s up a kitten, and,
leaning out over the side, dropped him sprawling into the long-boat.

"Here, then, is your chance to enter the world of the dead in good
company," he laughed. He stood guard over the gunwale until Leif and the
other ten men of the boat's crew were ready to go down; pounding the
poor wretch's fingers when he attempted to climb back, while a row of
grinning faces mocked him over the side.

The unpromising aspect of the shore did not lessen as the explorers
approached it. If they had not made an easy landing, on a gravelly strip
between two rocky points, they would have felt that their labor had been
wasted. From the sea to the ice-tipped mountains there stretched a plain
of nothing but broad flat stones. They looked in vain for any signs of
life. Not a tree nor a shrub, nor even so much as a grass-blade,
relieved the dead emptiness. When they caught sight of a fox, whisking
from one rocky den to another, it startled them into crossing
themselves.

"It is over such wastes as this that the dead like to call to each
other," Valbrand muttered in his heard.

And his neighbor mumbled uneasily, "I think it likely that this is one
of the plains on which the Women who Ride at Night hold their meetings.
If it were not for the Lucky One's luck, I would prefer swallowing hot
irons to coming here."

Then both became silent, for Leif had faced about and was awaiting their
full attention before announcing the next move. "I dislike to see brave
men disgrace their beards with bondmaids' gabble," he said sternly. "Fix
in your minds the shame that was spoken of Biorn Herjulfsson because of
his lack of enterprise. The same shall not be said of us. Rolf
Erlingsson and Ottar the Red and three others shall follow me; and we
will walk inland until the light has entirely faded from the highest
mountain peak yonder, and the next point below is yellow as a golden
fir-cone. The others of you shall follow Valbrand for the same length of
time, but walk southward along the shore, since it may be that something
of interest is hidden behind these points--"

A howl from Kark interrupted him. "I will not go! By Thor, I will not
go! Spirits are hidden behind those points. Who knows what would jump
out at us? I will not stir away from the Lucky One. I will not! I will
not!" Gibbering with terror, he clutched Leif's cloak and clung there
like a cat.

For a moment the chief hesitated, looking down at him with disgust
unutterable. T