The Pre-Columbian Discovery of America by the Northmen: Illustrated by Translations from Icelandic SagasDeCosta, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)
History
The Pre-Columbian Discovery of America by the Northmen: Illustrated by Translations from Icelandic Sagas
DeCosta, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)
America -- Discovery and exploration -- Norse
It happened one evening that a man of the party was missing; and it was
the south country man, Tyrker. Leif was very sorry for this, because
Tyrker had long been in his father's house, and he loved Tyrker in his
childhood. Leif blamed his comrades very much, and proposed to go with
twelve men on an expedition to find him; but they had gone only a short
way from the station when Tyrker came to meet them, and he was joyfully
received. Leif soon perceived that his foster father[116] was quite
merry.[117] Tyrker had a high forehead, sharp eyes, with a small face,
and was little in size, and ugly; but was very dexterous in all feats.
Leif said to him, "Why art thou so late, my foster-father? and why didst
thou leave thy comrades?" He spoke at first long in German, rolled his
eyes and knit his brows; but they could not make out what he was saying.
After a while, and some delay, he said in Norse, "I did not go much
farther than they; and yet I have something altogether new to relate,
for I found vines and grapes."[118] "Is that true, my foster-father?"
said Leif. "Yes, true it is," answered he, "for I was born where there
was no scarcity of grapes." Now they slept all night, and the next
morning Leif said to his men, "Now we shall have two occupations to
attend to, and day about; namely, to gather grapes or cut vines, and to
fell wood in the forest to lade our vessel." And this advice was
followed. It is related that their stern boat was filled with grapes,
and then a cargo of wood was hewn for the vessel.[119] Towards spring
they made ready and sailed sway, and Leif gave the country a name from
its products, and called it Vinland.[120] They now sailed into the open
sea and had a fair wind until they came in sight of Greenland and the
lands below the ice mountains.[121] Then a man put in a word and said to
Leif, "Why do you steer so close on the wind?" Leif replied: "I mind my
helm and tend to other things too; do you notice anything?" They said
that they saw nothing remarkable. "I do not know," said Leif, "whether I
see a ship or a rock." Then they looked and saw that it was a rock. But
he saw so much better than they, that he discovered men upon the rock.
"Now I will," said Leif, "that we hold to the wind, that we may come up
to them if they should need help; and if they should not be friendly
inclined, it is in our power to do as we please and not theirs." Now
they sailed under the rock, lowered their sails, cast anchor, and put
out another small boat which they had with them. Then Tyrker asked who
their leader was. He said his name was Thorer, and said he was a
Northman;[122] "But what is your name?" said he. Leif told his name.
"Are you the son of Eric the Red of Brattahlid?" he asked. Leif said
that was so. "Now I will," said Leif, "take ye and all on board my ship,
and as much of the goods as the ship will store." They took up this
offer, and sailed away to Ericfiord with the cargo, and from thence to
Brattahlid, where they unloaded the ship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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