"It lay on a fresh trail that led towards the garrison," - for so
it was the usage of that frontier to term a military work, whether
it was occupied or not.

"That may be the bowl of a pipe belonging to a soldier. Many use
the red-skin pipes."

"See," said the Big Serpent, again holding the thing he had found
up to the view of his friend.

The bowl of the pipe was of soap-stone, and was carved with great
care and with a very respectable degree of skill; in its centre
was a small Latin cross, made with an accuracy which permitted no
doubt of its meaning.

"That does foretell devilry and wickedness," said the Pathfinder,
who had all the provincial horror of the holy symbol in question
which then pervaded the country, and which became so incorporated
with its prejudices, by confounding men with things, as to have
left its traces strong enough on the moral feeling of the community
to be discovered even at the present hour; "no Indian who had not
been parvarted by the cunning priests of the Canadas would dream
of carving a thing like that on his pipe. I'll warrant ye, the
knave prays to the image every time he wishes to sarcumvent the
innocent, and work his fearful wickedness. It looks fresh, too,
Chingachgook?"

"The tobacco was burning when I found it."