ne on the shoulders of the
party. They proceeded into the wood, making as broad and obvious a trail
as possible. They soon reached a water-course, which they crossed, and
continued onward, until they came to an extensive and naked rock. At
this point, where their footsteps might be expected to be no longer
visible, they retraced their route to the brook, walking backwards, with
the utmost care. They now followed the bed of the little stream to the
lake, into which they immediately launched their canoe again. A low
point concealed them from the headland, and the margin of the lake was
fringed for some distance with dense and overhanging bushes. Under the
cover of these natural advantages, they toiled their way, with patient
industry, until the scout pronounced that he believed it would be safe
once more to land.

The halt continued until evening rendered objects indistinct and
uncertain to the eye. Then they resumed their route, and, favored by the
darkness, pushed silently and vigorously towards the western shore.
Although the rugged outline of mountain, to which they were steering,
presented no distinctive marks to the eyes of Duncan, the Mohican
entered the little haven he had selected with the confidence and
accuracy of an experienced pilot.

The boat was again lifted and borne into the woods where it was
carefully concealed under a pile of brush. The adventurers assumed their
arms and packs, and the scout announced to Munro and Heyward that he and
the Indians were at last in readiness to proceed.

CHAPTER XXI

"If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death."

_Merry Wives of Windsor._

The party had landed on the border of a region that is, even to this
day, less known to the inhabitants of the States, than the deserts of
Arabia, or the steppes of Tartary. It was the sterile and rugged
district which separates the tributaries of Champlain from those of the
Hudson, the Mohawk, and the St. Lawrence. Since the period of our tale,
the active spirit of the country has surrounded it with a belt of rich
and thriving settlements, though none but the hunter or the savage is
ever known, even now, to penetrate its wild recesses.

As Hawkeye and the Mohicans had, however, often traversed the mountains
and valleys of this vast wilderness, they did not hesitate to plunge
into its depths, with the freedom of men accustomed to its privations
and difficulties. For many hours the travellers toiled on their