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
Afterwards they took counsel to stay there that winter, and made there
great houses. There was no scarcity of salmon in the rivers and lakes,
and larger salmon than they had before seen. There was the land so
good, as it seemed to them, that no cattle would want fodder for the
winter. There came no frost in the winter, and little did the grass
fall off there. Day and night were more equal there than in Greenland
or Iceland.... But when they had ended their house-building, then said
Leif to his companions, “Now let our company be divided into two parts,
and the land kenned;[19] and one half of the people shall be at the
house at home, but the other half shall ken the land, and fare not
further than that they may come home at evening, and they shall not
separate.” Now so they did one time. Leif changed about, so that he
went with them (one day) and (the next) was at home at the house. Leif
was a mickle[20] man and stout, most noble to see, a wise man, and
moderate in all things.
III.――LEIF FINDS VINES, AND GOES BACK TO GREENLAND.
ONE evening it chanced that a man was wanting of their people; and this
was Tyrker, the Southerner.[21] Leif took this very ill; for Tyrker had
been long with his parents, and loved Leif much in his childhood. Leif
now chid his people sharply, and made ready to fare forth to seek him,
and twelve men with him. But when they had gone a little way, there
came Tyrker to meet them, and was joyfully received. Leif found at once
that his old friend was somewhat out of his mind: he was bustling and
unsteady-eyed, freckled in face, little and wizened in growth, but a
man of skill in all arts. Then said Leif to him, “Why wert thou so late,
my fosterer,[22] and separated from the party?” He talked at first a
long while in German, and rolled many ways his eyes, and twisted his
face; but they skilled not what he said. He said then in Norse, after a
time, “I went not very far; but I have great news to tell. I have found
grape-vines and grapes.”――“Can that be true, my fosterer?” quoth Leif.
“Surely it is true,” quoth he; “for I was brought up where there is no
want of grape-vines or grapes.” Then they slept for the night; but in
the morning Leif said to his sailors, “Now we shall have two jobs: each
day we will either gather grapes, or hew grape-vines, and fell trees,
so there will be a cargo for my ship;” and that was the counsel taken.
It is said that their long boat was filled with grapes. Now was hewn a
cargo for the ship; And when spring came they got ready, and sailed off;
and Leif gave a name to the land after its sort, and called it Vinland
(Wine-Land). They sailed then afterwards into the sea, and had a fair
wind until they saw Greenland, and the fells[23] under the glaciers....
After that he was called Leif the Lucky. Leif was now both well to do
and honored....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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