XXIII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Revenge and Justice

  The trial and execution of the cowardly Huron warrior illustrates tribal justice and the harsh punishment for cowardice.

• Wilderness vs. Civilization

  The Huron encampment and the gauntlet run contrast the 'civilized' European military practices with the 'wild' Native American customs.

• Death and Mourning

  The execution of the cowardly Huron and the perilous gauntlet run highlight themes of death and the value of honor in death.

Characters to notice

• Major Duncan Heyward

  Enters the Huron village with David Gamut, observes the trial and execution of a cowardly Huron, and watches the gauntlet run of a young captive.

• David Gamut

  Leads the way into the Huron council lodge, familiar with the scene, and sits in silence with Duncan.

• Uncas

  Present as a captive; he is taunted by the Hurons and later stands firm and haughty during the trial of the cowardly Huron.

• Magua

  Mentioned indirectly as the Huron chief who is absent; the Hurons are described as his band.

• Huron Warrior

  The cowardly Huron warrior named Reed-that-bends is tried and executed by the aged chief for cowardice.

Key passages

• “But though the beast of game The privilege of chase may claim; Though space and law the stag we lend Ere hound we slip, or bow we bend; Whoever recked, where, how, or when The prowling fox was trapped or slain?”

  Though we grant the hunted animal the right to be chased, and we give the stag space and legal protection before we release the hounds or draw the bow, who ever cared about where, how, or when the sneaking fox was caught or killed?

  The epigraph from 'Lady of the Lake' sets a tone of ruthless pursuit and the lack of mercy for a cunning enemy.

• “It is unusual to find an encampment of the natives, like those of the more instructed whites, guarded by the presence of armed men.”

  Unlike the camps of more civilized Europeans, Native American encampments are rarely guarded by armed sentinels.

  The narrator contrasts European and Native American security practices, highlighting the Indians' reliance on forest knowledge and distance from enemies.

• “The naked, tawny bodies of the crouching urchins blended so nicely at that hour, with the withered herbage, that at first it seemed as if the earth had, in truth, swallowed up their forms;”

  The bare, brown bodies of the crouching children blended so well with the dry grass that they seemed to disappear into the ground.

  Describes the children's camouflage and the sudden disappearance of the juvenile pack.

• “Your tongue is loud in the village, but in battle it is still. None of my young men strike the tomahawk deeper into the war-post⁠—none of them so lightly on the Yengeese. The enemy know the shape of your back, but they have never seen the color of your eyes.”

  You boast in the village but are silent in battle. None of my young men hit the war-post harder, yet none strike the English so softly. The enemy knows your back but has never seen your eyes.

  The aged chief condemns the cowardly Huron warrior for his bravado in safety and cowardice in combat.

• “As the weapon passed slowly into his heart he even smiled, as if in joy at having found death less dreadful than he had anticipated, and fell heavily on his face, at the feet of the rigid and unyielding form of Uncas.”

  As the knife slowly entered his heart, he smiled as if relieved that death was less terrible than he feared, and then fell face down at the feet of the unmoving Uncas.

  The execution of the cowardly Huron is described with a grim smile of relief.

• “Instead of rushing through the hostile lines, as had been expected, he just entered the dangerous defile, and before time was given for a single blow, turned short, and leaping the heads of a row of children, he gained at once the exterior and safer side of the formidable array.”

  Instead of running straight through the enemy lines as expected, he only entered the dangerous passage and then quickly turned, leaped over a row of children, and reached the safer outside of the formation.

  The young captive uses a clever feint to evade his pursuers during the gauntlet run.