called _Wine Land_
(wild grapes still grow in Rhode Island, and more luxuriantly further
south). _White Man's Land_, called also _Great Ireland_, is supposed
to mean the two Carolinas, down to the Southern Cape of Florida. In
Dahlmann's opinion, the Irish themselves might even pretend to have
probably been the first discoverers of America; they had evidently got
to Iceland itself before the Norse exiles found it out. It appears to be
certain that, from the end of the tenth century to the early part of the
fourteenth, there was a dim knowledge of those distant shores extant
in the Norse mind, and even some straggling series of visits thither
by roving Norsemen; though, as only danger, difficulty, and no profit
resulted, the visits ceased, and the whole matter sank into oblivion,
and, but for the Icelandic talent of writing in the long winter nights,
would never have been heard of by posterity at all.

CHAPTER VII. REIGN OF OLAF TRYGGVESON.

Olaf Tryggveson (A.D. 995-1000) also makes a great figure in the _Faroer
Saga_, and recounts there his early troubles, which were strange and
many. He is still reckoned a grand hero of the North, though his _vates_
now is only Snorro Sturleson of Iceland. Tryggveson had indeed many
adventures in the world. His poor mother, Astrid, was obliged to fly, on
murder of her husband by Gunhild,--to fly for life, three months before
he, her little Olaf, was born. She lay concealed in reedy islands, fled
through trackless forests; reached her father's with the little baby in
her arms, and lay deep-hidden there, tended only by her father himself;
Gunhild's pursuit being so incessant, and keen as with sleuth-hounds.
Poor Astrid had to fly again, deviously to Sweden, to Esthland
(Esthonia), to Russia. In Esthland she was sold as a slave, quite parted
from her boy,--who also was sold, and again sold; but did at last
fall in with a kinsman high in the Russian service; did from him find
redemption and help, and so rose, in a distinguished manner, to manhood,
victorious self-help, and recovery of his kingdom at last. He even met
his mother again, he as king of Norway, she as one wonderfully lifted
out of darkness into new life and happiness still in store.

Grown to manhood, Tryggveson,--now become acquainted with his birth,
and with his, alas, hopeless claims,--left Russia for the one profession
open to him, that of sea-robbery; and did feats without number in that
questionable line in many se