did
not gladden me like this!"

"Let down sail! drop anchor, and make the boats ready to lower," came in
Valbrand's heavy drone.

CHAPTER XIII

ERIC THE RED IN HIS DOMAIN

Givers, hail!
A guest is come in;
Where shall he sit?

Water to him is needful
Who for refection comes,
A towel and hospitable invitation,
A good reception;
If he can get it,
Discourse and answer.
Ha'vama'l

Ten by ten, the ship's boat brought them to land, and into the crowd of
armed retainers, house servants, field hands, and thralls. A roar of
delight greeted the appearance of Helga; and Sigurd was nearly
overturned by welcoming hands. It seemed that the crowd stood too much
in awe of Leif to salute him with any familiarity, but they made way for
him most respectfully; and a pack of shaggy dogs fell upon him and
almost tore him to pieces in the frenzy of their joyful recognition. A
fusillade of shoulder-slapping filled the air. Not a buxom maid but
found some brawny neck to fling her arms about, receiving a hearty smack
for her pains. Nor were the men more backward; it was only by clinging
like a burr to her mistress's side that Editha escaped a dozen vigorous
caresses. Alwin, with his short hair and his contradictorily rich dress,
was stared at in outspoken curiosity. The men whispered that Leif had
become so grand that he must have a page to carry his cloak, like the
King himself. The women said that, in any event, the youth looked
handsome, and black became his fair complexion. Kark scowled as he
stepped ashore and heard their comments.

"Where is my father, Thorhall?" he demanded, giving his hand with far
more haughtiness than the chief.

"He has gone hunting with Thorwald Ericsson," one of the house thralls
informed him. "He will not be back until to-night."

Whereupon Kark's colorless face became mottled with red temper-spots,
and he pushed rudely through the throng and disappeared among the
ship-sheds.

"Is my brother Thorstein also in Greenland?" Leif asked the servant.

But the man answered that Eric's youngest son was absent on a visit to
his mother's kin in Iceland. When the boat had brought the last man to
land, the "Sea-Deer" was left to float at rest until the time of her
unloading; and they began to move up from the shore in a boisterous
procession.

Between rich pastures and miniature forests of willow and birch and
alder, a broad lane ran east over green hil