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

trouble in this country.
    [ DISSOLVE TO:
    Leif's Camp
    ( The ship is beached in a little bay. The Norsemen have made a camp on shore, very near their ship. They have put up two tents, a large one for the men and a small one for Leif; these tents are of leather well made and efficient. There is a small fire in a stone hearth before Leif's tent—an important feature later on. There is another very large fire near the men's tent. They are drying all their bedding, spare clothes, sleeping bags, etc., before this fire, so that the camp is in a great confusion of drying clothes and steam. )
    (A Girl walks over the hill down to the camp by the ship. This is Thorgunna, the daughter of the King. She should be dark, and very intelligent. Historically there are some grounds for the suggestion that she had the Scotch peasant's gift of 'second sight.' She should be beautiful, and rather dignified. She may be dressed in a woollen gown, delicately embroidered. )
    THORGUNNA Who is the Chief here? I want to see the Chief.
    TYRKER Come with me.
    ( He takes her to Leif who is arranging his bedding to dry at his fire. He turns to meet them.)
    THORGUNNA Are you the Chief of these outlaws?
    LEIF (With dignity) There's only one outlaw here, Lady, and that's me. The rest of us are free men and serfs. We aren't an outlaw gang.
    THORGUNNA I am sorry, Chief; they told me wrong. Are you the man they call Leif Ericsson?
    LEIF That's right. They call me an outlaw, but you don't have to worry about that. I was outlawed with my father when I was a little boy.
    THORGUNNA You have committed no crime yourself?
    LEIF Lady, what is a crime? In the land I come from we have no set laws; we've never had a Thing. My father had enough of Godis when he was a young man; he won't have one in the place. I can't remember doing anything of which I am ashamed.
    THORGUNNA (Looking at him curiously) That's a very good answer, Chief.
    LEIF Is it?
    THORGUNNA Tell me, where do you live? That is really why I came to see you.
    LEIF Look, Lady, I appreciate that very much. But when we came here yesterday the King said we might stay here till the wind changed, but we weren't to talk to any of his people. I don't want to get you into trouble, and much more, I don't want you to get us into trouble.
    THORGUNNA (With regal dignity) I heard about that at our Hall. I am the King's daughter and I have no brothers; one day I shall be the Queen and I shall rule the people of these Isles. My name is Thorgunna.
    LEIF Would you care to sit down?
    ( She sits down on a heap of furs before his fire; he remains standing in front of her.)
    —What can I tell you, Lady?
    THORGUNNA Tell me about the country that you live in. Is it true that you live over to the west of Iceland?
    LEIF That's right. Five days west of Iceland you come to our country, but it is wild and desolate in that part; a man could not exist except by hunting seals. From there you sail south along the coast for another five days and turn the corner of the land. There you come to the place where we have our farms.
    THORGUNNA Is it a good land? Is it warm, and sunny, and beautiful?
    LEIF (Regretfully) No, it's not. We always say it is, but it's not really. We can just get a living there, but it's not really much good. ( He looks around the barren Hebridean moorland. ) It's not such a good country as this.
    THORGUNNA What is there further west from you? Are there any other lands?
    LEIF (Thoughtfully) Lady, that's a strange question. This place lies to the west of Norway, and west of this place there is Iceland. If you go west again there is our own country, Greenland, where I come from. When you come to think of it there is no reason why there should not be another land again, westwards of us. I don't believe these stories that the sea comes to an end quite suddenly, and you fall over the edge like falling into a pit.
    THORGUNNA I don't believe those, either. But do you know of any other lands, westwards again from your place, where