James Fenimore Cooper 
The Pioneers: The Sources of the Susquehanna [EPUB ebook] 

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.