during his absence. A conference followed, in which
Chingachgook was made acquainted with the state of things in the camp.
When Hist named the point as the place of meeting, it was with the
expectation of making her escape from the old position, and of repairing
to a spot that she expected to find without any occupants; but the
sudden change of localities had disconcerted all her plans. A much
greater degree of vigilance than had been previously required was now
necessary; and the circumstance that an aged woman was on watch also
denoted some special grounds of alarm. All these considerations, and
many more that will readily suggest themselves to the reader, were
briefly discussed before the young men came to any decision. The
occasion, however, being one that required acts instead of words, the
course to be pursued was soon chosen.

Disposing of the canoe in such a manner that Hist must see it, should
she come to the place of meeting previously to their return, the young
men looked to their arms and prepared to enter the wood. The whole
projection into the lake contained about two acres of land; and the part
that formed the point, and on which the camp was placed, did not compose
a surface of more than half that size. It was principally covered with
oaks, which, as is usual in the American forests, grew to a great height
without throwing out a branch, and then arched in a dense and rich
foliage. Beneath, except the fringe of thick bushes along the shore,
there was very little underbrush; though, in consequence of their shape,
the trees were closer together than is common in regions where the
axe has been freely used, resembling tall, straight, rustic columns,
upholding the usual canopy of leaves. The surface of the land was
tolerably even, but it had a small rise near its centre, which divided
it into a northern and southern half. On the latter, the Hurons had
built their fire, profiting by the formation to conceal it from their
enemies, who, it will be remembered, were supposed to be in the castle,
which bore northerly. A brook also came brawling down the sides of the
adjacent hills, and found its way into the lake on the southern side
of the point. It had cut for itself a deep passage through some of the
higher portions of the ground, and, in later days, when this spot has
become subjected to the uses of civilization, by its windings and shaded
banks, it has become no mean accessory in contributing to the beauty of