five picked men, among whom was one German named Tyrker or Dietrich, who had long been a servant of Eric the Red and Leif's faithful guardian in boyhood. When all was ready, the old man Eric rode to the harbor where the vessel was waiting; but it happened that his horse, by stumbling, caused him to fall and to injure his foot.1 "I shall not have the good fortune," he said, "of finding lands other than the one I now live in; and shall go no farther with you.' Leif, therefore, took command himself and ordered the sails set, the prow veered to the Southwest. Ere long they were in sight of a land which, even along the coast, was closed in at the horizon by snow-covered mountains. They cast anchor, took to the row-boat, and went ashore. The country, identified as the present Labrador, was devoid of vegetation and stony. Leif gave it the name of "Helluland," Stoneland." Next upon it followed "Litla Helluland," which is generally considered as being the Newfoundland of today. This island is represented in modern descriptions as partly consisting of naked, rocky flats, where no tree, nor even a shrub, can grow, and which are usually called Barrens; thus answering exactly to the "hellur" or flat stones, after which the Northmen named that country.* The explorers stood out to sea again, and, after a few days' sailing in their main course, discovered another 1 The Saga of Thorfinn Karlsefne states that Eric the Red, through the fall of his horse, had some of his ribs broken and the shoulderjoint of his arm dislocated. (Ap. Rafn, Antiq. Amer., p. 121.) * Moosmüller, S. 80; Gravier, p. 49, ref. to Rafn's Particula de Groenlandis, p. 27; Heimskringla, Kap. cvi. S. 306; Saga of Thorfinn 3 Peschel, Geschichte der Erdkunde, S. 85. * Rafn, Mémoire, p. 16; Bancroft, vol. v. p. 106, n. 219; Gravier, p. 50. land, level and low to the seaward, covered with woods and remarkable for its coast being formed of banks of white sand. Nova Scotia is described in the very terms of the ancient Icelandic record by J. W. Norrie in the American Pilot. The timber principally engaged Leif's attention, and he called the new country "Markland,” -i.e., Wooded Land.2 He then put out to sea once more, and descried land a third time, after two days' more sailing under a northeast wind. This was an isle, east of the continent and on a line with the headland,-probably the island Nantucket, situated at a distance from Nova Scotia corresponding to about two day's voyage of the Northmen, who, at an average, made their one hundred and ten miles, and more with favorable winds, in twenty-four hours. One beautiful morning Leif and some of his companions went on shore, and found the grass and the shrubs covered with abundant dew. They gathered some of it in the palms of their hands and tasted it, and great was their astonishment when they found it to be "sweeter than anything they had ever known before." According to information of Mr. Webb, honey-dew is distilled yet in the island of Nantucket.* After this they entered a smaller body of water, lying between this island and a peninsula which extended to the North and the East,-evidently the island Nantucket and Barnstable peninsula. Thence they sailed westward, and found at low tide many shallows. Modern navigators mention numerous reefs and shoals 1 Rafn, Mémoire, p. 16. "Level" answers to the Icelandic "slètt;" "low to the seaward," to "ósaebratt;" "the white sandy cliffs," to "sandar hvítir." 2 Rafn, Antiq. Amer., pp. 30, 138. 3 Bancroft, vol. v. p. 106, n. 219; 5 p. 107, n. 221; Peschel, Zeitalter, S. 81. Rafn, Mémoire, p. 21; Moosmüller, S. 82. 5 Rafn, Mémoire, p. 17. 6 "Grunnsaefui mikit." (Rafn, Antiq. Amer., p. 31.) at the same place, and say that the whole presents an aspect of drowned land.1 In their western course they necessarily struck the lower coasts of the New England States. "Here they went ashore at a place where a river, issuing from a lake, emptied into the sea. They had left their vessel on the dry shore, but, when the flood-tide had run in again, they brought it up the river and let it ride at anchor on the lake." Thorfinn Karlsefne gave, a few years later, to this region the name of "Hóp," signifying a small bay at the mouth of a river; and this appellation may have been preserved by the late Scandinavian stragglers and by their associates, the Rhode Island aborigines, so that we may find it still in "Hop Island" and in "Mont Haup Bay." The river of the sagas was the Pocasset, opening into the lake-like bay fed by the Taunton River. The remark of Thorfinn's saga, namely, that near the mouth of the river there were large islands, that is, Rhode, Cononicut, and Hop Islands,-strongly confirms our identification of localities.2 3 Leif and his men first built a few huts on the shore; but when they had ascertained the abundance of salmon and other fish in the waters and of luscious berries and fruit on the land, they resolved to pass the winter there, and set to work to erect larger and more substantial buildings, which were afterwards known as "Leifsbudhir" or Leif's Booths. The climate was another enticing feature of the place, for the weather was that year unusually mild; cattle might have wintered with 1 Bancroft, vol. v. p. 107, n. 221; Rafn, Mémoire, p. 17. Rafn, Antiq. Amer., p. 31; Mémoire, pp. 11, 19; Gravier, p. 52; Peschel, Geschichte des Zeitalters, S. 81. 52. 57. 3 Moosmüller, S. 82; Gravier, p. Rafn, Antiq. Amer., pp. 32, 40, out being fed, as there was no ice, and the grass continued green.1 A branch of the Gulf Stream procures until this day to Newport County, Rhode Island, a higher temperature in winter than that of the other New England States. Warden assures us that the climate about Narragansett Bay is so mild that vegetation rarely suffers from the frost, and the vicinity may be called an American paradise. Such must have been the case, particularly in centuries gone by, when the temperature was generally much higher in the North than it is to-day. Ebeling wrote, a hundred years ago: "The winter is usually mild along the coast and of short duration, and the snow does not remain long on the ground. The vicinity of Narragansett is, therefore, one of the best districts for raising cattle." The Scandinavians had noticed already that live-stock was thriving so well on the rising lands, that the steers were growing wilder, and extended the scope of their sportive races. 2 The Northmen also observed the duration of day and of night to be more equal here than in Iceland and Greenland, the sun remaining on the shortest day above the horizon from half-past seven o'clock in the morning till half-past four in the evening, or nine hours, according to Rafn's learned calculations. This observation locates Leifsbudhir at forty-one degrees twenty-four minutes and ten seconds of northern latitude; thus confirming our former conclusions in regard to their identity with Newport County, Rhode Island.* When the buildings were finished, Leif spoke to his companions. "I will now explore this country," he said, "and we must divide our number into two com 1 Rafn, Mémoire, p. 20; Moosmüller, S. 82; cf. Reeves, p. 27. 2 Bd. ii. S. 4–12, ap. Moosmüller, S. 123. 3 hafdhi thar eyktarstadh ok dagmálstadh um skammdegi.' * Von Humboldt, Kosmos, Bd. ii. S. 269; Gravier, p. 55; Moos Mémoire, p. 23, seq.: “Sól- müller, S. 82. men. panies that shall alternately remain at home and search the neighborhood; but do not advance too far, so that you may return every evening, and do not stray from one another." Leif went on duty as regularly as his These excursions had gone on for a while, when one evening a man of the returning party, the old German Tyrker, was missing. Displeased at the neglect of his orders, Leif picked out at once twelve men to go with him in search of the straggler. They were not gone far, when Tyrker came up to them; at which they all were much rejoiced. "Why, my tutor," Leif said, "do you come so late, and why did you stray away?" The old man seemed excited, and, his eyes rolling, he commenced to talk German. But, as they understood him not, he answered, after some reflection, in the Norse language: "I was not far away, and yet I bring you something new. I have found grape-vines and grapes!" "Is it but true, my tutor?" Leif said. "I know, it is a fact," Tyrker rejoined; "for at the place where I was born and raised were many vineyards." Until this day grape-vines are found to grow in great profusion not only in Rhode Island but in all the adjoining States. An island off the coast has in modern times been called Martha's Vineyard, because of its abundance of grapes; and I learned from Professor Puissant, a great botanist, that he had discovered in the neighborhood of Troy, New York, no less than eleven varieties of native grape-vines, which generally were acidulous, but could be improved by cultivation. It is well known, indeed, that some of our finest grapes to-day are of New England stock." The discovery of the old German was considered as very important, for on its occasion Leif gave a beauti 1 Cf. Rafn, Mémoire, p. 20. |