[figure description] Page 082.[end figure description]

As the chief landed he was met by the Pathfinder, who
addressed him in the language of the warrior's people.

“Was it well done, Chingachgook,” he said, reproachfully,
“to ambush a dozen Mingos, alone! Killdeer seldom fails
me, it is true; but the Oswego makes a distant mark, and
that miscreant showed little more than his head and shoulders
above the bushes, and an onpractysed hand and eye
might have failed. You should have thought of this, chief;
you should have thought of this!”

“The great Serpent is a Mohican warrior—he sees only
his enemies, when he is on the war-path, and his fathers have
struck the Mingos from behind, since the waters began to
run!”

“I know your gifts—I know your gifts, and respect them,
too. No man shall hear me complain that a red-skin obsarved
red-skin natur', but prudence as much becomes a
warrior as valour; and had not the Iroquois devils been
looking after their friends who were in the water, a hot trail
they would have made of yourn!”

“What is the Delaware about to do?” exclaimed Jasper,
who observed, at that moment, that the chief had suddenly
left the Pathfinder, and advanced to the water's edge, apparently
with an intention of again entering the river. “He
will not be so mad as to return to the other shore, for any
trifle he may have forgotten!”

“Not he—not he; he is as prudent as he is brave, in the
main, though so forgetful of himself in the late ambushment.
Harkee, Jasper,” leading the other a little aside, just as they
heard the Indian's plunge into the water—“harkee, lad;
Chingachgook is not a Christian white man, like ourselves,
but a Mohican chief, who has his gifts and traditions to tell him
what he ought to do; and he who consorts with them that are
not strictly and altogether of his own kind, had better leave
natur' and use to govern his comrades. A king's soldier

[figure description] Page 083.[end figure description]

will swear, and he will drink, and it is of little use to try to
prevent him; a gentleman likes his delicacies, and a lady
her feathers, and it does not avail much to struggle against
either; whereas an Indian's natur' and gifts are much stronger
than these, and no doubt were bestowed by the Lord for
wise ends, though neither you nor me can follow them in all
their windings.”

“What does this mean?—See, the Delaware is swimming
towards the body that is lodged on the rock. Why does he
risk this?”

“For honour, and glory, and renown, as great gentlemen
quit their quiet homes, beyond seas, where, as they tell me,
heart has nothing left to wish for, that is, such hearts as can
be satisfied in a clearing, to come hither to live on game and
fight the Frenchers.”

“I understand you—your friend has gone to secure the
scalp.”

“'T is his gift, and let him enjoy it. We are white men,
and cannot mangle a dead enemy, but it is honour in the
eyes of a red-skin to do so. It may seem singular to you,
Eau-douce, but I've known white men of great name and
character manifest as remarkable idees concerning their
honour, I have.”

“A savage will be a savage, Pathfinder, let him keep what
company he may.”

“It is well for us to say so, lad, but, as I tell you, white
honour will not always conform to reason, or to the will of
God. I have passed days thinking of these matters, out in
the silent woods, and I have come to the opinion, boy, that,
as Providence rules all things, no gift is bestowed without
some wise and reasonable end. If Indians are of no use,
Indians would not have been created, and I do suppose, could
one dive to the bottom of things, it would be found that even
the Mingo tribes were produced for some rational and proper
purpose, though I confess it surpasses my means to say what
it is.”

“The Serpent greatly exposes himself to the enemy, in
order to get his scalp! This may lose us the day.”

“Not in his mind, Jasper. That one scalp has more
honour in it, according to the Sarpent's notions of warfare,
than a field covered with slain, that kept the hair on their

[figure description] Page 084.[end figure description]

heads. Now, there was the fine young captain of the 60th
that threw away his life, in trying to bring off a three-pounder
from among the Frenchers, in the last skrimmage we had;
he thought he was sarving honour; and I have known a
young ensign wrap himself up in his colours, and go to sleep
in his blood, fancying that he was lying on something softer
even than buffalo-skins!”

“Yes, yes; one can understand the merit of not hauling
down an ensign.”

“And these are Chingachgook's colours—he will keep
them to show his children's children—” here the Pathfinder
interrupted himself, shook his head in melancholy, and slowly
added—“Ahs me! no shoot of the old Mohican stem remains!
He has no children to delight with his trophies; no tribe to
honour by his deeds; he is a lone man in this world, and
yet he stands true to his training and his gifts! There is
something honest and respectable in these, you must allow,
Jasper; yes, there is something decent in that.”

Here a great outcry from among the Iroquois, was succeeded
by the quick reports of their rifles, and so eager did
the enemy become, in the desire to drive the Delaware back
from his victim, that a dozen rushed into the river, several of
whom even advanced near a hundred feet into the foaming
current, as if they actually meditated a serious sortie. But
Chingachgook continued as unmoved, as he remained unhurt
by the missiles, accomplishing his task with the dexterity of
long habit. Flourishing his reeking trophy, he gave the war
whoop in its most frightful intonations, and for a minute the
arches of the silent woods, and the deep vista formed by the
course of the river, echoed with cries so terrific that Mabel
bowed her head, in irrepressible fear, while her uncle for a
single instant, actually meditated flight.

“This surpasses all I have heard from the wretches,”
Jasper exclaimed, stopping his ears, equally in horror and
disgust.

“T is their music, boy; their drum and fife; their trumpets
and clarions. No doubt they love those sounds, for they
stir up in them fierce feelings, and a desire for blood,” returned
the Pathfinder, totally unmoved. “I thought them
rather frightful when a mere youngster, but they have got
to be like the whistle of the whip-poor-will, or the song of the

[figure description] Page 085.[end figure description]

cat-bird in my ear now. All the screeching reptyles that
could stand between the Falls and the garrison, would have
no effect on my narves, at this time of day. I say it not in
boasting, Jasper, for the man that lets in cowardice through
the ears, must have but a weak heart, at the best; sounds
and outcries being more intended to alarm women and children,
than such as scout the forest, and face the foe. I hope
the Sarpent is now satisfied, for here he comes with the scalp
at his belt.”

Jasper turned away his head as the Delaware rose from
the water, in pure disgust at his late errand, but the Pathfinder
regarded his friend with the philosophical indifference
of one who had made up his mind to be indifferent to things
he deemed immaterial. As the Delaware passed deeper into
the bushes, with a view to wring his trifling calico dress, and
to prepare his rifle for service, he gave one glance of triumph
at his companions, and then all emotion connected with the
recent exploit seemed to cease.

“Jasper,” resumed the guide—“step down to the station
of Master Cap, and ask him to join us: we have little time for
a council, and yet our plans must be laid quickly, for it will
not be long before them Mingos will be plotting our ruin.”

The young man complied, and in a few minutes the four
were assembled near the shore, completely concealed from
the view of their enemies, while they kept a vigilant watch over
the proceedings of the latter, in order to consult on their own
future movements.

By this time, the day had so far advanced, as to leave but a
few minutes between the passing light and an obscurity that promised
to be even deeper than common. The sun had already
set, and the twilight of a low latitude would soon pass into the
darkness of deep night. Most of the hopes of the party rested
on this favourable circumstance, though it was not without its
dangers, also, as the very obscurity which would favour their
escape would be as likely to conceal the movements of their
wily enemies.

“The moment has come, men,” Pathfinder commenced,
“when our plans must be coolly laid, in order that we may
act together, and with a right understanding of our errand
and gifts. In an hour's time, these woods will be as dark as
midnight, and if we are ever to gain the garrison, it must be

[figure description] Page 086.[end figure description]

done under favour of this advantage. What say you, Master
Cap, for though none of the most experienced in combats and
retreats in the woods, your years entitle you to speak first, in
a matter like this, and in a council.”

“And my near relationship to Mabel, Pathfinder, ought to
count for something—”

“I don't know that—I don't know that. Regard is regard,
and liking, liking, whether it be a gift of natur', or come from
one's own judgment and inclinations. I will say nothing for
the Sarpent, who is past placing his mind on the women, but
as for Jasper and myself, we are as ready to stand between
the serjeant's daughter and the Mingos as her own brave father
himself, could be. Do I say more than the truth, lad?”

“Mabel may count on me to the last drop of my blood,”
said Jasper, speaking low, but speaking with intense feeling.

“Well, well,” rejoined the uncle, “we will not discuss
this matter, as all seem willing to serve the girl, and deeds
are better than words. In my judgment, all we have to do,
is to go on board the canoe, when it gets to be so dark the
enemy's look-outs can't see us, and run for the haven, as
wind and tide will allow.”

“That is easily said, but not so easily done,” returned the
guide. “We shall be more exposed in the river than by
following the woods, and then there is the Oswego rift below
us, and I am far from sartain that Jasper himself can carry
a boat safely through it, in the dark. What say you, lad, as
to your own skill and judgment?”

“I am of Master Cap's opinion about using the canoe.
Mabel is too tender to walk through swamps, and among
roots of trees, in such a night as this promises to be, and
then I always feel myself stouter of heart, and truer of eye,
when afloat than when ashore.”

“Stout of heart, you always be, lad, and I think tolerably
true of eye for one who has lived so much in broad sunshine,
and so little in the woods. Ahs me! the Ontario has no
trees, or it would be a plain to delight a hunter's heart! As
to your opinion, friends, there is much for, and much against
it. For it, it may be said water leaves no trail—”

“What do you call the wake?” interrupted the pertinacious
and dogmatical Cap.

“Anan?”

[figure description] Page 087.[end figure description]

“Go on,” said Jasper; “Master Cap thinks he is on the
ocean—water leaves no trail—”

“It leaves none, Eau-douce, hereaway, though I do not
pretend to say what it may leave on the sea. Then a
canoe is both swift and easy, when it floats with the current,
and the tender limbs of the serjeant's daughter will be favoured
by its motion. But, on the other hand, the river will have
no cover but the clouds in the heavens, the rift is a ticklish
thing for boats to venture into, even by day-light, and it is six
fairly measured miles, by water, from this spot to the garrison.
Then a trail on land is not easy to be found in the
dark. I am troubled, Jasper, to say which way we ought to
counsel and advise.”

“If the Serpent and myself could swim into the river,
and bring off the other canoe,” the young sailor replied, “it
would seem to me, that our safest course would be the water.”

“If, indeed! and yet it might easily be done, as soon as
it is a little darker. Well, well, considering the serjeant's
daughter, and her gifts, I am not sartain it will not be the
best. Though were we only a party of men, it would be
like a hunt to the lusty and brave, to play at hide-and-seek
with yonder miscreants, on the other shore. Jasper,” continued
the guide, into whose character there entered no ingredient
that belonged to vain display, or theatrical effect, “will
you undertake to bring in the canoe?”

“I will undertake anything that will serve and protect
Mabel, Pathfinder.”

“That is an upright feeling, and I suppose it is natur'.
The Sarpent, who is nearly naked already, can help you, and
this will be cutting off one of the means of them devils to
work their harm.”

This material point being settled, the different members of
the party prepared themselves to put the project in execution.
The shades of evening fell fast upon the forest, and by the
time all was ready for the attempt, it was found impossible to
discern objects on the opposite shore. Time now pressed,
for Indian cunning could devise so many expedients for passing
so narrow a stream, that the Pathfinder was getting
impatient to quit the spot. While Jasper and his companion
entered the river, armed with nothing but their knives
and the Delaware's tomahawk, observing the greatest caution

[figure description] Page 088.[end figure description]

not to betray their movements, the guide brought Mabel from
her place of concealment, and bidding her and Cap proceed
along the shore to the foot of the rapids, he got into the canoe,
that remained in his possession, in order to carry it to the
same place.

This was easily effected. The canoe was laid against the
bank, and Mabel and her uncle entered it, taking their seats
as usual; while the Pathfinder, erect in the stern, held by a
bush, in order to prevent the swift stream from sweeping
them down its current. Several minutes of intense and
breathless expectation followed, while they awaited the result
of the bold attempt of their comrades.

It will be understood that the two adventurers were compelled
to swim across a deep and rapid channel, ere they
could reach a part of the rift that admitted of wading. This
portion of the enterprise was soon effected; and Jasper and
the Serpent struck the bottom, side by side, at the same instant.
Having secured firm footing, they took hold of each
other's hands, and waded slowly and with extreme caution,
in the supposed direction of the canoe. But the darkness
was already so deep, that they soon ascertained they were to
be but little aided by the sense of sight, and that their search
must be conducted on that species of instinct which enables
the woodsman to find his way, when the sun is hid, no stars
appear, and all would seem chaos to one less accustomed
to the mazes of the forest. Under these circumstances, Jasper
submitted to be guided by the Delaware, whose habits best
fitted him to take the lead. Still it was no easy matter to
wade amid the roaring element at that hour, and retain a
clear recollection of the localities. By the time they believed
themselves to be in the centre of the stream, the two
shores were discernible merely by masses of obscurity denser
than common, the outlines against the clouds being barely
distinguishable by the ragged tops of the trees. Once or
twice the wanderers altered their course, in consequence of
unexpectedly stepping into deep water, for they knew that
the boat had lodged on the shallowest part of the rift. In short,
with this fact for their compass, Jasper and his companion
wandered about in the water, for near a quarter of an hour,
and at the end of that period, which began to appear interminable
to the young man, they found themselves apparently

[figure description] Page 089.[end figure description]

no nearer the object of their search than they had been at its
commencement. Just as the Delaware was about to stop,
in order to inform his associate that they would do well to
return to the land, in order to take a fresh departure, he saw
the form of a man, moving about in the water, almost within
reach of his arm. Jasper was at his side, and he at once
understood that the Iroquois were engaged on the same errand
as he was himself.

“Mingo!” he uttered in Jasper's ear—“the Serpent will
show his brother how to be cunning.”

The young sailor caught a glimpse of the figure at that
instant, and the startling truth also flashed on his mind. Understanding
the necessity of trusting all to the Delaware chief,
he kept back, while his friend moved cautiously in the direction
in which the strange form had vanished. In another
moment, it was seen again, evidently moving towards themselves.
The waters made such an uproar, that little was to
be apprehended from ordinary sounds, and the Indian, turning
his head, hastily said—

“Leave it to the cunning of the great Serpent.”

“Hugh!” exclaimed the strange savage, adding, in the
language of his people—“the canoe is found, but there were
none to help me. Come; let us raise it from the rock.”

“Willingly;” answered Chingachgook, who understood the
dialect—“lead; we will follow.”

The stranger, unable to distinguish between voices and accents,
amid the raging of the rapid, led the way in the necessary
direction, and, the two others keeping close at his
heels, all three speedily reached the canoe. The Iroquois
laid hold of one end, Chingachgook placed himself in the
centre, and Jasper went to the opposite extremity, as it was
important that the stranger should not detect the presence of
a pale-face, a discovery that might be made, by the parts of
the dress the young man still wore, as well as by the general
appearance of his head.

“Lift,” said the Iroquois, in the sententious manner of his
race; and by a trifling effort the canoe was raised from the
rock, held a moment in the air to empty it, and then placed
carefully on the water, in its proper position. All three held
it firmly, lest it should escape from their hands, under the
pressure of the violent current, while the Iroquois, who led

[figure description] Page 090.[end figure description]

of course, being at the upper end of the boat, took the direction
of the eastern shore, or towards the spot where his
friends waited his return.

As the Delaware and Jasper well knew there must be
several more of the Iroquois on the rift, from the circumstance
that their own appearance had occasioned no surprise
in the individual they had met, both felt the necessity of extreme
caution. Men less bold and determined would have
thought that they were incurring too great a risk, by thus
venturing into the midst of their enemies; but these hardy
borderers were unacquainted with fear, were accustomed to
hazards, and so well understood the necessity of at least
preventing their foes from getting the boat, that they would
have cheerfully encountered even greater risks to secure their
object. So all-important to the safety of Mabel, indeed, did
Jasper deem the possession, or the destruction of this canoe,
that he had drawn his knife, and stood ready to rip up the
bark, in order to render the boat temporarily unserviceable,
should any thing occur to compel the Delaware and himself
to abandon their prize.

In the mean time, the Iroquois, who led the way, proceeded
slowly through the water, in the direction of his own party,
still grasping the canoe, and dragging his reluctant followers
in his train. Once, Chingachgook raised his tomahawk
and was about to bury it in the brain of his confiding and
unsuspicious neighbour, but the probability that the death-cry
or the floating body might give the alarm, induced that wary
chief to change his purpose. At the next moment he regretted
this indecision, for the three who clung to the canoe suddenly
found themselves in the centre of a party of no less
than four others who were in quest of it.

After the usual brief, characteristic exclamations of satisfaction,
the savages eagerly laid hold of the canoe, for all
seemed impressed with the necessity of securing this important
boat, the one side in order to assail their foes, and the
other to secure their retreat. The addition to the party, however,
was so unlooked-for, and so completely gave the enemy
the superiority, that, for a few moments, the ingenuity and address
of even the Delaware were at fault. The five Iroquois,
who seemed perfectly to understand their errand, pressed
forward towards their own shore, without pausing to

[figure description] Page 091.[end figure description]

converse; their object being in truth to obtain the paddles, which
they had previously secured, and to embark three or four
warriors, with all their rifles and powder-horns, the want of
which had alone prevented their crossing the river, by swimming,
as soon as it was dark.

In this manner, the body of friends and foes united reached
the margin of the eastern channel, where, as in the case
of the western, the river was too deep to be waded. Here a
short pause succeeded, it being necessary to determine the
manner in which the canoe was to be carried across. One
of the four who had just reached the boat, was a chief, and
the habitual deference which the American Indian pays to
merit, experience and station, kept the others silent, until this
individual had spoken.

The halt greatly added to the danger of discovering the
presence of Jasper, in particular, who however had the precaution
to throw the cap he wore, into the bottom of the canoe.
Being without his jacket and shirt, the outline of his figure,
in the obscurity, would now be less likely to attract observation.
His position, too, at the stern of the canoe, a little
favoured his concealment, the Iroquois naturally keeping
their looks directed the other way. Not so with Chingachgook.
This warrior was literally in the midst of his most
deadly foes, and he could scarcely move without touching
one of them. Yet he was apparently unmoved, though he
kept all his senses on the alert, in readiness to escape, or to
strike a blow, at the proper moment. By carefully abstaining
from looking towards those behind him, he lessened the
chances of discovery, and waited with the indomitable patience
of an Indian for the instant when he should be required
to act.

“Let all my young men, but two, one at each end of the
canoe, cross and get their arms,” said the Iroquois chief.—
“Let the two push over the boat.”

The Indians quietly obeyed, leaving Jasper at the stern,
and the Iroquois who had found the canoe, at the bow of the
light craft, Chingachgook burying himself so deep in the
river, as to be passed by the others without detection. The
splashing in the water, the tossing arms and the calls of one
to another, soon announced that the four who had last joined
the party, were already swimming. As soon as this fact was

[figure description] Page 092.[end figure description]

certain, the Delaware rose, resumed his former station, and
began to think the moment for action was come.

One less habitually under self-restraint, than this warrior,
would probably have now aimed his meditated blow; but
Chingachgook knew there were more Iroquois behind him
on the rift, and he was a warrior much too trained and experienced
to risk anything unnecessarily. He suffered the Indian
at the bow of the canoe to push off into the deep water,
and then all three were swimming in the direction of the
eastern shore. Instead, however, of helping the canoe across
the swift current, no sooner did the Delaware and Jasper find
themselves within the influence of its greatest force, than
both began to swim in a way to check their further progress
across the stream. Nor was this done suddenly, or in the
incautious manner in which a civilized man would have been
apt to attempt the artifice, but warily, and so gradually that
the Iroquois at the bow fancied at first he was merely struggling
against the strength of the current. Of course, while
acted on by these opposing efforts, the canoe drifted down
stream, and in about a minute it was floating in still deeper
water at the foot of the rift. Here, however, the Iroquois
was not slow in finding that something unusual retarded their
advance, and looking back he first learned that he was resisted
by the efforts of his companions.

That second nature, which grows up through habit, instantly
told the young Iroquois that he was alone with enemies.
Dashing the water aside, he sprang at the throat of
Chingachgook, and the two Indians, relinquishing their hold
of the canoe, seized each other like tigers. In the midst of
the darkness of that gloomy night, and floating in an element
so dangerous to man, when engaged in deadly strife, they
appeared to forget every thing but their fell animosity, and
their mutual desire to conquer.

Jasper had now complete command of the canoe, which
flew off like a feather impelled by the breath, under the violent
reaction of the struggles of the two combatants. The
first impulse of the youth was to swim to the aid of the Delaware,
but the importance of securing the boat presented itself
with ten-fold force, while he listened to the heavy breathings
of the warriors as they throttled each other, and he proceeded
as fast as possible towards the western shore. This he soon

[figure description] Page 093.[end figure description]

reached, and after a short search, he succeeded in discovering
the remainder of the party, and in procuring his clothes.
A few words sufficed to explain the situation in which he had
left the Delaware, and the manner in which the canoe had
been obtained.

When those who had been left behind had heard the explanations
of Jasper, a profound stillness reigned among them,
each listening intently, in the vain hope of catching some clue
to the result of the fearful struggle that had just taken place,
if it were not still going on in the water. Nothing was audible
beyond the steady roar of the rushing river; it being a
part of the policy of their enemies on the opposite shore, to
observe the most death-like stillness.

“Take this paddle, Jasper,” said Pathfinder, calmly, though
the listeners thought his voice sounded more melancholy than
usual; “and follow with your own canoe.—It is unsafe for
us to remain here longer.”

“But the Serpent?”

“The Great Sarpent is in the hands of his own Deity, and
will live or die, according to the intentions of Providence.
We can do him no good, and may risk too much by remaining
here in idleness, like women talking over their distresses.
This darkness is very precious—”

A loud, long, piercing yell came from the shore, and cut
short the words of the guide.

“What is the meaning of that uproar, Master Pathfinder?”—
demanded Cap. “It sounds more like the outcries
of devils than anything that can come from the throats
of Christians and men.”

“Christians they are not, and do not pretend to be, and do
not wish to be; and in calling them devils, you have scarcely
misnamed them. That yell is one of rejoicing, and it is as
conquerors they have given it. The body of the Sarpent,
no doubt, dead or alive, is in their power!”

“And we!”—exclaimed Jasper, who felt a pang of generous
regret, as the idea that he might have averted the
calamity presented itself to his mind, had he not deserted his
comrade.

“We can do the chief no good, lad, and must quit this
spot as fast as possible.”

[figure description] Page 094.[end figure description]

“Without one attempt to rescue him!—without even knowing
whether he be dead or living?”

“Jasper is right,” said Mabel, who could speak, though
her voice sounded huskily and smothered; “I have no fears,
uncle, and will stay here until we know what has become of
our friend.”

“This seems reasonable, Pathfinder,” put in Cap. “Your
true seaman cannot well desert a messmate; and I am glad
to find that motives so correct exist among those fresh-water
people.”

“Tut — tut —” returned the impatient guide, forcing the
canoe into the stream as he spoke, “ye know nothing, and
ye fear nothing. If ye value your lives, think of reaching
the garrison, and leave the Delaware in the hands of Providence.
Ahs me! The deer that goes too often to the lick
meets the hunter at last!”