A Book of American ExplorersHigginson, Thomas Wentworth
History
A Book of American Explorers
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth
America -- Discovery and exploration; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Thorvald said then, “We will set up our battle-shields, and guard
ourselves the best we can, but fight little against them.” So they did,
and the Skraelings[29] shot at them for a while, but then fled, each as
fast as he could. Then Thorvald asked his men if any of them was hurt:
they said they were not hurt. “I have got a hurt under the arm,” said
he; “for an arrow flew between the bulwarks and the shield under my arm;
and here is the arrow, and that will be my death. Now I counsel that ye
make ready as quickly as may be to return; but ye shall bear me to the
headland which I thought the likeliest place to build. It may be it
was a true word I spoke, that I should dwell there for a time. There
ye shall bury me, and set crosses at my head and feet, and call it
Krossanes[30] henceforth.” Greenland was then Christianized; but Eirek
the Red had died before Christianity came thither.
Now Thorvald died; but they did every thing according as he had said,
and then went and found their companions, and told each other the news
they had to tell, and lived there that winter, and gathered grapes and
vines for loading the ship. Then in the spring they made ready to sail
for Greenland, and came with their ship to Eireksfirth, and had great
tidings to tell to Leif.
V.――KARLSEFNI’S ADVENTURES.
[Karlsefni, a rich Norwegian, came to Greenland, staid at
Leif’s house, married a wife, and was finally persuaded to bring
a colony of sixty men and five women to Vinland.]
THIS agreement made Karlsefni and his seamen, that they should have
even handed[31] all that they should get in the way of goods. They had
with them all sorts of cattle, as they thought to settle there if they
might. Karlsefni begged Leif for his house in Vinland; but he said
he would lend him the house, but not give it. Then they bore out to
the sea with the ship, and came to Leif’s booths, hale and whole, and
landed there their cattle. There soon came into their hands a great and
good prize; for a whale was driven ashore, both great and good; then
they went to cut up the whale, and had no scarcity of food. The cattle
went up into the country; and it soon happened that the male cattle
became wild and unruly. They had with them a bull. Karlsefni had wood
felled, and brought to the ship, and had the wood piled on the cliff to
dry. They had all the good things of the country, both of grapes, and
of all sorts of game and other things.
Illustration: ESQUIMAU BOAT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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