pered the heiress to the youth, who was opening a passage for herself and her companion through the bushes—"or perhaps it is a still more learned language, for an interpretation of which we must look to you."
The dark eye of the young man glanced towards the maiden, with a keenness bordering on ferocity; but its expression changed, in a moment, to the smiling playfulness of her own face, as he answered—
"I shall remember your doubts, Miss Temple, when next I visit my old friend Mohegan, and either his skill, or that of Leather-stocking, shall solve them."
"And are you, then, really ignorant of their language?" asked Elizabeth, with an impetuosity that spoke a lively interest in the reply.
"Not absolutely; but the deep learning of Mr. Jones is more familiar to me, or even the polite masquerade of Monsieur Le Quoi."
"Do you speak French?" said the lady, with a quickness that equalled her former interest.
"It is a common language with the Iroquois, and through the Canadas," he answered, with an equivocal smile.
"Ah! but they are Mingoes, and your enemies."
"It will be well for me, if I have no worse," said the youth, dashing ahead with his horse, and thus putting an end to the evasive dialogue.
The discourse, however, was maintained with great vigour by Richard, until they reached an open wood on the summit of the mountain, where the hemlocks and pines totally disappeared, and a grove of the very trees that formed the subject of debate, covered the earth with their tall, straight trunks and spreading branches, in stately pride. The underwood had been entirely removed from
