Adventure, battle and sudden death are all part of this famous story written over a hundred and fifty years ago.

Set in North America, near the Hudson River, it is also the story of a gallant Indian warrior and a fearless frontier-scout.

The Last of the Mohicans

by James Fenimore Cooper

Just over two hundred years ago, the Hudson River valley in North America was the scene of cruel and bitter fighting between the English and French settlers. Once the Mohican tribe of Indians had lived quietly in this valley. Now, the soldiers of England and France fought each other in the thick forests that separated the two sides. Many Indians from several different tribes were fighting too, some on one side and some on the other.

The English had a garrison at Fort Edward. In the year 1757, two young girls, Alice and Cora Munro, were waiting there to travel on to Fort William Henry, where their father, General Munro, commanded the English soldiers. This garrison was fifteen miles away at the head of the Horican Lake.

One morning an Indian runner called Magua arrived at Fort Edward with two messages. The first was that the French commander, Montcalm, was advancing with a large force. The second, that General Munro needed more men at Fort William Henry.

It was decided to send fifteen hundred soldiers to Fort William Henry early the next day, by the usual military route. Since the soldiers were likely to be attacked, Alice and Cora would not be travelling with them. The sisters would go by horse, on a secret but more difficult path through the woods, with a young major called Duncan Heyward. The Indian messenger Magua was to be their guide.

Next morning they set off. The officer and the two girls were on horseback, and Magua led the way on foot. As they travelled along a dark narrow path through thick bushes, Alice, the younger sister, watched Magua closely. "I don't trust him!" she whispered to Duncan Heyward.

"You may travel with the soldiers if you want to," he replied, "but their route is known to the enemy, while ours is still secret."

"I'm sure we can trust him," said Cora. She thought her sister was imagining things. But Alice was right to sense that they were not safe, for their father had once ordered Magua to be flogged for drunkenness. The young major knew of this, but had not told the two girls.

Magua was moving at a pace just above walking speed. He seemed to know the paths well, and the party followed him confidently, unaware that they themselves were being watched. They had travelled many miles when suddenly Magua slowed down, then stopped. "We are lost," he said. "I can't find the next path."

The sisters looked at each other, then at Major Heyward. "What can we do?" asked Cora.

The major rode forward to look for himself. It was hopeless—thick bushes grew everywhere, and it was impossible to see ahead. Then, near the banks of a small stream, they came across three men.

One was an English frontier-scout, known as Hawk-eye. The others were Mohicans: Chingachgook and his son Uncas. Hawk-eye put his rifle across his left arm and kept his right forefinger on the trigger as Major Heyward rode towards him. We are lost. Can you direct us to the fort called William Henry?" asked the major.

Hawk-eye laughed. "You are very far off the track. It will be easier for you to follow the river to Fort Edward."

"We left there this morning," said Heyward, "with our Indian guide."

Hawk-eye looked suspicious. "An Indian lost in the woods?" he said disbelievingly. "That is very strange. What tribe is he?"

"He is a Huron called Magua."

"A Huron," repeated Hawk-eye. "They are treacherous and cannot be trusted. Let me have a look at this guide."

The frontier-scout turned to look at Magua, who was leaning against a tree a little distance away, a cruel look on his face.

"If I go towards him," said Hawk-eye, "he will suspect something and run away through the trees. It would be better to let Chingachgook and Uncas capture him from behind."

But just as Hawk-eye finished speaking, Magua turned suddenly and disappeared into the woods. The speed with which he moved took them by surprise and though they searched he was not to be found.

Now Heyward's party had no guide and no protection—and they were lost! The young major thought for a few minutes, then asked the frontier-scout if he and the two Indians would escort them to Fort William Henry.

Heyward promised to pay whatever they asked. After they had talked the matter over, Hawk-eye and the two Mohicans agreed.

The shadows of the evening were beginning to lengthen, so Hawk-eye pulled a bark canoe from the bushes at the edge of the river. The two girls got into it, while the Mohicans took their horses along the bank of the river to hide them until morning.

The little party paddled the canoe a short distance along the river, until they reached Glenn's Falls. Here they stepped out onto the rocks, where they were soon joined by Chingachgook and Uncas.

Hawk-eye and the two Indians went to find a cave where they could spend the night. They returned quickly, to lead the party to a big cave within sound of a rumbling waterfall. The Mohicans had brought venison and salt with them, and the scout made a fire to cook a meal. Uncas served the ladies, although usually Indian custom forbade warriors to wait on women.

He and his father Chingachgook were very much alike, but Alice was impressed by the young man's proud bearing. She said to Cora, "I shall sleep soundly with such a fearless warrior to protect me!"

When everyone had eaten, the entrance to the cave was concealed with some branches, and they prepared for sleep. The sisters rested peacefully in each other's arms, while the men took it in turn to keep guard.

Near dawn Hawk-eye shook Duncan Heyward awake, and told him he was going to bring the canoe to the landing place. The two Indians would remain on guard in front of the cave. When Hark-eye had gone, Heyward decided to wake the sisters up, but before he could do so, there came loud yells and cried from outside the cave, followed by the sound of rifle fire!

For almost a minute the air was filled with frightening noise. Magua had returned with other members of the Huron tribe.

As Chingachgook and Uncas fired back at their enemies, Duncan Heyward watched for the return of Hawk-eye with the canoe. Then Hawk-eye came back, and with his first shot he killed one of their attackers. At this the other Hurons retreated, and silence returned.

"Back into the cave," said Hawk-eye. "The Hurons will attack again soon. There are about forty of them."

The men then primed their pistols for, as Hawk-eye told them, the mist from the waterfall could dampen the powder.

Suddenly four Indians rushed from cover and made for the cave. Chingachgook and Uncas fired, and the two men in the lead fell to the ground. The other two hurled themselves upon Hawk-eye and Heyward. Hawk-eye stabbed his attacker to the heart. Heyward struggled desperately with the other. They fought to the edge of the rocks, beyond which was a sheer drop to certain death. Just as Heyward felt they would both go over, he saw the knife of Uncas come down. His enemy released his grip and fell from sight over the edge.

"Come back to cover!" shouted Hawk-eye.

When they were all together again Uncas and Duncan Heyward looked at one another, then clasped hands in friendship.

As they did so, a shot rang out, the bullet striking a rock near Heyward's side. It was fired by an Indian who had climbed an oak tree on the opposite bank. They all took cover and waited. A long time went by before the Huron revealed himself and attempted another shot. When he appeared, Hawk-eye took careful aim and fired. The Indian fell into the foaming waters of the river.

Immediately Hawk-eye sent Uncas to the canoe for more powder for their rifles. But the canoe was being pulled away by a Huron, swimming hidden on its far side.

"Since we have no gunpowder, our rifles are useless now," said Hawk-eye. "We shall all die, because every path out of here will be watched. The only escape is by swimming downriver with the current. But we cannot leave the ladies."

"You will have to," said Cora. "Duncan can stay with us here, and you three can escape and bring help from my father at Fort William Henry."

After much talk and argument it was agreed that this was the best plan. One by one the men dropped into the stream and went with the current. The two sisters went back into the cave with Duncan Heyward. "We shall be secret and safe," said Alice, "for even if the Hurons come back, they will not find us here."

But they had not been long in the cave when they heard the sound of Huron voices outside. After some minutes of mutterings from the next cave, there was silence. Suddenly there was a rush. They were overpowered and dragged outside.

Magua looked down at them. "Where are the bodies of the scout and the Mohicans?" he asked.

"They are not dead. They have escaped and gone to bring help," said Duncan.

The Hurons rushed to the river and yelled with anger when they saw their three enemies had escaped. This made them look at Duncan, Alice and Cora with even more menace. But Magua had them under tight control. He issued orders and the three white people were taken across the river in a canoe.

On the opposite bank they were pushed out, and the Hurons split into two groups. Magua kept five men with him to guard the prisoners. There were two horses, and Duncan helped Alice and Cora onto their backs. Magua led the way and they set of. After a long walk, the Hurons stopped to eat. Magua told Duncan to send Cora to him.

Cora had no idea why Magua wished to see her, so she stood before him in silence, waiting for him to speak.

"Daughter of Munro," he said at last, "your father once said that no Indian on his camp should swallow firewater. But a white man gave some to Magua, and so your father had me tied to a post and flogged like a dog. On my back—the back of a Huron chief—are the scars of which I am ashamed."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Cora.

"I want you to live in my wigwam as my wife, so that Munro knows his daughter is fetching water for Magua, cooking his food and cleaning his wigwam. This would make Munro sad."

"I shall never do that!" replied Cora.

Magua looked coldly into her eyes, then he turned to the other Hurons. As he spoke they grew more and more angry until they hurled themselves at Duncan, Alice and Cora, dragged them away and tied them to trees. Once they were secure, the Hurons stood back.

Suddenly, with a loud scream, Magua threw his tomahawk. It struck the tree above Alice's head, cutting off some strands of her hair. This maddened Duncan, who broke loose and leapt at the Huron who was preparing to throw next. They fell together but just as the Indian raised his knife, the crack of a rifle was heard and the Huron dropped dead.

Magua and the four remaining Indians were taken completely by surprise as Hawk-eye, Chingachgook and Uncas ran out from behind the thicket. Duncan Heyward leapt forward too, and a violent fight took place. Four of the Hurons were killed within minutes, and Magua sank to the ground from a heavy blow by Chingachgook.

Alice and Cora put their arms around each other, weeping with the relief of being saved from death.

Hawk-eye told Duncan that they had heard the Hurons yelling around the caves, so the had returned, watched, and followed at a safe distance, waiting for the right moment to attack. While he was telling the story, Magua, who had been pretending, got to his feet and ran into the bushes out of sight. The Mohicans would have followed, but Hawk-eye stopped them.

Soon the party moved back to where the two horses were standing, and Alice and Cora mounted. They set off once more in the direction of Fort William, with Hawk-eye in the lead. As darkness fell, he took them to a crumbling, tumbledown building, hidden in the trees, which he had remembered. "We can rest here," he said.

Hardly had they settled down before Chingachgook, who was on first watch, said that he could hear enemies outside in the darkness. "Bring the horses in here," whispered Hawk-eye, "and everyone keep still."

About twenty Hurons were moving about outside. Gradually they got nearer to the building until it seemed they must hear the horses breathing. Inside, the party waited nervously as the minutes passed. Then the sounds from the Hurons began to grow fainter. There were some burial mounds outside the building, and in respect for the dead the Hurons had moved away.

At last all was still. As soon as the Mohicans were sure it was safe, the whole party crept in the darkness to the banks of the stream. Here the two girls again mounted the horses.

"Now we walk along in the water," said Hawk-eye, "for that way we shall leave no trail."

This they did for about an hour, until they came to a sandy bank with many trees. They left the water, and Hawk-eye led the way once more.

"It is a long and weary path from here to Fort William Henry," he said, "but I know the way very well. We must keep to the west, go through the mountains, and watch all the time for Montcalm's French soldiers."

On they went—slowly, for ragged rocks and steep slopes made the route difficult. When they reached a flat and mossy summit, Hawk-eye told the sisters to get off their horses.

"We must let the horses loose here," he told them. "They can go no further."

From the top of the hill they could see the southern shore of Horican Lake below, and towards the west were the buildings of Fort William Henry. But all eyes went straight to the artillery of General Montcalm, who had moved his forces very close to the fort.

"Don't worry," Hawk-eye said to the girls. "The Mohicans and I will lead you to your father. There is a fog coming down which will help."

They followed him down the steep slope until they reached level ground. By this time the fog was rolling down quickly, and they waited until it covered the camp of the enemy.

"We must move with care," said Hawk-eye, "for they have posted guards, both redskin and white."

As they crept slowly through the fog, they heard all kinds of sounds: voices in French; voices in the Huron tongue; and the sounds of firing, both of musket and cannon ball. And all the time Hawk-eye was edging them closer and closer to the fort.

Suddenly the small group heard a voice above them. It was General Munro, the girls' father! Alice and Cora shouted through the fog to him, and within seconds some soldiers came out of the fort to help them in. It all happened with breathtaking speed.

The girls and their father were so overjoyed to see one another that in the days following they forgot the danger they were in. They forgot Montcalm, and the French soldiers, and the Indian warriors covering the fort.

Although they knew that they were in constant physical danger while the siege lasted, they forgot that too. Munro was almost defenceless, and was still waiting hopefully for Webb to arrive from Fort Edward with reinforcements.

About the third day, Montcalm sent word that he was prepared to talk. General Munro decided to sent Major Duncan Heyward as his agent, and Duncan left the fort with a white flag of truce. He was met by a French officer who took him to General Montcalm.

When Duncan entered the French commander's tent, he looked around with interest. Montcalm was with his senior French officers and some Indian chiefs—including Magua! The French general was very polite.

"Your leader is brave," he said, "but to save bloodshed, would it not be better to surrender to me now? I cannot hold back the anger of these Indians for much longer. If I let them, they will butcher you all. So let us speak of terms."

"A powerful force is on its way to help us," replied Duncan—and did not understand why Montcalm smiled.