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Show jj CONDENSED f i: CLASSICS :; I LAST OF THE I MOHICANS I ? t Ey J. FENIMORE COOPER Y o CqndenBatijn by j J Thomas D. Connolly Hardly bnd Wuhtnn;(oo Irvlns b-B b-B the career with his Knickerbocker History and the Sketch-book which made him the flrnt Amerlcun man of lettera to achieve an International reputation, when he Joined In that fpleasnnt eminence by Jamci Fenlmore Cooper. Irving wrote on the traditional linen f KnfflUh literature. Cooper found something; new. He presented the recent re-cent but romantic past of his fwa country on land and sea, and he Introduced Intro-duced to the world the figure of the noble red man, with the fclamour of Baystery which the unknown always adds to romance. He la much more read today than Irving-) hla hold In foreign lands la particularly atrong, probably due to the fact that his style rould only be Improved by translation. The thrill that comes from a wholesome story of adventure baa a lure for all humanity, as have brave deeds of der-rlngdo. der-rlngdo. The thlrtecn-year-old Yale freshman (who never got bis degree) Is known to thousands who have never heard of his great president, Timothy Dwlght. "The Spy," "The Pilot," "The Last of the Mohicans," "The Two Admirals," Ad-mirals," "The Pioneers," "The Prairie," "The Red Rorer." "The Pathfinder," are some of his books most familiar, but everyone haa bis own particular taste In adventure. Ron voyage to the young In heart who have yet to meet James Fenlmore Cooper. IN THE third year of the war between be-tween France and England in North America, news came to Fort Edward, where lay General Webb with 5,000 men, that Montcalm was advancing on Port William Henry, held by the veteran Scotchman, Munro. Webb, Instead of going to the assistance assist-ance of Munro, sent him a scant handful hand-ful of men. Munro's daughters, Cora and Alice, determined to visit their father de-eplte de-eplte the danger. Capt. Duncan Heyward, Hey-ward, deeply in love with Alice, offered to serve as their escort The party get out by little-fraquented paths, prulded by an Indian, Le Renard Subtil, Sub-til, or Magua, as he was known to his tribe. An eccentric singing master, . David Gamut, attached himself to the party, despite Heyward's protests. As the unsuspecting travelers passed through the thick forests a savage face glared at them from a thicket. Magua was leading the party into a trap. Two men sat by the banks of a small stream about an hour's Journey from Fort Edward. One, a magnificent specimen of Indian manhood, had a terrifying emblem of death painted opon his naked breast. The other, tall, with the lithe muscles of the woodsman, was white. "Listerr, Hawkeye," said the Indian. "We Mohicans came and made this land ours. Then came the Dutch, and Kave my people the fire-water. Then they parted with their land. Now L a chief and a Sagamore, have never eeen the sun shine except through the trees, and have never visited the grraves of my fathers. .And my son, Cncas, the last of the tribe, Is the last of the Mohicans." As his name was mentioned, Uncas slipped into view, and seated himself gravely by the side of his father, Chlngachgook. Almost immediately the little cavalcade caval-cade from Fort Edwards came Into view. Heyward, addressing Hawkeye, Inquired as to their whereabouts, explaining ex-plaining that their Indian guide had lost his way. "An Indian lost in the woods?" said the scout in perplexity. "I should like a look at the creature." He crept stealthily into the thicket, to return after a moment, his suspicions suspi-cions fully confirmed. Explaining to Heyward that the Indian had tried to trap the party, he outlined a plan for the capture of the traitor. But, as they stole upon him, Magua divined their plan, and vurrished In the thick woods. Hawkeye realized the serious plight of the little party, and volunteered to help them. They set up the river in a canoe bound for a cave, where none but the scout and his Indian companions compan-ions had ever set foot. This haven they reached in safety, although pursued pur-sued by a band of Indians as they crossed the lake. They had barely reached their Island Is-land fortress when Mngua's band appeared ap-peared on their trail. The scout and his companions valiantly defended their cave against a horde of Indi.'ins, inflicting in-flicting heavy losses until their ammunition am-munition gave out. Then Cora, seeing see-ing that resistance was useless, begged tbe scout and the two Indinns to slip down the river, and attempt to secui re-enforcements at Fort William Henry. B it a short while after the scouts set off, Magua and his warriors war-riors appenred, and made captive tie whites who remained in the cave. Magua divided his band, and set off with his captives, attended by a handful hand-ful of braves. lie offered to send Alice to her father, if Cora would go with Mm to his wigwam. Alice Indignantly Indig-nantly refused, and Magua. enraged, prepared to torture his captives. Judt as a brave rushed at Alice, : with tomahawk raised, a rifle crwked, ind the Indinn dropped. nawkcyc, fflloneJ by Unc and Ct.'ugacho 3 1 rushed upon the hewililn ,i) Indians; only Magna escaped the fury of their attack. Tlie captives were freed, and In a short time tbe party entered Fori William Henry, despite the fa"t thai -Montcalm was attacking IL. Their stay at the fort was brief however, for Munro, his forces heavily heav-ily outnumbered by those of Montcalm, Mont-calm, was forced to capitulate. Montcalm Mont-calm promised that the defenders of the fort should be permitted to depart for Fort Edward, and guaranteed that they should not be molested. Munro agreed, and the English abandoned the stronghold. As the women and children were filing across the plain before the fort an Indian reached out for a trinket on the breast of a woman .who bore a child In her arms. Affrighted, the woman drew back, whereupon the Indian In-dian seized the child and dashed it to the ground, then buried his tomahawk In the head of the woman. In an instant in-stant the Indians of Montcalm's army fell upon the helpless women and children. chil-dren. Death was everywhere, and In horrible forms. Suddenly Magua caught sight bf Cora and Alice, who Btood helpless by the pile of slain. He seized the terrified ter-rified girls, and hurried them into the woods. Gamut, whom the Indians venerated as one Insane, was permitted permit-ted to accompany them. A few days later Hawkeye and his Indian companions, with Heyward and Munro, stood on the bloody plain. They had searched carefully for the bodies of the girls, but without success. suc-cess. Hawkeye, certain that Magua had carried them off, searched diligently dili-gently for the trail. Suddenly they found it, and the little party set off after the wily Magua. The trail led to an Indian village, where they came upon Gamut, ludicrously ludi-crously attired as an Indinn warrior. Heyward, disguised as a medicine man, entered the camp with Gamut. He had been in the encampment but a short while when an old chief requested re-quested him to drive the evil spirit from the wife of one of his young men. As Heyward was preparing for the unwelcome task, an Indian was brought into the camp, and all thought of the woman vanished at the news that the prisoner was Uncas, deadly foe of the tribe. Soon, as the excitement over the captive cap-tive subsided, the old chief, remembered remem-bered the sick woman, and escorted Heyward to her chamber in a cave of the neighboring mountain. As Heyward, Hey-ward, alone in the chamber, save for the dying woman, looked around him, he was startled by a great shaggy bear, which padded noiselessly in. Suddenly its head slipped off, and Heyward, Hey-ward, astounded, was gazing at Hawk-eye, Hawk-eye, who, thus attired, had made his way Into the Indian village. As the scout rearranged his disguise dis-guise Heyward, hearing a slight noise In another chamber, investigated, and found Alice there. With Hawkeye'a assistance, he managed to bring the girl from the chamber and stole out of the village. Hawkeye, still In the character of the bear, fearlessly fear-lessly entered the cabin where TJncas was imprisoned, and succeeded In liberating lib-erating him. Together they made their way into the forest. Magua, although keeping Alice with his own tribe, had entrusted tbe care of Cora to a friendly tribe of Dela-wares. Dela-wares. Immediately after the escape of Alice, he hurried to the encampment encamp-ment of the Delawares to claim Cora. By Indian law, th girl 'was his captive, cap-tive, and he bor her away, despite the intervention of TJacas, a hereditary chief of the tribe. As soon as he had vanished In the forest, the tribe, under the leadership of TJncas, prepared to follow him and war against his people. In their hideous hid-eous war panoply they hurried on Magua's trail. A Woody battle was fought between be-tween the two Indian tribes and the forces of Le Renard Subtil emshlngly defeated. Seeing that the day was lost, the wily savage seized Cora In his arms, and hurried toward the mountains, TJncas, Heyward and Hawkeye in hot pursuit. Cora, knowing the fate that lay be fore her, suddenly refused to move from the ledge on which she stood. "Woman !" cried Magua, raising his knife, "choose the wigwam or the knife of Le Subtil?" As he spoke, TJncas thudded down beside him. having jumped from a fearful height to the ledge. Magua, a ferocious smile on his dusky face, plunged the knife into the body of his prostrate enemy. While Magua gloated over the dying TJncas, one of his companions sheathed his knife in Cora's bosom. With a wild cry of triumph, Magna, after leaping a wide fissure, made for the summit of the mountain. A single bound would carry him to the brink nf the precipice and assure his safety. He shouted defiantly "The palefaces pale-faces are dogs! Tho Delaware? women ! Magua leaves them on the rocks for the erovs !" He turned and leaped for the height, but fell short, and only saved himself by grasping a bush that grew from the side of the mountain. As he slowly pulU-d himself up, Hawkeye's rifle cracked from below. Magua, shaking his hand in defiance of his enemy, en-emy, shot downward to destruction. Copyrlprht, 1910. by the Post Publlshlns Co. (The Boston Post). CopyrlRlit in the United Klnprtjom. the Dominions, its Col onlos and dependencies, under the copyright copy-right art. by the Post Publlshlns Co., Boston, Mass., U. S. A. All rights reserved. |