They walked through the night until finally the sun rose and they halted to rest and eat. No food or water was offered to Alice or Cora, and there had been no sign of Duncan.
Cora took Alice's hands in hers and gave her a feeble smile. Both their wrists bore marks of the rope and Cora gently rubbed her sister's bruises. Before they could even find their breath again they were commanded to their feet and pushed onwards.
Through the forest they seemed to walk for hours, the branches and brushes tearing at their dresses and tripping their feet.
Alice had never felt so tired and she felt like she walked as if in a dream, but she had to keep walking - if she fell back, even for a moment, a sharp push met her lower back as a Huron herded her with his musket butt.
Up ahead, some distance away, Alice saw Duncan and relief flooded her heart. He was bound and walked as if he had been badly hurt. When he turned in their direction she saw his face was now covered in blood.
She closed her eyes and wished the scene away but of course, everything was still there when she re opened them. But still she wished that when she did it would not be the badly beaten, bloody Duncan she saw but a smartly dressed Duncan, standing tall.
She watched Duncan for a moment; he seemed to be in conversation with Magua. Alice wondered if he was trying to bargain for their lives. Suddenly Magua seemed to tire of the Major's attention and walked ahead of him.
Alice lowered her eyes to the ground and went back to the task of keeping on her feet.
The sky began to darken around them and finally they stopped. Alice fell to the floor unable to take another step. Cora sat next to her.
Alice looked at her sister and tears welled in her eyes. "What will become of us?" she whispered.
Cora stroked Alice's hair, and her own eyes filled with tears. "I don't know, Dear one."
Alice let out a sob and Cora hugged her to her, letting her cry. Alice finally cried herself into a deep sleep on her sister's lap.
She was awoken by someone gently kicking her side. She raised her head and saw a Huron towering above them. He threw a water bag down to them. Cora picked it up and opened the top, offering it to Alice, who drank the cool water greedily, feeling it wash away the dustiness she felt in her throat.
Then Cora drank, re-corked it and passed it back to the man, who then motioned for them to get on their feet.
Cora helped Alice up and again they were herded onwards.
The sun was high in the sky and the forest had begun to thin. Alice supposed they had been walking for four hours since she awoke. Then ahead of her she saw the outline of a village.
As they drew nearer, cries of joy began to come from the village as men, women and children flocked out to greet the returning Huron warriors.
Alice now clung to her sister, her strength spent and her fear total at the many faces watched them enter the village. Some spat at Duncan as he was pushed through them.
They were guided towards a large wooden platform, on which stood a wooden chair covered in furs.
Slowly, helped by two young women, an ancient Huron walked up onto the platform and took the seat.
He looked down at Magua and began to speak to him in Huron.
As Magua responded to the chief he pulled Cora forwards and pushed her down onto her knees.
Unable to understand them, Alice let her eyes wander over the village, its small dwellings, and the people listening intently all around them. Her eyes caught Duncan's, who stood a little to the side of them, he tried to give her a weak smile but the effort seemed to cause him pain.
Suddenly the chief moved his eye line from Magua and looked behind them. Everyone's gaze turned to that direction and Alice saw, entering the village, Hawkeye, his arms stretched to his sides, completely unarmed.
A murmur rose from around them, the voices mirroring shock and disgust.
Then a young warrior lunged at Hawkeye, striking him hard on the back of the head and knocking Hawkeye to his knees. Hawkeye regained himself, stood, and continued his walk towards the platform.
"Nathaniel!" Cora cried, almost unable to believe her eyes.
Hawkeye quickly glanced at her then turned his attention towards Duncan. "Translate for me, Major. Into French. Every word, as I say it."
Duncan nodded and Alice listened.
Hawkeye turned to the chief, "I come to you, unarmed and in peace, to unstop your ears, Wise One. Because the Huron are misled by the words of the wolf who's never spoken the truth."
Hawkeye's gaze moved onto to Magua, who was slowly approaching him, tomahawk in hand. The chief lifted his hand to Magua and he retreated back to beside Cora, the hatred burning in his eyes.
Hawkeye continued, "Let the children of the dead Colonel Munro go free, and take the fire out of the English anger over the murder of their helpless ones."
Alice's eyes flew to meet her sister's at the mention of her father's death. Cora looked back at her, and Alice realized Cora had known before this point that her father had perished.
Alice looked down at her bound hands and tried to restrain her tears. Her father was dead. He would not find them; he would not search relentlessly for them… He was dead.
Magua stepped forward, his eyes blazing with anger. He began to speak in French and Alice listened as Duncan translated it into English for Hawkeye.
"Our French father, Montcalm, is greater than the Yengeese in the arts of war. The Huron do not fear English anger."
Hawkeye looked back at the chief, "Wise One, the French fathers made peace and swore to their honour not to break the friendship. Magua broke it. It is false that the French would not be friends, still, to the Huron."
The chief's eyes narrowed and fell upon Magua.
Magua gave out a dismissive laugh, "It made our French father happy to never have to fight the same Yengeese again. He told me this without telling me this."
Hawkeye's face sagged a little, then his voice rose, "So the Huron are the servants of the French? To do what the French are shamed to do?"
"No!" Magua roared at him, the anger coming full force. He turned to the chief, "Huron serve no one. The French father believes he fooled Magua because he is so proud of his cleverness, he is blind. But it is the Huron path that Magua walks down, not the French one... Now, the French, also, fear Huron. That is good. When the Huron is strong from their fear, we will make the terms of trade with the French. And we will trade as the white man trades. Take land from the Abnakes; fur from the Osage, Sauk and Fox. And make the Huron great. Over other tribes. No less than the whites, as strong as the whites."
Hawkeye, his face calm, spoke evenly, "Would the Huron make his Algonquin brothers foolish with brandy and steal his lands to sell them for gold to the white man? Would the Huron have greed for more land than a man can use? Like the French Black Robes do? Would Huron kill tribes with disease? Would the Huron fool Seneca into taking all the animals in the forest for beads and brandy? But sell the fur to the white man for gold?"
He turned back to the chief, "Those are the ways of Yengeese and The French masters. Are they the ways of Huron men who hunt and work the land? Or of dogs? Magua's heart is twisted. He would make himself into what twisted him. Magua's way is false. It is like the white sickness. Magua's way will bring only sadness and shame. Is there another way? I don't know."
He paused, "I am Nathaniel of the Yengeese; Hawkeye, adopted son of Chingachgook, of the Mohican people. Let the children of the dead Munro go free. I speak the truth."
Magua started forward once more but the chief raised his hand to silence him. The chief's brow furrowed in thought.
Alice looked at her sister, who looked back at her then at Hawkeye.
Then the chief spoke and Duncan translated. "The white man comes like a day that has passed. And night enters our future with him… Our council talks since I was a boy: What is the Huron to do?"
He gestured to the people around him, "But Magua would lead Huron down paths that make us not Hurons."
His gaze fell upon Magua, "Dark girl burn in fire to heal the twisted heart of Magua."
Alice heard Cora gasp, she swayed slightly and Alice fell to her knees clinging to her sister.The chief motioned towards Alice, "Munro daughter with moon in her hair must be Magua's wife so Munro's seed doesn't die."
Alice clung more tightly to her sister; she felt her mind closing in around her, blocking all other thought and sound. She felt it pull at her, and it dragged her back into a world of darkness and silence. Her hands tightened around Cora's arm and her eyes glazed over.
Suddenly Alice felt her sister being pulled from her gasp and gave a childish cry in protest, as the comfort was jerked roughly away from her. The scene rushed back into her senses and her head pounded as the reality flooded back to her. Cora was being dragged away by two warriors, her eyes meet Alice's and Alice reached out feebly to her sister.
Alice felt a rough tug on her arm and someone was pulling her to her feet.
She looked up into the face of Magua, his face twisted in a sneer at the scene around him; he pulled her towards him, Alice's eyes widened in fear.
Suddenly Cora broke the grasp of the warriors and flew towards Magua, trying to break the grip he had on her sister, but he knocked her aside and back into the arms of the waiting warriors who again began to drag her away.
Then Hawkeye's voice rose over the noise, "No! Listen!" He turned to Duncan, his face desperate, "Tell him I'll trade him! Me for her! Tell him!!"
Duncan looked from Cora to Hawkeye, then turned to the chief and spoke rapidly in French.The chief paused then gave a decided nod.
The warriors stopped dragging Cora and began to walk backwards to where Hawkeye stood, he stood straight and ready for his fate. The warriors neared him and threw Cora towards him, leaving both Cora and Hawkeye stunned.
The warriors walked past them to where Duncan stood, they grabbed him under his arms. Duncan tried to walk forward but his injuries would not allow it and he stumbled, the warriors began to half carry him.
"I said to trade me!" Hawkeye shouted desperately.
Duncan shouted back almost merrily, "My compliments, Mr. Poe. Take her and get out."
Magua tugged at Alice's arm again and she stumbled as he pulled her to his side.His voice rose over the chaos, he spoke in rapid Huron, spitting the words out in his anger.Then he pulled her onwards and, followed by fourteen warriors, he began to make his way out of the village.
As they neared the exit of the village, Magua picked up his pace and Alice struggled to keep up. She glanced up and saw they were heading towards a path that wound its way around a plateau. Behind her in the distance, Alice heard the faint voice of her sister calling her name.
