THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS A Narrative of 1757

It is believed that the scene of this tale and most of the information necessary to understand its allusions are rendered sufficiently obvious to the reader in the text itself or in the accompanying notes. Still there is so much obscurity in the Indian traditions and so much confusion in the Indian names as to render some explanation useful.Few men exhibit greater diversity or if we may so express it greater antithesis of character than the native warrior of North America. In war he is daring boastful cunning ruthless self-denying and self-devoted; in peace just generous hospitable revengeful superstitious modest and commonly chaste. These are qualities it is true which do not distinguish all alike; but they are so far the predominating traits of these remarkable people as to be characteristic.It is generally believed that the Aborigines of the American continent have an Asiatic origin. There are many physical as well as moral facts which corroborate this opinion and some few that would seem to weigh against it