The Pioneers

Oliver tells Mohegan that he needs to get up and flee before the fire closes in, but a depressed Mohegan refuses to move and tells Oliver to save Elizabeth and leave him to die. Oliver takes Elizabeth’s arm and tells her not to worry—as Mohegan knows the woods and can escape on his own—but Elizabeth realizes that Mohegan will die if they leave him.

The fire is much worse than expected, as the townsfolk have been cutting the trees from the area and leaving the branches and leaves on the ground. The hot sun then dried them out during the drought and they are now serving as copious amounts of fuel for the fire. Oliver tries to find a safe passage through the flames without success, as Elizabeth cannot get too close to the burning areas without her clothing catching on fire. The two eventually travel in a circle, returning to Mohegan, and Elizabeth realizes they are trapped. Oliver recommends that they try lowering Elizabeth down the rock, but admits that he doesn’t think he can do it without Leatherstocking’s help. He makes a makeshift rope out of his clothes, but it only reaches halfway down the rock face.

As the fire closes in, the fallen tree on which Mohegan has been sitting catches fire. Even as he starts to burn, Mohegan does not move or cry out in pain, but instead sings an Indian funeral dirge. Elizabeth encourages Oliver to save himself so that he can comfort her father, but Oliver refuses, vowing to die alongside her. As the two prepare themselves to die, Leatherstocking rushes through the fire, emerging in the clearing with his hair and clothes burned. 

After being left by Elizabeth, Louisa waits anxiously and worries about what might happen to her. As she starts to notice the smoke over the mountain, Leatherstocking emerges from the bushes, telling her that he’s glad to find her safe because a forest fire has started. Leatherstocking says that he warned Richard earlier in the summer about the danger of a fire, but was ignored. Louisa cries out that Elizabeth has already gone ahead to the burning mountain where she waits for him. Leatherstocking sends Louisa back to the village to raise the alarm and rushes up the mountain.

Emerging from the fire, Leatherstocking wraps his deerskin around Elizabeth to prevent her clothes from catching fire, and tells her and Oliver to follow him. Leatherstocking attempts to get Mohegan to come with them as well but Mohegan refuses, saying that his tribe and the great spirit call him to the afterlife. Leatherstocking then picks up Mohegan and carries him over his shoulder. Leatherstocking uses his woodsman skills to lead the group through a clear path in the fire until they emerge on a rocky outcropping near a cave that is safe. Ben emerges from the cave, and he is sent down to get water from a nearby spring for Elizabeth. Reverend Grant then appears, having climbed the hill lead by Leatherstocking’s dogs to look for Elizabeth.

Grant offers to give the dying Mohegan his last rites, but Mohegan ignores him and renounces his humanity. He says that he is not sad to die, but rather glad that he is going to the great Indian hunting ground where he will meet his tribe and family again. Grant is horrified that Mohegan would die without the proper Christian rites, but Leatherstocking insists that Mohegan be allowed to die as he chooses. Mohegan dies peacefully with a smile on his face.

A heavy rainstorm begins, extinguishing the fire, and Mohegan’s body is brought inside the cave. Oliver goes inside the cave as well, which has been closed up with logs, but tells Elizabeth that she cannot come inside. When the rain stops, Oliver leads Elizabeth back to the village, promising to bring her inside the cave tomorrow and reveal his secret. Oliver sees Temple coming up to meet them and leaves to return to Leatherstocking.

The next day, the rains have completely put out the forest fire, though the woods remain smoldering. Riddel, who was mining during the forest fire, is found dying from burns and suffocation. Rumors quickly spread in Templeton that Leatherstocking and Oliver deliberately started the fire in order to conceal their illegal mining activities in the cave. “This opinion soon gained ground, being most circulated by those who, by their own heedlessness, had caused the evil” (445).

Richard summons Captain Hollister who, aside from running The Bold Dragoon is also the commander of the Templeton Light Infantry, and tells him to gather his men to find and punish Leatherstocking. Though the troops are volunteer (and not particularly skilled or well trained), they are marched by Richard, Hiram, and Hollister up the mountain towards the cave and are joined by Kirby along the way. The troops surround the cave, which has now been fortified further by Leatherstocking and Ben who have brought the swivel cannon.

Kirby approaches the cave, and Leatherstocking points his gun at him, warning everyone to stay away or he will shoot them. Richard orders a charge but Ben fires the swivel cannon into the air which causes all the troops to retreat except for Hollister, who is knocked down the hill by Leatherstocking. During the commotion, Hiram (who has been hiding behind a tree) leans out in curiosity. This exposes his rear end, which Leatherstocking shoots. While Leatherstocking is reloading, the men prepare to charge again when Temple emerges, commanding everyone to stop fighting. Oliver also rushes out and surrenders, offering to show them the inside of the cave.  

Oliver leads Temple to an old and senile man, dressed in expensive clothing that has been frequently repaired over the years. Oliver explains that the old man is his grandfather, Major Effingham, who was once a counselor to the rulers of the country and a warrior so brave that the Mohicans gave him the name Fire-Eater, bequeathing him the rightful claim to the land which Temple now owns. Temple begins weeping and forgives Oliver for everything he has done, but asks why they kept Maj. Effingham hidden, when he could have used his fortune to help them. Oliver explains that his father, Edward Effingham (Temple’s school friend), left Oliver in Nova Scotia while he returned to England to seek compensation for the loss of his property during the Revolutionary War. However, two years ago when returning to North America, Edward died in a shipwreck (this is the news Temple received earlier in the novel, but he thought Edward’s son died as well).

Temple then orders Richard and the other soldiers to return to town. Temple explains to Oliver about the secret trust he formed with Edward and how he bought up the properties that were confiscated from the Effinghams in order to hold them for the family. Oliver says that when he heard of his father’s death, he went in search of Major Effingham but found that Leatherstocking —an old family friend and servant—had taken him from Connecticut to Ostego. Oliver says that he has no Indian blood, but Major Effingham was adopted as the son of John Mohegan and given the name Fire-Eater. Edward was later given the name Eagle, due to his resemblance to the bird, and Oliver the name Young-Eagle. Oliver explains that he travelled to Leatherstocking’s hut where they kept Major Effingham hidden, not wanting to show the world how he had fallen into poverty and senility. Upon arriving, Oliver also began training as a hunter under Leatherstocking, and shortly thereafter ran into Temple and Elizabeth (i.e. the beginning of the novel).

Temple’s carriage then arrives, and everyone is returned to the Mansion House. Temple shows Oliver the will he drew up in secret earlier after learning of Edward’s death. The will explains the secret trust and leaves half of Temple’s wealth to the descendants of Major Effingham, and half to his only child—Elizabeth. Oliver begins weeping at seeing the love and good faith that Temple has maintained for his family. He apologizes for his actions towards Temple, but tells Elizabeth that his faith in her never wavered. Temple tells Oliver that his half of the wealth will be shortly transferred to him, and adds that he suspects that Elizabeth’s half will soon be his to control as well. 

In early September, Major Effingham passes away and Oliver and Elizabeth are married. After the events at the cave, Leatherstocking and Ben return peacefully to the jail, but the governor quickly pardons them. Hiram, monetarily compensated for the various harms inflicted upon him, leaves town and travels west to spread his particular talents. Before Riddel passes away, he admits that his suspicions about the silver mine only came from looking into a magic glass. This ends Richard’s suspicions of Leatherstocking, and embarrasses him in front of Temple. Le Quoi later returns to Paris, and writes yearly to his friends in Templeton.

In mid-October, Oliver and Elizabeth go for a walk along the lake. As they walk together Elizabeth tells Oliver of her worries for the Grants, but Oliver tells her that he has given one of the best farms in the country to Grant. Elizabeth protests that Grant is no farmer, and that it allows no opportunity for Louisa to find a suitable husband. Elizabeth tells him that she has instead arranged with Temple for Grant to be the minister of a church along the Hudson River, where he can live in comfort without having to travel, and where Louisa can meet suitable men.

The two reach the spot where Leatherstocking’s hut used to stand, which has now been beautifully maintained as a garden. They find Leatherstocking and his dogs there, struggling to read two gravestones. Oliver explains that they are the graves of Major Effingham and John Mohegan, laid out as Leatherstocking requested. Oliver reads the two instructions for him: the one for Major Effingham includes a note honoring Leatherstocking’s devotion to him, and the one for Mohegan calls him the last of his people.

Leatherstocking tells the couple that, with all the Indians gone from this land, it is time for him to move on as well. Elizabeth protests, asking him not submit himself to hardship in his old age. Leatherstocking concedes leaving will be hard but insists that travelling and living in the wilderness is what gives him pleasure. He tells them that he is heading west to explore the wilderness near the Great Lakes. Oliver attempts to give Leatherstocking some money, but he refuses, saying that all he needs is gunpowder and that he already bought Le Quoi’s entire stock.

Leatherstocking takes his gun, calls his dogs, and vanishes without Oliver and Elizabeth even seeing him leave. A moment later, they see him standing on the edge of the wilderness looking back at them. Leatherstocking waves goodbye and disappears into the forest, never to be seen in Templeton again.