Chapter 12 Summary

On the boat, Chingachgook puts on some of Hutter's old clothes as a disguise. Judith repeats her suggestion that they find something to exchange for her father and Harry. They decide to open the chest. First they need to find the key. They search the house and eventually discover it in the pocket of one of Hetty's dresses that is hanging on the wall in her bedroom. This implies that Hetty was entrusted with the key and Judith was not.

Inside the chest, they find many expensive pieces of clothing, including a complete outfit for a man and a woman. Judith tries on the fancy dress and everyone compliments her on how beautiful she looks. She considers keeping the dress for herself but gives up the idea because of Deerslayer's criticism. They put the clothing aside and find a pair of fancy dueling...