Chapter 18

Summary

This scene is conspicuous in the pages of history as "The Massacre of William Henry." The Mohicans, Hawkeye, Munro, and Duncan are appalled and anguished to see the bloody scene of death. They search for Cora and Alice and are relieved not to see them amidst the dead. Uncas finds Cora's veil and a tearful Munro implores Uncas to find her. Hawkeye and the Mohicans ponder over which trail they might have taken. When Duncan finds a footprint, Uncas identifies it as Magua's. When they find evidence that David has passed, Duncan is comforted that the girls are at least not alone, but Hawkeye is contemptuous of his ability to protect them. They figure out that the party has traveled north on horseback, but there is still no certain sign that Alice was with them, until Uncas finds a bauble belonging to her. Duncan is relieved and wants to set forth immediately, but Hawkeye tells him that Indians do not rush into such a grave venture without taking the time to rest and plan their course of action.

The massacre of William Henry shocks Hawkeye and the others. But thanks to Uncas' superior skills as a hunter and tracker, they realize that Cora is alive. Munro, who is a broken man, implores Uncas to help him search for his daughters.

The lover and the father are agitated and are in turmoil. They look at Uncas for reassurance, who does not fail them. He finds a bauble that belongs to Alice. The author shows how the men have started to trust Uncas implicitly, especially his hunting skills.

Duncan is still getting in the way. When he asks Hawkeye how he can be of assistance in their hunt for the trail, Hawkeye tells him he can help by sticking to the rear. Hawkeye has respect for Duncan's skills in his own realm, but reasonably judges him to be out of his league in the wilderness.

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