[figure description] Page 042.[end figure description]

The words were still in the mouth of the scout,
when the leader of the party, whose approaching
footsteps had caught the vigilant ear of the Indian,
came openly into view. A beaten path, such as
those made by the periodical passage of the deer,
wound through a little glen at no great distance, and
struck the river at the point where the white man
and his red companions had posted themselves.
Along this track the travellers, who had produced a
surprise so unusual in the depths of the forest, advanced
slowly towards the hunter, who was in front
of his associates, in readiness to receive them.

“Who comes?” demanded the scout, throwing
his rifle carelessly across his left arm, and keeping
the fore finger of his right hand on the trigger, though
he avoided all appearance of menace in the act—
“Who comes hither, among the beasts and dangers
of the wilderness?”

“Believers in religion, and friends to the law and

[figure description] Page 043.[end figure description]

to the king,” returned he who rode foremost of the
party. “Men who have journeyed since the rising
sun, in the shades of this forest, without nourishment,
and are sadly tired of their wayfaring.”

“You are, then, lost,” interrupted the hunter,
“and have found how helpless 'tis not to know whether
to take the right hand or the left?”

“Even so; sucking babes are not more dependent
on those who guide them, than we who are of
larger growth, and who may now be said to possess
the stature without the knowledge of men. Know
you the distance to a post of the crown called William
Henry?”

“Hoot!” shouted the scout, who did not spare
his open laughter, though, instantly checking the
dangerous sounds, he indulged his merriment at
less risk of being overheard by any lurking enemies.
“You are as much off the scent as a hound would
be, with Horican atwixt him and the deer! William
Henry, man! if you are friends to the king, and
have business with the army, your better way would
be to follow the river down to Edward, and lay the
matter before Webb; who tarries there, instead of
pushing into the defiles, and driving this saucy Frenchman
back across Champlain, into his den again.”

Before the stranger could make any reply to this
unexpected proposition, another horseman dashed
the bushes aside, and leaped his charger into the
pathway in front of his companion.

“What, then, may be our distance from Fort Edward?”
demanded a new speaker; “the place you

[figure description] Page 044.[end figure description]

advise us to seek we left this morning, and our destination
is the head of the lake.”

“Then you must have lost your eyesight afore
losing your way, for the road across the portage is
cut to a good two rods, and is as grand a path, I calculate,
as any that runs into London, or even before
the palace of the king himself.”

“We will not dispute concerning the excellence
of the passage,” returned Heyward, smiling, for, as
the reader has anticipated, it was he. “It is enough,
for the present, that we trusted to an Indian guide to
take us by a nearer, though blinder path, and that
we are deceived in his knowledge. In plain words,
we know not where we are.”

“An Indian lost in the woods!” said the scout,
shaking his head doubtingly; “when the sun is
scorching the tree tops, and the water courses are
full; when the moss on every beech he sees, will tell
him in which quarter the north star will shine at
night! The woods are full of deer paths which run
to the streams and licks, places well known to every
body; nor have the geese done their flight to the
Canada waters, altogether! 'Tis strange that an Indian
should be lost atwixt Horican and the bend in
the river! Is he a Mohawk?

“Not by birth, though he is adopted in that tribe;
I think his birth place was farther north, and he is
one of those you call a Huron.”

“Hugh!” exclaimed the two companions of the
scout, who had continued until this part of the dialogue,
seated, immoveable, and apparently indifferent
to what passed, but who now sprang to their feet

[figure description] Page 045.[end figure description]

with an activity and interest that had evidently gotten
the better of their reserve, by surprise.

“A Huron!” repeated the sturdy scout, once
more shaking his head in open distrust; “they are
a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they are
adopted; you can never make any thing of them
but skulks and vagabonds. Since you trusted yourself
to the care of one of that nation, I only wonder
that you have not fallen in with more.”

“Of that there is little danger, since William
Henry is so many miles in our front. You forget
that I have told you our guide is now a Mohawk, and
that he serves with our forces as a friend.”

“And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo will
die a Mingo,” returned the other, positively. “A
Mohawk! No, give me a Delaware or a Mohican
for honesty; and when they will fight, which they
won't all do, having suffered their cunning enemies,
the Maquas, to make them women—but when they
will fight at all, look to a Delaware or a Mohican for
a warrior!”

“Enough of this,” said Heyward, impatiently; “I
wish not to inquire into the character of a man that
I know, and to whom you must be a stranger. You
have not yet answered my question; what is our distance
from the main army at Edward?”

“It seems that may depend on who is your guide.
One would think such a horse as that might get
over a good deal of ground atwixt sun-up and sun-down.”

“I wish no contention of idle words with you,
friend,” said Heyward, curbing his dissatisfied

[figure description] Page 046.[end figure description]

manner, and speaking in a more gentle voice; “if you
will tell me the distance to Fort Edward, and conduct
me thither, your labour shall not go without its
reward.”

“And in so doing, how know I that I don't guide
an enemy, and a spy of Montcalm, to the works of
the army? It is not every man who can speak the
English tongue that is an honest subject.”

“If you serve with the troops of whom I judge
you to be a scout, you should know of such a regiment
of the king as the 60th.”

“The 60th! you can tell me but little of the
Royal Americans that I don't know, though I do
wear a hunting shift, instead of a scarlet jacket.”

“Well, then, among other things, you may know
the name of its major?”

“Its major!” interrupted the hunter, elevating
his body like one who was proud of his trust. “If
there is a man in the country who knows Major Effingham,
he stands before you.”

“It is corps which has many majors; the gentleman
you name is the senior, but I speak of the
junior of them all; he who commands the companies
in garrison at William Henry.”

“Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of
vastriches, from one of the provinces far south, has got
the place. He is over young, too, to hold such rank,
and to be put above men whose heads are beginning
to bleach; and yet they say he is a soldier in his
knowledge, and a gallant gentleman!”

“Whatever he may be, or however he may be

[figure description] Page 047.[end figure description]

qualified for his rank, he now speaks to you, and of
course can be no enemy to dread.”

The scout regarded Heyward a moment in surprise,
and then lifting his cap, he answered, in a tone
less confident than before—though still expressing
doubt—

“I have heard a party was to leave the encampment,
this morning, for the lake shore?”

“You have heard the truth; but I preferred a
nearer route, trusting to the knowledge of the Indian
I mentioned.”

“And he deceived you, and then deserted?”

“Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter,
for he is to be found in the rear.”

“I should like to look at the creatur; if it is a
true Iroquois I can tell him by his knavish look, and
by his paint,” said the scout, stepping past the charger
of Heyward, and entering the path behind the mare
of the singing master, whose foal had taken advantage
of the halt to exact the maternal contributions.
After shoving aside the bushes, and proceeding a few
paces, he encountered the females, who awaited the
result of the conference with anxiety, and not entirely
without apprehension. Behind these, again,
the runner leaned against a tree, where he stood the
close examination of the scout with an air unmoved,
though with a look so dark and savage, that it might
in itself excite fear. Satisfied with his scrutiny, the
hunter soon left him. As he repassed the females,
he paused a moment to gaze upon their beauty, answering
to the smile and nod of Alice with a look of
open pleasure. Thence he went to the side of the
motherly animal, and spending a minute in a fruitless

[figure description] Page 048.[end figure description]

inquiry into the character of her rider, he shook his
head and returned to Heyward. “A Mingo is a
Mingo, and God having made him so, neither the
Mohawks nor any other tribe can alter him,” he
said, when he had regained his former position. “If
we were alone, and you would leave that noble
horse at the mercy of the wolves to night, I could
show you the way to Edward myself within an hour,
for it lies only about an hour's journey hence; but
with such ladies in your company, 'tis impossible!”

“And why? they are fatigued, but are quite equal
to a ride of a few more miles.”

“'Tis a natural impossibility!” repeated the
scout, with a determined air. “I wouldn't walk a
mile in these woods after night gets into them, in
company with that runner, for the best rifle in the
colonies. They are full of outlying Iroquois, and
your mongrel Mohawk knows where to find them too
well, to be my companion.”

“Think you so,” said Heyward, leaning forward
in the saddle, and dropping his voice nearly to a
whisper; “I confess I have not been without my
own suspicions, though I have endeavoured to
conceal them, and affected a confidence I have not
always felt, on account of my companions. It was
because I suspected him, that I would follow no
longer; making him, as you see, follow me.”

“I knew he was one of the cheats as soon as I
laid eyes on him!” returned the scout, placing his
finger on his nose in sign of caution. “The thief
is leaning against the foot of the sugar sapling that
you can see over them bushes; his right leg is in a

[figure description] Page 049.[end figure description]

line with the bark of the tree, and,” tapping his rifle,
“I can take him, from where I stand, between the ankle
and the knee, with a single shot, putting an end of
his tramping through the woods for at least a month
to come. If I should go back to him, the cunning
varmint would suspect something, and be dodging
through the trees like any frightened deer.”

“It will not do. He may be innocent, and I dislike
the act. Though, if I felt confident of his
treachery”—

“'Tis a safe thing to calculate on the knavery of an
Iroquois,” said the scout, throwing his rifle forward,
by a sort of instinctive movement.

“Hold!” interrupted Heyward; “it will not do—
we must think of some other scheme;—and yet I
have much reason to believe the rascal has deceived
me.”

The hunter, who had already abandoned his intention
to maim the runner, at the orders of his superior,
mused a moment, and then made a gesture, which instantly
brought his two red companions to his side.
They spoke together earnestly in the Delaware language,
though in an under tone, and by the gestures
of the white man, which were frequently directed towards
the top of the sapling, it was evident he pointed
out the situation of their hidden enemy. His
companions were not long in comprehending his
wishes, and laying aside their fire-arms, they parted,
taking opposite sides of the path, and burying themselves
in the thicket, with such cautions movements,
that their steps were inaudible.

“Now go you back,” said the hunter, speaking

[figure description] Page 050.[end figure description]

again to Heyward, “and hold the imp in talk;
these Mohicans here, will take him, without breaking
his paint.”

“Nay,” said Heyward, proudly, “I will seize him
myself.”

“Hist! what could you do, mounted, against an
Indian, in the bushes?”

“But I will dismount.”

“And, think you, when he saw one of your feet
out of the stirrup, he would wait for the other to be
free! Whoever comes into the woods to deal with
the natives, must use Indian fashions, if he would
wish to prosper in his undertakings. Go, then; talk
openly to the miscreant, and seem to believe him
the truest friend you have on 'arth.”

Heyward prepared to comply, though with strong
disgust at the nature of the office he was compelled
to execute. Each moment, however, pressed upon
him a conviction of the critical situation in which he
had suffered his invaluable trust to be involved,
through his own fearless confidence. The sun had
already disappeared, and the woods, suddenly deprived
of his light, were assuming a dusky hue, which
keenly reminded him, that the hour the savage usually
chose for his most barbarous and remorseless
acts of vengeance or hostility, was speedily drawing
at hand. Stimulated by these quickened apprehensions,
he left the scout, without reply, who immediately
entered into a loud conversation with the
stranger that had so unceremoniously enlisted himself
in the party of the travellers that morning. In
passing his gentler companions, Heyward uttered a

[figure description] Page 051.[end figure description]

few words of encouragement, and was pleased to
find that, though fatigued with the exercise of the
day, they appeared to entertain no suspicion that
their present embarrassment was other than the result
of accident. Giving them reason to believe he
was merely employed in a consultation concerning
their future route, he spurred his charger, and drew
the reins again when the animal had carried him
within a few yards of the place, where the sullen runner
still stood leaning against the tree.

“You may see, Magua,” he said, endeavouring
to assume an air of freedom and confidence, “that
the night is closing around us, and yet we are no
nearer to William Henry than when we left the encampment
of Webb, with the sun. You have missed
the way, nor have I been more fortunate. But, happily,
we have fallen in with a hunter, he whom
you hear talking to the singer, that is acquainted
with the deer-paths and by-ways of the woods, and
who promises to lead us to a place where we may
rest securely till the morning.”

The Indian riveted his glowing eyes on Heyward
as he asked, in his imperfect English, “Is he alone?”

“Alone!” hesitatingly answered Heyward, to
whom deception was too new to be assumed without
embarrassment. “Oh! not alone, surely, Magua,
for you know that we are with him.”

“Then le Renard Subtil will go,” returned the
runner, coolly raising his little wallet from the place
where it had lain at his feet; “and the pale faces will
see none but their own colour.”

[figure description] Page 052.[end figure description]

“Go! Whom call you le Renard?”

“'Tis the name his Canada fathers have given to
Magua,” returned the runner, with an air that manifested
his pride at the distinction, though probably
quite ignorant of the character conveyed by the
appellation. “Night is the same as day to le Subtil,
when Munro waits for him.”

“And what account will le Renard give the chief
of William Henry concerning his daughters? will he
dare to tell the hot-blooded Scotsman that his children
are left without a guide, though Magua promised
to be one?”

“The gray head has a loud voice, and a long arm,
but will le Renard hear him or feel him in the
woods?” returned the wary runner.

“But what will the Mohawks say! They will
make him petticoats, and bid him stay in the wigwam
with the women, for he is no longer to be
trusted with the business of a man.”

“Le Subtil knows the path to the great lakes,
and can find the bones of his fathers,” was the answer
of the unmoved runner.

“Enough, Magua,” said Heyward; “are we not
friends! why should there be bitter words between
us? Munro has promised you a gift for your services
when performed, and I shall be your debtor for another.
Rest your weary limbs, then, and open your
wallet to eat. We have a few moments to spare; let
us not waste them in talk like wrangling women.
When the ladies are refreshed we will proceed.”

“The pale faces make themselves dogs to their
women,” muttered the Indian, in his native language.

[figure description] Page 053.[end figure description]

“and when they want to eat, their warriors must lay
aside the tomahawk to feed their laziness.”

“What say you, Renard?”

“Le Subtil says it is good.”

The Indian then fastened his eyes keenly on the
open countenance of Heyward, but meeting his
glance, he turned them quickly away, and seating
himself deliberately on the ground, he drew forth the
remnant of some former repast, and began to eat,
though not without first bending his looks slowly and
cautiously around him.

“This is well,” continued Heyward; “and le Renard
will have strength and sight to find the path in
the morning;”—he paused, for sounds like the snapping
of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose
from the adjacent bushes, but recollecting himself
instantly continued—“we must be moving before the
sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our path, and
shut us out from the fortress.”

The hand of Magua dropped from his mouth to
his side, and though his eyes were fastened on the
ground, his head was turned aside, his nostrils expanded,
and his ears seemed even to stand more erect
than usual, giving to him the appearance of a statue
that was made to represent intense attention.

Heyward, who watched his movements with a
vigilant eye, carelessly extricated one of his feet
from the stirrup, while he passed a hand towards the
bear-skin covering of his holsters. Every effort to detect
the point most regarded by the runner, was completely
frustrated by the tremulous glances of his organs,
which seemed not to rest a single instant on any

[figure description] Page 054.[end figure description]

particular object, and which, at the same time, could
be hardly said to move. While he hesitated how to
proceed, le Subtil cautiously raised himself to his feet.
though with a motion so slow and guarded, that not
the slightest noise was produced by the change.
Heyward felt it had now become incumbent on him to
act; throwing his leg over the saddle, he dismounted,
with a determination to advance and seize his treacherous
companion, trusting the result to his own manhood.
In order, however, to prevent unnecessary
alarm, he still preserved an air of calmness and
friendship.

“Le Renard Subtil does not eat,” he said, using
the appellation he had found most flattering to the
vanity of the Indian. “His corn is not well parched,
and seems dry. Let me examine; perhaps something
may be found among my own provisions that
will help his appetite.”

Magua held out the wallet to meet the proffer of
the other. He even suffered their hands to meet,
without betraying the least emotion, or varying his
riveted attitude of attention. But when he felt the
fingers of Heyward moving gently along his own
naked arm, he struck up the limb of the young man,
and uttering a piercing cry, as he darted beneath
it, plunged, at a single bound, into the opposite
thicket. At the next instant, the form of Chingachgook
appeared from the bushes, looking like a spectre
in its paint, and glided across the path in swift
pursuit. Next followed the shout of Uncas, when
the woods were lighted by a sudden flash, that was
accompanied by the sharp report of the hunter's rifle.

Previous section

Next section