Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

Sir, I am going. please don't make noise In a short time, The kid will meet the devil again. ——Shakespeare① ① The second scene of the fourth act. The Hurons were all aghast at the sudden death of one of their companions.But when they discovered that the deadly bullet was so accurate that it hit the enemy and spared the friend, the name "Lance" was called out in unison, followed by a savage and mournful howl.In the midst of this cry, a loud growl was heard from the bushes where the careless Hurons had piled up their weapons, and then Hawkeye jumped out.He didn't have time to reload, so he swung the long gun he had recovered and rushed straight at them.After him, another light, strong figure flashed past Hawkeye, and with amazing agility and bravery, he was the first to charge into the Huron circle, brandishing his tomahawk and his shining sword. The hunting knife stood in front of Cora majestically.Then there was another figure. He was painted with patterns symbolizing death all over his body, rushing past everyone like a gust of wind, and standing fiercely beside the person who appeared just now.Seeing these murderous intruders appearing in front of them so quickly one by one, the murderous mob couldn't help but take a few steps back in fright.With their customary and characteristic exclamation, they yelled a very familiar and frightening name:

"Fast-legged deer! Big boa constrictor!" However, their vigilant leader did not panic. He glanced around the small flat land with sharp eyes, and immediately understood the nature of the attack in his heart.While encouraging his subordinates to fight loudly, he drew out his sharp long knife first, shouted, and rushed towards Chingago who was waiting to fight.This became the signal for an all-out battle.Since both sides had no firearms, only offensive weapons in their hands, but no defensive tools, this fight became a desperate hand-to-hand combat. Facing the shouts of the enemy, Uncas swung his battle-axe, aimed at a Huron, and jumped over, slashing his forehead.Heyward, too, plucked Magua's ax from the sapling, and rushed hastily upon an enemy.Since the number of the two sides is exactly equal, this fight has formed a one-on-one situation.Everyone's movements were as fierce as a whirlwind, and as anxious as lightning.Hawkeye quickly spotted another Huron next to him, and swept towards him with the barrel of a gun. The enemy was caught off guard and was knocked to the ground in an instant.Heyward was impatient, and before rushing to the enemy, he threw the battle ax in his hand rashly.The tomahawk struck his opponent on the forehead, and for a moment he dared not charge forward again.The quick-tempered young officer, encouraged by this small advantage, went on the attack, throwing himself at the enemy with his bare hands.But as soon as he fought, he realized that his move was too reckless. Although he was brave and nimble, and tried his best to dodge, he was completely passive under the desperate stab of the Huron's knife.Seeing that he could no longer defeat this dexterous and alert enemy, he hugged the enemy's body and tightly hugged the opponent's arms around his body like iron hoops.But Hayward saw that his strength was about to be exhausted, and he could no longer hold on. At this critical moment, he suddenly heard someone shouting in his ear:

"Destroy these villains! Don't let a damned Minguo devil go!" In an instant, the butt of Hawkeye's gun had fallen upon the Huron's bare head; under the blow, the man's muscles relaxed, and his body sank from Heyward's arms, Then there was no movement. Immediately after killing his first opponent, Uncas turned, like a hungry lion, to seek his second target.But the fifth, the only Huron who had not participated in the first encounter, hesitated a little at first, and then, seeing that all were fighting about, resolved to complete the thwarted plan with ferocity.With a cry of joy, he threw the sharp tomahawk at the defenseless Cora as if sending out a fearsome pioneer, and leaped himself at her.The tomahawk grazed Cora's shoulder and severed the branch that bound her to the tree, which set her free.Cora escaped from the clutches of the Huron, ignoring her own safety, and ran to Alice, trying her best to use her trembling and inflexible hands to untie the branches that bound her sister's body. .Anyone who was not a devil would have felt pity at such an act of pure, noble and sincere affection.But in the heart of a furious Huron there is no thought of pity.He grabbed Cora's thick, curly hair and, ignoring her frantic hold on to her sister, dragged her aside, violently pinning her to her knees, then grabbed her by the hair, and lifted her up with his hands. She got up, swung the knife in front of her beautiful face, and let out a smug laugh.However, his cruel venting made him lose precious opportunities.For at that moment Uncas discovered the danger.He threw himself hastily into the air, and threw himself straight upon him, only to throw his opponent a few yards away, and to fall himself headlong.It was too much force that made the young Mohican fall beside him.Then, both of them jumped up and fought with their knives, both of them were covered in blood.But the struggle was short-lived, for Heyward's tomahawk and Hawkeye's spear fell upon the Huron, at the same moment Uncas's knife pierced his breast.

The bloody battle was almost over at this point, and only Diaohu and the boa constrictor were still fighting.These two Indian warriors are truly worthy of the meaningful nicknames that people have given them based on their past achievements.At first they fought, dodging each other to avoid the swift and fierce fatal blow, and suddenly both rushed forward, grabbed each other, and fell to the ground together; they twisted into a ball, like two intertwined Pythons together.When the victors realized that they had no opponents to fight, they saw the flying dust and leaves where they fought desperately. It seemed to be swept up by a whirlwind, rolling straight from the center of the small flat to the edge.Driven by the different sympathies of father and son, friendship, gratitude, etc., Hayward and others rushed there, and surrounded the cloud of dust raised above the heads of the two soldiers.Uncas jumped up and down beside the dust cloud, trying to put his knife on the chest of his father's opponent, but he could not find a chance to strike. Hawkeye raised his formidable rifle several times, but could not find it. It was in vain, and at last let go; and Heyward would have rushed to seize the Huron's leg, but there seemed to be no strength in his hands.The two fighters were covered in blood and sand, and they twisted and rolled around as if they had become one person.The terrifying body of the Mohican and the dark body of the Huron flashed alternately and quickly before the eyes of Hayward and the others, until they were dazzled and did not know when.Where should I start to help.There was, it is true, a fleeting moment of Magua's face, and his fiery eyes, like those of a lizard, gleamed fiercely through the dust which covered him.And it seemed that at this moment he had read the end of the struggle in the faces of his enemies.However, where his head appeared, it was immediately replaced by Chingachgo's angry face, so no matter how fast your hands and feet were, the blow could not fall on his head.In this way, the place of this struggle shifted more and more from the center of the small flat to its edge.At this time, the Mohican suddenly found an opportunity, raised his knife and stabbed at the enemy fiercely. Magua immediately let go of his hand, and fell to the ground, motionless, apparently dead.Chingachg jumped to his feet, and the forest resounded with cheers of his triumph.

"Well done to the Delawares! Victory to the Mohicans!" cried Hawkeye, raising his formidable lance once more. "Let me, the pure-blood, finish him off with the final blow." life, which will in no way discredit the victor, nor deprive him of the right to be scalped!" But, sooner than later, when the butt of his gun fell, the cunning Huron rolled on the spot, dodged the dangerous blow, and rolled down the steep slope, and then turned up again, With a jump, he got into the bushes at the foot of the mountain.The two Delawares, who had expected the death of their enemy, cried out aloud at this sight, like hounds stalking a deer before them.But the scouts let out a distinctive scream, which immediately caused them to change their plans and return to the top of the mountain again.

"That's the thing!" cried the scout, with a bitter hatred of the enemy, and his prejudices were so strong that he lost his normal impartiality in all matters connected with the Mingo. "Liar! Despicable scoundrel! An honest Delaware, when justly defeated, would lie there and have his head knocked out, but these cunning Mingos, like Like a wild cat, clinging madly to his old life. Let him go, let him go. He's alone anyway, with neither gun nor bow, and his French friends are far from him Come on; like a rattlesnake that's lost its fangs, he's harmless for a while, and look, Uncas," he went on in Delaware, "your pa's already scalping! Let's go over and check those few Be a lying rascal, and don't let another of them jump up and go screaming into the woods like a jay with a broken wing."

So saying, the honest and merciless scout went up to the dead Hurons, and, aiming at their long unconscious breasts, struck each with his long knife again, his His expression was so indifferent, as if these were all Yinsheng's corpses.But the elderly Mohican had already been ahead of him and tore the sign of victory—the scalp of the dead man—from the unresisting head. But Uncas, uncharacteristically, almost contrary to nature, galloped with Heyward to help the two girls.They quickly untie Alice and hand her over to Cora.The sisters' gratitude to Almighty God for their lives so unexpectedly saved, and to be reunited, requires no further description.Their prayers of thanksgiving were deep and silent; in their hearts burned the brightest and purest tenderness; and although both were silent, the long and passionate caresses expressed their renewed love. worldly feelings.Alice stood up from Cora, threw herself into her arms, and cried out the old father's name loudly, her gentle and innocent eyes shone with hope.

"We're saved! We're saved!" she repeated softly. "Go back to our dear papa! He won't break his heart for us any more! And you, Cora, my sister—no, closer than a sister, my mother, you Saved too. And Duncan," she went on, looking at the young officer with an inexpressibly innocent smile, "not even my brave and noble Duncan was hurt at all." Cora didn't reply to these passionate but almost incoherent words, but held her sister tightly in her arms, full of tenderness and tenderness.Even such an imposing man as Heyward was not ashamed to shed tears at a scene so affectionate.Uncas, who was covered in blood in the battle, appeared to be a calm and calm bystander on the surface, but in fact, his eyes had lost their original fierceness and shone with sympathy, which showed that he Possesses an extremely high intellect, perhaps centuries ahead of his kindred.

Under such circumstances, everyone was very excited, which is human nature. During this time, Hawkeye carefully checked the Hurons who were killed, and confirmed that these guys could no longer make trouble. Only then did he come to David and untie him. Prior to this, David had been very patiently waiting for others to rescue him. "There!" cried the scout, throwing back the last twig. "Your limbs are free again, though they may not obey you now as they were when you were first born. I am not older than you, but I've been in this wilderness for the better part of my life, and I've probably got a lot of experience to say the least. If you don't mind the advice of a man like me, I'd like to give you my opinion. I mean, you'd better get your That beep in your pocket is sold, to the first fool you meet, and with that money you can buy a useful weapon, even a cavalry barrel pistol. As long as you're careful and diligent , maybe you can even get into an official job. Now, I believe you can see clearly, a carrion crow is much better than a chattering long-tailed thrush. At least a crow can be cleared by people That rancid thing, and a long-tailed thrush, only stirs up the woods, and only deceives people's ears."

"Arms and trumpets are needed for battle, but songs of thanksgiving are needed for victory!" replied David, untied. "My friend," he continued, stretching out a thin and slender hand to Hawkeye in a friendly way, with tears in his eyes, "thank you for keeping the hair on my head as good as it was when God gave it to me; perhaps Others have brighter and curlier hair than mine, but I think mine is the best for protecting my brain. The reason why I didn't take part in the battle just now was not because I didn't want to, but because I was bound by the canon You have shown courage and dexterity in battle, and before proceeding to other more important duties, I hereby express my deep gratitude to you, for you have proved to be fully worthy of a Christian's praise."

"It's only a trifle; if you're with us a lot, you'll see it a lot," replied the scout, who, with his sincere gratitude, was grateful for the hymn. The attitude of the teachers is also much better. "My old man, Deer, is back in my hands," he continued, patting the barrel of his rifle, "and that alone is a victory. The Iroquois are always cunning." but it would be foolish to place the weapon so far at rest. If Uncas and his father had the Indian patience, we'd only need two more shots to get the rascals out of the way. The whole thing is settled, and not even the escaped scoundrel survives. But it is Providence's will, and it is for the best." "You're right," David replied. "You've captured the truth of Christianity. Whoever is destined to be saved will be saved, and whoever is destined to be punished will be punished. That's the real truth." , is also the greatest comfort and encouragement to a pious believer." The scout had been sitting there, examining his rifle with a kind of parental care.At this time, he suddenly raised his head and looked up at the other party, without concealing his dissatisfaction in his heart, he interrupted the other party's conversation in a rough voice. "No reason," said the honest forest-dweller, "that is believed only by the wicked, and brings disaster upon the good. I can only believe that the Huron over there should have been in my hands." Fallen, for I saw it with my own eyes. But until I see it, I never believe that he will be rewarded, or that Chingachgook will be punished in his last days." "Your arrogant reasoning has no basis, and it will not be supported by any holy book." David shouted, he had an extremely sensitive sense of superiority, at his time, especially in his line of work, this kind of Superiority has been clothed in the beautiful ignorance of divine revelation, endeavoring to proclaim the awe-inspiring mysteries of divinity, supplementing faith with self-righteousness and arrogance, and blinding those who draw inferences from these absurd and dubious human dogmas. people. "Your church is built on sand dunes whose foundations will be swept away by the first storm. I ask you to justify such a ruthless claim (David, too, like a man who advocates a system, uses language aspects are not always accurate). In which holy book, in which chapter and verse, can you find the basis for your statement?" "Books?" Hawkeye repeated, and went on with uncharacteristically blunt contempt. "Do you think I'm a whimpering child holding on to your old crones' skirts? Think this fine gun on my lap for a quill, my horns for an inkwell, and my leather pouch for a belt Have you wrapped your meal with a towel? Books! Although I am a pure-blooded white man, I am a warrior in the barren hills; what is the use of books for a person like me? Except for one book, I have no books in my life. I haven't read it. But the words and sentences in this book are very simple and clear, and you don't need much schooling to understand it, even though I have spent forty long and hard years on it." "What's the name of your book?" David asked, misunderstood. "This book is open before your eyes," replied the scout. "The person who owns this book is not a cheapskate. Anyone can use this book. It is said that some people read books to convince themselves that they have God. I know that there is a man who will come to this colony to make trouble, and what is so clear in the wilderness will be puzzled in the minds of businessmen and priests. If there is such a man, he will be here with me every day. Walking in the woods, he will surely realize that he is a fool, and the most foolish thing about him is that he tries to improve himself to the level of God, but in fact, neither in virtue nor in power, he can never match God is equal." At this time, David found that his opponent in the verbal war was a person who only believed in the revelation of nature and disliked the ignorance of all doctrines, so he immediately voluntarily gave up this debate, because he knew that he could not get money from here. No benefit, no reputation.While the scout was still talking, he sat down, took out the little book he carried with him, put on wire-rimmed spectacles, and prepared to go on with his duties, which would have been impossible if he had not been attacked unexpectedly just now. It will never stop for so long.In fact, he is a bard in the Western Continent—of course, he was born later than the talented singers who sang about the worldly glory of kings and grandchildren, but he can still follow the rules and regulations of his own time. the spirit of the country.Now he is ready to celebrate this victory with his superb skills, or to say, to thank him for this victory.He waited patiently for Hawkeye to finish, and then he lifted his head, raised his voice, and said aloud: "My friends, I invite you all to join me in celebrating this victory, our extraordinary escape from the savage pagans. Let us sing this light and solemn hymn, whose It's called Northampton." Then he gave the page number and chapter of the hymn he had chosen, and put the proof flute to his mouth, and blew it solemnly twice, as he was used to in church.This time, however, there was no accompaniment for him, for Cora and Alice were expressing their passionate affections, as already mentioned.In reality his audience was only the disgruntled scout, but the hymn master, not minding the lack of audience, let go of his throat and sang the hymn from beginning to end, without encountering any encounter any unexpected events or be interrupted. Hawkeye listened, but indifferently adjusted the bolt on the gun and reloaded the gunpowder.Lacking external scenery and sympathy, the song did not touch the serene mood of the scout.Never before did the bard—or to call him something more appropriate to David—before a duller audience.However, considering the purity and sincerity of his motives, perhaps never has a secular singer expressed his heart's homage and praise to heaven with such songs as he did.The scout shook his head and muttered something, only hearing the words "voice" and "Iroquois" in it, and then he went to collect and inspect the weapons seized from the Hurons up.At this time Chingachgook also came to help, and among these weapons he found his own and his son's rifles.Now, even Hayward and David were given weapons, and a lot of bullets and gunpowder were also obtained. When the forest dwellers had finished selecting and distributing the booty, the scouts announced loudly that the hour had come when they must go on the road.At this time, David's song had also been sung, and Cora and Alice's excitement had calmed down.With the help of Hayward and the young Mohican, the two sisters descended the steep slope of the hill from which they had not long before been ascended, under quite different escorts, and which was so nearly It became the place where they were killed.At the foot of the hill they found their Narragansett nibbling the bushes, and they mounted the saddle and followed their guide, who had proved faithful to them several times in life and death. friend. This journey is not long.Hawkeye left the Huron path, turned right into a coppice, crossed a babbling brook, came to a narrow ravine, and stopped under the shade of some elms.It was only a few hundred yards from the foot of the ominous hill.The horse is only suitable for riding when crossing the not deep stream. The scouts and the Indian father and son seemed to be very familiar with the hidden spot where they rested now.Leaning their guns against the tree, they began to push aside the dead leaves on the ground, and dug up the blue and shining soil below, and a clear and crystal spring gushed out from the bottom.Then Hawkeye looked around, as if looking for something that should be at hand. "That lot of careless devils—the Mohawks, and their mates, the Tuscaroras and Onandas—seem to have all drank here," he muttered, "but the rascals They even threw away the gourds and ladles! These heartless dogs treat the gift of nature in this way! For the convenience of people, God has created this spring from the ground in such a desolate mountain. It is better than the whole colony. There's better water in any drugstore! Look! These bastards are treading on the mud, and trampling the place in such a mess, they're like beasts, not people!" At this moment, Uncas silently handed over the gourd ladle he was looking for; it turned out that it was hanging on the branch of a nearby elm, and the eagle eye was too angry to see it just now.He filled the ladle with water, took a few steps back, picked a place with dry and hard soil, and sat down quietly.He drank the water slowly and comfortably, then put down the sack that was on his arm, and took out the food left by the Hurons in it, and examined it carefully. "Thank you, boy," he went on, handing back the empty gourd to Uncas, "now let us see how these hopping Hurons did when they came here to lay an ambush far from their habitation. What a living. Look at this! These bastards know where the best part of a deer is. Looks like they know how to cut and roast a saddle as well as the best cooks in the country! It's a pity it's all raw, for the Iroquois are very savages. Take my tinder, Uncas, and light a fire. Some cooked food will help us recover after such a long journey." Heyward saw their guide earnestly stop to eat, and he helped the sisters from the horse, and seated himself beside them, glad to take this rest, and heal the pain of the bloody battle. fatigue.Seeing the cooking going on, he approached him out of curiosity, and asked how they had come to the rescue in such a timely manner. "How did you come so soon, my generous and generous friends?" he asked. "And without the help of Fort Edward's garrison?" "If we go to the river bend, we may only be able to cover your corpses with leaves, but not to preserve your scalps." The scout replied coldly. "No, no! We didn't waste energy and miss the opportunity to cross the river to Fort Edward. We just hid on the banks of the Hudson River and watched the actions of the Hurons." "Then, have you seen everything that happened?" "No, not all. The Indians have very sharp eyes, and it's hard to hide from them; but we keep you very close. And there's another difficulty: it's hard to call this young Moshi Quiet the dry man in the hiding place! Oh, Uncas, Uncas! You are not a stalking warrior, but a curious woman!" Uncas only glanced at the resolute face of the scout, without answering a word, without showing the slightest sign of repentance.On the contrary, Heyward believed that this attitude of the young Mohican was more or less an expression of disdain. The reason why he restrained his anger and did not explode was partly due to his courtesy to the audience present. , On the other hand, it is also out of consistent respect for this white friend. "Did you see us captured!" Hayward continued. "We heard it." That's an interesting answer. "The cries of the Indians are the language to a man used to the woods. But when you disembarked and landed, we just crawled under the leaves like snakes. Afterwards we had no idea where you were. , until the last time I saw you, you were tied to a tree, and you were about to be killed by the Indians." "It was Heaven's will that we were saved. But it is a miracle that you did not go astray, for the Hurons divided into two, and there were horses in each." "Yes! This will make us lose track of you. In fact, if it had not been for Uncas, we might not have found you. However, we chose this path into the wilderness, Because we judged—and now it seems that the judgment was not wrong—that the natives must have taken this road with their captives. But we walked for several miles, but we still couldn’t see the signal I agreed with you, and we couldn’t find it. A broken twig. That's when I got suspicious, especially when I saw the moccasin tracks all the way." "The Huron took precautions against this, and asked us to change into shoes like theirs," said Heyward, raising one leg to show the moccasins on his feet. "Yeah! That's a good thing to do, they usually are. But we can't be fooled by such commonplace ideas." "Then what are we thankful for our salvation?" "Speaking of which, I, a pure-blooded white man, should be ashamed. Logically speaking, I should know these things better than him, but this time the judgment of this young Mohican is better than mine. Although I have seen him with my own eyes. That's right, but I still can't believe my eyes." "It's wonderful! Can you tell me the whole story?" "Uncas ventured to say that the horses on which the two girls rode," continued Hawkeye, glancing at their mounts curiously, "landed on both the front and back hoofs at the same time. And as far as I know , except for bears, any four-legged animal does not run like this, and there are actually such horses in the world, which walk like this all the time. Now I can see that the footprints left by them are as many as twenty Come miles." "That's the good thing about this horse! It's bred around Narragansett Bay in that little colony of Providence, and is famous for its hard work and its unique gait. Although other Horses of other breeds are often trained to this gait." ①The capital of today's Red Island. "It might be so—it might be so," said Hawkeye, listening to the explanation with great attention, "though I am a pure white man, I only know a little more about deer and beaver, and about The animals are very unfamiliar. Major Effingham has a lot of fine horses too, but I never saw one with such a sidestep." "Yes, he judges horses on very different grounds. And horses of this breed do deserve to be highly regarded; you have seen with your own eyes that they can be Show how honorable they are." The Mohican father and son, busy by the flickering fire, stopped what they were doing and listened to their conversation.As soon as Heyward had finished, they exchanged meaningful glances, and the father uttered his customary exclamation of surprise.The scout was pondering, as if he was digesting the newly acquired knowledge, and at the same time he glanced at the two horses quietly again curiously. "Stranger things can be seen in the Colonies, I daresay!" he said again at last. "As soon as man became master, nature suffered. However, whether the horses walked sideways or straight, Uncas recognized them, and from their footprints we found the broken branch. Near the footprints of a horse's hooves, we see a tree with an outer branch that has been broken upwards in the same way as a girl folds flowers, but there are many broken branches beside it, but All folded downwards, as if pulled by a strong hand! So I judged that the crafty rascals must have seen one branch snap off, and snapped the rest, too, so that we may believe that it was a stag who broke off these branches with its horns." "Your wise judgment is not wrong at all, and it is indeed the case!" "It's obvious at first glance," the scout continued, without thinking of any special cleverness in himself, "and the horse's hoof marks are completely different from those made by a waddling horse! Therefore It suddenly occurred to me that those Minguo people must have been to this spring, because all these guys know that the water here is very good!" "Is the spring so famous, then?" asked Heyward, looking more curiously at the secluded canyon and the spring bubbling from the dark brown soil. "Few of the famous people who often travel between the south and east of the Great Lake are unaware of the quality of this spring. Would you like to taste it?" Heyward took the gourd, but drank only a little, and put it away with a grimace.The scout chuckled sincerely, shook his head and said: "Ah! You are not used to the taste! I used to dislike it as much as you do, but now I want to drink this spring water, just like a deer wants to lick salt ground. A red man likes your fragrant wine more than this fountain! Especially when he feels a little sick. Look, Uncas has kindled the fire, It's time for something to eat, we still have a long way to go." The scout suddenly stopped talking, and turned to deal with the food that the Hurons hadn't finished eating in time.They finished the cooking with a quick roast, and then he and the two Mohicans began the crude meal.Their silent and dedicated appearance seems to be the kind of people who try to fill their stomachs as much as possible, so that they can bear the arduous and continuous labor. This necessary, pleasant and important task was accomplished, and the forest-dwellers stooped again, and drank at last several long gulps of the clear spring water.That is to say, this spring, together with the nearby springs, has attracted countless dignitaries, businessmen, talented scholars and beauties from both hemispheres for fifty years, making them gather here to recuperate, vacation, and have fun.Then Hawkeye announced that everyone was ready to continue on the road.The sisters mounted their horses again, and Hayward and David, taking up their guns, followed after them.The scout led the way, and the two Mohicans followed.Thus the little troop hurried north along the rugged path, leaving only the healthful springs to flow unheeded into the nearby brooks.The bodies of the Hurons, lying on the nearby hill-tops, were left to rot without being attended to for the funeral; such was the common fate of warriors in the woods, that it aroused neither pity nor comment.