ve of the _first_ discovery of America, and of which we here give
a brief compendium.

"At the end of the tenth century, at the period when the Northmen sought
with warlike Viking hosts the south, and the Christianity with the
Gospel of Peace made its way towards the North, there lived in Iceland a
man of consequence, named Herjulf. His son was called Bjarne, and was a
courageous young man. His mind was early turned towards travel and
adventures. He soon had the command of his own ship, and sailed in it
for foreign lands. As he one summer returned to the island of his
ancestors, his father had shortly before sailed for Greenland, and had
settled himself there. Then also steered Bjarne out to sea, saying, 'He
would, after the old custom, take up his winter's board with his father,
and would sail for Greenland.'

"After three days' sail, a fierce north wind arose, followed by so thick
a fog that Bjarne and his people could no longer tell where they were.
This continued many days. After that they began to see the sun again,
and could discern the quarters of the heaven. They saw before them land,
which was overgrown with wood, and had gentle eminences. Bjarne would
not land there, because it could not be Greenland, where he knew that
they should find great icebergs. They sailed on with a south-west wind
for three days, and got sight of another land, which was mountainous,
and had lofty icebergs. But Bjarne perceived that neither was this
Greenland, and sailed farther, till he at length discovered the land
which he sought, and his father's court.

"On a visit to Erik Jarl in Norway, Bjarne related his voyage, and spoke
of the strange country which he had seen. But people thought that he had
had little curiosity not to have been able to say more about this
country, and some blamed him much on this account. Erik Roede's son Leif,
the descendant of a distinguished line, was filled with zeal at Bjarne's
relation, to pursue the discovery, and purchased of him a ship, which he
manned with five-and-thirty men, and so set out to sea, to discover
this new land. They came first to a country full of snow and mountains,
which seemed to them to be destitute of all magnificence. They then came
in sight of one whose shore was of white sand, and its surface overgrown
with woods.[8] They sailed yet farther westward, and arrived at a
splendid country, where they found grapes and Indian corn and the noble
tree 'Masur.'[9]

"This country[10