RESCUE

[EXTERIOR RIVER - WHITE WATER - NIGHT

miles from the falls. We see a figure. It's Chingachgook, nearly spent, rolling and tumbling through the fast-moving white water. He submerges, then surfaces again. He appears exhausted by the fall and ride.

CHINGACHGOOK'S POV: WATER

rocketing at us, battering and drowning us. We glimpse something downstream ...

CHINGACHGOOK

tries to focus, slammed against rocks, he's striking out towards the right, swimming against the current. He's grabbing for something.

KILLDEER'S MUZZLE

and leather shoulder-strap. Chingachgook's hand grabs it. The current rushing past tries to steal him from Uncas and Hawkeye, who're also beaten, bloodied, exhausted. They pull the older, larger man from the water and ...

ON THE ROCK

all three lie there, almost devoid of energy. Then Hawkeye rises, looks at the others. Chingachgook nods. He's up. Then Uncas, and they're moving off into the calm eddy between the rock they landed on and the shoreline.

CUT TO ...

EXTERIOR FOREST - HURONS - DAY

move along animal paths.

CORA & ALICE

struggle through the branches of trees. No one helps them. When they fall behind, they are pushed forward.

HEYWARD

badly beaten, bound, staggers ahead to get behind Maqua. Then:]

HEYWARD: If Magua give women to Yengeese soldiers ... will receive many gifts.

MAGUA: [as if considering] Gifts?

HEYWARD: Three, four oxen ... much wampum.

MAGUA: Wampum?

HEYWARD: Yes.

MAGUA: Does Yengeese Major have property across salt sea?

HEYWARD: Yes.

MAGUA: Yengeese Major give all property to Magua. Magua give Yengeese Major much wampum, many gifts, maybe three, four oxen.

[Magua looks at Heyward derisively. Does this white man think he's an idiot?]

HEYWARD: Gold could be arranged.

MAGUA: For Munro children?

HEYWARD: Yes.

MAGUA: How much gold has the master of the Yengeese?

HEYWARD: The King? The King has mountains of gold!

[Long pause as if Magua and King George II were seriously considering this transaction.]

MAGUA: Not enough.

[Heyward is first realizing with whom he's playing.]

HEYWARD: What is enough?

MAGUA: Heart. Give Magua new heart.

[Magua totally disdains the Englishman and walks away from him, starting up a steeper forested hill.

CUT TO ...

EXTERIOR FOREST - HAWKEYE, UNCAS & CHINGACHGOOK - TWILIGHT

running cross-country after the Huron column. They leap over fallen logs and keep going.

FRONTAL: HAWKEYE

breathing hard, his lips are drawn back, sweat stains his buckskins.

PROFILE: UNCAS

BENT BRANCH

where Cora & Alice were struggling up the animal path.

REAR SHOT

as they race across a stream away from us after the war party and into the night ...

CUT TO ...

EXTERIOR FOREST - CORA - NIGHT

supporting Alice, is dragged forward by a Huron warrior by a woven rawhide thong tied to her neck.

MAGUA

is imperturbable.

HURONS

move quickly down into a ravine.

HEYWARD

is shoved forward.

CUT TO ...

EXTERIOR FOREST - RUNNING FEET - DAY

Long, loping strides.

HAWKEYE & UNCAS

cover ground like long-distance runners. No noise except their hard, even breathing. They're moving down a clear trail.

CHINGACHGOOK

out on the flank. Running hard.

CLOSER: HAWKEYE

lips are drawn back, determined, flashing through the hard verticals of the forest, now leaps down an embankment into the soft loam and keeps going.

CUT TO ...]

The HURON VILLAGE