Read SOME YEARS AGO I came upon the historical story of the discovery of America by Leif Ericsson in A for Free Online Page A

coast of Newfoundland and the country got worse, of course, as he went northwards. He came to Labrador and it was worse still, but there were no glaciers to set his mind at rest. And after a few days of this he was completely foxed. He had no interest in the land he had discovered, and he could find nothing in the least like Greenland. The season was getting late, so he thought he'd better get back to Iceland.
    [ DISSOLVE TO:
    The Classroom
    CALLENDER Well, that seemed easy enough. He had a fair southwesterly wind, and he knew the latitude of Iceland because he had the notch for Iceland carved upon his thwart. So he set out upon a northeast course, like this, meaning to come to the latitude of Iceland well to the west, and sail along till he got home. He turned his back upon America.
    [CUT TO:
    Bjarni's Ship
    (The ship is seen standing out eastwards, away from the land. )
    [CUT TO:
    The Classroom
    CALLENDER And so, following on that course, he hit the southwest corner of Greenland, here, and came to Ericsfiord—more by luck than good management.
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    [ DISSOLVE TO:
    Bjarni's Ship
    ( The ship is seen beaching at Brattahlid. All the colony are on the beach to greet the travellers, headed by Eric. )
    [ DISSOLVE TO:
    The Classroom
    CALLENDER The season was too far advanced for them to risk the journey back to Iceland that year, and so they stayed for the winter; Bjarni stayed with his father, Heriulf. In the meantime, Leif had gone on his way from Iceland, and he, too, had trouble with the weather. He went like this ( indicates on the map ) and he put in at the Hebrides, here, to wait for a fair wind. He found he wasn't very welcome.
    [FADE TO:
    A Harbour in the Hebrides
    ( Leif's ship is coming into a small made harbour, with a stone quay and a few rude houses behind it. The King of the Islands is standing on the quay, fully armed; there are a number of armed men behind him. The King should be a hard, ruthless, Puritan type. One or two powerful Viking warships are in the harbour, in contrast to Leif's merchant ship, which is small and old. In this sequence the impression must be held throughout that Leif's party are greatly outnumbered. )
    ( The ship comes to the quay. It is evident that they have had a long, hard passage. There is water in the ship, and the men are exhausted and wet. There should be slight damage; a broken steering oar, tears patched in the sail, etc. )
    KING Who are you people? What do you want here?
    LEIF We are on our way to King Olaf in Norway, but the winds are foul and we can't lie anywhere near our course. We are a long time out from Iceland. My name is Leif, the son of Eric the Red. We come from a country over to the west of Iceland, that we call Greenland. May we stay here till the wind is fair for Norway?
    KING You are Leif Ericsson?
    LEIF I am.
    KING I have heard of your father. You are outlaws both from Norway and from Iceland.
    LEIF That's true of my father, though we think that he was badly used. For myself—I am technically an outlaw in Iceland, though I was only six years old when we left. I am a free man in Norway. That is why my father sent me on this mission to the King instead of going himself, so that I might speak for him and for our people as a free man.
    KING I'll have no outlaw in my country, even whitewashed ones.
    LEIF Surely, sir, whatever you may think of us, you won't refuse us shelter here till the wind changes? We've been a long time at sea, and we intend to make no trouble.
    ( The King turns aside and speaks in conference with one or two of his men. This is a moment of tension in the boat.)
    KING (Turning back to Leif) I will not refuse a refuge to seafarers, if they behave themselves. Beyond that point, there, you will find a little bay, and a green sward of grass. You may land there, and camp. You may not stray beyond the grassy patch
    without my leave; you may not talk to any of my people. You can stay there till the wind changes, and no longer. God help you if you make any