of land near the 'sources of the Susquehanna,' where the scene is laid, and allied, therefore, to Campbell's
Gertrude of Wyoming. It was speedily followed by
The Last of the Mohicans—not uncommonly pronounced his
chef d'oeuvre—and
The Prairie; which, among numerous descriptions of absorbing interest, pervaded throughout by a fine imaginative spirit, contains one of thrilling power—where the squatter discovers and avenges the murder of his son.
The Wept of Wish-ton-Wish—a strange story with a strange title, and which forms (chronologically at least) the climax of Cooper's fame—is justly admired by all who appreciate 'minute painting,' and that pensive monotony which begets a certain 'melancholy charm.' His skill in martial narrative was favorably attested in
Lionel Lincoln; in which he describes with remarkable spirit and equal accuracy the battles of Lexington and of Bunker's Hill. But to go through in detail the
opera omnia 