Chapter: "Land of Albania! let me bend mine eyes
  On thee, thou rugged nurse of savage men!"

  _Childe Harold._


The heavens were still studded with stars, when Hawkeye came to arouse
the sleepers. Casting aside their cloaks Munro and Heyward were on their
feet while the woodsman was still making his low calls, at the entrance
of the rude shelter where they had passed the night. When they issued
from beneath its concealment, they found the scout awaiting their
appearance nigh by, and the only salutation between them was the
significant gesture for silence, made by their sagacious leader.

"Think over your prayers," he whispered, as they approached him; "for He
to whom you make them knows all tongues; that of the heart as well as
those of the mouth. But speak not a syllable; it is rare for a white
voice to pitch itself properly in the woods, as we have seen by the
example of that miserable devil, the singer. Come," he continued,
turning towards a curtain of the works; "let us get into the ditch on
this side, and be regardful to step on the stones and fragments of wood
as you go."

His companions complied, though to two of them the reasons of this
extraordinary precaution were yet a mystery. When they were in the low
cavity that surrounded the earthen fort on three sides, they found the
passage nearly choked by the ruins. With care and patience, however,
they succeeded in clambering after the scout, until they reached the
sandy shore of the Horican.

"That's a trail that nothing but a nose can follow," said the satisfied
scout, looking back along their difficult way; "grass is a treacherous
carpet for a flying party to tread on, but wood and stone take no print
from a moccasin. Had you worn your armed boots, there might, indeed,
have been something to fear; but with the deer-skin suitably prepared, a
man may trust himself, generally, on rocks with safety. Shove in the
canoe nigher to the land, Uncas; this sand will take a stamp as easily
as the butter of the Jarmans on the Mohawk. Softly, lad, softly; it must
not touch the beach, or the knaves will know by what road we have left
the place."

The young man observed the precaution; and the scout, laying a board
from the ruins to the canoe, made a sign for the two officers to enter.
When this was done, everything was studiously restored to its former
disorder; and then Hawkeye succeeded in reaching his little birchen
vessel, without leaving behind him any of those marks which he appeared
so much to dread. Heyward was silent, until the Indians had cautiously
paddled the canoe some distance from the fort, and within the broad and
dark shadow that fell from the eastern mountain on the glassy surface of
the lake; then he demanded,--

"What need have we for this stolen and hurried departure?"

"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 question. Have you forgotten the skulking rept_y_le that 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 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 a wretch so 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 majesty the king had stood in its path?" returned the
stubborn scout. "Why did not the grand Frencher, 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?"

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 with his God," said
the young man solemnly.

"Ay, ay; now there is reason in your 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 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 was now fast
receding, and laughing in his own silent but heartfelt 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
morning, we shall throw the length of the Horican behind us, before they
have made up their minds which path to 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 absolutely of danger; for,
with vigilant ears and quick eyes, we can manage to keep a few hours
ahead of the knaves; or, if we must try the rifle, there are three of us
who understand its gifts as well as any you can name on the borders. No,
not of danger; but that we shall have what you may call a brisk push of
it is probable; and it may happen, a brush, a skrimmage, or some such
divarsion, but always where covers are good, and ammunition abundant."

It is possible that Heyward's estimate of danger differed 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,[23] and stole swiftly 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, approached 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 intricate channels, where every foot
that they advanced 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 proceeded; and when a clearer
sheet of water permitted, his keen vision was bent along the bald rocks
and impending 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 apprehension natural to his situation,
was just believing that he had permitted the latter to be excited
without sufficient reason, when the paddle 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.

"What now?" asked the scout; "the lake is as smooth as if the winds 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 the direction in
which 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.

"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 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 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 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 astray, if not to your death,"
returned Hawkeye, examining 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 thoughts of following the Hurons--"

"Never!" exclaimed Heyward, 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 mind myself; though I thought it becoming
my experience to tell the whole. We must then make a push, and if the
Indians or Frenchers are in the narrows, run the gauntlet through these
toppling mountains. Is there reason in my words, Sagamore?"

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 resolution was sufficiently indicated by the movement.
The whole party now plied their paddles vigorously, and in 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 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, friend! we are
leaving them, and are already nearly out of whistle of a bullet."

The well known crack of a rifle, whose ball came skipping along the
placid surface of the strait, and a shrill yell from the island,
interrupted his speech, and announced that their passage was discovered.
In another instant several savages were seen rushing into the canoes,
which were soon dancing over the water, in pursuit. 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 more in unison,
and caused the little bark to spring forward like a creature possessing
life and volition.

"Hold them there, Sagamore," said Hawkeye, looking coolly backward over
his left shoulder, while he still plied his paddle; "keep them just
there. Them Hurons have never a piece in their nation that will execute
at this distance; but 'Killdeer' has a barrel on which a man may
calculate."

The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were sufficient of
themselves to maintain the requisite distance, 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 would permit their
enemies to approach a little nigher. At length his accurate and
fastidious eye seemed satisfied, and throwing out his left arm on the
barrel, he was slowly elevating the muzzle, when an exclamation from
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?"

Uncas pointed towards the rocky shore a little in their front, whence
another war canoe was darting directly 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, 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 meantime they were reminded of the
presence of those who pressed upon their rear, by 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
tired soldier, "and give battle to the savages. God forbid that I, or
those attached to me and mine, should ever trust again to the faith of
any servant of the Louis's!"

"He who wishes to prosper in Indian warfare," returned the scout, "must
not be too proud to learn from the wit of a native. Lay her more along
the land, Sagamore; 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 gradually 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 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 employed at the paddles, that the
Hurons had not immediate recourse to their fire-arms. The exertions of
the fugitives were too severe to continue long, and the pursuers 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.

"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."

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. The scout and his companions did not neglect this advantage, 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
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 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 began to open a little upon
them. "The imps have put 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 as we are in a line
with them, it can scarcely fail."

"Get you then into the bottom of the canoe," returned the scout; "you
and the colonel; it will be so much taken from the size of the mark."

Heyward smiled, as he answered,--

"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 Sagamore, or Uncas, or even I, who am a man without a
cross, would deliberate about finding a cover in the skrimmage, 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?"

[Illustration: _Copyright by Charles Scribner's Sons_

THE FLIGHT ACROSS THE LAKE

_The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were sufficient of
themselves to maintain the requisite distance, deliberately laid aside
his paddle, and raised the fatal rifle_]

"All that you say is very true, my friend," replied Heyward; "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 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 finding 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 struck the light and polished paddle from the hands of the chief,
and drove it through the air, far in the advance. 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
passed swiftly on, Chingachgook recovered his paddle, and flourishing it
on high, he gave the war-whoop of the Mohicans, and then lent his
strength and skill again to the important task.

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 "Killdeer" in his left hand,
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 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 laughing in his own silent manner, he said to Heyward,--

"The knaves love to hear the sounds of their pieces; 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 the smallest measurement that can be allowed, we move three feet
to their two!"

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 fired again,
and a bullet struck the blade of Hawkeye'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, 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 'Killdeer' take a part in the conversation."

Heyward seized the paddle, and applied himself to 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 bows of the leading canoe had risen with a
similar object, and he now fell backward, 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 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 fire; for both well knew that no cry or exclamation would,
in such a moment of necessity, have been permitted 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 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.

"Softly, softly, major," said the scout, who by this time had reloaded
his rifle; "we are a little too far already for a rifle to put forth its
beauties, and you see yonder imps are holding a council. Let them come
up 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 'Killdeer' shall touch the life twice in three
times."

"We forget our errand," returned the diligent Duncan. "For God's sake
let us profit by this advantage, and increase our distance from the
enemy."

"Give me my children," said Munro hoarsely; "trifle no longer with a
father's agony, but restore me my 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 Duncan, resumed the paddle, which he wielded with sinews 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.

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 continued 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.

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
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 and Heyward
ascended an adjacent bluff, where the former, 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 would you account that
spot, were you left alone to white experience to find your way through
this wilderness?"

"But for its distance and its magnitude, I should suppose it a bird. Can
it be a living object?"

"'Tis a canoe of good birchen bark, and paddled by fierce and crafty
Mingos. Though Providence has lent to those who inhabit the woods eyes
that would be needless to men in the settlements, where there are
inventions 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 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 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 hunting and war would lose their beauty."

"Let us not delay a moment, without some good and obvious cause."

"I little like that smoke, which you may see worming up along the rock
above the canoe," interrupted the abstracted scout. "My life on it,
other eyes than ours see it, and know its meaning. Well, words will not
mend the matter, and it is time that we were doing."

Hawkeye moved away from the look-out, and descended, musing profoundly,
to the shore. He communicated the result of his observations to his
companions, in Delaware, and a short and earnest consultation succeeded.
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 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 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. Under the
cover of these natural advantages, they toiled their way, with patient
industry, until the scout pronounced that he believed it would be safe
once more to land.

The halt continued until evening rendered objects indistinct and
uncertain to the eye. Then they resumed their route, and, favored by the
darkness, pushed silently and vigorously towards the western shore.
Although the rugged outline of mountain, to which they were steering,
presented no distinctive marks to the eyes of Duncan, the Mohican
entered the little haven he had selected with the confidence and
accuracy of an experienced pilot.

The boat was again lifted and borne into the woods where it was
carefully concealed under a pile of brush. 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.




  "If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death."

  _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 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 settlements, though none but the hunter or the savage is
ever known, even now, to penetrate its wild recesses.

As Hawkeye and the Mohicans had, however, often traversed the mountains
and valleys of this vast wilderness, they did not hesitate to plunge
into its depths, with the freedom of men accustomed to its privations
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 to pass the remainder of the night where they then
were.

Imitating the example, and emulating the confidence, of their more
experienced associates, Munro and Duncan slept without fear, if not
without uneasiness. The dews were suffered to exhale, and the sun
dispersed the mists, and was shedding a strong and clear light in the
forest, when the travellers resumed their journey.

After proceeding a few miles, the progress of Hawkeye, 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 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 interested listener. He was strongly tempted to address the young
chief, and demand his opinion of their progress; 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 intelligence
of the seniors of the party. At last, the scout spoke in English, and at
once explained the embarrassment of their situation.

"When I found that the home path of the Hurons run north," he said, "it
did not need the judgment of 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 heart of the country of the Frenchers.
Yet here are we, 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."

"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 glance at his father, but maintaining his quiet
and reserved mien, he continued 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 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 upturned by the passage of some heavy
animal. The eyes 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 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 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 experience is the
master, the scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects
them accordingly."

"See!" said Uncas, pointing north and south, at the evident marks of
the broad trail on either side of him: "the dark-hair has gone towards
the frost."

"Hound never ran on a more beautiful scent," responded the scout,
dashing forward, at once, on the indicated route; "we are favored,
greatly favored, and can follow with high noses. Ay, here are both your
waddling beasts: this Huron travels like a white general. The fellow is
stricken with a judgment, and is mad! Look sharp for wheels, Sagamore,"
he continued, looking back, and laughing in his newly awakened
satisfaction; "we shall soon have the fool journeying in a coach, and
that with three of the best pair of eyes on the borders, in his rear."

The spirits of the scout, and the astonishing success of the chase, in
which a circuitous distance of more than forty miles had been passed,
did not fail to impart a portion of hope to the whole party. Their
advance was rapid; and made with as much confidence as a traveller would
proceed along a wide highway. If a rock, or a rivulet, or a bit of earth
harder than common, severed the links of the clue they followed, the
true eye of the scout recovered them at a distance, and seldom rendered
the delay of a single moment necessary. Their progress was much
facilitated by the certainty that Magua had found it necessary to
journey through the valleys; a circumstance which rendered the general
direction of the route sure. Nor had the Huron entirely neglected the
arts uniformly practised by the natives when retiring in front of any
enemy. False trails, and sudden turnings, were frequent, wherever a
brook, or the formation of the ground, rendered them feasible; but his
pursuers were rarely deceived, and never failed to detect their error,
before they had lost either time or distance on the deceptive track.

By the middle of the afternoon they had passed the Scaroon, and were
following the route of the declining sun. After descending an eminence
to a low bottom, through which a stream glided, they suddenly came to a
place where the party of Le Renard had made a halt. Extinguished brands
were lying around a spring, the offals of a deer were scattered about
the place, and the trees bore evident marks of having been browsed by
the horses. At a little distance, Heyward discovered, and contemplated
with tender emotion, the small bower under which he was fain to believe
that Cora and Alice had reposed. But while the earth was trodden, and
the footsteps of both men and beasts were so plainly visible around the
place, the trail appeared to have suddenly ended.

It was easy to follow the track of the Narragansetts, but they seemed
only to have wandered without guides, or any other object than the
pursuit of food. At length Uncas, who, with his father, had endeavored
to trace the route of the horses, came upon a sign of their presence
that was quite recent. Before following the clue, he communicated his
success to his companions; and while the latter were consulting on the
circumstance, the youth reappeared, leading the two fillies, with their
saddles broken, and the housings soiled, as though they had been
permitted to run at will for several days.

"What should this mean?" said Duncan, turning pale, and glancing his
eyes around him, as if he feared the brush and leaves were about to give
up some horrid secret.

"That our march is come to a quick end, and that we are in an enemy's
country," returned the scout. "Had the knaves been pressed, and the
gentle ones wanted horses to keep up with the party, he might have taken
their scalps; but without an enemy at his heels, and with such rugged
beasts as these, he would not hurt a hair of their heads. I know your
thoughts, and shame be it to our color that you have reason for them;
but he who thinks that even a Mingo would ill-treat a woman, unless it
be to tomahawk her, knows nothing of Indian natur', or the laws of the
woods. No, no; I have heard that the French Indians had come into these
hills, to hunt the moose, and we are getting within scent of their camp.
Why should they not? the morning and evening guns of Ty may be heard any
day among these mountains; for the Frenchers are running a new line
atween the provinces of the king and the Canadas. It is true that the
horses are here, but the Hurons are gone; let us then hunt for the path
by which they departed."

Hawkeye and the Mohicans now applied themselves to their task in good
earnest. A circle of a few hundred feet in circumference was drawn, and
each of the party took a segment for his portion. The examination,
however, resulted in no discovery. The impressions of footsteps were
numerous, but they all appeared like those of men who had wandered about
the spot, without any design to quit it. Again the scout and his
companions made the circuit of the halting-place, each slowly following
the other, until they assembled in the centre once more, no wiser than
when they started.

"Such cunning is not without its deviltry," exclaimed Hawkeye, when he
met the disappointed looks of his assistants.

"We must get down to it, Sagamore, beginning at the spring, and going
over the ground by inches. The Huron shall never brag in his tribe that
he has a foot which leaves no print."

Setting the example himself, the scout engaged in the scrutiny with
renewed zeal. Not a leaf was left unturned. The sticks were removed, and
the stones lifted; for Indian cunning was known frequently to adopt
these objects as covers, laboring with the utmost patience and industry,
to conceal each footstep as they proceeded. Still no discovery was made.
At length Uncas, whose activity had enabled him to achieve his portion
of the task the soonest, raked the earth across the turbid little rill
which ran from the spring, and diverted its course into another channel.
So soon as its narrow bed below the dam was dry, he stooped over it with
keen and curious eyes. A cry of exultation immediately announced the
success of the young warrior. The whole party crowded to the spot where
Uncas pointed out the impression of a moccasin in the moist alluvion.

"The lad will be an honor to his people," said Hawkeye, regarding the
trail with as much admiration as a naturalist would expend on the tusk
of a mammoth or the rib of a mastodon; "ay, and a thorn in the sides of
the Hurons. Yet that is not the footstep of an Indian! the weight is too
much on the heel, and the toes are squared, as though one of the French
dancers had been in, pigeon-winging his tribe! Run back, Uncas, and
bring me the size of the singer's foot. You will find a beautiful print
of it just opposite yon rock, agin the hillside."

While the youth was engaged in this commission, the scout and
Chingachgook were attentively considering the impressions. The
measurements agreed, and the former unhesitatingly pronounced that the
footstep was that of David, who had once more, been made to exchange his
shoes for moccasins.

"I can now read the whole of it, as plainly as if I had seen the arts of
Le Subtil," he added; "the singer, being a man whose gifts lay chiefly
in his throat and feet, was made to go first, and the others have trod
in his steps, imitating their formation."

"But," cried Duncan, "I see no signs of--"

"The gentle ones," interrupted the scout; "the varlet has found a way to
carry them, until he supposed he had thrown any followers off the scent.
My life on it, we see their pretty little feet again, before many rods
go by."

The whole party now proceeded, following the course of the rill, keeping
anxious eyes on the regular impressions. The water soon flowed into its
bed again, but watching the ground on either side, the foresters pursued
their way content with knowing that the trail lay beneath. More than
half a mile was passed, before the rill rippled close around the base of
an extensive and dry rock. Here they paused to make sure that the Hurons
had not quitted the water.

It was fortunate they did so. For the quick and active Uncas soon found
the impression of a foot on a bunch of moss, where it would seem an
Indian had inadvertently trodden. Pursuing the direction given by this
discovery, he entered the neighboring thicket, and struck the trail, as
fresh and obvious as it had been before they reached the spring. Another
shout announced the good fortune of the youth to his companions, and at
once terminated the search.

"Ay, it has been planned with Indian judgment," said the scout, when the
party was assembled around the place; "and would have blinded white
eyes."

"Shall we proceed?" demanded Heyward.

"Softly, softly: we know our path; but it is good to examine the
formation of things. This is my schooling, major; and if one neglects
the book, there is little chance of learning from the open hand of
Providence. All is plain but one thing, which is the manner that the
knave contrived to get the gentle ones along the blind trail. Even a
Huron would be too proud to let their tender feet touch the water."

"Will this assist in explaining the difficulty?" said Heyward, pointing
towards the fragments of a sort of handbarrow, that had been rudely
constructed of boughs, and bound together with withes, and which now
seemed carelessly cast aside as useless.

"'Tis explained!" cried the delighted Hawkeye. "If them varlets have
passed a minute, they have spent hours in striving to fabricate a lying
end to their trail! Well, I've known them to waste a day in the same
manner, to as little purpose. Here we have three pair of moccasins, and
two of little feet. It is amazing that any mortal beings can journey on
limbs so small! Pass me the thong of buckskin, Uncas, and let me take
the length of this foot. By the Lord, it is no longer than a child's and
yet the maidens are tall and comely. That Providence is partial in its
gifts, for its own wise reasons, the best and most contented of us must
allow."

"The tender limbs of my daughters are unequal to these hardships," said
Munro, looking at the light footsteps of his children, with a parent's
love: "we shall find their fainting forms in this desert."

"Of that there is little cause of fear," returned the scout, slowly
shaking his head; "this is a firm and straight, though a light step, and
not over long. See, the heel has hardly touched the ground; and there
the dark-hair has made a little jump, from root to root. No, no; my
knowledge for it, neither of them was nigh fainting, hereaway. Now, the
singer was beginning to be foot-sore and leg-weary as is plain by his
trail. There, you see, he slipped; here he has travelled wide, and
tottered; and there, again, it looks as though he journeyed on
snow-shoes. Ay, ay, a man who uses his throat altogether, can hardly
give his legs a proper training."

From such undeniable testimony did the practised woodsman arrive at the
truth, with nearly as much certainty and precision as if he had been a
witness of all those events which his ingenuity so easily elucidated.
Cheered by these assurances, and satisfied by a reasoning that was so
obvious, while it was so simple, the party resumed its course, after
making a short halt to take a hurried repast.

When the meal was ended, the scout cast a glance upwards at the setting
sun, and pushed forward with a rapidity which compelled Heyward and the
still vigorous Munro to exert all their muscles to equal. Their route
now lay along the bottom which had already been mentioned. As the Hurons
had made no further efforts to conceal their footsteps, the progress of
the pursuers was no longer delayed by uncertainty. Before an hour had
elapsed, however, the speed of Hawkeye sensibly abated, and his head,
instead of maintaining its former direct and forward look, began to turn
suspiciously from side to side, as if he were conscious of approaching
danger. He soon stopped again, and waited for the whole party to come
up.

"I scent the Hurons," he said, speaking to the Mohicans; "yonder is open
sky, through the tree-tops, and we are getting too nigh their
encampment. Sagamore, you will take the hillside, to the right; Uncas
will bend along the brook to the left, while I will try the trail. If
anything should happen, the call will be three croaks of a crow. I saw
one of the birds fanning himself in the air, just beyond the dead
oak--another sign that we are touching an encampment."

The Indians departed their several ways without reply, while Hawkeye
cautiously proceeded with the two gentlemen. Heyward soon pressed to the
side of their guide, eager to catch an early glimpse of those enemies he
had pursued with so much toil and anxiety. His companion told him to
steal to the edge of the wood, which, as usual, was fringed with a
thicket, and wait his coming, for he wished to examine certain
suspicious signs a little on one side. Duncan obeyed, and soon found
himself in a situation to command a view which he found as extraordinary
as it was novel.

The trees of many acres had been felled, and the glow of a mild summer's
evening had fallen on the clearing, in beautiful contrast to the gray
light of the forest. A short distance from the place where Duncan stood,
the stream had seemingly expanded into a little lake, covering most of
the low land, from mountain to mountain. The water fell out of this wide
basin, in a cataract so regular and gentle, that it appeared rather to
be the work of human hands, than fashioned by nature. A hundred earthen
dwellings stood on the margin of the lake, and even in its water, as
though the latter had overflowed its usual banks. Their rounded roofs,
admirably moulded for defence against the weather, denoted more of
industry and foresight than the natives were wont to bestow on their
regular habitations, much less on those they occupied for the temporary
purposes of hunting and war. In short, the whole village or town,
whichever it might be termed, possessed more of method and neatness of
execution, than the white men had been accustomed to believe belonged,
ordinarily, to the Indian habits. It appeared, however, to be deserted.
At least, so thought Duncan for many minutes; but, at length, he fancied
he discovered several human forms advancing towards him on all fours,
and apparently dragging in their train some heavy, and as he was quick
to apprehend, some formidable engine. Just then a few dark looking heads
gleamed out of the dwellings, and the place seemed suddenly alive with
beings, which, however, glided from cover to cover so swiftly, as to
allow no opportunity of examining their humors or pursuits. Alarmed at
these suspicious and inexplicable movements, he was about to attempt the
signal of the crows, when the rustling of leaves at hand drew his eyes
in another direction.

The young man started, and recoiled a few paces instinctively, when he
found himself within a hundred yards of a stranger Indian. Recovering
his recollection on the instant, instead of sounding an alarm, which
might prove fatal to himself, he remained stationary, an attentive
observer of the other's motions.

An instant of calm observation served to assure Duncan that he was
undiscovered. The native, like himself, seemed occupied in considering
the low dwellings of the village, and the stolen movements of its
inhabitants. It was impossible to discover the expression of his
features, through the grotesque mask of paint under which they were
concealed; though Duncan fancied it was rather melancholy than savage.
His head was shaved, as usual, with the exception of the crown, from
whose tuft three or four faded feathers from a hawk's wing were loosely
dangling. A ragged calico mantle half-encircled his body, while his
nether garment was composed of an ordinary shirt, the sleeves of which
were made to perform the office that is usually executed by a much more
commodious arrangement. His legs were bare, and sadly cut and torn by
briers. The feet were, however, covered with a pair of good deer-skin
moccasins. Altogether, the appearance of the individual was forlorn and
miserable.

Duncan was still curiously observing the person of his neighbor, when
the scout stole silently and cautiously to his side.

"You see we have reached their settlement or encampment," whispered the
young man; "and here is one of the savages himself, in a very
embarrassing position for our further movements."

Hawkeye started, and dropped his rifle, directed by the finger of his
companion, the stranger came under his view. Then lowering the dangerous
muzzle, he stretched forward his long neck, as if to assist a scrutiny
that was already intensely keen.

"The imp is not a Huron," he said, "nor of any of the Canada tribes; and
yet you see, by his clothes, the knave has been plundering a white. Ay,
Montcalm has raked the woods for his inroad, and a whooping, murdering
set of varlets has he gathered together. Can you see where he has put
his rifle or his bow?"

"He appears to have no arms; nor does he seem to be viciously inclined.
Unless he communicate the alarm to his fellows, who as you see are
dodging about the water, we have but little to fear from him."

The scout turned to Heyward, and regarded him a moment with unconcealed
amazement. Then opening wide his mouth, he indulged in unrestrained and
heartfelt laughter, though in that silent and peculiar manner which
danger had so long taught him to practise.

Repeating the words, "fellows who are dodging about the water!" he
added, "so much for schooling and passing a boyhood in the settlements!
The knave has long legs, though, and shall not be trusted. Do you keep
him under your rifle while I creep in behind, through the bush, and take
him alive. Fire on no account."

Heyward had already permitted his companion to bury part of his person
in the thicket, when, stretching forth an arm, he arrested him, in order
to ask,--

"If I see you in danger, may I not risk a shot?"

Hawkeye regarded him a moment, like one who knew not how to take the
question; then nodding his head, he answered, still laughing, though
inaudibly,--

"Fire a whole platoon, major."

In the next moment he was concealed by the leaves. Duncan waited several
minutes in feverish impatience, before he caught another glimpse of the
scout. Then he reappeared, creeping along the earth, from which his
dress was hardly distinguishable, directly in the rear of his intended
captive. Having reached within a few yards of the latter, he arose to
his feet, silently and slowly. At that instant, several loud blows were
struck on the water, and Duncan turned his eyes just in time to perceive
that a hundred dark forms were plunging, in a body, into the troubled
little sheet. Grasping his rifle, his looks were again bent on the
Indian near him. Instead of taking the alarm, the unconscious savage
stretched forward his neck, as if he also watched the movements about
the gloomy lake, with a sort of silly curiosity. In the meantime, the
uplifted hand of Hawkeye was above him. But, without any apparent
reason, it was withdrawn, and its owner indulged in another long, though
still silent, fit of merriment. When the peculiar and hearty laughter of
Hawkeye was ended, instead of grasping his victim by the throat, he
tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and exclaimed aloud,--

"How now, friend! have you a mind to teach the beavers to sing?"

"Even so," was the ready answer. "It would seem that the Being that gave
them power to improve his gifts so well, would not deny them voices to
proclaim his praise."

 It is still dark when the party awakens and walks carefully on rocks, stones, and wood to the lake, where they shove off to the northward by canoe in a manner to leave no sign of departure. At dawn they enter the narrows of the lake with its numberless little islands. Discovering smoke in the mist above one of the islands, they make a push but are followed by two canoes of Hurons. They are holding a comfortable intervening distance when another war canoe starts across their course up ahead. By tacking westward, they effect a parallel race with the new vessel and take the lead after being separated by an island. With enough distance to avoid the power of the Indians' short rifles, Hawkeye wounds a Huron with his long rifle "Killdeer," thus achieving escape when the enemy canoes converge and stop. Upon reaching the northern shore, the men paddle eastward to deceive the enemy. With the canoe on their shoulders, they leave an obvious trail as they move inland, cross a stream, and reach an extensive naked rock. At this point they walk backward in their own footprints to the brook, paddle back to the lake, and, when darkness comes, safely reach the western shore, where they conceal the boat and strike into the vast wilderness. After many hours of hiking, the travelers halt and for once sleep until the sun is up. Uncas finally finds the trail of the fugitives, and the pursuers follow it to where it disappears in a much trampled area. They are at a complete loss until Uncas diverts the course of a little rill and fantastically discovers the impression of a moccasin in the streambed. Though Hawkeye knows that Magua's abandonment of the horses means that they are now in Huron territory, they follow the new trail and reach a point where they must deploy themselves to seek the enemy's whereabouts. Heyward is sent to the edge of the woods and there mistakes a beaver pond and its hundred earthen dwellings for a lake and an Indian village. Before he can signal the others, a rustling of leaves reveals a stranger Indian a hundred yards away. When apprised of this, Hawkeye makes a circle and is about to brain the stranger but instead taps him on the shoulder. It is Gamut made up like an Indian.

