sat in his high seat and looked about
the hall and noticed this one and that one and spoke across the fire to
many. He was keen-eyed and soon saw Leif in his far seat.

"Yonder is some man of mark," he said to himself. "He is surely worth
knowing. His face is not the face of a fool. He carries his head like a
lord of men."

He sent a thrall and asked Leif to come to him. So Leif walked down the
long hall and stood before the king.

"I am glad to have you for a guest," the king said. "What are your name
and country?"

"I am Leif Ericsson, and I have come all the way from Greenland to see
you and old Norway."

"From Greenland!" said the king. "It is not often that I see a
Greenlander. Many come to Norway to trade, but they seldom come to the
king's hall. I shall be glad to hear about your land. Come up and speak
with me."

So Leif went up the steps of the high seat and sat down by the king and
talked with him. When the feast was over the king said:

"You shall live at my court this winter, Leif Ericsson. You are a
welcome guest."

So Leif stayed there that winter. When he started back in the spring,
the king gave him two thralls as a parting gift.

"Let this gift show my love, Leif Ericsson," he said. "For your sake I
shall not forget Greenland."

Leif sailed back again and had good luck until he was past Iceland. Then
great winds came out of the north and tossed his ship about so that the
men could do nothing. They were blown south for days and days. They did
not know where they were. Then they saw land, and Leif said:

"Surely luck has brought us also to a new country. We will go in and see
what kind of a place it is."

So he steered for it. As they came near, the men said:

"See the great trees and the soft, green shore. Surely this is a better
country than Greenland or than Iceland either."

When they landed they threw themselves upon the ground.

"I never lay on a bed so soft as this grass," one said.

"Taller trees do not grow in Norway," said another.

"There is no stone here as in Norway, but only good black dirt," Leif
said. "I never saw so fertile a land before."

The men were hungry and set about building a fire.

"There is no lack of fuel here," they said.

They stayed many days in this country and walked about to see what was
there. A German, named Tyrker, was with Leif. He was a little man with a
high forehead and a short nose. His eyes were big and rolling. He had
lived with Eric