Chapter 21 Summary

Hawkeye heads north, hoping to find the trail. Uncas locates a sign near a brook. He waited until asked, respecting his father. The trail follows the valleys. There are a few false leads, but the group manages to keep finding the mark of the horses.

Their hopes of catching up with Le Renard and the girls are dashed when the horses are found wandering by themselves. The girls are now on foot and the trail will be more difficult to trace. However, there are no impressions of female feet. Hawkeye says the women are being carried. After a time, a concealed trail is found. There are the small footprints of the women.

The men travel on until they draw close to the Huron camp. Heyward spots a man walking slowly to the camp and watches. As he draws close, Heyward recognizes the bedraggled...