prompt:
Chapter: "Thus spoke the sage: the kings without delay
  Dissolve the council, and their chief obey."

  POPE'S _Iliad._

A single moment served to convince the youth that he was mistaken. A
hand was laid, with a powerful pressure, on his arm, and the low voice
of Uncas muttered in his ears,--

"The Hurons are dogs. The sight of a coward's blood can never make a
warrior tremble. The 'Gray Head' and the Sagamore are safe, and the
rifle of Hawkeye is not asleep. Go,--Uncas and the 'Open Hand' are now
strangers. It is enough."

Heyward would gladly have heard more, but a gentle push from his friend
urged him towards the door, and admonished him of the danger that might
attend the discovery of their intercourse. Slowly and reluctantly
yielding to the necessity, he quitted the place, and mingled with the
throng that hovered nigh. The dying fires in the clearing cast a dim and
uncertain light on the dusky figures that were silently stalking to and
fro; and occasionally a brighter gleam than common glanced into the
lodge, and exhibited the figure of Uncas still maintaining its upright
attitude near the dead body of the Huron.

A knot of warriors soon entered the place again, and reissuing, they
bore the senseless remains into the adjacent woods. After this
termination of the scene, Duncan wandered among the lodges, unquestioned
and unnoticed, endeavoring to find some trace of her in whose behalf he
incurred the risk he ran. In the present temper of the tribe, it would
have been easy to have fled and rejoined his companions, had such a wish
crossed his mind. But, in addition to the never-ceasing anxiety on
account of Alice, a fresher, though feebler interest in the fate of
Uncas assisted to chain him to the spot. He continued, therefore, to
stray from hut to hut, looking into each only to encounter additional
disappointment, until he had made the entire circuit of the village.
Abandoning a species of inquiry that proved so fruitless, he retraced
his steps to the council lodge, resolved to seek and question David, in
order to put an end to his doubts.

On reaching the building which had proved alike the seat of judgment
and the place of execution, the young man found that the excitement had
already subsided. The warriors had reassembled, and were now calmly
smoking, while they conversed gravely on the chief incidents of their
recent expedition to the head of the Horican. Though the return of
Duncan was likely to remind them of his character, and the suspicious
circumstances of his visit, it produced no visible sensation. So far,
the terrible scene that had just occurred proved favorable to his views,
and he required no other prompter than his own feelings to convince him
of the expediency of profiting by so unexpected an advantage.

Without seeming to hesitate, he walked into the lodge, and took his seat
with a gravity that accorded admirably with the deportment of his hosts.
A hasty but searching glance sufficed to tell him that, though Uncas
still remained where he had left him, David had not reappeared. No other
restraint was imposed on the former than the watchful looks of a young
Huron, who had placed himself at hand; though an armed warrior leaned
against the post that formed one side of the narrow door-way. In every
other respect, the captive seemed at liberty; still he was excluded from
all participation in the discourse, and possessed much more of the air
of some finely moulded statue than a man having life and volition.

Heyward had too recently witnessed a frightful instance of the prompt
punishments of the people into whose hands he had fallen, to hazard an
exposure by any officious boldness. He would greatly have preferred
silence and meditation to speech, when a discovery of his real condition
might prove so instantly fatal. Unfortunately for this prudent
resolution, his entertainers appeared otherwise disposed. He had not
long occupied the seat wisely taken a little in the shade, when another
of the elder warriors, who spoke the French language, addressed him:--

"My Canada father does not forget his children," said the chief; "I
thank him. An evil spirit lives in the wife of one of my young men. Can
the cunning stranger frighten him away?"

Heyward possessed some knowledge of the mummery practised among the
Indians, in the cases of such supposed visitations. He saw, at a glance,
that the circumstance might possibly be improved to further his own end.
It would, therefore, have been difficult, just then, to have uttered a
proposal that would have given him more satisfaction. Aware of the
necessity of preserving the dignity of his imaginary character, however,
he repressed his feelings, and answered with suitable mystery,--

"Spirits differ; some yield to the power of wisdom, while others are too
strong."

"My brother is a great medicine," said the cunning savage; "he will
try?"

A gesture of assent was the answer. The Huron was content with the
assurance, and resuming his pipe, he awaited the proper moment to move.
The impatient Heyward, inwardly execrating the cold customs of the
savages, which required such sacrifices to appearance, was fain to
assume an air of indifference, equal to that maintained by the chief,
who was, in truth, a near relative of the afflicted woman. The minutes
lingered, and the delay had seemed an hour to the adventurer in
empiricism, when the Huron laid aside his pipe, and drew his robe across
his breast, as if about to lead the way to the lodge of the invalid.
Just then, a warrior of powerful frame darkened the door, and stalking
silently among the attentive group, he seated himself on one end of the
low pile of brush which sustained Duncan. The latter cast an impatient
look at his neighbor, and felt his flesh creep with uncontrollable
horror when he found himself in actual contact with Magua.

The sudden return of this artful and dreaded chief caused a delay in the
departure of the Huron. Several pipes, that had been extinguished, were
lighted again; while the newcomer, without speaking a word, drew his
tomahawk from his girdle, and filling the bowl on its head, began to
inhale the vapors of the weed through the hollow handle, with as much
indifference as if he had not been absent two weary days on a long and
toilsome hunt. Ten minutes, which appeared so many ages to Duncan, might
have passed in this manner; and the warriors were fairly enveloped in a
cloud of white smoke before any of them spoke.

"Welcome!" one at length uttered; "has my friend found the moose?"

"The young men stagger under their burdens," returned Magua. "Let
'Reed-that-bends' go on the hunting-path; he will meet them."

A deep and awful silence succeeded the utterance of the forbidden name.
Each pipe dropped from the lips of its owner as though all had inhaled
an impurity at the same instant. The smoke wreathed above their heads in
little eddies, and curling in a spiral form, it ascended swiftly
through the opening in the roof of the lodge, leaving the place beneath
clear of its fumes, and each dark visage distinctly visible. The looks
of most of the warriors were riveted on the earth; though a few of the
younger and less gifted of the party suffered their wild and glaring
eyeballs to roll in the direction of a white-headed savage, who sat
between two of the most venerated chiefs of the tribe. There was nothing
in the air or attire of this Indian that would seem to entitle him to
such a distinction. The former was rather depressed, than remarkable for
the bearing of the natives; and the latter was such as was commonly worn
by the ordinary men of the nation. Like most around him, for more than a
minute his look too was on the ground; but, trusting his eyes at length
to steal a glance aside, he perceived that he was becoming an object of
general attention. Then he arose and lifted his voice in the general
silence.

"It was a lie," he said; "I had no son. He who was called by that name
is forgotten; his blood was pale; and it came not from the veins of a
Huron; the wicked Chippewas cheated my squaw. The Great Spirit has said,
that the family of Wiss-entush should end; he is happy who knows that
the evil of his race dies with himself. I have done."

The speaker, who was the father of the recreant young Indian, looked
round and about him, as if seeking commendation of his stoicism in the
eyes of his auditors. But the stern customs of his people had made too
severe an exaction of the feeble old man. The expression of his eye
contradicted his figurative and boastful language, while every muscle in
his wrinkled visage was working with anguish. Standing a single minute
to enjoy his bitter triumph, he turned away, as if sickening at the gaze
of men, and veiling his face in his blanket, he walked from the lodge
with the noiseless step of an Indian, seeking, in the privacy of his own
abode, the sympathy of one like himself, aged, forlorn, and childless.

The Indians, who believe in the hereditary transmission of virtues and
defects in character, suffered him to depart in silence. Then, with an
elevation of breeding that many in a more cultivated state of society
might profitably emulate, one of the chiefs drew the attention of the
young men from the weakness they had just witnessed, by saying, in a
cheerful voice, addressing himself in courtesy to Magua, as the newest
comer,--

"The Delawares have been like bears after the honey-pots, prowling
around my village. But who has ever found a Huron asleep?"

The darkness of the impending cloud which precedes a burst of thunder
was not blacker than the brow of Magua as he exclaimed,--

"The Delawares of the Lakes!"

"Not so. They who wear the petticoats of squaws, on their own river. One
of them has been passing the tribe."

"Did my young men take his scalp?"

"His legs were good, though his arm is better for the hoe than the
tomahawk," returned the other, pointing to the immovable form of Uncas.

Instead of manifesting any womanish curiosity to feast his eyes with the
sight of a captive from a people he was known to have so much reason to
hate, Magua continued to smoke, with the meditative air that he usually
maintained, when there was no immediate call on his cunning or his
eloquence. Although secretly amazed at the facts communicated by the
speech of the aged father, he permitted himself to ask no questions,
reserving his inquiries for a more suitable moment. It was only after a
sufficient interval that he shook the ashes from his pipe, replaced the
tomahawk, tightened his girdle, and arose, casting for the first time a
glance in the direction of the prisoner, who stood a little behind him.
The wary, though seemingly abstracted Uncas, caught a glimpse of the
movement, and turning suddenly to the light, their looks met. Near a
minute these two bold and untamed spirits stood regarding one another
steadily in the eye, neither quailing in the least before the fierce
gaze he encountered. The form of Uncas dilated, and his nostrils opened
like those of a tiger at bay; but so rigid and unyielding was his
posture, that he might easily have been converted by the imagination
into an exquisite and faultless representation of the warlike deity of
his tribe. The lineaments of the quivering features of Magua proved more
ductile; his countenance gradually lost its character of defiance in an
expression of ferocious joy, and heaving a breath from the very bottom
of his chest, he pronounced aloud the very formidable name of--

"Le Cerf Agile!"

Each warrior sprang upon his feet at the utterance of the well known
appellation, and there was a short period during which the stoical
constancy of the natives was completely conquered by surprise. The
hated and yet respected name was repeated as by one voice, carrying the
sound even beyond the limits of the lodge. The women and children, who
lingered around the entrance, took up the words in an echo, which was
succeeded by another shrill and plaintive howl. The latter was not yet
ended, when the sensation among the men had entirely abated. Each one in
presence seated himself, as though ashamed of his precipitation; but it
was many minutes before their meaning eyes ceased to roll towards their
captive, in curious examination of a warrior who had so often proved his
prowess on the best and proudest of their nation. Uncas enjoyed his
victory, but was content with merely exhibiting his triumph by a quiet
smile--an emblem of scorn which belongs to all time and every nation.

Magua caught the expression, and raising his arm, he shook it at the
captive, the light silver ornaments attached to his bracelet rattling
with the trembling agitation of the limb, as, in a tone of vengeance, he
exclaimed, in English,--

"Mohican, you die!"

"The healing waters will never bring the dead Hurons to life," returned
Uncas, in the music of the Delawares; "the tumbling river washes their
bones; their men are squaws; their women owls. Go! call together the
Huron dogs, that they may look upon a warrior. My nostrils are offended;
they scent the blood of a coward."

The latter allusion struck deep, and the injury rankled. Many of the
Hurons understood the strange tongue in which the captive spoke, among
which number was Magua. This cunning savage beheld, and instantly
profited by his advantage. Dropping the light robe of skin from his
shoulder, he stretched forth his arm, and commenced a burst of his
dangerous and artful eloquence. However much his influence among his
people had been impaired by his occasional and besetting weakness, as
well as by his desertion of the tribe, his courage and his fame as an
orator were undeniable. He never spoke without auditors, and rarely
without making converts to his opinions. On the present occasion, his
native powers were stimulated by the thirst of revenge.

He again recounted the events of the attack on the island at Glenn's,
the death of his associates, and the escape of their most formidable
enemies. Then he described the nature and position of the mount whither
he had led such captives as had fallen into their hands. Of his own
bloody intentions towards the maidens, and of his baffled malice he made
no mention, but passed rapidly on to the surprise of the party by La
Longue Carabine, and its fatal termination. Here he paused, and looked
about him, in affected veneration for the departed, but, in truth, to
note the effect of his opening narrative. As usual, every eye was
riveted on his face. Each dusky figure seemed a breathing statue, so
motionless was the posture, so intense the attention of the individual.

Then Magua dropped his voice, which had hitherto been clear, strong, and
elevated, and touched upon the merits of the dead. No quality that was
likely to command the sympathy of an Indian escaped his notice. One had
never been known to follow the chase in vain; another had been
indefatigable on the trail of their enemies. This was brave, that
generous. In short, he so managed his allusions, that in a nation, which
was composed of so few families, he contrived to strike every chord that
might find, in its turn, some breast in which to vibrate.

"Are the bones of my young men," he concluded, "in the burial-place of
the Hurons? You know they are not. Their spirits are gone towards the
setting sun, and are already crossing the great waters, to the happy
hunting-grounds. But they departed without food, without guns or knives,
without moccasins, naked and poor as they were born. Shall this be? Are
their souls to enter the land of the just like hungry Iroquois or
unmanly Delawares; or shall they meet their friends with arms in their
hands and robes on their backs? What will our fathers think the tribes
of the Wyandots have become? They will look on their children with a
dark eye, and say, Go! a Chippewa has come hither with the name of a
Huron. Brothers, we must not forget the dead; a redskin never ceases to
remember. We will load the back of this Mohican until he staggers under
our bounty, and despatch him after my young men. They call to us for
aid, though our ears are not open; they say, Forget us not. When they
see the spirit of this Mohican toiling after them with his burden, they
will know we are of that mind. Then will they go on happy; and our
children will say, 'So did our fathers to their friends, so must we do
to them.' What is a Yengee? we have slain many, but the earth is still
pale. A stain on the name of a Huron can only be hid by blood that comes
from the veins of an Indian. Let this Delaware die."

The effect of such an harangue, delivered in the nervous language and
with the emphatic manner of a Huron orator, could scarcely be mistaken.
Magua had so artfully blended the natural sympathies with the religious
superstition of his auditors, that their minds, already prepared by
custom to sacrifice a victim to the _manes_ of their countrymen, lost
every vestige of humanity in a wish for revenge. One warrior in
particular, a man of wild and ferocious mien, had been conspicuous for
the attention he had given to the words of the speaker. His countenance
had changed with each passing emotion, until it settled into a look of
deadly malice. As Magua ended he arose, and uttering the yell of a
demon, his polished little axe was seen glancing in the torch-light as
he whirled it above his head. The motion and the cry were too sudden for
words to interrupt his bloody intention. It appeared as if a bright
gleam shot from his hand, which was crossed at the same moment by a dark
and powerful line. The former was the tomahawk in its passage; the
latter the arm that Magua darted forward to divert its aim. The quick
and ready motion of the chief was not entirely too late. The keen weapon
cut the war-plume from the scalping-tuft of Uncas, and passed through
the frail wall of the lodge, as though it were hurled from some
formidable engine.

Duncan had seen the threatening action, and sprang upon his feet, with a
heart which while it leaped into his throat, swelled with the most
generous resolution in behalf of his friend. A glance told him that the
blow had failed, and terror changed to admiration. Uncas stood still,
looking his enemy in the eye with features that seemed superior to
emotion. Marble could not be colder, calmer, or steadier than the
countenance he put upon this sudden and vindictive attack. Then, as if
pitying a want of skill which had proved so fortunate to himself, he
smiled, and muttered a few words of contempt in his own tongue.

"No!" said Magua, after satisfying himself of the safety of the captive;
"the sun must shine on his shame; the squaws must see his flesh tremble,
or our revenge will be like the play of boys. Go! take him where there
is silence; let us see if a Delaware can sleep at night, and in the
morning die."

The young men whose duty it was to guard the prisoner instantly passed
their ligaments of bark across his arms, and led him from the lodge,
amid a profound and ominous silence. It was only as the figure of Uncas
stood in the opening of the door that his firm step hesitated. There he
turned, and, in the sweeping and haughty glance that he threw around the
circle of his enemies, Duncan caught a look which he was glad to
construe into an expression that he was not entirely deserted by hope.

Magua was content with his success, or too much occupied with his secret
purposes to push his inquiries any further. Shaking his mantle, and
folding it on his bosom, he also quitted the place, without pursuing a
subject which might have proved so fatal to the individual at his elbow.
Notwithstanding his rising resentment, his natural firmness, and his
anxiety in behalf of Uncas, Heyward felt sensibly relieved by the
absence of so dangerous and so subtle a foe. The excitement produced by
the speech gradually subsided. The warriors resumed their seats, and
clouds of smoke once more filled the lodge. For near half an hour, not a
syllable was uttered, or scarcely a look cast aside; a grave and
meditative silence being the ordinary succession to every scene of
violence and commotion among those beings, who were alike so impetuous
and yet so self-restrained.

When the chief who had solicited the aid of Duncan finished his pipe, he
made a final and successful movement towards departing. A motion of a
finger was the intimation he gave the supposed physician to follow; and
passing through the clouds of smoke, Duncan was glad, on more accounts
than one, to be able, at last, to breathe the pure air of a cool and
refreshing summer evening.

Instead of pursuing his way among those lodges where Heyward had already
made his unsuccessful search, his companion turned aside, and proceeded
directly towards the base of an adjacent mountain, which overhung the
temporary village. A thicket of brush skirted its foot, and it became
necessary to proceed through a crooked and narrow path. The boys had
resumed their sports in the clearing, and were enacting a mimic chase to
the post among themselves. In order to render their games as like the
reality as possible, one of the boldest of their number had conveyed a
few brands into some piles of tree-tops that had hitherto escaped the
burning. The blaze of one of these fires lighted the way of the chief
and Duncan, and gave a character of additional wildness to the rude
scenery. At a little distance from a bald rock, and directly in its
front, they entered a grassy opening, which they prepared to cross. Just
then fresh fuel was added to the fire, and a powerful light penetrated
even to that distant spot. It fell upon the white surface of the
mountain, and was reflected downwards upon a dark and mysterious-looking
being that arose, unexpectedly, in their path.

The Indian paused, as if doubtful whether to proceed, and permitted his
companion to approach his side. A large black ball, which at first
seemed stationary, now began to move in a manner that to the latter was
inexplicable. Again the fire brightened, and its glare fell more
distinctly on the object. Then even Duncan knew it, by its restless and
sideling attitudes, which kept the upper part of its form in constant
motion, while the animal itself appeared seated, to be a bear. Though it
growled loudly and fiercely, and there were instants when its glistening
eyeballs might be seen, it gave no other indications of hostility. The
Huron, at least, seemed assured that the intentions of this singular
intruder were peaceable, for after giving it an attentive examination,
he quietly pursued his course.

Duncan, who knew that the animal was often domesticated among the
Indians, followed the example of his companion, believing that some
favorite of the tribe had found its way into the thicket, in search of
food. They passed it unmolested. Though obliged to come nearly in
contact with the monster, the Huron, who had at first so warily
determined the character of his strange visitor, was now content with
proceeding without wasting a moment in further examination; but Heyward
was unable to prevent his eyes from looking backward, in salutary
watchfulness against attacks in the rear. His uneasiness was in no
degree diminished when he perceived the beast rolling along their path,
and following their footsteps. He would have spoken, but the Indian at
that moment shoved aside a door of bark, and entered a cavern in the
bosom of the mountain.

Profiting by so easy a method of retreat, Duncan stepped after him, and
was gladly closing the slight cover to the opening, when he felt it
drawn from his hand by the beast, whose shaggy form immediately darkened
the passage. They were now in a straight and long gallery, in a chasm of
the rocks, where retreat without encountering the animal was impossible.
Making the best of the circumstances, the young man pressed forward,
keeping as close as possible to his conductor. The bear growled
frequently at his heels, and once or twice its enormous paws were laid
on his person, as if disposed to prevent his further passage into the
den.

How long the nerves of Heyward would have sustained him in this
extraordinary situation, it might be difficult to decide; for, happily,
he soon found relief. A glimmer of light had constantly been in their
front, and they now arrived at the place whence it proceeded.

A large cavity in the rock had been rudely fitted to answer the purposes
of many apartments. The subdivisions were simple but ingenious, being
composed of stone, sticks, and bark, intermingled. Openings above
admitted the light by day, and at night fires and torches supplied the
place of the sun. Hither the Hurons had brought most of their valuables,
especially those which more particularly pertained to the nation; and
hither, as it now appeared, the sick woman, who was believed to be the
victim of supernatural power, had been transported also, under an
impression that her tormentor would find more difficulty in making his
assaults through walls of stone than through the leafy coverings of the
lodges. The apartment into which Duncan and his guide first entered, had
been exclusively devoted to her accommodation. The latter approached her
bedside, which was surrounded by females, in the centre of whom Heyward
was surprised to find his missing friend David.

A single look was sufficient to apprise the pretended leech that the
invalid was far beyond his powers of healing. She lay in a sort of
paralysis, indifferent to the objects which crowded before her sight,
and happily unconscious of suffering. Heyward was far from regretting
that his mummeries were to be performed on one who was much too ill to
take an interest in their failure or success. The slight qualm of
conscience which had been excited by the intended deception was
instantly appeased, and he began to collect his thoughts, in order to
enact his part with suitable spirit, when he found he was about to be
anticipated in his skill by an attempt to prove the power of music.

Gamut, who had stood prepared to pour forth his spirit in song when the
visitors entered, after delaying a moment, drew a strain from his pipe,
and commenced a hymn that might have worked a miracle, had faith in its
efficacy been of much avail. He was allowed to proceed to the close, the
Indians respecting his imaginary infirmity, and Duncan too glad of the
delay to hazard the slightest interruption. As the dying cadence of his
strains was falling on the ears of the latter, he started aside at
hearing them repeated behind him in a voice half human, half
sepulchral. Looking around, he beheld the shaggy monster seated on end
in a shadow of the cavern, where, while his restless body swung in the
uneasy manner of the animal, it repeated, in a sort of low growl, sound,
if not words, which bore some slight resemblance to the melody of the
singer.

The effect of so strange an echo on David may better be imagined than
described. His eyes opened as if he doubted their truth; and his voice
became instantly mute in excess of wonder. A deep-laid scheme, of
communicating some important intelligence to Heyward, was driven from
his recollection by an emotion which very nearly resembled fear, but
which he was fain to believe was admiration. Under its influence, he
exclaimed aloud--"She expects you, and is at hand;" and precipitately
left the cavern.

Q: Can you write an appropriate summary of the above paragraphs?
A:

completion: Heyward searches in vain for Alice. He discovers that the Hurons, who think he is a doctor, want him to cure a sick Indian woman. At this moment, Magua appears and identifies Uncas as Le Cerf Agile. He convinces the other Hurons that Uncas should be tortured and killed the next morning. The Huron chief takes Heyward toward a cavern at the base of a nearby mountain. On the way, they encounter a strangely friendly bear that follows them closely. Inside the cavern, the sick woman rests in the company of other women and Gamut. The psalmodist sings at her bedside on behalf of her recovery; when the bear imitates his song, Gamut hurries off, dumbstruck. Heyward can see that the woman will soon die with or without his aid


prompt:
Chapter: _"Snug._--Have you the lion's part written? Pray you, if it be, give
    it me, for I am slow of study."

  _"Quince_.--You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring."

  _Midsummer Night's Dream._

There was a strange blending of the ridiculous with that which was
solemn in this scene. The beast still continued its rolling, and
apparently untiring movements, though its ludicrous attempt to imitate
the melody of David ceased the instant the latter abandoned the field.
The words of Gamut were, as has been seen, in his native tongue; and to
Duncan they seemed pregnant with some hidden meaning, though nothing
present assisted him in discovering the object of their illusion. A
speedy end was, however, put to every conjecture on the subject, by the
manner of the chief, who advanced to the bedside of the invalid, and
beckoned away the whole group of female attendants that had clustered
there to witness the skill of the stranger. He was implicitly, though
reluctantly, obeyed; and when the low echo which rang along the hollow
natural gallery from the distant closing door had ceased, pointing
towards his insensible daughter, he said,--

"Now let my brother show his power."

Thus unequivocally called on to exercise the functions of his assumed
character, Heyward was apprehensive that the smallest delay might prove
dangerous. Endeavoring then to collect his ideas, he prepared to perform
that species of incantation, and those uncouth rites, under which the
Indian conjurers are accustomed to conceal their ignorance and
impotency. It is more than probable that, in the disordered state of his
thoughts, he would soon have fallen into some suspicious, if not fatal
error, had not his incipient attempts been interrupted by a fierce growl
from the quadruped. Three several times did he renew his efforts to
proceed, and as often was he met by the same unaccountable opposition,
each interruption seeming more savage and threatening than the
preceding.

"The cunning ones are jealous," said the Huron; "I go. Brother, the
woman is the wife of one of my bravest young men; deal justly by her.
Peace!" he added, beckoning to the discontented beast to be quiet; "I
go."

The chief was as good as his word, and Duncan now found himself alone in
that wild and desolate abode, with the helpless invalid, and the fierce
and dangerous brute. The latter listened to the movements of the Indian
with that air of sagacity that a bear is known to possess, until another
echo announced that he had also left the cavern, when it turned and came
waddling up to Duncan, before whom it seated itself, in its natural
attitude, erect like a man. The youth looked anxiously about him for
some weapon, with which he might make a resistance against the attack he
now seriously expected.

It seemed, however, as if the humor of the animal had suddenly changed.
Instead of continuing its discontented growls, or manifesting any
further signs of anger, the whole of its shaggy body shook violently, as
if agitated by some strange internal convulsion. The huge and unwieldy
talons pawed stupidly about the grinning muzzle, and while Heyward kept
his eyes riveted on its movements with jealous watchfulness, the grim
head fell on one side, and in its place appeared the honest, sturdy
countenance of the scout, who was indulging from the bottom of his soul,
in his own peculiar expression of merriment.

"Hist!" said the wary woodsman, interrupting Heyward's exclamation of
surprise; "the varlets are about the place, and any sounds that are not
natural to witchcraft would bring them back upon us in a body."

"Tell me the meaning of this masquerade; and why you have attempted so
desperate an adventure."

"Ah! reason and calculation are often outdone by accident," returned the
scout. "But as a story should always commence at the beginning, I will
tell you the whole in order. After we parted I placed the commandant and
the Sagamore in an old beaver lodge, where they are safer from the
Hurons than they would be in the garrison of Edward, for your high
northwest Indians, not having as yet got the traders among them,
continue to venerate the beaver. After which Uncas and I pushed for the
other encampment, as was agreed; have you seen the lad?"

"To my great grief! he is captive, and condemned to die at the rising of
the sun."

[Illustration: _Copyright by Charles Scribner's Sons_

THE MASQUERADER

_The grim head fell on one side, and in its place appeared the honest,
sturdy countenance of the scout_]

"I had misgivings that such would be his fate," resumed the scout, in a
less confident and joyous tone. But soon regaining his naturally firm
voice, he continued: "His bad fortune is the true reason of my being
here, for it would never do to abandon such a boy to the Hurons. A rare
time the knaves would have of it, could they tie The Bounding Elk and
The Long Carabine, as they call me, to the same stake! Though why they
have given me such a name I never knew, there being as little likeness
between the gifts of 'Killdeer,' and the performance of one of your real
Canada carabynes, as there is between the natur' of a pipe-stone and a
flint!"

"Keep to your tale," said the impatient Heyward; "we know not at what
moment the Hurons may return."

"No fear of them. A conjurer must have his time, like a straggling
priest in the settlements. We are as safe from interruption as a
missionary would be at the beginning of a two hours' discourse. Well,
Uncas and I fell in with a return party of the varlets; the lad was much
too forward for a scout; nay, for that matter, being of hot blood, he
was not so much to blame; and, after all, one of the Hurons proved a
coward, and in fleeing led him into an ambushment."

"And dearly has he paid for the weakness!"

The scout significantly passed his hand across his own throat, and
nodded, as if he said, "I comprehend your meaning." After which he
continued, in a more audible though scarcely more intelligible
language,--

"After the loss of the boy I turned upon the Hurons, as you may judge.
There have been scrimmages atween one or two of their outlyers and
myself; but that is neither here nor there. So, after I had shot the
imps, I got in pretty nigh to the lodges without further commotion. Then
what should luck do in my favor, but lead me to the very spot where one
of the most famous conjurers of the tribe was dressing himself, as I
well knew, for some great battle with Satan--though why should I call
that luck, which it now seems was an especial ordering of Providence! So
a judgmatical rap over the head stiffened the lying impostor for a time,
and leaving him a bit of walnut for his supper, to prevent an uproar,
and stringing him up atween two sapplings, I made free with his finery,
and took the part of the bear on myself, in order that the operations
might proceed."

"And admirably did you enact the character; the animal itself might have
been shamed by the representation."

"Lord, major," returned the flattered woodsman, "I should be but a poor
scholar for one who has studied so long in the wilderness, did I not
know how to set forth the movements and natur' of such a beast. Had it
been now a catamount, or even a full-sized panther, I would have
embellished a performance for you worth regarding. But it is no such
marvellous feat to exhibit the feats of so dull a beast; though, for
that matter too, a bear may be overacted. Yes, yes; it is not every
imitator that knows natur' may be outdone easier than she is equalled.
But all our work is yet before us: where is the gentle one?"

"Heaven knows; I have examined every lodge in the village, without
discovering the slightest trace of her presence in the tribe."

"You heard what the singer said, as he left us,--'She is at hand, and
expects you'?"

"I have been compelled to believe he alluded to this unhappy woman."

"The simpleton was frightened, and blundered through his message; but he
had a deeper meaning. Here are walls enough to separate the whole
settlement. A bear ought to climb; therefore will I take a look above
them. There may be honey-pots hid in these rocks, and I am a beast you
know, that has a hankering for the sweets."

The scout looked behind him, laughing at his own conceit, while he
clambered up the partition, imitating, as he went, the clumsy motions of
the beast he represented; but the instant the summit was gained he made
a gesture for silence, and slid down with the utmost precipitation.

"She is here," he whispered, "and by that door you will find her. I
would have spoken a word of comfort to the afflicted soul; but the sight
of such a monster might upset her reason. Though for that matter, major,
you are none of the most inviting yourself in your paint."

Duncan, who had already sprung eagerly forward, drew instantly back on
hearing these discouraging words.

"Am I, then, so very revolting?" he demanded, with an air of chagrin.

"You might not startle a wolf, or turn the Royal Americans from a
charge; but I have seen the time when you had a better-favored look;
your streaked countenances are not ill-judged of by the squaws, but
young women of white blood give the preference to their own color. See,"
he added, pointing to a place where the water trickled from a rock,
forming a little crystal spring before it found an issue through the
adjacent crevices; "you may easily get rid of the Sagamore's daub, and
when you come back I will try my hand at a new embellishment. It's as
common for a conjurer to alter his paint as for a buck in the
settlements to change his finery."

The deliberate woodsman had little occasion to hunt for arguments to
enforce his advice. He was yet speaking when Duncan availed himself of
the water. In a moment every frightful or offensive mark was
obliterated, and the youth appeared again in the lineaments with which
he had been gifted by nature. Thus prepared for an interview with his
mistress, he took a hasty leave of his companion, and disappeared
through the indicated passage. The scout witnessed his departure with
complacency, nodding his head after him, and muttering his good wishes;
after which he very coolly set about an examination of the state of the
larder, among the Hurons--the cavern, among other purposes, being used
as a receptacle for the fruits of their hunts.

Duncan had no other guide than a distant glimmering light, which served,
however, the office of a polar star to the lover. By its aid he was
enabled to enter the haven of his hopes, which was merely another
apartment of the cavern, that had been solely appropriated to the
safe-keeping of so important a prisoner as a daughter of the commandant
of William Henry. It was profusely strewed with the plunder of that
unlucky fortress. In the midst of this confusion he found her he sought,
pale, anxious, and terrified, but lovely. David had prepared her for
such a visit.

"Duncan!" she exclaimed, in a voice that seemed to tremble at the sounds
created by itself.

"Alice" he answered, leaping carelessly among trunks, boxes, arms, and
furniture, until he stood at her side.

"I knew that you would never desert me," she said, looking up with a
momentary glow on her otherwise dejected countenance. "But you are
alone! grateful as it is to be thus remembered, I could wish to think
you are not entirely alone."

Duncan, observing that she trembled in a manner which betrayed her
inability to stand, gently induced her to be seated, while he recounted
those leading incidents which it has been our task to record. Alice
listened with breathless interest; and though the young man touched
lightly on the sorrows of the stricken father, taking care, however, not
to wound the self-love of his auditor, the tears ran as freely down the
cheeks of the daughter as though she had never wept before. The soothing
tenderness of Duncan, however, soon quieted the first burst of her
emotions, and she then heard him to the close with undivided attention,
if not with composure.

"And now, Alice," he added, "you will see how much is still expected of
you. By the assistance of our experienced and invaluable friend, the
scout, we may find our way from this savage people, but you will have to
exert your utmost fortitude. Remember that you fly to the arms of your
venerable parent, and how much his happiness, as well as your own,
depends on those exertions."

"Can I do otherwise for a father who has done so much for me?"

"And for me too," continued the youth, gently pressing the hand he held
in both his own.

The look of innocence and surprise which he received in return convinced
Duncan of the necessity of being more explicit.

"This is neither the place nor the occasion to detain you with selfish
wishes," he added; "but what heart loaded like mine would not wish to
cast its burden? They say misery is the closest of all ties; our common
suffering in your behalf left but little to be explained between your
father and myself."

"And dearest Cora, Duncan; surely Cora was not forgotten?"

"Not forgotten! no; regretted, as woman was seldom mourned before. Your
venerable father knew no difference between his children; but I--Alice,
you will not be offended when I say, that to me her worth was in a
degree obscured--"

"Then you knew not the merit of my sister," said Alice, withdrawing her
hand; "of you she ever speaks as of one who is her nearest friend."

"I would gladly believe her such," returned Duncan, hastily; "I could
wish her to be even more; but with you, Alice, I have the permission of
your father to aspire to a still nearer and dearer tie."

Alice trembled violently, and there was an instant during which she bent
her face aside, yielding to the emotions common to her sex; but they
quickly passed away, leaving her mistress of her deportment, if not of
her affections.

"Heyward," she said, looking him full in the face with a touching
expression of innocence and dependency, "give me the sacred presence
and the holy sanction of that parent before you urge me further."

"Though more I should not, less I could not say," the youth was about to
answer, when he was interrupted by a light tap on his shoulder. Starting
to his feet, he turned, and, confronting the intruder, his looks fell on
the dark form and malignant visage of Magua. The deep guttural laugh of
the savage sounded, at such a moment, to Duncan like the hellish taunt
of a demon. Had he pursued the sudden and fierce impulse of the instant,
he would have cast himself on the Huron, and committed their fortunes to
the issue of a deadly struggle. But, without arms of any description,
ignorant of what succor his subtle enemy could command, and charged with
the safety of one who was just then dearer than ever to his heart, he no
sooner entertained than he abandoned the desperate intention.

"What is your purpose?" said Alice, meekly folding her arms on her
bosom, and struggling to conceal an agony of apprehension in behalf of
Heyward, in the usual cold and distant manner with which she received
the visits of her captor.

The exulting Indian had resumed his austere countenance, though he drew
warily back before the menacing glance of the young man's fiery eye. He
regarded both his captives for a moment with a steady look, and then
stepping aside, he dropped a log of wood across a door different from
that by which Duncan had entered. The latter now comprehended the manner
of his surprise, and believing himself irretrievably lost, he drew Alice
to his bosom, and stood prepared to meet a fate which he hardly
regretted, since it was to be suffered in such company. But Magua
meditated no immediate violence. His first measures were very evidently
taken to secure his new captive; nor did he even bestow a second glance
at the motionless forms in the centre of the cavern, until he had
completely cut off every hope of retreat through the private outlet he
had himself used. He was watched in all his movements by Heyward, who,
however, remained firm, still folding the fragile form of Alice to his
heart, at once too proud and too hopeless to ask favor of an enemy so
often foiled. When Magua had effected his object he approached his
prisoners, and said in English,--

"The pale-faces trap the cunning beavers; but the redskins know how to
take the Yengeese."

"Huron, do your worst!" exclaimed the excited Heyward, forgetful that a
double stake was involved in his life; "you and your vengeance are alike
despised."

"Will the white man speak these words at the stake?" asked Magua;
manifesting, at the same time, how little faith he had in the other's
resolution by the sneer that accompanied his words.

"Here; singly to your face, or in the presence of your nation."

"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief!" returned the Indian; "he will go
and bring his young men to see how bravely a pale-face can laugh at the
tortures."

He turned away while speaking, and was about to leave the place through
the avenue by which Duncan had approached, when a growl caught his ear,
and caused him to hesitate. The figure of the bear appeared in the door,
where it sat, rolling from side to side in its customary restlessness.
Magua, like the father of the sick woman, eyed it keenly for a moment,
as if to ascertain its character. He was far above the more vulgar
superstitions of his tribe, and so soon as he recognized the well-known
attire of the conjurer, he prepared to pass it in cool contempt. But a
louder and more threatening growl caused him again to pause. Then he
seemed as if suddenly resolved to trifle no longer, and moved resolutely
forward. The mimic animal, which had advanced a little, retired slowly
in his front, until it arrived again at the pass, when rearing on its
hinder legs it beat the air with its paws, in the manner practised by
its brutal prototype.

"Fool!" exclaimed the chief, in Huron, "go play with the children and
squaws; leave men to their wisdom."

He once more endeavored to pass the supposed empiric, scorning even the
parade of threatening to use the knife, or tomahawk, that was pendent
from his belt. Suddenly the beast extended its arms, or rather legs, and
inclosed him in a grasp that might have vied with the far-famed power of
the "bear's hug" itself. Heyward had watched the whole procedure, on the
part of Hawkeye, with breathless interest. At first he relinquished his
hold of Alice; then he caught up a thong of buckskin, which had been
used around some bundle, and when he beheld his enemy with his two arms
pinned to his side by the iron muscles of the scout, he rushed upon him,
and effectually secured them there. Arms, legs, and feet were encircled
in twenty folds of the thong, in less time than we have taken to record
the circumstance. When the formidable Huron was completely pinioned, the
scout released his hold, and Duncan laid his enemy on his back, utterly
helpless.

Throughout the whole of this sudden and extraordinary operation, Magua,
though he had struggled violently, until assured he was in the hands of
one whose nerves were far better strung than his own, had not uttered
the slightest exclamation. But when Hawkeye, by way of making a summary
explanation of his conduct, removed the shaggy jaws of the beast, and
exposed his own rugged and earnest countenance to the gaze of the Huron,
the philosophy of the latter was so far mastered as to permit him to
utter the never-failing,--

"Hugh!"

"Ay! you've found your tongue," said his undisturbed conqueror; "now, in
order that you shall not use it to our ruin, I must make free to stop
your mouth."

As there was no time to be lost, the scout immediately set about
effecting so necessary a precaution; and when he had gagged the Indian,
his enemy might safely have been considered as _hors de combat_.

"By what place did the imp enter?" asked the industrious scout, when his
work was ended. "Not a soul has passed my way since you left me."

Duncan pointed out the door by which Magua had come, and which now
presented too many obstacles to a quick retreat.

"Bring on the gentle one, then," continued his friend; "we must make a
push for the woods by the other outlet."

"'Tis impossible!" said Duncan; "fear has overcome her, and she is
helpless. Alice! my sweet, my own Alice, arouse yourself; now is the
moment to fly. 'Tis in vain! she hears, but is unable to follow. Go,
noble and worthy friend; save yourself, and leave me to my fate!"

"Every trail has its end, and every calamity brings its lesson!"
returned the scout. "There, wrap her in them Indian cloths. Conceal all
of her little form. Nay, that foot has no fellow in the wilderness; it
will betray her. All, every part. Now take her in your arms, and follow.
Leave the rest to me."

Duncan, as may be gathered from the words of his companion, was eagerly
obeying; and as the other finished speaking, he took the light person of
Alice in his arms, and followed on the footsteps of the scout. They
found the sick woman as they had left her, still alone, and passed
swiftly on, by the natural gallery, to the place of entrance. As they
approached the little door of bark, a murmur of voices without announced
that the friends and relatives of the invalid were gathered about the
place, patiently awaiting a summons to re-enter.

"If I open my lips to speak," Hawkeye whispered, "my English, which is
the genuine tongue of a white-skin, will tell the varlets that an enemy
is among them. You must give 'em your jargon, major; and say that we
have shut the evil spirit in the cave, and are taking the woman to the
woods in order to find strengthening roots. Practyse all your cunning,
for it is a lawful undertaking."

The door opened a little, as if one without was listening to the
proceedings within, and compelled the scout to cease his directions. A
fierce growl repelled the eavesdropper, and then the scout boldly threw
open the covering of bark, and left the place, enacting the character of
the bear as he proceeded. Duncan kept close at his heels, and so found
himself in the centre of a cluster of twenty anxious relatives and
friends.

The crowd fell back a little, and permitted the father, and one who
appeared to be the husband of the woman, to approach.

"Has my brother driven away the evil spirit?" demanded the former. "What
has he in his arms?"

"Thy child," returned Duncan, gravely; "the disease has gone out of her;
it is shut up in the rocks. I take the woman to a distance, where I will
strengthen her against any further attacks. She shall be in the wigwam
of the young man when the sun comes again."

When the father had translated the meaning of the stranger's words into
the Huron language, a suppressed murmur announced the satisfaction with
which the intelligence was received. The chief himself waved his hand
for Duncan to proceed, saying aloud, in a firm voice, and with a lofty
manner,--

"Go; I am a man, and I will enter the rock and fight the wicked one."

Heyward had gladly obeyed, and was already past the little group, when
these startling words arrested him.

"Is my brother mad?" he exclaimed; "is he cruel! He will meet the
disease, and it will enter him; or he will drive out the disease, and it
will chase his daughter into the woods. No; let my children wait
without, and if the spirit appears beat him down with clubs. He is
cunning, and will bury himself in the mountain, when he sees how many
are ready to fight him."

This singular warning had the desired effect. Instead of entering the
cavern, the father and husband drew their tomahawks, and posted
themselves in readiness to deal their vengeance on the imaginary
tormentor of their sick relative, while the women and children broke
branches from the bushes, or seized fragments of the rock, with a
similar intention. At this favorable moment the counterfeit conjurers
disappeared.

Hawkeye, at the same time that he had presumed so far on the nature of
the Indian superstitions, was not ignorant that they were rather
tolerated than relied on by the wisest of the chiefs. He well knew the
value of time in the present emergency. Whatever might be the extent of
the self-delusion of his enemies, and however it had tended to assist
his schemes, the slightest cause of suspicion, acting on the subtle
nature of an Indian, would be likely to prove fatal. Taking the path,
therefore, that was most likely to avoid observation, he rather skirted
than entered the village. The warriors were still to be seen in the
distance, by the fading light of the fires, stalking from lodge to
lodge. But the children had abandoned their sports for their beds of
skins, and the quiet of night was already beginning to prevail over the
turbulence and excitement of so busy and important an evening.

Alice revived under the renovating influence of the open air, and as her
physical rather than her mental powers had been the subject of weakness,
she stood in no need of any explanation of that which had occurred.

"Now let me make an effort to walk," she said, when they had entered the
forest, blushing, though unseen, that she had not been sooner able to
quit the arms of Duncan; "I am indeed restored."

"Nay, Alice, you are yet too weak."

The maiden struggled gently to release herself, and Heyward was
compelled to part with his precious burden. The representative of the
bear had certainly been an entire stranger to the delicious emotions of
the lover while his arms encircled his mistress; and he was, perhaps, a
stranger also to the nature of that feeling of ingenuous shame that
oppressed the trembling Alice. But when he found himself at a suitable
distance from the lodges he made a halt, and spoke on a subject of which
he was thoroughly the master.

"This path will lead you to the brook," he said; "follow its northern
bank until you come to a fall; and mount the hill on your right, and you
will see the fires of the other people. There you must go and demand
protection; if they are true Delawares, you will be safe. A distant
flight with that gentle one, just now, is impossible. The Hurons would
follow up our trail, and master our scalps, before we had got a dozen
miles. Go, and Providence be with you."

"And you!" demanded Heyward, in surprise; "surely we part not here?"

"The Hurons hold the pride of the Delawares; the last of the high blood
of the Mohicans is in their power," returned the scout; "I go to see
what can be done in his favor. Had they mastered your scalp, major, a
knave should have fallen for every hair it held, as I promised; but if
the young Sagamore is to be led to the stake, the Indians shall see also
how a man without a cross can die."

Not in the least offended with the decided preference that the sturdy
woodsman gave to one who might, in some degree, be called the child of
his adoption, Duncan still continued to urge such reasons against so
desperate an effort as presented themselves. He was aided by Alice, who
mingled her entreaties with those of Heyward that he would abandon a
resolution that promised so much danger, with so little hope of success.
Their eloquence and ingenuity were expended in vain. The scout heard
them attentively, but impatiently, and finally closed the discussion, by
answering, in a tone that instantly silenced Alice, while it told
Heyward how fruitless any further remonstrances would be,--

"I have heard," he said, "that there is a feeling in youth which binds
man to woman closer than the father is tied to the son. It may be so. I
have seldom been where women of my color dwell; but such may be the
gifts of nature in the settlements. You have risked life, and all that
is dear to you, to bring off this gentle one, and I suppose that some
such disposition is at the bottom of it all. As for me, I taught the lad
the real character of a rifle; and well has he paid me for it. I have
fou't at his side in many a bloody scrimmage; and so long as I could
hear the crack of his piece in one ear, and that of the Sagamore in the
other, I knew no enemy was on my back. Winters and summers, nights and
days, have we roved the wilderness in company, eating of the same dish,
one sleeping while the other watched; and afore it shall be said that
Uncas was taken to the torment, and I at hand--There is but a single
Ruler of us all, whatever may be the color of the skin; and Him I call
to witness, that before the Mohican boy shall perish for the want of a
friend, good faith shall depart the 'arth, and 'Killdeer' become as
harmless as the tooting we'pon of the singer!"

[Illustration: _Copyright by Charles Scribner's Sons_

THE LOVERS

_Heyward and Alice took their way together towards the distant village
of the Delawares_]

Duncan released his hold on the arm of the scout, who turned, and
steadily retraced his steps towards the lodges. After pausing a moment
to gaze at his retiring form, the successful and yet sorrowful Heyward,
and Alice, took their way together towards the distant village of the
Delawares.

Q: Can you write an appropriate summary of the above paragraphs?
A:

completion: The chief sends away the other women and exhorts Heyward to cure the sick squaw. However, when the bear begins to growl, the chief takes fright and leaves. The bear removes its own head and Heyward realizes the bear is actually Hawkeye in disguise. Hawkeye explains that he led Munro and Chingachgook to safety, leaving them in an old beaver lodge. Hawkeye tells Heyward that Alice is concealed in the very cavern in which they stand. Heyward goes to Alice and tells her they will rescue her soon. He explains that he dreams of an intimate tie between himself and her. Magua suddenly appears in the cavern, laughing in a sinister tone. Hawkeye and Heyward capture him and tie him up. Alice is incapacitated with fear, so Heyward conceals her in the clothing of the dying Indian woman and takes her in his arms. Outside, he tells the chief that he will take the squaw he holds to the forest for healing herbs. Heyward says an evil spirit remains in the cave, and the Hurons should stave it off if it tries to escape. Once they reach the forest in safety, Hawkeye sends Alice and Heyward toward the Delaware camp, while he returns to help Uncas


prompt:
Chapter: "_Bot._--Let me play the lion too."

  _Midsummer Night's Dream._

Notwithstanding the high resolution of Hawkeye, he fully comprehended
all the difficulties and dangers he was about to incur. In his return to
the camp, his acute and practised intellects were intently engaged in
devising means to counteract a watchfulness and suspicion on the part of
his enemies, that he knew were, in no degree, inferior to his own.
Nothing but the color of his skin had saved the lives of Magua and the
conjurer, who would have been the first victims sacrificed to his own
security, had not the scout believed such an act, however congenial it
might be to the nature of an Indian, utterly unworthy of one who boasted
a descent from men that knew no cross of blood. Accordingly, he trusted
to the withes and ligaments with which he had bound his captives, and
pursued his way directly towards the centre of the lodges.

As he approached the buildings, his steps became more deliberate, and
his vigilant eye suffered no sign, whether friendly or hostile, to
escape him. A neglected hut was a little in advance of the others, and
appeared as if it had been deserted when half completed--most probably
on account of failing in some of the more important requisites; such as
food or water. A faint light glimmered through its cracks, however, and
announced that, notwithstanding its imperfect structure, it was not
without a tenant. Thither, then, the scout proceeded, like a prudent
general, who was about to feel the advanced positions of his enemy,
before he hazarded the main attack.

Throwing himself into a suitable posture for the beast he represented,
Hawkeye crawled to a little opening, where he might command a view of
the interior. It proved to be the abiding-place of David Gamut. Hither
the faithful singing-master had now brought himself, together with all
his sorrows, his apprehensions, and his meek dependence on the
protection of Providence. At the precise moment when his ungainly person
came under the observation of the scout, in the manner just mentioned,
the woodsman himself, though in his assumed character, was the subject
of the solitary being's profoundest reflections.

However implicit the faith of David was in the performance of ancient
miracles, he eschewed the belief of any direct supernatural agency in
the management of modern morality. In other words, while he had implicit
faith in the ability of Balsam's ass to speak, he was somewhat skeptical
on the subject of a bear's singing; and yet he had been assured of the
latter, on the testimony of his own exquisite organs. There was
something in his air and manner that betrayed to the scout the utter
confusion of the state of his mind. He was seated on a pile of brush, a
few twigs from which occasionally fed his low fire, with his head
leaning on his arm, in a posture of melancholy musing. The costume of
the votary of music had undergone no other alteration from that so
lately described, except that he had covered his bald head with the
triangular beaver, which had not proved sufficiently alluring to excite
the cupidity of any of his captors.

The ingenious Hawkeye, who recalled the hasty manner in which the other
had abandoned his post at the bedside of the sick woman, was not without
his suspicions concerning the subject of so much solemn deliberation.
First making the circuit of the hut, and ascertaining that it stood
quite alone, and that the character of its inmate was likely to protect
it from visitors, he ventured through its low door, into the very
presence of Gamut. The position of the latter brought the fire between
them; and when Hawkeye had seated himself on end, near a minute elapsed,
during which the two remained regarding each other without speaking. The
suddenness and the nature of the surprise had nearly proved too much
for--we will not say the philosophy--but for the faith and resolution of
David. He fumbled for his pitch-pipe, and arose with a confused
intention of attempting a musical exorcism.

"Dark and mysterious monster!" he exclaimed, while with trembling hands
he disposed of his auxiliary eyes, and sought his never-failing resource
in trouble, the gifted version of the Psalms: "I know not your nature
nor intents; but if aught you meditate against the person and rights of
one of the humblest servants of the temple, listen to the inspired
language of the youth of Israel, and repent."

The bear shook his shaggy sides, and then a well-known voice replied,--

"Put up the tooting we'pon, and teach your throat modesty. Five words of
plain and comprehensible English are worth, just now, an hour of
squalling."

"What art thou!" demanded David, utterly disqualified to pursue his
original intention, and nearly gasping for breath.

"A man like yourself; and one whose blood is as little tainted by the
cross of a bear, or an Indian, as your own. Have you so soon forgotten
from whom you received the foolish instrument you hold in your hand?"

"Can these things be?" returned David, breathing more freely, as the
truth began to dawn upon him. "I have found many marvels during my
sojourn with the heathen, but surely nothing to excel this!"

"Come, come," returned Hawkeye, uncasing his honest countenance, the
better to assure the wavering confidence of his companion; "you may see
a skin, which, if it be not as white as one of the gentle ones, has no
tinge of red to it that the winds of heaven and the sun have not
bestowed. Now let us to business."

"First tell me of the maiden, and of the youth who so bravely sought
her," interrupted David.

"Ay, they are happily freed from the tomahawks of these varlets. But can
you put me on the scent of Uncas?"

"The young man is in bondage, and much I fear his death is decreed. I
greatly mourn that one so well disposed should die in his ignorance, and
I have sought a goodly hymn--"

"Can you lead me to him?"

"The task will not be difficult," returned David, hesitating; "though I
greatly fear your presence would rather increase than mitigate his
unhappy fortunes."

"No more words, but lead on," returned Hawkeye, concealing his face
again, and setting the example in his own person, by instantly quitting
the lodge.

As they proceeded, the scout ascertained that his companion found access
to Uncas, under privilege of his imaginary infirmity, aided by the favor
he had acquired with one of the guards, who, in consequence of speaking
a little English, had been selected by David as the subject of a
religious conversation. How far the Huron comprehended the intentions of
his new friend, may well be doubted; but as exclusive attention is as
flattering to a savage as to a more civilized individual, it had
produced the effect we have mentioned. It is unnecessary to repeat the
shrewd manner with which the scout extracted these particulars from the
simple David; neither shall we dwell in this place on the nature of the
instructions he delivered, when completely master of all the necessary
facts; as the whole will be sufficiently explained to the reader in the
course of the narrative.

The lodge in which Uncas was confined was in the very centre of the
village, and in a situation, perhaps, more difficult than any other to
approach, or leave, without observation. But it was not the policy of
Hawkeye to affect the least concealment. Presuming on his disguise, and
his ability to sustain the character he had assumed, he took the most
plain and direct route to the place. The hour, however, afforded him
some little of that protection which he appeared so much to despise. The
boys were already buried in sleep, and all the women, and most of the
warriors, had retired to their lodges for the night. Four or five of the
latter only lingered about the door of the prison of Uncas, wary but
close observers of the manner of their captive.

At the sight of Gamut, accompanied by one in the well known masquerade
of their most distinguished conjurer, they readily made way for them
both. Still they betrayed no intention to depart. On the other hand,
they were evidently disposed to remain bound to the place by an
additional interest in the mysterious mummeries that they of course
expected from such a visit.

From the total inability of the scout to address the Hurons in their own
language, he was compelled to trust the conversation entirely to David.
Notwithstanding the simplicity of the latter, he did ample justice to
the instructions he had received, more than fulfilling the strongest
hopes of his teacher.

"The Delawares are women!" he exclaimed, addressing himself to the
savage who had a slight understanding of the language in which he spoke;
"the Yengeese, my foolish countrymen, have told them to take up the
tomahawk, and strike their fathers in the Canadas, and they have
forgotten their sex. Does my brother wish to hear Le Cerf Agile ask for
his petticoats, and see him weep before the Hurons, at the stake?"

The exclamation "Hugh!" delivered in a strong tone of assent, announced
the gratification the savage would receive in witnessing such an
exhibition of weakness in an enemy so long hated and so much feared.

"Then let him step aside, and the cunning man will blow upon the dog!
Tell it to my brothers."

The Huron explained the meaning of David to his fellows, who, in their
turn, listened to the project with that sort of satisfaction that their
untamed spirits might be expected to find in such a refinement in
cruelty. They drew back a little from the entrance, and motioned to the
supposed conjurer to enter. But the bear, instead of obeying, maintained
the seat it had taken, and growled.

"The cunning man is afraid that his breath will blow upon his brothers,
and take away their courage too," continued David, improving the hint he
received; "they must stand farther off."

The Hurons, who would have deemed such a misfortune the heaviest
calamity that could befall them, fell back in a body, taking a position
where they were out of ear-shot, though at the same time they could
command a view of the entrance to the lodge. Then, as if satisfied of
their safety, the scout left his position, and slowly entered the place.
It was silent and gloomy, being tenanted solely by the captive, and
lighted by the dying embers of a fire, which had been used for the
purposes of cookery.

Uncas occupied a distant corner, in a reclining attitude, being rigidly
bound, both hands and feet, by strong and painful withes. When the
frightful object first presented itself to the young Mohican, he did not
deign to bestow a single glance on the animal. The scout, who had left
David at the door, to ascertain they were not observed, thought it
prudent to preserve his disguise until assured of their privacy. Instead
of speaking, therefore, he exerted himself to enact one of the antics of
the animal he represented. The young Mohican, who at first believed his
enemies had sent in a real beast to torment him, and try his nerves,
detected, in those performances that to Heyward had appeared so
accurate, certain blemishes, that at once betrayed the counterfeit. Had
Hawkeye been aware of the low estimation in which the more skilful Uncas
held his representations, he would probably have prolonged the
entertainment a little in pique. But the scornful expression of the
young man's eye admitted of so many constructions, that the worthy scout
was spared the mortification of such a discovery. As soon, therefore, as
David gave the pre-concerted signal, a low hissing sound was heard in
the lodge, in place of the fierce growlings of the bear.

Uncas had cast his body back against the wall of the hut, and closed
his eyes, as if willing to exclude so contemptible and disagreeable an
object from his sight. But the moment the noise of the serpent was
heard, he arose, and cast his looks on each side of him, bending his
head low, and turning it inquiringly in every direction, until his keen
eye rested on the shaggy monster, where it remained riveted, as though
fixed by the power of a charm. Again the same sounds were repeated,
evidently proceeding from the mouth of the beast. Once more the eyes of
the youth roamed over the interior of the lodge, and returning to their
former resting place, he uttered, in a deep, suppressed voice,--

"Hawkeye!"

"Cut his bands," said Hawkeye to David, who just then approached them.

The singer did as he was ordered, and Uncas found his limbs released. At
the same moment the dried skin of the animal rattled, and presently the
scout arose to his feet, in proper person. The Mohican appeared to
comprehend the nature of the attempt his friend had made, intuitively;
neither tongue nor feature betraying another symptom of surprise. When
Hawkeye had cast his shaggy vestment, which was done by simply loosing
certain thongs of skin, he drew a long glittering knife, and put it in
the hands of Uncas.

"The red Hurons are without," he said; "let us be ready."

At the same time he laid his finger significantly on another similar
weapon, both being the fruits of his prowess among their enemies during
the evening.

"We will go," said Uncas.

"Whither?"

"To the Tortoises; they are the children of my grandfathers."

"Ay, lad," said the scout in English--a language he was apt to use when
a little abstracted in mind; "the same blood runs in your veins, I
believe; but time and distance have a little changed its color. What
shall we do with the Mingos at the door? They count six, and this singer
is as good as nothing."

"The Hurons are boasters," said Uncas scornfully; "their 'totem' is a
moose, and they run like snails. The Delawares are children of the
tortoise, and they outstrip the deer."

"Ay, lad, there is truth in what you say; and I doubt not, on a rush,
you would pass the whole nation; and, in a straight race of two miles,
would be in, and get your breath again, afore a knave of them all was
within hearing of the other village. But the gift of a white man lies
more in his arms than in his legs. As for myself, I can brain a Huron as
well as a better man; but when it comes to a race, the knaves would
prove too much for me."

Uncas, who had already approached the door, in readiness to lead the
way, now recoiled; and placed himself, once more, in the bottom of the
lodge. But Hawkeye, who was too much occupied with his own thoughts to
note the movement, continued speaking more to himself than to his
companion.

"After all," he said, "it is unreasonable to keep one man in bondage to
the gifts of another. So, Uncas, you had better take the leap, while I
put on the skin again, and trust to cunning for want of speed."

The young Mohican made no reply, but quietly folded his arms, and leaned
his body against one of the upright posts that supported the wall of the
hut.

"Well," said the scout, looking up at him, "why do you tarry? There will
be time enough for me, as the knaves will give chase to you at first."

"Uncas will stay," was the calm reply.

"For what?"

"To fight with his father's brother, and die with the friend of the
Delawares."

"Ay, lad," returned Hawkeye, squeezing the hand of Uncas between his own
iron fingers; "'twould have been more like a Mingo than a Mohican had
you left me. But I thought I would make the offer, seeing that youth
commonly loves life. Well, what can't be done by main courage, in war,
must be done by circumvention. Put on the skin; I doubt not you can play
the bear nearly as well as myself."

Whatever might have been the private opinion of Uncas of their
respective abilities in this particular, his grave countenance
manifested no opinion of his own superiority. He silently and
expeditiously encased himself in the covering of the beast, and then
awaited such other movements as his more aged companion saw fit to
dictate.

"Now, friend," said Hawkeye, addressing David, "an exchange of garments
will be a great convenience to you, inasmuch as you are but little
accustomed to the make-shifts of the wilderness. Here, take my hunting
shirt and cap, and give me your blanket and hat. You must trust me with
the book and spectacles, as well as the tooter, too; if we ever meet
again, in better times, you shall have all back again, with many thanks
into the bargain."

David parted with the several articles named with a readiness that would
have done great credit to his liberality, had he not certainly profited,
in many particulars, by the exchange. Hawkeye was not long in assuming
his borrowed garments; and when his restless eyes were hid behind the
glasses, and his head was surmounted by the triangular beaver, as their
statures were not dissimilar, he might readily have passed for the
singer by star-light. As soon as these dispositions were made, the scout
turned to David, and gave him his parting instructions.

"Are you much given to cowardice?" he bluntly asked, by way of obtaining
a suitable understanding of the whole case before he ventured a
prescription.

"My pursuits are peaceful, and my temper, I humbly trust, is greatly
given to mercy and love," returned David, a little nettled at so direct
an attack on his manhood; "but there are none who can say that I have
ever forgotten my faith in the Lord, even in the greatest straits."

"Your chiefest danger will be at the moment when the savages find out
that they have been deceived. If you are not then knocked in the head,
your being a non-composser will protect you; and you'll then have good
reason to expect to die in your bed. If you stay, it must be to sit down
here in the shadow, and take the part of Uncas, until such times as the
cunning of the Indians discover the cheat, when, as I have already said,
your time of trial will come. So choose for yourself,--to make a rush or
tarry here."

"Even so," said David, firmly; "I will abide in the place of the
Delaware. Bravely and generously has he battled in my behalf; and this,
and more, will I dare in his service."

"You have spoken as a man, and like one who, under wiser schooling,
would have been brought to better things. Hold your head down, and draw
in your legs; their formation might tell the truth too early. Keep
silent as long as may be; and it would be wise, when you do speak, to
break out suddenly in one of your shoutings, which will serve to remind
the Indians that you are not altogether as responsible as men should be.
If, however, they take your scalp, as I trust and believe they will not,
depend on it, Uncas and I will not forget the deed, but revenge it as
becomes true warriors and trusty friends."

"Hold!" said David, perceiving that with this assurance they were about
to leave him; "I am an unworthy and humble follower of One who taught
not the damnable principle of revenge. Should I fall, therefore, seek no
victims to my manes, but rather forgive my destroyers; and if you
remember them at all, let it be in prayers for the enlightening of their
minds, and for their eternal welfare."

The scout hesitated, and appeared to muse.

"There is a principle in that," he said, "different from the law of the
woods; and yet it is fair and noble to reflect upon." Then, heaving a
heavy sigh, probably among the last he ever drew in pining for a
condition he had so long abandoned, he added, "It is what I would wish
to practise, myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it is not
always easy to deal with an Indian as you would with a fellow Christian.
God bless you, friend; I do believe your scent is not greatly wrong,
when the matter is duly considered, and keeping eternity before the
eyes, though much depends on the natural gifts, and the force of
temptation."

So saying, the scout returned and shook David cordially by the hand;
after which act of friendship he immediately left the lodge, attended by
the new representative of the beast.

The instant Hawkeye found himself under the observation of the Hurons,
he drew up his tall form in the rigid manner of David, threw out his arm
in the act of keeping time, and commenced what he intended for an
imitation of his psalmody. Happily for the success of this delicate
adventure, he had to deal with ears but little practised in the concord
of sweet sounds, or the miserable effort would infallibly have been
detected. It was necessary to pass within a dangerous proximity of the
dark group of the savages, and the voice of the scout grew louder as
they drew nigher. When at the nearest point, the Huron who spoke the
English thrust out an arm, and stopped the supposed singing-master.

"The Delaware dog!" he said, leaning forward, and peering through the
dim light to catch the expression of the other's features; "is he
afraid? will the Hurons hear his groans?"

A growl so exceedingly fierce and natural proceeded from the beast, that
the young Indian released his hold and started aside, as if to assure
himself that it was not a veritable bear, and no counterfeit, that was
rolling before him. Hawkeye, who feared his voice would betray him to
his subtle enemies, gladly profited by the interruption, to break out
anew in such a burst of musical expression as would, probably, in a
more refined state of society have been termed "a grand crash." Among
his actual auditors, however, it merely gave him an additional claim to
that respect which they never withhold from such as are believed to be
the subjects of mental alienation. The little knot of Indians drew back
in a body, and suffered, as they thought, the conjurer and his inspired
assistant to proceed.

It required no common exercise of fortitude in Uncas and the scout, to
continue the dignified and deliberate pace they had assumed in passing
the lodges; especially as they immediately perceived that curiosity had
so far mastered fear, as to induce the watchers to approach the hut, in
order to witness the effect of the incantations. The least injudicious
or impatient movement on the part of David might betray them, and time
was absolutely necessary to insure the safety of the scout. The loud
noise the latter conceived it politic to continue, drew many curious
gazers to the doors of the different huts as they passed; and once or
twice a dark-looking warrior stepped across their path, led to the act
by superstition or watchfulness. They were not, however, interrupted;
the darkness of the hour, and the coldness of the attempt, proving their
principal friends.

The adventurers had got clear of the village, and were now swiftly
approaching the shelter of the woods, when a loud and long cry arose
from the lodge where Uncas had been confined. The Mohican started on his
feet, and shook his shaggy covering, as though the animal he
counterfeited was about to make some desperate effort.

"Hold!" said the scout, grasping his friend by the shoulder, "let them
yell again! 'Twas nothing but wonderment."

He had no occasion to delay, for the next instant a burst of cries
filled the outer air, and ran along the whole extent of the village.
Uncas cast his skin, and stepped forth in his own beautiful proportions.
Hawkeye tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and glided ahead.

"Now let the devils strike our scent!" said the scout, tearing two
rifles, with all their attendant accoutrements, from beneath a bush, and
flourishing "Killdeer" as he handed Uncas his weapon; "two, at least,
will find it to their deaths."

Then throwing their pieces to a low trail, like sportsmen in readiness
for their game, they dashed forward, and were soon buried in the sombre
darkness of the forest.

Q: Can you write an appropriate summary of the above paragraphs?
A:

completion: Still dressed as a bear, Hawkeye returns to the camp, where he finds Gamut. The bear frightens Gamut until he understands that it is simply Hawkeye in disguise. The two men proceed to the main lodge and find Uncas. When the Hurons are at a safe distance from the lodge, Uncas takes the bear costume, Hawkeye takes Gamut's attire, and Gamut dresses like Uncas and resumes his place at the stake. Because Gamut's singing has prevented the Indians from attacking him in the past, he assumes it will protect him now. As Hawkeye and Uncas escape and approach the woods, a long cry pierces the night, and the men realize the Hurons have discovered their deceit. They feel confident that Indian superstition will save Gamut, so Hawkeye retrieves their hidden guns, and they hurry toward the Delaware village