wo women and two
children. He saw them, unperceived himself, stalked them with art, and
made a dash into the midst of them. He caught the two children, but
the others disappeared into the earth. He brought them home with him
and gave them to Gudrid. "Can you have too many children? I don't
think so." She took them gladly and brought them up. They were brown
all over and naked; they had black eyes round and staring as beads, but
a ring of blue all about them, as blue as that on a thrush's egg. In
time she taught them her own tongue, and in time had them baptized--but
that was not until she went to Iceland. When they sailed from Markland
the wind still held good, and they came safely into Ericsfrith, and
picked up their moorings in the haven. It was as if they had never
been away.

Leif came down to welcome them, and they stayed with him the rest of
the year. Eric Red was dead, and Leif not married. He had his son
with him born in Orkney, but Thorgunna herself had not come, and Leif
would not marry any other woman. Theodhild his mother kept house for
him--it was no longer the great hospitality which old Eric had loved to
maintain.

They heard of the fate of Thorhall the Huntsman lost in Ireland, and of
Biorn who had sailed with him. Their ship had been driven out of her
course by tempest, and had drifted into a strange sea which they called
The Maggoty Sea. Here the water was full of worms, which fastened on
the ship and ate the timbers, so that she became rotten under them.
They had a boat with them which the worms would not touch, and cast
lots which should go in her and which remain. Thorhall drew a good lot
and Biorn another; half the crew got into the boat. But then, as they
were casting off, a young man who had been with Biorn in Iceland and on
many voyages looked over the side and said, "Biorn, do you leave me
here?" Biorn said, "Why, what can I do?"

"You should keep the promise you made to me when I left my father's
house to go along with you," the young man said.

Biorn looked about. "Well," he said, "what would you have?"

The young man answered, "I would have you take me in the boat."

"Would you have my place? Do you mean that?"

The young man did not answer him, but said, "Well, I am young to die."

Then Biorn said, "In with you, then. Death is a hard thing for young
men." So they changed places, and Biorn saw the boat out of sight. It
was wrecked on the coast of Ireland, and