expected."'

After this, Thorbiorn sailed to the part of Greenland where Eric the Red
lived, and there was received with open arms. Eric had two sons, one
called Thorstein, the other Leif the Lucky, and it was Leif who
afterwards discovered Vineland the Good, that is, the coast of America,
somewhere between Nova Scotia and New England. He found it by accident.
He had been in Norway, at the court of king Olaf, who bade him proclaim
Christianity in Greenland. As he was sailing thither, Leif was driven by
tempests out of his course, and came upon coasts which he had never
heard of, where wild vines grew, and hence he called that shore Vineland
the Good. The vine did not grow, of course, in Iceland. But Leif had
with him a German Tyrker, and one day, when they were on shore, Tyrker
was late in joining the rest. He was very much excited, and spoke in the
German tongue, saying 'I have found something new, vines and grapes.'
Then they filled their boat full of grapes, and sailed away. He also
brought away some men from a wreck, and with these, and the message of
the Gospel, he sailed back to Greenland, to his father, Eric the Red,
and from that day he was named Leif the Lucky. But Eric had no great
mind to become a Christian, he had been born to believe in Thor and his
own sword.

Next year Leif's brother, Thorstein, set out to find Vineland, and Eric,
first burying all his treasures, started with him, but he fell from his
horse, and broke his ribs, and his company came within sight of Ireland,
but Vineland they did not see, so they returned to Ericsfirth in
Greenland, and there passed the winter.

[Illustration]

There was much sickness, and one woman died. After her death she rose,
and they could only lay her by holding an axe before her breast.
Thorstein, Eric's son, died also, but in the night he arose again and
said that Christian burial should be given to men in consecrated ground.
For the manner had been to bury the dead in their farms with a long pole
driven through the earth till it touched the breast of the corpse.
Afterwards the priest came, and poured holy water through the hole, and
not till then, perhaps long after the death, was the funeral service
held. After Thorstein rose and spoke, Christian burial was always used
in Greenland. Next year came Karlsefni from Iceland, with two ships, and
Eric received him kindly, and gave all his crew winter quarters. In
summer nothing would serve Karlsefni but to search