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Itisbelievedthatthesceneofthistale,andmostoftheinformationnecessarytounderstanditsallusions,arerenderedsufficientlyobvioustothereaderinthetextitself,orintheaccompanyingnotes.
StillthereissomuchobscurityintheIndiantraditions,andsomuchconfusionintheIndiannames,astorendersomeexplanationuseful.
Fewmenexhibitgreaterdiversity,or,ifwemaysoexpressit,greaterantithesisofcharacter,thanthenativewarriorofNorthAmerica.
Inwar,heisdaring,boastful,cunning,ruthless,self-denying,andself-devoted;inpeace,just,generous,hospitable,revengeful,superstitious,modest,andcommonlychaste.
Thesearequalities,itistrue,whichdonotdistinguishallalike;buttheyaresofarthepredominatingtraitsoftheseremarkablepeopleastobecharacteristic.
ItisgenerallybelievedthattheAboriginesoftheAmericancontinenthaveanAsiaticorigin.
Therearemanyphysicalaswellasmoralfactswhichcorroboratethisopinion,andsomefewthatwouldseemtoweighagainstit.
ThecoloroftheIndian,thewriterbelieves,ispeculiartohimself,andwhilehischeek-boneshaveaverystrikingindicationofaTartarorigin,hiseyeshavenot.
Climatemayhavehadgreatinfluenceontheformer,butitisdifficulttoseehowitcanhaveproducedthesubstantialdifferencewhichexistsinthelatter.
TheimageryoftheIndian,bothinhispoetryandinhisoratory,isoriental;chastened,andperhapsimproved,bythelimitedrangeofhispracticalknowledge.
Hedrawshismetaphorsfromtheclouds,theseasons,thebirds,thebeasts,andthevegetableworld.
Inthis,perhaps,hedoesnomorethananyotherenergeticandimaginativeracewoulddo,beingcompelledtosetboundstofancybyexperience;buttheNorthAmericanIndianclotheshisideasinadresswhichisdifferentfromthatoftheAfrican,andisorientalinitself.
HislanguagehastherichnessandsententiousfullnessoftheChinese.
Hewillexpressaphraseinaword,andhewillqualifythemeaningofanentiresentencebyasyllable;hewillevenconveydifferentsignificationsbythesimplestinflectionsofthevoice.
Philologistshavesaidthattherearebuttwoorthreelanguages,properlyspeaking,amongallthenumeroustribeswhichformerlyoccupiedthecountrythatnowcomposestheUnitedStates.
Theyascribetheknowndifficultyonepeoplehavetounderstandanothertocorruptionsanddialects.
ThewriterrememberstohavebeenpresentataninterviewbetweentwochiefsoftheGreatPrairieswestoftheMississippi,andwhenaninterpreterwasinattendancewhospokeboththeirlanguages.
Thewarriorsappearedtobeonthemostfriendlyterms,andseeminglyconversedmuchtogether;yet,accordingtotheaccountoftheinterpreter,eachwasabsolutelyignorantofwhattheothersaid.
Theywereofhostiletribes,broughttogetherbytheinfluenceoftheAmericangovernment;anditisworthyofremark,thatacommonpolicyledthembothtoadoptthesamesubject.
Theymutuallyexhortedeachothertobeofuseintheeventofthechancesofwarthrowingeitherofthepartiesintothehandsofhisenemies.
Whatevermaybethetruth,asrespectstherootandthegeniusoftheIndiantongues,itisquitecertaintheyarenowsodistinctintheirwordsastopossessmostofthedisadvantagesofstrangelanguages;hencemuchoftheembarrassmentthathasariseninlearningtheirhistories,andmostoftheuncertaintywhichexistsintheirtraditions.
Likenationsofhigherpretensions,theAmericanIndiangivesaverydifferentaccountofhisowntribeorracefromthatwhichisgivenbyotherpeople.
Heismuchaddictedtooverestimatinghisownperfections,andtoundervaluingthoseofhisrivalorhisenemy;atraitwhichmaypossiblybethoughtcorroborativeoftheMosaicaccountofthecreation.
ThewhiteshaveassistedgreatlyinrenderingthetraditionsoftheAboriginesmoreobscurebytheirownmannerofcorruptingnames.
Thus,thetermusedinthetitleofthisbookhasundergonethechangesofMahicanni,Mohicans,andMohegans;thelatterbeingthewordcommonlyusedbythewhites.
WhenitisrememberedthattheDutch(whofirstsettledNewYork),theEnglish,andtheFrench,allgaveappellationstothetribesthatdweltwithinthecountrywhichisthesceneofthisstory,andthattheIndiansnotonlygavedifferentnamestotheirenemies,butfrequentlytothemselves,thecauseoftheconfusionwillbeunderstood.
Inthesepages,Lenni-Lenape,Lenope,Delawares,Wapanachki,andMohicans,allmeanthesamepeople,ortribesofthesamestock.
TheMengwe,theMaquas,theMingoes,andtheIroquois,thoughnotallstrictlythesame,areidentifiedfrequentlybythespeakers,beingpoliticallyconfederatedandopposedtothosejustnamed.
Mingowasatermofpeculiarreproach,aswereMengweandMaquainalessdegree.
TheMohicanswerethepossessorsofthecountryfirstoccupiedbytheEuropeansinthisportionofthecontinent.
Theywere,consequently,thefirstdispossessed;andtheseeminglyinevitablefateofallthesepeople,whodisappearbeforetheadvances,oritmightbetermedtheinroads,ofcivilization,astheverdureoftheirnativeforestsfallsbeforethenippingfrosts,isrepresentedashavingalreadybefallenthem.
Thereissufficienthistoricaltruthinthepicturetojustifytheusethathasbeenmadeofit.
Inpointoffact,thecountrywhichisthesceneofthefollowingtalehasundergoneaslittlechange,sincethehistoricaleventsalludedtohadplace,asalmostanyotherdistrictofequalextentwithinthewholelimitsoftheUnitedStates.
Therearefashionableandwell-attendedwatering-placesatandnearthespringwhereHawkeyehaltedtodrink,androadstraversetheforestswhereheandhisfriendswerecompelledtojourneywithoutevenapath.
Glen’shasalargevillage;andwhileWilliamHenry,andevenafortressoflaterdate,areonlytobetracedasruins,thereisanothervillageontheshoresoftheHorican.
But,beyondthis,theenterpriseandenergyofapeoplewhohavedonesomuchinotherplaceshavedonelittlehere.
Thewholeofthatwilderness,inwhichthelatterincidentsofthelegendoccurred,isnearlyawildernessstill,thoughtheredmanhasentirelydesertedthispartofthestate.
Ofallthetribesnamedinthesepages,thereexistonlyafewhalf-civilizedbeingsoftheOneidas,onthereservationsoftheirpeopleinNewYork.
Theresthavedisappeared,eitherfromtheregionsinwhichtheirfathersdwelt,oraltogetherfromtheearth.
Thereisonepointonwhichwewouldwishtosayawordbeforeclosingthispreface.
HawkeyecallstheLacduSaintSacrement,the“Horican.”
Aswebelievethistobeanappropriationofthenamethathasitsoriginwithourselves,thetimehasarrived,perhaps,whenthefactshouldbefranklyadmitted.
Whilewritingthisbook,fullyaquarterofacenturysince,itoccurredtousthattheFrenchnameofthislakewastoocomplicated,theAmericantoocommonplace,andtheIndiantoounpronounceable,foreithertobeusedfamiliarlyinaworkoffiction.
Lookingoveranancientmap,itwasascertainedthatatribeofIndians,called“LesHoricans”bytheFrench,existedintheneighborhoodofthisbeautifulsheetofwater.
AseverywordutteredbyNattyBumppowasnottobereceivedasrigidtruth,wetookthelibertyofputtingthe“Horican”intohismouth,asthesubstitutefor“LakeGeorge.”
Thenamehasappearedtofindfavor,andallthingsconsidered,itmaypossiblybequiteaswelltoletitstand,insteadofgoingbacktotheHouseofHanoverfortheappellationofourfinestsheetofwater.
Werelieveourconsciencebytheconfession,atalleventsleavingittoexerciseitsauthorityasitmayseefit.
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