- Epigraph from Midsummer Night's Dream on meetings.
- Heyward is properly surprised and ashamed of his poor detective skills.
- Hawkeye continues laughing, then summons Chingachgook and Uncas to join them.
- David reports that Cora and Alice are both safe and sound, but obviously kind of shaken up over being, you know, kidnapped. They have been separated. Cora is with a neighboring tribe while Alice is two miles away with the Huron women.
- David is free to wander as he pleases. He believes this is because of his musical gifts, but Hawkeye is inclined to believe the Hurons view David as a harmless crank.
- Good call, Hurons.
- Hawkeye returns David his pitch-pipe and tries to interrogate him as to the tribes' weaponry, etc. but David has no useful information to report.
- David does mention, however, that he saw a tortoise painted in some of the Indians' war paint.
- This news is exciting for Chingachgook, who immediately enters into a lengthy discussion with Hawkeye, who tells the group that Chingachgook is of "the high blood of the Delawares, and is the great chief of their Tortoises," some of whom are among the Indians apparently holding Cora.
- Hawkeye decides that David should go back into the camp and let the women know their rescuers have arrived. They agree upon a signal for Hawkeye to inform David it's time for a consultation.
- Heyward tells Hawkeye that he wishes to go as well. He claims that he can also pretend to be crazy, and hopefully the Hurons will not harm him. He wants to rescue the one he loves.
- Heyward tells them that the rest of the group can rescue Cora while he rescues Alice.
- Hawkeye knows he should probably dissuade the young man, but finds he lacks the heart to do so.
- C'mon, Hawk. Heyward is the least crafty guy on the planet.
- Chingachgook successfully disguises Heyward as a buffoon.
- Hawkeye gives him some last minute advice, mostly reiterating the same old line that Heyward is a white man who will never understand Indians. This is the truth.
- David and Heyward head out.
- They proceed through the forest, and Heyward's overactive imagination fabricates strange movements in the woods.
- They reach their destination.