The Pathfinder (The Leatherstocking Tales Book 4)

Originally published in 1840, "The Pathfinder" (in full "The Pathfinder; or, The Inland Sea") is a picturesque novel by American writer James Fenimore Cooper. . "The Pathfinder" is the fourth of five novels published as The Leatherstocking Tales, but in terms of the chronological narrative, it is third in the series.. . "The Pathfinder" is a naval story set on the Great Lakes of the 1750s. Fashioned from Cooper's own experience as a midshipman on Lake Ontario, the novel revives Natty Bumpo (who had died in "The Prairie") , and illuminates Cooper's interest in American history with his concern for social development.. . Natty Bumppo is a 40-year-old wilderness scout living near Lake Ontario during the French and Indian War who comes to the aid of a British colonial garrison under attack. He dearly loves Mabel Dunham, daughter of a sergeant. Mabel refuses his offer of marriage because she loves his friend, Jasper Western (under suspicion of being a traitor) , in large part because of his fluency in French.