James Fenimore Cooper's Frontier: The Pioneers as History

Chapter 21:

 [The Founding of Templeton] As they ride, Judge Temple describes the wilderness 

view from Mount Vision when he first visited Otsego, and recounts the early history of the 

settlement and its hardships (taken directly from William Cooper). Temple had stayed in Natty 

Bumppo's cabin, who treated him well but objected to his plans for a settlement. After admiring 

a view of the lake, the party starts back to Templeton. Suddenly and silently a decayed tree falls, 

barely missing them. As they approach the village, a spring blizzard begins. 

Chapter 22:

 [Shooting Pigeons] During April the ice on Lake Otsego finally breaks up, and 

pigeons migrate overhead. Everyone turns out to shoot the huge wheeling flocks of birds, from 

the village and the surrounding hills, even pressing into service a small swivel cannon abandoned 

years before by passing troops, and now used for Fourth of July salutes. Natty Bumppo is 

appalled at the wasteful slaughter, and contents himself with shooting a single bird. Finally the 

flocks depart, and Judge Temple hires local boys, at sixpence a hundred, to kill the thousands of 

wounded birds now covering the ground. 

Chapter 23:

 [Fishing] Spring continues, the ice and the ice fishers are gone, and the newly 

enacted bass season has opened on Lake Otsego. Preparations are made to net the fish at night 

from a point near the village; Oliver Edwards, Elizabeth Temple, and Louisa Grant walk over to 

watch it. Around a bonfire, Ben Pump and Richard Jones argue the relative merits of sea and 

lake. The long net is drawn in to shore and huge piles of fish deposited there; Judge Temple 

deplores the waste of the Otsego Bass, one of the world's finest fish, which are already becoming 

scarce. Richard Jones tells the Judge he has just learned an important secret, and invites him on 

an expedition to visit what he hints may be a mine. 

Chapter 24: 

[Fishing Continued] Louisa Grant tells Elizabeth Temple that Natty Bumppo is 

hiding some secret in his always-locked cabin, and that he is rumored to be an Indian. A 

gradually approaching light proves to be Natty Bumppo and John Mohegan in a canoe, with a 

torch for spear fishing mounted on it. Natty refuses to accept any of the fish piled on shore, and 

invites Oliver Edwards and Elizabeth to come fishing with them in the canoe. Natty spears a 

large salmon trout, and they paddle back to watch the other fisherman. Ben Pump and Billy 

Kirby are setting the net from a rowboat, and Ben falls overboard. Natty rescues him by catching 

his hair with his spear, and Ben is revived. 

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