The Last of the Mohicans is a historical novel set in 1757 in central New York during the French and Indian War between the French, English, and their respective Native American allies. However, in Cooper's novel, the actual British/Iroquois and French/Lenape or Delaware alliances are reversed. At the beginning of the novel, four travelers begin a hazardous journey from one British fort to another. Cora Munro, her half sister Alice, and their escort, Major Duncan Heyward, ride on horseback from Fort Edward to Fort William Henry through the woods. An offbeat singing teacher from Connecticut named David Gamut accompanies them. Magua, a Huron scout, guides them.