Munro, hoarsely ; " trifle no longer with a father's agony, but restore me my 15 babes ! " Long and habitual deference to the mandates of his superiors had taught the scout the virtue of obedience. Throwing a last and lingering glance at the distant canoes, he laid aside his rifle, and, relieving the wearied 20 Duncan, resumed the paddle, which he wielded with sin- ews that never tired. His efforts were seconded by those of the Mohicans, and a very few minutes served to place such a sheet of water between them and their enemies that Heyward once more breathed freely. 25 The lake now began to expand, and their route lay along a wide reach, that was lined as before by high and ragged mountains. But the islands were few and easily avoided. The strokes of the paddles grew more measured and regular, while they who plied them con- THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 381 tinned their labor, after the close and deadly chase from which they had just relieved themselves, with as much coolness as though their speed had been tried in sport, rather than under such pressing, nay, almost desperate, ' circumstances. 5 Instead of following the western shore, whither their errand led them, the wary Mohican inclined his course more towards those hills, behind which Montcalm was known to have led his army into the formidable fortress of Ticonderoga. As the Hurons, to every appearance, had 10 abandoned the pursuit, there was no apparent reason for this excess of caution. It was, however, maintained for hours, until they had reached a bay nigh the northern termination of the lake. Here the canoe was driven upon the beach and the whole party landed. Hawkeye 15 and Hey ward ascended an adjacent bluff, where the for- mer, after considering the expanse of water beneath him, , pointed out to the latter a small black object, hovering under a headland, at the distance of several miles. '' Do you see it ? " demanded the scout. " Now, what 20 would you account that spot, were you left alone to white experience to find your way through this wilder- ness ? " ^' But for its distance and its magnitude, I should suppose it a bird. Can it be a living object ? " 25 "'Tis a canoe of good birchen bark, and paddled by fierce and crafty Mingos 1 Though Providence has lent to those who inhabit the woods eyes that would be needless to men in the settlements, where there are in- 382 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, ventions to assist the sight, yet no human organs can see all the dangers which at this moment circumvent us. These varlets pretend to be bent chiefly on their sun- " down meal, but the moment it is dark, they will be on B our trail, as true as hounds on the scent. We must throw them off, or our pursuit of Le Renard Subtil may be given up. These lakes are useful at times, especially when the game takes the water,'' continued the scout, gazing about him with a countenance of concern, "but 10 they give no cover, except it be to the fishes. God knows what the country would be, if the settlements should ever spread far from the two rivers. Both hunt- ing and war would lose their beauty/' "Let us not delay a moment without some good and 15 obvious cause." " I little like that smoke, which you may see worming up along the rock above the canoe," interrupted the ab- stracted scout. "My life on it, other eyes than ours see it, and know its meaning ! Well, words will not 20 mend the matter, and it is time that we were doing." Hawkeye moved away from the lookout, and de- scended, musing profoundly, to the shore. He communi- cated the result of his observations to his companions, in Delaware, and a short and earnest consultation suc- 25 ceeded. When it terminated, the three instantly set about executing their new resolutions. The canoe was lifted from the water and borne on the shoulders of the party. They proceeded into the wood, making as broad and obvious a trail as possible. They THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 883 soon reached a water course, which they crossed, and continued onward, until they came to an extensive and naked rock. At this point, where their footsteps might be expected to be no longer visible, they retraced their route to the brook, walking backwards with the utmost 5 care. They now followed the bed of the little stream to the lake, into which they immediately launched their canoe again. A low point concealed them from the headland, and the margin of the lake was fringed for some distance with dense and overhanging bushes. 10 Under the cover of these natural advantages, they toiled their way, with patient industry, until the scout pro- nounced that he believed it would be safe once more to - _ land. The halt continued until evening rendered objects in- 15 distinct and uncertain to the eye. Then they resumed their route, and, favored by the darkness, pushed silently and vigorously toward the western shore. Although the rugged outline of mountain, to which they were steering, presented no distinctive marks to the eyes of 20 Duncan, the Mohican entered the little haven he had selected with the confidence and accuracy of an experi- enced pilot. The boat was again lifted and borne into the woods, where it was carefully concealed under a pile of brush. 25 The adventurers assumed their arms and packs, and the scout announced to Munro and Heyward that he and the Indians were at last in readiness to proceed. 384 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. CHAPTEH XXL If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death. Shakspeabe, The Merry Wives of Windsor - ^' '' The party had landed on the border of a region that is, even to this day, less known to the inhabitants of the States than the deserts of Arabia or the steppes of Tartary. It was the sterile and rugged district, which S separates the tributaries of Champlain from those of the Hudson, the Mohawk and the St. Lawrence. Since the period of our tale, the active spirit of the country has surrounded it with a belt of rich and thriving settle- ments, though none but the hunter or the savage is ever 10 known, even now, to penetrate its wild recesses. As Hawkeye and the Mohicans had, however, often traversed the mountains and valleys of this vast wilder- ness, they did not hesitate to plunge into its depths, with the freedom of men accustomed to its privations 15 and difficulties. For many hours the travellers toiled on their laborious way, guided by a star, or following the direction of some water course, until the scout called a halt ; and holding a short consultation with the Indians, they lighted their fire, and made the usual preparations 20 to pass the remainder of the night where they were. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 385 Imitating the example and emulating the confidence of their more experienced associates, Munro and Dun- can slept without fear, if not without uneasiness. The dews were suffered to exhale, and the sun had dispersed the mists and was shedding a strong and clear light in 5 the forest, when the travellers resumed their journey. After proceeding a few miles the progress of Hawk- eye, who led the advance, became more deliberate and watchful. He often stopped to examine the trees; nor did he cross a rivulet without attentively considering lO the quantity, the velocity, and the color of its waters. Distrusting his own judgment, his appeals to the opinion of Chingachgook were frequent and earnest. During one of these conferences, Heyward observed that Uncas stood a patient and silent, though, as he imagined, an 15 interested listener. He was strongly tempted to address the young chief and demand his opinion of their prog- ress ; but the calm and dignified demeanor of the native induced him to believe, that, like himself, the other was wholly dependent on the sagacity and intelli- 20 gence of the seniors of the party. At last the scout spoke in English and at once explained the embarrass- ment of their situation. <^When I found that the home path of the Hurons runs north," he said, ''it did not need the judgment of 23 many long years to tell that they would follow the valleys, and keep atween the waters of the Hudson and the Horican, until they might strike the springs of the Canada streams, which would lead them into the 386 JAMES FENIMOBE COOPER. heart of the country of the Trenchers. Yet here we are, within a short range of the Scaroon, and not a sign of a trail have we crossed ! Human natur' is weak and it is possible we may not have taken the proper scent." 5 " Heaven protect us from such an error ! " exclaimed Duncan. " Let us retrace our steps, and examine as we go, with keener eyes. Has Uncas no counsel to offer in such a strait ? '' The young Mohican cast a quick glance at his father, 10 but maintaining his quiet and reserved mien, he con- tinued silent. Chingachgook had caught the look, and motioning with his hand, he bade him speak. The moment this permission was accorded, the countenance of Uncas changed from its grave composure to a gleam 15 of intelligence and joy. Bounding forward like a deer, he sprang up the side of a little acclivity a few rods in advance, and stood exultingly over a spot of fresh earth, that looked as though it had been recently up- turned by the passage of some heavy animal. The eyes 20 of the whole party followed the unexpected movement, and read their success in the air of triumph that the youth assumed. " 'Tis the trail ! " exclaimed the scout, advancing to the spot ; " the lad is quick of sight and keen of wit for 25 his years." " 'Tis extraordinary that he should have withheld his knowledge so long," muttered Duncan at his elbow. " It would have been more wonderful had he spoken, "without a bidding. No, no; your young white, who TUE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. 387 gathers his learning from books and can measure what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like his legs, outruns that of his father ; but where ex- perience is the master, the scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects them accordingly." 5 '• See ! " said Uncas, pointing north and south, at the evident marks of the broad trail on either side of him ;