Produced by Juliet Sutherland, LN Yaddanapudi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "'I will tell you where there is plenty of it'"--_Frontispiece_] _GREAT DAYS IN AMERICAN HISTORY SERIES_ DAYS OF THE DISCOVERERS BY L. LAMPREY _Author of "In the Days of the Guild", "Masters of the Guild", etc._ ILLUSTRATED BY FLORENCE CHOATE and ELIZABETH CURTIS NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS _Copyright, 1921, by_ FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY _All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages_ _Made in the United States of America_ TO FORESTA Upon the road to Faerie, O there are many sights to see,-- Small woodland folk may one discern Housekeeping under leaf and fern, And little tunnels in the grass Where caravans of goblins pass, And airy corsair-craft that float On wings transparent as a mote,-- All sorts of curious things can be Upon the road to Faerie! Along the wharves of Faerie-- There all the winds of Christendie Are musical with hawk-bell chimes, Carillons rung to minstrels' rimes, And silver trumpets bravely blown From argosies of lands unknown, And the great war-drum's wakening roll-- The reveille of heart and soul-- For news of all the ageless sea Comes to the quays of Faerie! Across the fields to Faerie There is no lack of company,-- The world is real, the world is wide, But there be many things beside. Who once has known that crystal spring Shall not lose heart for anything. The blessing of a faery wife Is love to sweeten all your life. To find the truth whatever it be-- That is the luck of Faerie! _Above the gates of Faerie There bends a wild witch-hazel tree. The fairies know its elfin powers. They wove a garland of the flowers, And on a misty autumn day They crowned their queen--and ran away! And by that gift they made you free Of all the roads of Faerie!_ CONTENTS PAGE _To Foresta_ v I ASGARD THE BEAUTIFUL (1348) 1 _The Viking's Secret_ 17 II THE RUNES OF THE WIND-WIFE (1364) 18 _The Navigators_ (1415-1460) 34 III SEA OF DARKNESS (1475) 35 _Sunset Song_ 48 IV PEDRO AND HIS ADMIRAL (1492) 50 _The Queen's Prayer_ 65 V THE MAN WHO COULD NOT DIE (1493-1494) 66 _The Escape_ 80 VI LOCKED HARBORS (1497) 81 _Gray Sails_ 93 VII LITTLE VENICE (1500) 94 _The Gold Road_ 104 VIII THE DOG WITH TWO MASTERS (1512) 105 _Cold o' the Moon_ (1519) 117 IX WAMPUM TOWN (1508-1524) 121 _The Drum_ 133