The Last of the Mohicans Page #11

CUT TO:

EXT. GLADE - NIGHT

PROFILE:
HAWKEYE

moves through to where the trees seem sparse and are

unnaturally white birch and some thin grass grows. The land

rises into a mound. Chingachgook and the others avoid stepping

on the grass and cross to the other side of it.

CHINGACHGOOK:

mutters something to Uncas. He nods and disappears amongst

the white birch, soundlessly.

HAWKEYE:

throws Heyward a blanket. Heyward spreads the blanket below

the top of the mound and - maintaining silence - he gestures

for Cora & Alice to rest there.

ALICE'S HEAD

hits the blanket. She curls into a fetal position and she's

out. Heyward is nearby on watch.

Hawkeye has taken a position two-thirds of the way around

the crescent shaped mound.

Cora has sought him out.

HAWKEYE:

doesn't react as Cora enters. He's scanning the trees; not

looking at her.

They whisper...

CORA:

Why didn't you bury those people?

HAWKEYE:

Anyone lookin' to pick up our trail,

would see it as a sign of our

passing...

CORA:

You knew them.

Hawkeye looks at her and nods.

CORA:

(stiffly)

You were acting for our benefit. And

I apologize. I misunderstood you.

HAWKEYE:

Well that is to be expected. My

father...

CORA:

Your "father"?

HAWKEYE:

Chingachgook. He warned me about

people like you.

CORA:

He did?

HAWKEYE:

Yes. He said... "do not try to make

them understand you."

CORA:

What?!

HAWKEYE:

Yes. And "do not try to understand

them. That is because they are a

breed apart and they make no sense..."

Cora's indignation is cut off because...

UNCAS:

moving fast. He gestures back the way he came and it means

they're in jeopardy. Uncas disappears around the mound.

CUT TO:

EXT. BIRCH FOREST - TREES - NIGHT

Nothing. Imperceptibly we move closer and start to see shapes

blocking out part of the white birch.

RED-PAINTED FACE

white eyes. A ruff of red hair stands straight up at the

back of the large man's head.

Slit and monstrously elongated earlobes are weighted with

silver. He's followed by others. Wary, silently, they hunt.

DEEPER:
MORE OTTAWA

Towards the rear are two French Rangers ("Coureurs des Bois")

from Le Regiment de la Sarre. They're bearded, dirty, dressed

Indian-style in moccasins, leggings and breechcloths with

hooded hunting shirts. There's nothing clumsy about them.

They're the 18th century version of Special Forces who've

gone indigenous. If they and the Ottawa find our people,

it's all over.

ALICE:

seeing the red-painted Ottawa approach, starts to panic. Her

hyperventilating and involuntary small sounds of fear will

reveal their position. A hand covers her mouth and silences

her struggling. WIDEN. It's Uncas. His other arm is around

her, holding her, looking towards the advancing Ottawa.

HAWKEYE:

on his back, his tomahawk within reach on the ground.

OTTAWA & FRENCH

are fifty yards away from the crescent mound behind which

lie our people. Mist envelops them...

CHINGACHGOOK:

His massive arms spread revealing his war club in his left

fist; his fusil in his right hand.

HAWKEYE:

waiting for the attack. Cora's eyes are anxious, but there's

no terror there. Nathaniel's impressed with her cool. He

hands her a pistol. She takes it. He listens for the soft

drop of moccasined feet...

OTTAWA:

through the grass. Thirty feet away they stop. They're

motionless. Then their leader gestures and they start backing

out. The French Rangers continue towards the crescent.

The Ottawa chief takes one's arm and stops him. The French

Ranger whispers something inaudible. The Ottawa chief shakes

his head, "Non. Pas possible..."

And means it. They retreat.

SEPERATE SHOTS:
HAWKEYE, UNCAS, CHINGACHGOOK, CORA

tensely monitor the Ottawa retreat.

UNCAS & ALICE

He slowly removes his hand from her mouth. She's a little

shy, then she looks up, catches his eyes. Then she averts

her face.

CHINGACHGOOK:

sees all of it; doesn't like it.

HAWKEYE:

The Ottawa are gone.

CORA:

(quietly)

Why did they turn back?

In answer Hawkeye looks behind & above her head.

CORA:

turns and makes out stilt platforms of skeletons and torn

strips of buckskin silhouetted against the night sky in the

distance. They have camped on sanctified ground, a burial

place.

CORA & HAWKEYE

She thinks it would be a mistake to ever underestimate the

skill of these men or the danger & complexity of this place.

She hands the pistol back to him. Their hands almost touch.

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