Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/359

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 347 known lands. Leif, a son of Eric Red of Brattalid, went appendix. over to Biarne Heriulfsson and bought the ship from him, and manned the vessel, so that in all there were thirty-five men on board. Leif begged his father Eric to go as com- mander of the expedition, but he excused himself; saying he was getting old, and not so able as formerly to undergo the hardships of a sea voyage. Leif insisted that he among all their relations was the most likely to have good luck on such an expedition : and Eric consented, and rode from home with Leif when they had got all ready for sea ; but when they were coming near to the ship the horse on which Eric was riding stumbled, and he fell from the horse and hurt his foot. " It is not destined," said Eric, " that I should discover more lands than this of Greenland, on which we dwell and live ; and now we must not run hastily into this adventure." Eric accordingly returned home to Brattalid ; but Leif, with his comrades, in all thirty-five men, rigged out their vessel. There was a man from the South country called Tyrker with the expedition. They put the ship in order, and went to sea when they were ready. They first came to the land which Biarne had last discovered, sailed up to it, cast anchor, put out a boat, and went on shore ; but there was no grass to be seen. There were huge snowy mountains up the country ; but all the way from the sea up to these snowy ridges the land Avas one field of snow, and it appeared to them a country of no ad- vantages. Leif said, " It shall not be said of us, as it was of Biarne, that we did not come upon the land ; for I will give the country a name, and call it Helloland.* Then they went on board again, put to sea, and found another land. They sailed in towards it, cast anchor, put out a boat, and landed. ' The country was flat and overgrown with wood ; and the strand far around consisted of a white sand, and low towards the sea. Then Leif said, " We shall give this land a name according to its kind, and call it Markland."t Then they hastened on board, and put to sea again with an on-shore wind from north-east, and were out for two days, and made land. They sailed towards it, and came to an island which t Markland, a wooded country. Mark is the woodland of a farm. The antiquaries consider Helloland to have been Newfoundland, and Markland some part of Nova Scotia, from the description.
 * Helloland is a naked land of rocks— Hellr.