The final confrontation among Cora Munro, Uncas, and Magua turns the pursuit into a chain of irreversible losses: Cora is killed by one of Magua’s companions, Uncas is killed by Magua, and Hawkeye shoots Magua as he tries to climb to safety. Its outcome closes the personal conflict, but leaves the rescuers facing the deaths they could not prevent.

Causes and Stakes

Magua has taken Cora away, and Uncas, Duncan Heyward, and Hawkeye pursue the party up the mountain. As the pursuers gain on them, Uncas calls on Magua to stop, but Cora herself halts on a ledge near the summit and refuses to go farther. Magua offers her a choice between following him and death; she does not respond to his demand.

The scene carries the long-running conflict between Magua and his pursuers into a narrow, perilous space. Cora’s refusal interrupts the escape, while Uncas’s arrival brings the pursuit to its decisive encounter. The others are close enough to witness what follows, but not to prevent it.

Deaths on the Ledge

As Magua raises his weapon toward Cora, Uncas leaps onto the ledge. In the interruption, one of Magua’s companions kills Cora. Magua turns on the man responsible, but the falling Uncas comes between them. Magua then attacks Uncas; despite his failing strength, Uncas strikes down Cora’s killer before Magua kills him.

Heyward calls from above for mercy, but Magua does not relent. By the time Hawkeye reaches the ledge, Cora, Uncas, and the other combatants there are dead. The timing is central to the tragedy: Uncas arrives in time to confront Magua, but not in time to save Cora, and his own intervention ends with his death.

Magua’s Escape and Death

Magua climbs toward the mountain’s edge while Heyward and Hawkeye close in. Hawkeye raises his rifle, but hesitates when he sees David Gamut among the figures above. Magua uses the delay to attempt a leap across a fissure; he falls short, catches a shrub at the edge, and finds a foothold beneath him.

When Magua makes another effort to climb, Hawkeye steadies his rifle and fires. Magua’s hold loosens, and he falls from the mountain. His death ends the pursuit, but it follows rather than prevents the deaths on the ledge.

Consequences

The confrontation defeats Magua and brings the immediate pursuit to an end, yet the rescuers arrive too late to save Cora and Uncas. Hawkeye’s shot settles the conflict with Magua; it cannot reverse the losses that have already occurred. The scene thus closes the struggle through a stark contrast between victory over the enemy and the irreparable cost of that victory.