The Last of the Mohicans Page #9

CHINGACHGOOK'S WAR CLUB

flashes up the hill. It cleaves the second man's back and

bowls him over. Chingachgook retrieves his club as his

scalping knife slashes down...

UNCAS:

scalps the man he killed. Chingachgook dispatches the Huron

he hamstrung.

WIDE:

Sudden silence. Heyward's motionless. The women are frozen,

as terrified of the savages and apparent half-breed rescuers

as they were of those who attacked them.

ALICE:

Cora, holding her, is stunned but functioning. Moments ago

both women were clean and demure. Now their riding dresses

are torn, mud-stained, blood-spattered and their baggage is

gone.

HEYWARD'S

crossed to his slaughtered soldiers. Moments ago they were a

testament to British military power. Now they're dead meat.

Ambrose's body is against a tree. In the B.G. two of the

wounded start to rise...

ALICE (O.S.)

Stop it!

Heyward spins.

UNCAS:

just cut the throat of the second Narraganset. It drops into

the brush. Alice attacks him.

ALICE:

We need them to get out of here!

Uncas gently restrains her. Cora reaches Alice and grabs her

away from the "savage".

Heyward runs in to protect the women...

HEYWARD:

(to Nathaniel)

...why the bloody hell he do that to

the horses?!

Uncas, all business, is now reloading, lifting powder horns,

scanning the trees.

UNCAS:

(matter of fact)

...too easy to track...they can be

heard for miles... find yourself a

musket...

Cora's surprised by Uncas' easy English. Hawkeye's scanning

the forest.

HAWKEYE:

(to Heyward)

Your wounded should try walkin' back

to Albany. They'll never make a

passage north.

HEYWARD:

(breathless)

We were headed...

HAWKEYE:

(appropriating a knife)

...Fort William Henry.

CHINGACHGOOK:

(to Hawkeye:
)

Let's go...

Then a fast exchange of Delaware. Cora's surprised to see

it's Chingachgook's decision. Chingachgook looks at the

survivors, gives his assent, starts off.

HAWKEYE:

...take you as far as the fort.

Hawkeye throws Heyward a musket. Cora & Alice look towards

Heyward. He looks at them: the women are totally terrified

and do not move.

HAWKEYE:

If we are goin' to take you, we need

to move. Fast... And the fort is

well off our course. So if you all

rather wait for the next Huron war

party to come by, we'll be on our

way.

Heyward quickly decides to go. The women follow. Hawkeye

starts off after Uncas and Chingachgook.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST - DAY

HAWKEYE:

Moves through the trackless forest. Uncas is far out on the

left flank. Cora, Alice & Duncan Heyward follow in Hawkeye's

and Chingachgook's steps...

HAWKEYE'S FEET

walking through a creek, stepping in the stream bed instead

of on stones. The others follow. Hawkeye looks at Heyward.

HEYWARD:

conforms. He's ill at ease not being in command, following

the lead of some half-Indian frontiersman through a foreign

wilderness.

HEYWARD:

How far is it, scout?

HAWKEYE:

Day and a half

(pause)

Where did you get... the guide?

HEYWARD:

Colonel Munro sent him. He was one

of our Mohawk allies.

HAWKEYE:

He is Huron and nothing else.

(checking the Munro

girls are not too

close)

Why would he want to murder the girl?

HEYWARD:

What?!

HAWKEYE:

Dark haired...

HEYWARD:

Miss Cora Munro. He never set eyes

on her before today.

HAWKEYE:

No blood vengeance? No re-proach or

insult?

HEYWARD:

Of course not!

(pause)

And how is it you were nearby?

HAWKEYE:

Came across the war party, tracked

'em.

HEYWARD:

Then you're assigned to Fort William

Henry?

HAWKEYE:

No.

HEYWARD:

Fort Edward, then?

HAWKEYE:

No. Headin' west. To Can-tuck-ee.

HEYWARD:

I thought all our colonial scouts

were in the militia?

Off to the side, Uncas smiles at the idea.

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