THE VINLAND CHAMPIONS

CONTENTS


PAGE
PROLOGUE ix


PART FIRST

THE BROOD OF THE WIND-RAVEN

CHAPTER

I. CONCERNING ALREK OF THE VIKING CAMPS 3

II. IN WHICH THE BOYS OF THE WIND-RAVEN CONSIDER THE CHANCES
OF FINDING A SKRAELLING 12

III. RELATING HOW ONE WAS FOUND ON THE CAPE OF THE CROSSES 21

IV. WHEREIN THE SWORD-BEARER IS FURTHER REMINDED THAT HE HAS
BROKEN THE LAW 33

V. THROUGH WHICH THE STORM-GIANT BLUSTERS 42

VI. ABOUT THE STRANGE FIND ON KEEL CAPE 52

VII. CONCERNING THORFINN KARLSEFNE, THE LAWMAN 66


PART SECOND

ALREK'S CHAMPIONS

VIII. AT THE HALL OF THE VINLAND CHAMPIONS 83

IX. ABOUT THE HUNTSMAN AND THE BOY WHO WAS DROWNED 94

X. THROUGH WHICH THE CHAMPIONS CHASE VINLAND ELK 108

XI. TELLING HOW TRADE WITH THE SKRAELLINGS CAME TO A MYSTERIOUS END 117

XII. IN WHICH THE CHAMPIONS FEEL THEIR IMPORTANCE 134

XIII. GIVING THE REASON WHY THE SKRAELLINGS FLED 144

XIV. SHOWING HOW DISGRACE CAME UPON ALREK THE CHIEF 149


PART THIRD

THE HUNTSMAN'S PREY

XV. ABOUT THE FIRE-THAT-RUNS-ON-THE-WAVES 163

XVI. PROVING THAT ALREK'S EMPTY HANDS WERE FULL OF POWER 176

XVII. SHOWING HOW THE CHAMPIONS BROKE A THREAD IN THE HUNTSMAN'S NET 188

XVIII. CONCERNING A GRIM BARGAIN BETWEEN THE LAWMAN AND ALREK 202

XIX. RELATING THE ADVENTURE WITH THE MEN OF THE FOREST 213

XX. SHOWING HOW THE HUNTSMAN BAGGED HIS GAME 226

XXI. IN WHICH ALREK SWORD-BEARER FACES DEATH 239


EPILOGUE 253




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

His eyes showed fire, while his voice was deep _Frontispiece_

Neither sound nor motion was on his blue lips 51

She ladled curds from her bowl into the gaping mouth 124

With no other weapon than his bare brown hands 182




PROLOGUE


It happened first in the history of the New World lands that the
Northman Biorn Herjulfsson saw them when he had lost his way in
journeying to Greenland. But he lacked the adventuresomeness to go
ashore and explore them.

Then Leif the Lucky, son of Eric the Red of Greenland, heard of the
omission and set out to remedy it. He rediscovered the lands and went
upon them and named them, after which he built booths at a place he
called Vinland and passed a winter there.

Next, Leif's brother Thorwald Ericsson came over the ocean; but his luck
was less for he was shipwrecked on one cape and killed on another, and
his men returned disheartened.

He was followed by the third brother, Thorstein; but this expedition had
no success whatever for they spent a whole summer in wandering in a
circle that landed them finally upon the west coast of Greenland
itself. And here Thorstein died of a plague, leaving his young wife
Gudrid to return to the hospitality of Leif at Brattahlid.

The explorer who came next and who did the most was Thorfinn Karlsefne
of Iceland. While he was visiting at Brattahlid he married Gudrid, the
widow of Thorstein, and she--together with others--talked to him so much
about the new lands that he resolved upon settling them. In the spring
of 1007 he set out from Greenland with three ships heavily laden and
came to Vinland and wakened the sleeping camp to new life.

This story begins on an autumn day in the second year of Karlsefne's
settlement, and on board the little ship called the Wind-Raven which he
had sent out at the beginning of summer to explore the eastern coast.