The Hurons and their prisoners started to walk. Magua walked
in front of Duncan, Cora and Alice. The other Hurons walked
behind the prisoners. They walked across a valley. Then Magua
led them up a steep hill. The land at the top of the hill
was flat. Magua sat down under a tree. The Hurons started
to eat and drink. Magua shouted to Duncan.
'Send the dark-haired woman to me!'
Cora was afraid. She went to Magua.
'What do you want?' she asked.
'I am a Huron chief,' said Magua. 'I lived twenty summers
and twenty winters. I did not see a white man. I was happy!
Then a white man came to the forest. He gave me brandy. The
drink was bad for me. It made me crazy! My people were angry.
I had to go away. I ran away and lived with the Mohawks.'
'Then the war started,' said Magua. 'The French and the English
were fighting each other. The Mohawks were fighting for the
English. The Hurons were fighting for the French. I was fighting
my own people.'
'Your father ... Munro ... was our chief. He told the Mohawks,
"Do not drink brandy!" But a white man gave me brandy.
What did Munro do? He gave orders to his men. They tied me
with ropes and they heat me! I will never forget!'
'But...' said Cora.
'Woman!' shouted Magua. He stood up quickly. 'You will be
my wife! Your sister will go to Fort William Henry. She must
tell Munro everything. Then Munro will know. His daughter
lives with me Magua.'
'Never!' said Cora. 'I will not be your wife.'
Magua smiled.
'Then you will die,' he said. 'And your friends will die too.'
Then Magua went towards the other Hurons. He spoke to them.
Duncan ran to Cora.
'What is wrong?' he asked. 'What did Magua say to you?'
'It is not important,' said Cora.
The Hurons were listening to Magua. Duncan watched them. They
were very angry. Suddenly, Magua shouted at the Hurons. They
pulled Duncan and the women towards the trees. They tied each
prisoner to a tree with rope. Magua stood in front of Cora.
He laughed.
'What does Munro's daughter say now?' he said. 'Shall I send
your sister to your father? Will you follow me to the Great
Lakes and live with me?'
Cora looked at her sister.
'Alice,' said Cora. 'I must go with Magua and be his wife.
Then you and Duncan will live.'
'No!' shouted Duncan. 'Never!' 'No, no, no!' said Alice.
'Then die!' shouted Magua.
He threw his knife at Alice. The knife cut off some of her
hair. It hit the tree above her head. Duncan shouted angrily.
The Hurons had tied Duncan to a tree. But he pulled the rope
and it broke. He jumped on a Huron and they fought. The Huron
had a knife. He was going to kill Duncan. Suddenly a gun fired
and the Huron fell dead.
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