took him out from Reekness, and he sailed before it until he had lost
the land for two days. Two more days it held, then veered to the
northward and blew down upon them the dense Greenland fog. He was now
helpless, and for a week or more had no knowledge of his course; but he
observed that a strong current was bearing him, as he thought,
westward. That might be all to the good, he judged, forgetting how far
south he had run before the thick weather caught him; anyhow, there was
nothing to be done except to keep a sharp look-out for land
a-starboard. He passed several icebergs and had a touch-and-go
business with some of them, he said.

At last the fog lifted a little, and a light and fitful wind began to
blow--from what quarter they had no means of knowing, but it was a
chill wind. Biorn guessed it was northerly. He saw the stars before
he saw the sun, and got his bearings. Next day it was fair. The sun
rose out of the sea. The ship was heading nor'-nor'-west. He hoisted
all sail, and made brave work of it. In the course of that day they
saw land ahead, a long low line of dark, like a bank of rain-cloud.
Biorn ran on, heading straight for it, but he had his doubts from the
first, and when they could make out the country better he said to his
mate, "That's never Greenland."

Sounding carefully, they came within two miles of the land, and could
hear the thunder of the surf, and see it too. The sea was like a hilly
country with troughs between the rollers like broad ghylls, Biorn said.
He would be a bold man who tried to land there from a boat.

The country looked to be low-lying, with a sandy shore blown into small
pointed hills. Behind those, so far as the eye could reach, there was
a dense woodland--most of it black, or looking so, but with patches and
belts of red and rose-colour; like flames, said Biorn. No mountains,
no snow at all, though by now it was winter in Iceland. Biorn said, "I
knew very little about it, to be sure, but knew it was not Greenland
the White."

Eric asked him why he had not landed. "How should I land in a surf
like that? And what was I to do in the country with my Norway
merchandise still aboard, and my father God knew where? I knew he was
not there--and that was enough for me."

"But, Biorn," said Gudrid, flushed and eager, "that was a new country
you had found. How could you pass it by?"

"All very well," said Biorn, "but I'll trouble you to remember that
Greenland