James Fenimore Cooper 
The Pioneers: The Sources of the Susquehanna 

The frontier of New York State is advancing rapidly. The story begins with an argument between the Judge Marmaduke Temple of Templeton and Natty Bumpo over who killed a buck. Leatherstocking and his closest friend, the Mohican Indian Chingachgook, begin to compete with the Temples for the loyalties of a mysterious young hunter known as Oliver Edwards, who eventually marries Elizabeth.