Page:The book of wonder voyages (1919).djvu/209

 about all land. It was beyond the ken of sun and stars, far out in the Realm of Darkness.

"Now from the time I had first heard of this, I had a desire to try and reach that land. It was not for the sake of the booty that could be gained, but I hoped for the glory that would come from achieving a task hitherto untried by men. So I went to King Gorm and told him of the land and of my desire to reach it, and asked his help to fit out an expedition. ' Who will go with Thorkill?' asked King Gorm in the Council, and three hundred brave men and true said they would go with me, and foremost among them was the King himself and his trusty archers, Broder and Buchi. Three long ships were built for them, each with fifty banks of oars. Strongly were they made, as I advised, fitted with many knotted cords and with nails close set. And above, they were covered with ox hides sewn together, so that provisions might be kept dry from the salt spray. And so we set sail towards the open sea.

"Now when we came to Halogaland the northern breeze died out, and we passed to and fro on the waves for many days out of sight of land. Soon even our bread gave out, and all we had to keep ourselves alive was a little pottage. At last we heard far off a noise as of waves beating against the rocks with a sound like thunder. We sent a boy of great nimbleness aloft to the masthead to look out, and he called down to us that he could see walls rising out of the sea as if of a fortress. Then we cheered all, and turned the prows of the ships