1 The Battleground

CLASSIC STARTS The Last of Mohicans Retold from the James Fenimore Cooper original

CHAPTER 1 The Battleground This story takes place in the third year of the last war between the French and the English. The two countries were fighting over the land that would become Canada and the United States. Forts were set up and fought over as farmers fled the battlegrounds. It was a terrible war, particularly during the cold winter months, and the troops were happy to see summer arrive. The sound of war drums in the middle of the night awoke the tired, worn-out English soldiers

of Fort Edward. They knew at once that the French commander, Montcalm, was coming up the river with a large army. Their leader, General Webb, ordered his fifteen hundred soldiers to march up the river at dawn to meet the French army at Fort William Henry. At first light, the soldiers rode out on their strong horses. Great big wagons carrying supplies followed, kicking up dust as they went. Inside General Webb's house, Cora and Alice Munro—the daughters of the general who was in charge of Fort William Henry—were preparing for their journey home. Outside, Major Duncan Heyward was making sure that everything was ready for the trip. An Indian scout named Magua stood beside him. With Montcalm coming up the river to attack the English, the journey back to Fort William Henry would be very dangerous. Duncan and Magua were to make sure that the girls made it home safely.

The thought of Alice's safety weighed heavily on Duncan's mind as he tightened the horses' saddles. He had strong feelings for General Munro's beautiful young daughter, and did not wish to see her harmed in any way. As they were getting the horses ready, a tall, thin man walked up to Duncan and Magua. He wore a large hat and carried a pitch pipe. He said to Duncan, "This is a beautiful horse —I saw many of them at New Haven. He's perfect looking, isn't he?" Duncan looked at the man strangely and carried on with his preparations. The stranger stood there for a while waiting for an answer, but when none came, he walked away. A few minutes later, the cabin door opened and the sisters came out. Alice, the younger of the two, was very fair. She had blond hair and blue eyes, and was quite beautiful. Duncan helped her up on her horse. He smiled kindly at her, and blushed a little when she thanked him

for his hand.

Then he turned and helped Cora onto her own horse. General Webb came out to say good-bye. The three nodded farewell to him as they rode away. Just as Duncan and the girls were leaving the camp, Magua shot past them on his horse. The quick movement startled Alice, who let out a sharp, "Oh my!" Cora's fiery eyes stared straight ahead, and she didn't flinch. Instead, she calmly pulled her veil down so it covered her dark brown hair and eyes.