The Last of the Mohicans Page #2

He grabs their wild seven year old son, JAMES, who shrieks

laughter and dodges away. The cabin has two primitive rooms,

waxed paper windows, log walls. O.S. a dog barks. Others

pick it up. Cameron & Jack are suddenly alert, reaching for

weapons...

CUT TO:

EXT. CAMERON CABIN, DOORWAY - NIGHT

CAMERON:

Appears warily, musket in hand.

FENCE:
CHINGACHGOOK

CHINGACHGOOK:

Halloo! John Cameron!

Doorway:
Cameron towards the interior...

CAMERON:

Alexandria! Set three more places.

(to the fence)

How is Chingachgook, then?

Behind him, emerging from the dark trees are Hawkeye, Uncas,

cradling flint locks, blankets and packs over their shoulders,

leading a mule laden with skins and the elk carcass. Crossing

the splitrail fence...

CHINGACHGOOK:

The Master of Life is good. Another

year pass... How is it with you,

John?

CAMERON:

Gettin' along. Yes, it is.

(warm)

Nathaniel.

HAWKEYE:

Hello John. Cleared another quarter,

I see.

CAMERON:

(shakes hands with

Uncas)

Yes, I did.

JAMES CAMERON:

tears past his father & runs full bore. Just before he's

going to collide into Uncas, he leaps into the air and Uncas

snatches him with one hand and swings him up onto his

shoulders. The kid screams with delight and rides back towards

the cabin that way. Alexandria comes to the door.

CUT TO:

INT. CABIN - EVENING (LATER)

CHINGACHGOOK:

lights & smokes a clay pipe. The scene says: this is a rustic,

frontier home and these people have known each other & live

in dangerous circumstances.

ALEXANDRIA:

If Uncas is with you, that means he

has not found a woman and started a

family yet.

CHINGACHGOOK:

Your eyes are too sharp, Alexandria

Cameron.

They see into my heart.

UNCAS:

Your farm good to you this year,

John?

CAMERON:

It was a good year for corn.

UNCAS:

Mohawk field we saw was 5 mile long

on the river. Chief Joseph Brandt's

field.

CAMERON:

You take much fur?

HAWKEYE:

That we did. John. But the horicane

(sic)

is near trapped out.

JACK:

Tradin' your skins in Castleton?

UNCAS:

No, Schylerville. With the Dutch for

silver.

French & English want to buy with wampum & brandy.

Pause, then...

HAWKEYE:

So what is it, Jack? What brings you

up here?

JACK:

A French & Indian army out of Fort

Carillon's heading south to war

against the English. I'm here to

raise this county's militia to aid

the British defense.

HAWKEYE:

Folks here goin' to join in that

fight?

JACK:

We'll see in the morning...

CHINGACHGOOK:

Fathers of England & France, both,

take more land, furs, than they need.

They're cold & full of greed...

JACK:

Few'd deny that? Where you headin'?

HAWKEYE:

Trap over the fall and winter among

the Delawares in Can-tuck-ee.

UNCAS:

So I can find a woman and make Mohican

children so our father will leave my

brother & me in peace.

Alexandria laughs. So do Hawkeye & Chingachgook.

JAMES:

A son like me?

Uncas grabs James & suspends him upside down.

UNCAS:

No. You are too strong. Turn me old

too fast!

Hawkeye grabs the kid from Uncas. The kid's laughing & can't

stay still.

Chingachgook watches, content, smoking his clay pipe.

ALEXANDRIA:

That's what he's doin' to his mama...

She ruffles his hair and lifts the heavy iron pot off the

tibbet. Uncas goes to help her, she shrugs his hand away and

carries it to the table herself. The men gather around.

There's pan-baked bread, a dish of salt, and the pot has

venison and yellow cornmeal in a kind of stew. Everyone waits.

CAMERON:

Dear Father, thank you for rewardin'

the fruits of our labor with plenty.

Amen.

As they start to eat...

CUT TO:

EXT. CAMERON CABIN - MORNING

MOHAWK BOY & JAMES CAMERON

Slam into other kids as they battle through a Lacrosse game.

In the background are sixty men, women and children. It's a

community gathering held out of doors.

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