away; and from its products Leif gave the land a name, and called it
Wineland. They sailed out to sea, and had fair winds until they sighted
Greenland, and the fells below the glaciers; then one of the men spoke
up, and said, "Why do you steer the ship so much into the wind?" Leif
answers: "I have my mind upon my steering, but on other matters as well.
Do ye not see anything out of the common?" They replied, that they saw
nothing strange. "I do not know," says Leif, "whether it is a ship or a
skerry that I see." Now they saw it, and said, that it must be a skerry;
but he was so much keener of sight than they, that he was able to discern
men upon the skerry. "I think it best to tack," says Leif, "so that we
may draw near to them, that we may be able to render them assistance, if
they should stand in need of it; and if they should not be peaceably
disposed, we shall still have better command of the situation than they."
They approached the skerry, and lowering their sail, cast anchor, and
launched a second small boat, which they had brought with them. Tyrker
inquired who was the leader of the party. He replied that his name was
Thori, and that he was a Norseman; "but what is thy name?" Leif gave his
name. "Art thou a son of Eric the Red of Brattahlid?" says he. Leif
responded that he was. "It is now my wish," says Leif, "to take you all
into my ship, and likewise so much of your possessions as the ship will
hold." This offer was accepted, and [with their ship] thus laden, they
held away to Ericsfirth, and sailed until they arrived at Brattahlid.
Having discharged the cargo, Leif invited Thori, with his wife, Gudrid,
and three others, to make their home with him, and procured quarters for
the other members of the crew, both for his own and Thori's men. Leif
rescued fifteen persons from the skerry. He was afterward called Leif the
Lucky. Leif had now goodly store both of property and honor. There was
serious illness that winter in Thori's party, and Thori and a great
number of his people died. Eric the Red also died that winter. There was
now much talk about Leif's Wineland journey, and his brother, Thorvald,