Chapter
VII
Hawkeye takes the two Mohicans out of the cavern to keep watch.
The sound is heard again, and Heyward realizes what it is. It
is the shriek of a horse that is either being attacked as prey
or sees some danger which it cannot avoid. Hawkeye sends Uncas
to scare off the wolves from their horses. Hours go by without
further interruption as the moon shines down. Before dawn, Hawkeye
wakes them and says it is time to leave. Suddenly, the cries
of Indian warriors are heard, and there are rifle shots. David
is wounded. There is then a lull in the attack as the Indians
withdraw. Hawkeye knows they will be back, and says that their
best chance is to hold the rock until Munro, the English commander
of Fort William Henry, can send help. The men keep guard and
wait for the next attack. Five Indians swim down the river with
the help of driftwood. One drowns, but the others leap out from
the cover of the driftwood. Hawkeye shoots one, and Uncas another.
Hawkeye and Heyward then engage in hand-to-hand fights with
the other two. Hawkeye is easily victorious, but Heyward has
to battle hard against the other warrior, and is saved only
by the intervention of Uncas.
Chapter
VIII
The battle continues as other Indians fire their rifles. One
fires down from high in a tree. The Mohicans wound him in the
leg, and then Hawkeye shoots and the Indian’s rifle falls.
He is left desperately hanging on to a branch of the tree. As
he is about to fall, Hawkeye shoots him, and he plunges dead
into the river. But soon there is a new danger. An Indian warrior
steals the canoe, which means that the Indians will be able
to reach Hawkeye and his companions on the island. It seems
that their position is hopeless, since they are badly outnumbered.
Even Hawkeye holds out no hope. Cora urges the men to flee,
so they can at least save themselves. At first, Hawkeye will
not hear of it. Cora then says he should go to her father, Munro,
and ask for aid. She thinks that when the Hurons capture her,
they will take her north, and it might be possible to rescue
her. Hawkeye and the Mohicans agree to her idea, although Uncas
expresses some reluctance. They swim away down the river. Heyward
refuses to go, in spite of Cora’s attempts to persuade
him.
Chapter
IX
The scene goes quiet. Heyward and David retreat to their inner
cave. The small party allows itself some hope as no attack comes.
David begins to sing, but his song is interrupted by a yell
from outside the cave. There are more yells, coming from around
them in every direction. One triumphant yell is heard from near
the hidden entrance to the cave. Heyward abandons hope. The
Indians discover Hawkeye’s abandoned rifle and talk excitedly
about it. They then discover the cave where Heyward and the
others have been hiding. But although the Indians enter the
cave, they fail to discover the adjoining cave where Heyward’s
party have taken refuge. Heyward and his friends are giving
thanks for their narrow escape when they see Magua in the cavern.
Heyward fires at him, and Magua flees. Then more Indians return.
They drag Heyward, David, Cora and Alice out of the cave and
surround them in triumph.
Chapter
X
As Magua explains to Heyward, the Indian warriors want to know
where Hawkeye is. Heyward tells Magua that Hawkeye has escaped
and is beyond their reach, and the same applies to Chingachgook
and Uncas. When Magua relays this to the warriors, they are
bitterly disappointed. Heyward fears that Cora and Alice may
be killed at any moment. But apparently fearing that forces
from Fort Edward might be coming, the Hurons decide to transport
their prisoners by canoe. Six warriors and Magua accompany them.
Heyward flatters Magua, pretending that he believes him to be
on their side. He tries to play on Magua’s desire for
riches by promising that he will be well rewarded by Colonel
Munro at Fort William Henry for returning his daughters safely.
But Magua makes no immediate response. Back on land, they walk
through the woods for miles. Cora tries to leave a trace of
their path, as she had been instructed to do, by bending the
twigs she passes. She drops a glove, but an Indian sees it and
returns it to her. He threatens her with his tomahawk, which
puts paid to her attempt to leave a trail. The party climbs
a hill and stops to rest.
Chapter
XI
Heyward continues to work on Magua, who asks to see Cora. When
they are alone together, Magua tells the story of how he was
born a Huron warrior, but “fire-water” (alcohol)
brought by the whites had caused him to become a rascal, and
the Hurons had chased him away. He became a Mohawk and fought
the Hurons, in alliance with the English. But because he was
caught drinking alcohol, Munro gave him a public whipping. He
still resents his treatment. Cora urges him to forgive, but
Magua refuses. He says he will agree to return Alice to her
father if Cora goes north with him to Huron territory and become
his wife. This will be his way of gaining revenge on Munro.
Cora calls him a monster and says she will resist him. Magua
returns to his men and gives a fiery speech. They all jump up
with knives drawn and tomahawks at the ready, and rush at the
prisoners. Magua calls them back, telling them to prolong the
misery of their victims. The prisoners are bound to trees and
preparations are made to burn them. Magua tries again to secure
Cora’s consent by exploiting her feelings for Alice. Cora
explains the situation to Alice, and says she will let Alice
decide what to do. Alice says that they should all die together
rather than agree to Magua’s proposal. In a rage, Magua
throws a tomahawk at Alice, which cuts some of her hair and
lands in the tree above her head. Heyward breaks free of his
bonds and rushes to stop another Indian who is about to throw
his tomahawk at Alice. The two men fall to the ground wrestling.
The Indian is about to stab Heyward with his knife when a shot
rings out, and the Indian falls dead.
Analysis
Hawkeye is not religious in the way that the Calvinist David
is, but he often shows a religious spirit. An example occurs
in Chapter VII, when he says, in a situation of uncertainty,
“[L]et us wait for that which the Lord may choose to send
next.” Hawkeye has no interest in religious doctrine or
dogma, but he does have a keen sense, mediated to him through
the grandeur of nature, of the presence and activity of God.
Also in
Chapter VII, Heyward again shows his inexperience by falling
asleep while on watch at night. His inattentiveness is contrasted
with the alert watchfulness of Hawkeye and the Mohicans. Heyward
is not lacking in bravery, however, and he is ready to rush
at the attacking Mingoes, before the greater wisdom of Hawkeye
and Uncas restrains him.
These chapters
also reveal the deep friendship between Hawkeye and Uncas. Hawkeye
comments that Uncas has saved his life on five occasions. However,
it is not entirely a relationship of equals. Hawkeye is much
older than Uncas, and they often seem to have more of a father-son
relationship. At the beginning of Chapter VIII, for example,
Hawkeye gives Uncas careful instruction on the use of his rifle.
Chapter
VIII also provides more examples of the theme of race. Hawkeye
is very proud of the fact that he is “a man without a
cross,” a phrase he repeats more than once. When he expects
imminent death at the hands of the Hurons, he says, “As
for me, who am of the whole blood of the whites, it is befitting
that I should die as becomes my color, with no words of scoffing
in my mouth, and without bitterness at the heart!” This
comment reveals his belief that the races are fundamentally
different, with an underlying implication of the superiority
of his own. The same implication can be found in his remark,
later in the same chapter, that “what might be right and
proper in a red-skin, may be sinful in a man who has not even
a cross in blood to plead for his ignorance.” This comment
might suggest that Hawkeye accepts the validity of the norms
of a different culture, although the dominant meaning seems
to be that the Christianity of the whites sets a higher, superior
standard to that which operates in Indian life. This is also
the implication of a later incident, in Chapter XIV, when Chingachgook
kills the French sentinel, and Hawkeye declares that the act
“would have been a cruel and unhuman act for a white-skin;
but ‘t is the gift and natur’ of an Indian, and
I suppose it should not be denied.”
In Chapter
XI the theme of racial purity is raised again, in the repugnance
Cora feels for becoming the wife of Magua. This is conveyed
in her use of such words as “revolting” and “powerful
disgust,” which convey something much more than a simple
dislike of the man. Such a mixing of races, in Cooper’s
time, was considered a great evil, something that no one could
approve of.
However,
the novel is by no means simplistic in its presentation of relations
between the races. Cooper sometimes gives the Indian his due,
and does not leave the white man unscathed. In Chapter XI, for
example, Magua explains that his troubled life was because of
the alcohol which the whites brought, and which was previously
unknown to the Indians. Referring to when Munro ordered him
whipped for drinking alcohol, Magua’s words to Cora are
an indictment of the callousness of the whites: “Is it
justice to make evil, and then punish for it?”
This is
not the only passage where Cooper allows the reader to see the
injustices perpetrated on the Indians by the white settlers.
Hawkeye is himself perfectly aware of these injustices, and
refers to them on more than one occasion.
Chapter
VII
Hawkeye takes the two Mohicans out of the cavern to keep watch.
The sound is heard again, and Heyward realizes what it is. It
is the shriek of a horse that is either being attacked as prey
or sees some danger which it cannot avoid. Hawkeye sends Uncas
to scare off the wolves from their horses. Hours go by without
further interruption as the moon shines down. Before dawn, Hawkeye
wakes them and says it is time to leave. Suddenly, the cries
of Indian warriors are heard, and there are rifle shots. David
is wounded. There is then a lull in the attack as the Indians
withdraw. Hawkeye knows they will be back, and says that their
best chance is to hold the rock until Munro, the English commander
of Fort William Henry, can send help. The men keep guard and
wait for the next attack. Five Indians swim down the river with
the help of driftwood. One drowns, but the others leap out from
the cover of the driftwood. Hawkeye shoots one, and Uncas another.
Hawkeye and Heyward then engage in hand-to-hand fights with
the other two. Hawkeye is easily victorious, but Heyward has
to battle hard against the other warrior, and is saved only
by the intervention of Uncas.
Chapter
VIII
The battle continues as other Indians fire their rifles. One
fires down from high in a tree. The Mohicans wound him in the
leg, and then Hawkeye shoots and the Indian’s rifle falls.
He is left desperately hanging on to a branch of the tree. As
he is about to fall, Hawkeye shoots him, and he plunges dead
into the river. But soon there is a new danger. An Indian warrior
steals the canoe, which means that the Indians will be able
to reach Hawkeye and his companions on the island. It seems
that their position is hopeless, since they are badly outnumbered.
Even Hawkeye holds out no hope. Cora urges the men to flee,
so they can at least save themselves. At first, Hawkeye will
not hear of it. Cora then says he should go to her father, Munro,
and ask for aid. She thinks that when the Hurons capture her,
they will take her north, and it might be possible to rescue
her. Hawkeye and the Mohicans agree to her idea, although Uncas
expresses some reluctance. They swim away down the river. Heyward
refuses to go, in spite of Cora’s attempts to persuade
him.
Chapter
IX
The scene goes quiet. Heyward and David retreat to their inner
cave. The small party allows itself some hope as no attack comes.
David begins to sing, but his song is interrupted by a yell
from outside the cave. There are more yells, coming from around
them in every direction. One triumphant yell is heard from near
the hidden entrance to the cave. Heyward abandons hope. The
Indians discover Hawkeye’s abandoned rifle and talk excitedly
about it. They then discover the cave where Heyward and the
others have been hiding. But although the Indians enter the
cave, they fail to discover the adjoining cave where Heyward’s
party have taken refuge. Heyward and his friends are giving
thanks for their narrow escape when they see Magua in the cavern.
Heyward fires at him, and Magua flees. Then more Indians return.
They drag Heyward, David, Cora and Alice out of the cave and
surround them in triumph.
Chapter
X
As Magua explains to Heyward, the Indian warriors want to know
where Hawkeye is. Heyward tells Magua that Hawkeye has escaped
and is beyond their reach, and the same applies to Chingachgook
and Uncas. When Magua relays this to the warriors, they are
bitterly disappointed. Heyward fears that Cora and Alice may
be killed at any moment. But apparently fearing that forces
from Fort Edward might be coming, the Hurons decide to transport
their prisoners by canoe. Six warriors and Magua accompany them.
Heyward flatters Magua, pretending that he believes him to be
on their side. He tries to play on Magua’s desire for
riches by promising that he will be well rewarded by Colonel
Munro at Fort William Henry for returning his daughters safely.
But Magua makes no immediate response. Back on land, they walk
through the woods for miles. Cora tries to leave a trace of
their path, as she had been instructed to do, by bending the
twigs she passes. She drops a glove, but an Indian sees it and
returns it to her. He threatens her with his tomahawk, which
puts paid to her attempt to leave a trail. The party climbs
a hill and stops to rest.
Chapter
XI
Heyward continues to work on Magua, who asks to see Cora. When
they are alone together, Magua tells the story of how he was
born a Huron warrior, but “fire-water” (alcohol)
brought by the whites had caused him to become a rascal, and
the Hurons had chased him away. He became a Mohawk and fought
the Hurons, in alliance with the English. But because he was
caught drinking alcohol, Munro gave him a public whipping. He
still resents his treatment. Cora urges him to forgive, but
Magua refuses. He says he will agree to return Alice to her
father if Cora goes north with him to Huron territory and become
his wife. This will be his way of gaining revenge on Munro.
Cora calls him a monster and says she will resist him. Magua
returns to his men and gives a fiery speech. They all jump up
with knives drawn and tomahawks at the ready, and rush at the
prisoners. Magua calls them back, telling them to prolong the
misery of their victims. The prisoners are bound to trees and
preparations are made to burn them. Magua tries again to secure
Cora’s consent by exploiting her feelings for Alice. Cora
explains the situation to Alice, and says she will let Alice
decide what to do. Alice says that they should all die together
rather than agree to Magua’s proposal. In a rage, Magua
throws a tomahawk at Alice, which cuts some of her hair and
lands in the tree above her head. Heyward breaks free of his
bonds and rushes to stop another Indian who is about to throw
his tomahawk at Alice. The two men fall to the ground wrestling.
The Indian is about to stab Heyward with his knife when a shot
rings out, and the Indian falls dead.
Analysis
Hawkeye is not religious in the way that the Calvinist David
is, but he often shows a religious spirit. An example occurs
in Chapter VII, when he says, in a situation of uncertainty,
“[L]et us wait for that which the Lord may choose to send
next.” Hawkeye has no interest in religious doctrine or
dogma, but he does have a keen sense, mediated to him through
the grandeur of nature, of the presence and activity of God.
Also in
Chapter VII, Heyward again shows his inexperience by falling
asleep while on watch at night. His inattentiveness is contrasted
with the alert watchfulness of Hawkeye and the Mohicans. Heyward
is not lacking in bravery, however, and he is ready to rush
at the attacking Mingoes, before the greater wisdom of Hawkeye
and Uncas restrains him.
These chapters
also reveal the deep friendship between Hawkeye and Uncas. Hawkeye
comments that Uncas has saved his life on five occasions. However,
it is not entirely a relationship of equals. Hawkeye is much
older than Uncas, and they often seem to have more of a father-son
relationship. At the beginning of Chapter VIII, for example,
Hawkeye gives Uncas careful instruction on the use of his rifle.
Chapter
VIII also provides more examples of the theme of race. Hawkeye
is very proud of the fact that he is “a man without a
cross,” a phrase he repeats more than once. When he expects
imminent death at the hands of the Hurons, he says, “As
for me, who am of the whole blood of the whites, it is befitting
that I should die as becomes my color, with no words of scoffing
in my mouth, and without bitterness at the heart!” This
comment reveals his belief that the races are fundamentally
different, with an underlying implication of the superiority
of his own. The same implication can be found in his remark,
later in the same chapter, that “what might be right and
proper in a red-skin, may be sinful in a man who has not even
a cross in blood to plead for his ignorance.” This comment
might suggest that Hawkeye accepts the validity of the norms
of a different culture, although the dominant meaning seems
to be that the Christianity of the whites sets a higher, superior
standard to that which operates in Indian life. This is also
the implication of a later incident, in Chapter XIV, when Chingachgook
kills the French sentinel, and Hawkeye declares that the act
“would have been a cruel and unhuman act for a white-skin;
but ‘t is the gift and natur’ of an Indian, and
I suppose it should not be denied.”
In Chapter
XI the theme of racial purity is raised again, in the repugnance
Cora feels for becoming the wife of Magua. This is conveyed
in her use of such words as “revolting” and “powerful
disgust,” which convey something much more than a simple
dislike of the man. Such a mixing of races, in Cooper’s
time, was considered a great evil, something that no one could
approve of.
However,
the novel is by no means simplistic in its presentation of relations
between the races. Cooper sometimes gives the Indian his due,
and does not leave the white man unscathed. In Chapter XI, for
example, Magua explains that his troubled life was because of
the alcohol which the whites brought, and which was previously
unknown to the Indians. Referring to when Munro ordered him
whipped for drinking alcohol, Magua’s words to Cora are
an indictment of the callousness of the whites: “Is it
justice to make evil, and then punish for it?”
This is
not the only passage where Cooper allows the reader to see the
injustices perpetrated on the Indians by the white settlers.
Hawkeye is himself perfectly aware of these injustices, and
refers to them on more than one occasion. |
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