Последний из Могикан

           Thescoutshookhishead,andmutteringsomeunintelligiblewords,amongwhich"throat"and"Iroquois,"werealoneaudible,hewalkedaway,tocollect,andtoexamineinto,thestateofthecapturedarsenaloftheHurons.InthisofficehewasnowjoinedbyChingachgook,whofoundhisown,aswellastherifleofhisson,amongthearms.EvenHeywardandDavidwerefurnishedwithweapons;norwasammunitionwantingtorenderthemalleffectual.

           Whentheforestershadmadetheirselection,anddistributedtheirprizes,thescoutannouncedthatthehourhadarrivedwhenitwasnecessarytomove.BythistimethesongofGamuthadceased,andthesistershadlearnedtostilltheexhibitionoftheiremotions.AidedbyDuncanandtheyoungerMohican,thetwolatterdescendedtheprecipitoussidesofthathillwhichtheyhadsolatelyascendedundersoverydifferentauspices,andwhosesummithadsonearlyprovedthesceneoftheirmassacre.Atthefoot,theyfoundtheNarragansettsbrowsingtheherbageofthebushes;andhavingmounted,theyfollowedthemovementsofaguide,who,inthemostdeadlystraits,hadsooftenprovedhimselftheirfriend.Thejourneywas,however,short.Hawkeye,leavingtheblindpaththattheHuronshadfollowed,turnedshorttohisright,andenteringthethicket,hecrossedababblingbrook,andhaltedinanarrowdell,undertheshadeofafewwaterelms.Theirdistancefromthebaseofthefatalhillwasbutafewrods,andthesteedshadbeenserviceableonlyincrossingtheshallowstream.