Magua's betrayal and flight

Magua's betrayal and flight establish him as both a deceptive guide and a politically skilled strategist: when Hawkeye exposes his treachery, Magua escapes capture, and later turns speech, communal memory, and political caution to his advantage.

The Guide Exposed

Hawkeye judges Magua dangerous after examining his expression and concludes that he knows where hostile Iroquois can be found. He tells Heyward that, without the women in their party, he could lead them to William Henry in about an hour; with Magua accompanying them after dark, he considers the journey too dangerous. Heyward admits that he too has suspected the guide and had stopped following him, making Magua follow instead.

Hawkeye declines to shoot Magua, despite having a clear opportunity, and asks Heyward to keep him talking while Chingachgook and Uncas take concealed positions on opposite sides of the path. Heyward insists on seizing Magua himself. He approaches under the pretense that the party has lost its way and that Hawkeye can guide them to safety. Magua asks whether the hunter is alone; when Heyward answers evasively, Magua announces that he will leave and that the pale-faced travelers will be left among their own kind.

The Escape

Heyward tries to detain Magua with conversation and food, addressing him by the name Le Renard Subtil, which Magua says was given to him by his Canadian fathers. As Heyward warns that they must move before Montcalm can block their route, Magua listens closely to the surrounding woods. Heyward dismounts and, under the cover of offering to inspect Magua's food, moves close enough to attempt an arrest.

Magua accepts the wallet and allows their hands to meet, then breaks away when Heyward's fingers move along his arm. He escapes into the thicket. Chingachgook immediately pursues him, Uncas gives the alarm, and Hawkeye fires his rifle. The attempted capture fails, leaving Magua free to continue acting against the party.

Oratory and Political Strategy

Later, Magua uses the Hurons' anger over fallen warriors to urge that Uncas be killed as a retaliatory offering. He recounts the attack at Glenn's Island and the deaths of his companions, but omits his own intentions toward the captive women. He invokes the dead's need for provisions and weapons in the afterlife, directing grief toward vengeance against a Delaware captive.

In a later council, Magua also shows that his aims are not limited to immediate revenge. He first defeats proposals for a dangerous surprise attack on the Delawares, then praises Huron courage and wisdom while warning that their position is precarious: the French governor has regarded them unfavorably, and the Delawares are numerous and hostile. By combining appeals to prudence with hints of eventual victory, he offers different listeners reasons to support his designs without making those designs entirely explicit.

Significance

The contrast between Magua's flight and his later public authority defines his effectiveness. In the forest, he escapes through alertness and timing; in council, he directs collective feeling through selective narration and political argument. His conduct makes betrayal not a single act but a recurring method, joining personal objectives to the grievances and interests of the communities around him.