The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757

by James Fenimore Cooper

  CHAPTER XXVII

  "_Ant._ I shall remember: When Caesar says _Do this_, it is performed."

  _Julius Caesar._

  The impatience of the savages who lingered about the prison of Uncas, ashas been seen, had overcome their dread of the conjurer's breath. Theystole cautiously, and with beating hearts, to a crevice, through whichthe faint light of the fire was glimmering. For several minutes theymistook the form of David for that of their prisoner; but the veryaccident which Hawkeye had foreseen occurred. Tired of keeping theextremities of his long person so near together, the singer graduallysuffered the lower limbs to extend themselves, until one of hismisshapen feet actually came in contact with and shoved aside the embersof the fire. At first the Hurons believed the Delaware had been thusdeformed by witchcraft. But when David, unconscious of being observed,turned his head, and exposed his simple, mild countenance, in place ofthe haughty lineaments of their prisoner, it would have exceeded thecredulity of even a native to have doubted any longer. They rushedtogether into the lodge, and laying their hands, with but littleceremony, on their captive, immediately detected the imposition. Thenarose the cry first heard by the fugitives. It was succeeded by the mostfrantic and angry demonstrations of vengeance. David, however firm inhis determination to cover the retreat of his friends, was compelled tobelieve that his own final hour had come. Deprived of his book and hispipe, he was fain to trust to a memory that rarely failed him on suchsubjects; and breaking forth in a loud and impassioned strain, heendeavored to soothe his passage into the other world, by singing theopening verse of a funeral anthem. The Indians were seasonably remindedof his infirmity, and rushing into the open air, they aroused thevillage in the manner described.

  A native warrior fights as he sleeps, without the protection of anythingdefensive. The sounds of the alarm were, therefore, hardly uttered,before two hundred men were afoot, and ready for the battle or thechase, as either might be required. The escape was soon known; and thewhole tribe crowded, in a body, around the council-lodge, impatientlyawaiting the instruction of their chiefs. In such a sudden demand ontheir wisdom, the presence of the cunning Magua could scarcely fail ofbeing needed. His name was mentioned, and all looked round in wonderthat he did not appear. Messengers were then despatched to his lodge,requiring his presence.

  In the meantime, some of the swiftest and most discreet of the young menwere ordered to make the circuit of the clearing, under cover of thewoods, in order to ascertain that their suspected neighbors, theDelawares, designed no mischief. Women and children ran to and fro; andin short, the whole encampment exhibited another scene of wild andsavage confusion. Gradually, however, these symptoms of disorderdiminished; and in a few minutes the oldest and most distinguishedchiefs were assembled in the lodge, in grave consultation.

  The clamor of many voices soon announced that a party approached, whomight be expected to communicate some intelligence that would explainthe mystery of the novel surprise. The crowd without gave way, andseveral warriors entered the place, bringing with them the haplessconjurer, who had been left so long by the scout in duress.

  Notwithstanding this man was held in very unequal estimation among theHurons, some believing implicitly in his power, and others deeming himan impostor, he was now listened to by all with the deepest attention.When his brief story was ended, the father of the sick woman steppedforth, and, in a few pithy expressions, related, in his turn, what heknew. These two narratives gave a proper direction to the subsequentinquiries, which were now made with the characteristic cunning ofsavages.

  Instead of rushing in a confused and disorderly throng to the cavern,ten of the wisest and firmest among the chiefs were selected toprosecute the investigation. As no time was to be lost, the instant thechoice was made the individuals appointed rose in a body, and left theplace without speaking. On reaching the entrance, the younger men inadvance made way for their seniors; and the whole proceeded along thelow, dark gallery, with the firmness of warriors ready to devotethemselves to the public good, though, at the same time, secretlydoubting the nature of the power with which they were about to contend.

  The outer apartment of the cavern was silent and gloomy. The woman layin her usual place and posture, though there were those present whoaffirmed they had seen her borne to the woods, by the supposed "medicineof the white men." Such a direct and palpable contradiction of the talerelated by the father, caused all eyes to be turned on him. Chafed bythe silent imputation, and inwardly troubled by so unaccountable acircumstance, the chief advanced to the side of the bed, and stooping,cast an incredulous look at the features, as if distrusting theirreality. His daughter was dead.

  The unerring feeling of nature, for a moment prevailed, and the oldwarrior hid his eyes in sorrow. Then recovering his self-possession, hefaced his companions, and pointing towards the corpse, he said, in thelanguage of his people,--

  "The wife of my young man has left us! the Great Spirit is angry withhis children."

  The mournful intelligence was received in solemn silence. After a shortpause, one of the elder Indians was about to speak, when a dark-lookingobject was seen rolling out of an adjoining apartment, into the verycentre of the room where they stood. Ignorant of the nature of thebeings they had to deal with, the whole party drew back a little, andgazed in admiration, until the object fronted the light, and rising onend, exhibited the distorted, but still fierce and sullen features ofMagua. The discovery was succeeded by a general exclamation ofamazement.

  As soon, however, as the true situation of the chief was understood,several ready knives appeared, and his limbs and tongue were quicklyreleased. The Huron arose, and shook himself like a lion quitting hislair. Not a word escaped him, though his hand played convulsively withthe handle of his knife, while his lowering eyes scanned the wholeparty, as if they sought an object suited to the first burst of hisvengeance.

  It was happy for Uncas and the scout, and even David, that they were allbeyond the reach of his arm at such a moment; for, assuredly, norefinement in cruelty would then have deferred their deaths, inopposition to the promptings of the fierce temper that nearly chokedhim. Meeting everywhere faces that he knew as friends, the savage gratedhis teeth together like rasps of iron, and swallowed his passion forwant of a victim on whom to vent it. This exhibition of anger was notedby all present; and, from an apprehension of exasperating a temper thatwas already chafed nearly to madness, several minutes were suffered topass before another word was uttered. When, however, suitable time hadelapsed, the oldest of the party spoke.

  "My friend has found an enemy," he said. "Is he nigh, that the Huronsmay take revenge?"

  "Let the Delaware die!" exclaimed Magua, in a voice of thunder.

  Another long and expressive silence was observed, and was broken, asbefore, with due precaution, by the same individual.

  "The Mohican is swift of foot, and leaps far," he said; "but my youngmen are on his trail."

  "Is he gone?" demanded Magua, in tones so deep and guttural, that theyseemed to proceed from his inmost chest.

  "An evil spirit has been among us, and the Delaware has blinded oureyes."

  "An evil spirit!" repeated the other, mockingly; "'tis the spirit thathas taken the lives of so many Hurons; the spirit that slew my young menat 'the tumbling river'; that took their scalps at the 'healing spring';and who has now bound the arms of Le Renard Subtil!"

  "Of whom does my friend speak?"

  "Of the dog who carries the heart and cunning of a Huron under a paleskin--La Longue Carabine."

  The pronunciation of so terrible a name produced the usual effect amonghis auditors. But when time was given for reflection, and the warriorsremembered that their formidable and daring enemy had even been in thebosom of their encampment, working injury, fearful rage took the placeof wonder, and all those fierce passions with which the bosom of Maguahad just been struggling were suddenly transferred to his companions.Some among them gnashed their teeth in anger, others vented theirfeelings in yells, and some, agai
n beat the air as frantically as if theobject of their resentment were suffering under their blows. But thissudden outbreaking of temper as quickly subsided in the still and sullenrestraint they most affected, in their moments of inaction.

  Magua who had in his turn found leisure for reflection, now changed hismanner, and assumed the air of one who knew how to think and act with adignity worthy of so grave a subject.

  "Let us go to my people," he said; "they wait for us."

  His companions consented in silence, and the whole of the savage partyleft the cavern and returned to the council-lodge. When they wereseated, all eyes turned on Magua, who understood, from such anindication, that, by common consent, they had devolved the duty ofrelating what had passed on him. He arose, and told his tale withoutduplicity or reservation. The whole deception practised by both Duncanand Hawkeye was, of course, laid naked; and no room was found, even forthe most superstitious of the tribe, any longer to affix a doubt on thecharacter of the occurrences. It was but too apparent that they had beeninsultingly, shamefully, disgracefully deceived. When he had ended, andresumed his seat, the collected tribe--for his auditors, in substance,included all the fighting men of the party--sat regarding each otherlike men astonished equally at the audacity and the success of theirenemies. The next consideration, however, was the means andopportunities for revenge.

  Additional pursuers were sent on the trail of the fugitives; and thenthe chiefs applied themselves, in earnest, to the business ofconsultation. Many different expedients were proposed by the elderwarriors, in succession, to all of which Magua was a silent andrespectful listener. That subtle savage had recovered his artifice andself-command, and now proceeded towards his object with his customarycaution and skill. It was only when each one disposed to speak haduttered his sentiments, that he prepared to advance his own opinions.They were given with additional weight from the circumstance that someof the runners had already returned, and reported that their enemies hadbeen traced so far as to leave no doubt of their having sought safety inthe neighboring camp of their suspected allies, the Delawares. With theadvantage of possessing this important intelligence, the chief warilylaid his plans before his fellows, and, as might have been anticipatedfrom his eloquence and cunning, they were adopted without a dissentingvoice. They were, briefly, as follows, both in opinions and in motives.

  It has been already stated that, in obedience to a policy rarelydeparted from, the sisters were separated so soon as they reached theHuron village. Magua had early discovered that in retaining the personof Alice, he possessed the most effectual check on Cora. When theyparted, therefore, he kept the former within reach of his hand,consigning the one he most valued to the keeping of their allies. Thearrangement was understood to be merely temporary, and was made as muchwith a view to flatter his neighbors as in obedience to the invariablerule of Indian policy.

  While goaded incessantly by those revengeful impulses that in a savageseldom slumber, the chief was still attentive to his more permanentpersonal interests. The follies and disloyalty committed in his youthwere to be expiated by a long and painful penance, ere he could berestored to the full enjoyment of the confidence of his ancient people;and without confidence, there could be no authority in an Indian tribe.In this delicate and arduous situation, the crafty native had neglectedno means of increasing his influence; and one of the happiest of hisexpedients had been the success with which he had cultivated the favorof their powerful and dangerous neighbors. The result of his experimenthad answered all the expectations of his policy; for the Hurons were inno degree exempt from that governing principle of nature, which inducesman to value his gifts precisely in the degree that they are appreciatedby others.

  But, while he was making this ostensible sacrifice to generalconsiderations, Magua never lost sight of his individual motives. Thelatter had been frustrated by the unlooked-for events which had placedall his prisoners beyond his control; and he now found himself reducedto the necessity of suing for favors to those whom it had so lately beenhis policy to oblige.

  Several of the chiefs had proposed deep and treacherous schemes tosurprise the Delawares, and, by gaining possession of their camp, torecover their prisoners by the same blow; for all agreed that theirhonor, their interests, and the peace and happiness of their deadcountrymen, imperiously required them speedily to immolate some victimsto their revenge. But plans so dangerous to attempt, and of suchdoubtful issue, Magua found little difficulty in defeating. He exposedtheir risk and fallacy with his usual skill; and it was only after hehad removed every impediment, in the shape of opposing advice, that heventured to propose his own projects.

  He commenced by flattering the self-love of his auditors; anever-failing method of commanding attention. When he had enumerated themany different occasions on which the Hurons had exhibited their courageand prowess, in the punishment of insults, he digressed in a highencomium on the virtue of wisdom. He painted the quality, as forming thegreat point of difference between the beaver and other brutes; betweenbrutes and men; and, finally, between the Hurons, in particular, andthe rest of the human race. After he had sufficiently extolled theproperty of discretion, he undertook to exhibit in what manner its usewas applicable to the present situation of their tribe. On the one hand,he said, was their great pale father, the governor of the Canadas, whohad looked upon his children with a hard eye since their tomahawks hadbeen so red; on the other, a people as numerous as themselves, who spokea different language, possessed different interests, and loved them not,and who would be glad of any pretence to bring them in disgrace with thegreat white chief. Then he spoke of their necessities; of the gifts theyhad a right to expect for their past services; of their distance fromtheir proper hunting-grounds and native villages; and of the necessityof consulting prudence more, and inclination less, in so criticalcircumstances. When he perceived that, while the old men applauded hismoderation, many of the fiercest and most distinguished of the warriorslistened to these politic plans with lowering looks, he cunningly ledthem back to the subject which they most loved. He spoke openly of thefruits of their wisdom, which he boldly pronounced would be a completeand final triumph over their enemies. He even darkly hinted that theirsuccess might be extended, with proper caution, in such a manner as toinclude the destruction of all whom they had reason to hate. In short,he so blended the warlike with the artful, the obvious with the obscure,as to flatter the propensities of both parties, and to leave to eachsubject of hope, while neither could say it clearly comprehended hisintentions.

  The orator, or the politician, who can produce such a state of things,is commonly popular with his contemporaries, however he may be treatedby posterity. All perceived that more was meant than was uttered, andeach one believed that the hidden meaning was precisely such as his ownfaculties enabled him to understand, or his own wishes led him toanticipate.

  In this happy state of things, it is not surprising that the managementof Magua prevailed. The tribe consented to act with deliberation, andwith one voice they committed the direction of the whole affair to thegovernment of the chief who had suggested such wise and intelligibleexpedients.

  Magua had now attained one great object of all his cunning andenterprise. The ground he had lost in the favor of his people wascompletely regained, and he found himself even placed at the head ofaffairs. He was, in truth, their ruler; and, so long as he couldmaintain his popularity, no monarch could be more despotic, especiallywhile the tribe continued in a hostile country. Throwing off, therefore,the appearance of consultation, he assumed the grave air of authoritynecessary to support the dignity of his office.

  Runners were despatched for intelligence in different directions; spieswere ordered to approach and feel the encampment of the Delawares; thewarriors were dismissed to their lodges, with an intimation that theirservices would soon be needed; and the women and children were orderedto retire, with a warning that it was their province to be silent. Whenthese several arrangements were made, Magua passed through the village,stopping here and t
here to pay a visit where he thought his presencemight be flattering to the individual. He confirmed his friends in theirconfidence, fixed the wavering, and gratified all. Then he sought hisown lodge. The wife the Huron chief had abandoned, when he was chasedfrom among his people, was dead. Children he had none; and he nowoccupied a hut, without companion of any sort. It was, in fact, thedilapidated and solitary structure in which David had been discovered,and whom he had tolerated in his presence, on those few occasions whenthey met, with the contemptuous indifference of a haughty superiority.

  Hither, then, Magua retired, when his labors of policy were ended. Whileothers slept, however, he neither knew nor sought repose. Had there beenone sufficiently curious to have watched the movements of the newlyelected chief, he would have seen him seated in a corner of his lodge,musing on the subject of his future plans, from the hour of hisretirement to the time he had appointed for the warriors to assembleagain. Occasionally the air breathed through the crevices of the hut,and the low flames that fluttered about the embers of the fire threwtheir wavering light on the person of the sullen recluse. At suchmoments it would not have been difficult to have fancied the duskysavage the Prince of Darkness, brooding on his own fancied wrongs, andplotting evil.

  Long before the day dawned, however, warrior after warrior entered thesolitary hut of Magua, until they had collected to the number of twenty.Each bore his rifle, and all the other accoutrements of war, though thepaint was uniformly peaceful. The entrance of these fierce-lookingbeings was unnoticed; some seating themselves in the shadows of theplace, and others standing like motionless statues, until the whole ofthe designated band was collected.

  Then Magua arose and gave the signal to proceed, marching himself inadvance. They followed their leader singly, and in that well-known orderwhich has obtained the distinguishing appellation of "Indian file."Unlike other men engaged in the spirit-stirring business of war, theystole from their camp unostentatiously and unobserved, resembling a bandof gliding spectres, more than warriors seeking the bubble reputation bydeeds of desperate daring.

  Instead of taking the path which led directly towards the camp of theDelawares, Magua led his party for some distance down the windings ofthe stream, and along the little artificial lake of the beavers. The daybegan to dawn as they entered the clearing which had been formed bythose sagacious and industrious animals. Though Magua, who had resumedhis ancient garb, bore the outline of a fox on the dressed skin whichformed his robe, there was one chief of his party who carried the beaveras his peculiar symbol, or "totem." There would have been a species ofprofanity in the omission, had this man passed so powerful a communityof his fancied kindred, without bestowing some evidence of his regard.Accordingly, he paused, and spoke in words as kind and friendly as if hewere addressing more intelligent beings. He called the animals hiscousins, and reminded them that his protecting influence was the reasonthey remained unharmed, while so many avaricious traders were promptingthe Indians to take their lives. He promised a continuance of hisfavors, and admonished them to be grateful. After which, he spoke of theexpedition in which he was himself engaged, and intimated, though withsufficient delicacy and circumlocution, the expediency of bestowing ontheir relative a portion of that wisdom for which they were sorenowned.[24]

  During the utterance of this extraordinary address, the companions ofthe speaker were as grave and as attentive to his language as thoughthey were all equally impressed with its propriety. Once or twice blackobjects were seen rising to the surface of the water, and the Huronexpressed pleasure, conceiving that his words were not bestowed invain. Just as he had ended his address, the head of a large beaver wasthrust from the door of a lodge, whose earthen walls had been muchinjured, and which the party had believed, from its situation, to beuninhabited. Such an extraordinary sign of confidence was received bythe orator as a highly favorable omen; and though the animal retreated alittle precipitately, he was lavish of his thanks and commendations.

  When Magua thought sufficient time had been lost in gratifying thefamily affection of the warrior, he again made the signal to proceed. Asthe Indians moved away in a body, and with a step that would have beeninaudible to the ears of any common man, the same venerable-lookingbeaver once more ventured his head from its cover. Had any of the Huronsturned to look behind them, they would have seen the animal watchingtheir movements with an interest and sagacity that might easily havebeen mistaken for reason. Indeed, so very distinct and intelligible werethe devices of the quadruped, that even the most experienced observerwould have been at a loss to account for its actions, until the momentwhen the party entered the forest, when the whole would have beenexplained, by seeing the entire animal issue from the lodge, uncasing,by the act, the grave features of Chingachgook from his mask of fur.