9 Ghosts in the Forest

CHAPTER 9 Ghosts in the Forest Hawkeye covered their tracks to make it harder for Magua to find them. After they had been walking for a long time, he moved aside some large tree branches and cut a path through a briar bush. Then he led them to an old cabin. The roof had all but fallen in, but the walls were sound. Cora and Alice hesitantly stepped down from their horses, afraid of going inside such a rundown place. "Wouldn't it be better if we stayed hidden in

the woods?" Duncan asked. "Oh, very few know of this house. We are safe here," Hawkeye answered, and told the group about a great battle that had been fought there years ago. When Cora and Alice heard the story, they were afraid to sit on a field where such a battle had been fought, but Hawkeye assured them that there was no chance the ghosts would bother them! Then the Mohicans and Hawkeye got to work. They made beds for Cora and Alice from grass and leaves, and covered up the roof with chestnut shoots. Soon, both girls were sleeping soundly in a small corner of the old cabin. Duncan sat beside them at the ready, but Hawkeye said, "Get some rest. Let Chingachgook be the eyes for tonight." Duncan started to say no, but Hawkeye insisted. Soon, everyone but Chingachgook closed their eyes. Chingachgook sat up straight

and did not move a muscle. He saw and heard everything: an owl, a whip-poor-will, even the small critters running about on the forest floor. At last, Chingachgook shook Duncan's shoulder and said quietly, "It's time to go." Duncan nodded. "I'll wake Cora, Alice, and David." "We're already up," Alice said sweetly, "and we're ready to go." "I didn't want to fall asleep," Duncan said. "After leading you into so much danger, I swore to myself that I would not truly rest until you were safe." Alice smiled and said, "You are a good man, Duncan. Thank you." "Shhh!" Hawkeye said. "The Mohicans hear something." Duncan crept forward with Hawkeye to see what was happening. "I see the tracks of a man!" Hawkeye said. "It's Magua! He must have found our trail."

Hawkeye ordered Duncan to put the horses in the old cabin. They would have to take cover there. Within minutes, the group was crouched and hiding inside. They heard voices outside. Duncan, Hawkeye, and the Mohicans gazed through the slats in the cabin walls and saw twenty Hurons standing around talking. Branches cracked as they moved around the cabin. Just as they were about to come into the house, the Hurons stopped. They had seen the signs of the earlier battle! There were scars on the trees from tomahawk strikes, broken arrows, and marks where bullets had hit the ground. Magua and his men were frightened by what they saw and quickly retreated. Soon, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of their footsteps moving farther away from the cabin. Hawkeye waited until it was safe and then led the group outside.

No one said a word as they made their escape. Finally they came to the banks of a small stream. Hawkeye took off his moccasins and motioned for Duncan and David to do the same. They stepped into the water and walked along the bed of the brook, leaving no trail at all. They led the girls on their horses silently through the water, covering their tracks as soon as they stepped back onto the hard ground. The path they took now led them into the mountains. Hawkeye stopped and said, "There could be an entire army of men just beyond here, if the French have advanced as I think they would." "Are we close to Fort William Henry?" Duncan asked. "We are still a long, weary distance away," Hawkeye responded. "We need to hurry," Duncan said. "I would imagine the battle between the French and the English will soon be underway. They'll be

fighting all around the fort." "We can't continue in this direction, then. We don't want to walk into the middle of a battle," Hawkeye said. "We need to go through the mountains and come up from the other direction." Duncan nodded in agreement, and the party was soon on its way. They moved slowly. It was dark and the path was rocky. A winding road took them up through the hills. At last, daylight broke through the darkness. Hawkeye took hold of the horses and helped Cora and Alice down. Then he let the animals go, telling them to be safe and eat well. "Have we no more use for them?" Duncan asked. "Look for yourself," Hawkeye said. "We can see Montcalm's camp from here." They were standing on a hill about a thousand feet above the camp. From there they could see Fort William Henry in the distance. Around the