he
voyage of Biorn Heriolfsson. He had to hear all about that, and he
heard it first from Gudrid. Her face glowed and her eyes showed fire
as she spoke of it. Leif watched her and thought her a lovely woman.
"If you and I were to go out there together," he said, "we should never
come back again. But your good man would take it in bad part." Gudrid
said, "Yes, he would. But to go with us would seem to him still worse.
Yet you will go." Leif considered.

"Yes," he said, "I shall go, and as soon as may be. But first I must
know what course Biorn took, and next I must have his ship to go in. I
would not take my own--she is neither roomy enough, nor strong enough
built for such great seas."

Gudrid had by heart the figures and bearings of Biorn's voyage, for
first Einar had drawn them on Orme's table, then Heriolf on his own,
and then Biorn on Eric's table. She fetched a charcoal from the
kitchen and drew the map, with all the company crowded about her. Leif
was absorbed in it and her eager explanations. "I see just what he
did," he said. "He drifted far south of Greenland, and didn't know it.
Then when he got a wind he sailed south-south-west, and made that
low-lying forest country. Then he steered north with a wind off the
land, and came into the winter which we have here. He followed the
coast along, and then, when it came on to blow from the south-west, he
ran before it, and made Greenland. That's what he did. And that's
what I will do."

"It is what I would do if I were a man," said Gudrid.

"Good for me that you are not a man," said Thore, who sat by the wall.

Before that summer was over Thore told Gudrid that he should take her
to Iceland, as he had business there. They would go almost at once.

"How long shall we be there?" she asked him.

He said that there was no telling. "A year and more, I expect."

Her face fell. "Then we shall miss Leif's sailing."

"No harm in that," said Thore. "What have you to do with Leif and his
affairs? Enough for you that you have made him go." He was not angry
with her; but he thought Leif altogether too fine-looking a man. That
was a man's reason--no woman would have reasoned so.

XIII

Leif bought Biorn's ship from him that winter, and busied himself
stocking her with tools, weapons and spare gear for his voyage. As
soon as the weather was open he was ready, and then it was a question
whether Eric Red would go with him. Eric was in two