The Norsemen in the West Part 10

It is needful, also, to do so without scattering, lest we be set upon unexpectedly by any lurking foe. This land is not easily surveyed like Iceland or Greenland, being, as you see, covered with shrubs and trees, which somewhat curtail our vision, and render caution the more necessary."

While the Nors.e.m.e.n were engaged in examining the woods near the coast, the two Scots held on their way into the interior. There was something absolutely exhilarating, as Krake once remarked, in the mere beholding of these brothers' movements. They had been famed for agility and endurance even in their own country. They did not run, but trotted lightly, and appeared to be going at a moderate pace, when in reality it would have compelled an ordinary runner to do his best to keep up with them. Yet they did not pant or show any other symptom of distress. On the contrary, they conversed occasionally in quiet tones, as men do when walking. They ran abreast as often as the nature of the ground would allow them to do so, taking their leaps together when they came to small obstructions, such as fallen trees or brooks of a few feet wide; but when they came to creeks of considerable width, the one usually paused to see the other spring over, and then followed him.

Just after having taken a leap of this kind, and while they were running silently side by side along the margin of the river, they heard a crash among the bushes, and next instant a fine deer sprang into an open s.p.a.ce in front of them. The brothers bent forward, and, flying like the wind, or like arrows from a bow, followed for a hundred yards or so--then stopped abruptly and burst into a hearty fit of laughter.

"Ah! Heika," exclaimed the younger, "that fellow would be more than a match for us if we could double our speed. We have no chance with four-legged runners."

While he was speaking they resumed the jog-trot pace, and soon afterwards came to a rocky ridge, that seemed to traverse the country for some distance. Here they were compelled to walk, and in some places even to clamber, the ground being very rugged.

Here also they came to a small branch or fork of the river that appeared to find its way to the sea through another channel. It was deep, and although narrow in comparison with the parent stream, was much too broad to be leaped over. The pioneers were therefore obliged to swim. Being almost as much at home in the water as otters, they plunged in, clothes and all, without halting, and in a few seconds had gained the other side.

When they reached the top of the ridge they stopped and gazed in silent admiration, for there lay stretched out before them a vast woodland scene of most exquisite beauty. Just at their feet was the lake of which they were in search; some parts of it bright as the blue sky which its unruffled breast reflected; other parts dark almost to blackness with the images of rocks and trees. Everywhere around lay a primeval wilderness of wood and water which it is beyond the power of mortal pen adequately to describe; and while all was suffused with the golden light of an early summer sun, and steeped in the repose of an absolutely calm day, the soft and plaintive cries of innumerable wild-fowl enlivened, without disturbing, the profound tranquillity of the scene.

"Does it not remind you of our own dear land?" said Heika in a low soft voice.

"Ay, like the lowlands on the sh.o.r.es of the Forth fiord," replied Hake, in the same low tone, as if he feared to break the pleasing stillness; "and there, surely, are the booths we were to search for--see, in the hollow, at the head of yonder bay, with the gravelly beach and the birch-trees hanging from the rocks as if they wished to view themselves in the watery mirror."

"True--there are three of them visible. Let us descend and examine."

"Hist! Some one appears to have got there before us," said Hake, laying his hand on his brother's shoulder and pointing in the direction of the huts.

"It is not a human visitor, methinks," observed Heika.

"More like a bear," returned Hake.

In order to set the question at rest the brothers hastened round by the woods to a spot immediately behind the huts. There was a hill there so steep as to be almost a precipice. It overlooked the sh.o.r.es of the lake immediately below where the huts were, and when the pioneers came to the crest of it and peeped cautiously over, they beheld a large brown bear not far from the hut that stood nearest to the hill, busily engaged in devouring something.

"Now it is a pity," whispered Heika, "that we brought no arms with us.

Truly, little cause have we men to be proud of our strength, for yonder beast could match fifty of us if we had nothing to depend on save our fists and feet and fingers."

"Why not include the teeth in your list, brother?" asked Hake, with a quiet laugh; "but it is a pity, as you say. What shall--"

He stopped abruptly, for a large boulder, or ma.s.s of rock, against which he leaned, gave way under him, made a sudden lurch forward and then stuck fast.

"Ha! a dangerous support," said Hake, starting back; "but, hist! suppose we shove it down on the bear?"

"A good thought," replied Heika, "if we can move the ma.s.s, which seems doubtful; but let us try. Something may be gained by trying--nothing lost."

The boulder, which had been so balanced on the edge of the steep hill that a gentle pressure moved it, was a ma.s.s of rock weighing several tons, the moving of which would have been a hopeless task for twenty men to attempt, but it stood balanced on the extreme edge of the turn of the hill, and the little slip it had just made rendered its position still more critical; so that, when the young men lay down with their backs against a rock, placed their feet upon it and pushed with all their might, it slowly yielded, toppled over, and rolled with a tremendous surge through a copse which lay immediately below it.

The brothers leaped up and gazed in breathless eagerness to observe the result. The bear, hearing the crash, looked up with as much surprise as the visage of that stupid creature is capable of expressing. The thing was so suddenly done that the bear seemed to have no time to form an opinion or get alarmed, for it stood perfectly still, while the boulder, bounding from the copse, went crashing down the hill, cutting a clear path wherever it touched, attaining terrific velocity, and drawing an immense amount of debris after it. The direction it took happened to be not quite straight for the animal, whose snout it pa.s.sed within six or eight feet--causing him to shrink back and growl--as it rushed smoking onward over the level bit of sward beneath, through the ma.s.s of willows beyond, across the gravelly strand and out to the lake, into which it plunged and disappeared amid a magnificent spout of foam. But the avalanche of earth and stones which its mad descent had created did not let Bruin off so easily. One after another these latter, small and large, went pattering and dashing against him,--some on his flank, some on his ribs, and others on his head. He growled of course, yet stood the fire n.o.bly for a few seconds, but when, at last, a large boulder hit him fairly on the nose, he gave vent to a squeal which terminated in a pa.s.sionate roar as he turned about and made for the open sh.o.r.e, along which for some distance he ran with the agility of a monstrous wild-cat, and finally leaped out of sight into his forest home!

The brothers looked at each other with sparkling eyes, and next moment the woods resounded with their merriment, as they held their sides and leaned for support against a neighbouring cliff.

Heika was first to recover himself.

"Hold, brother," he exclaimed, "we laugh loud enough to let Bruin know who it was that injured him, or to bring all the savages in these woods down upon us. Peace, man, peace, and let us return to our friends."

"As soon as ye please, brother," said Hake, still laughing as he tightened his belt, "but was it not rare fun to see Bruin stand that stony rain so manfully until his tender point was touched? And then how he ran! 'Twas worth coming here to see a bear leave off his rolling gait so and run like a very wild-cat.--Now I'm ready."

Without staying to make further examination of Leif's old huts--for from the place where they stood all the six of them could be clearly seen-- the young pioneers started on their return to the coast. They ran back with much greater speed than they had pushed forward--fearing that their companions might be getting impatient or alarmed about them. They did not even converse, but with heads up, chests forward, and elbows bent, addressed themselves to a quick steady run, which soon brought them to the branch of the river previously mentioned. Here they stopped for a moment before plunging in.

"Suppose that we run down its bank," suggested Hake, "and see whether there be not a shallow crossing."

"Surely ye have not grown afraid of water, Hake?"

"No, not I, but I should like to see whither this branch trends, and what it is like; besides, the divergence will not cost us much time, as we can cross at any point we have a mind to, and come at the main river again through the woods."

"Well, I will not balk you--come on."

They accordingly descended the smaller streams and found it to be broken by various little cascades and rapids, with here and there a longish reach of pebbly ground where the stream widened into a shallow rippling river with one or two small islands in it. At one of these places they crossed where it was only knee-deep in the centre, and finally stopped at the end of a reach, where a sudden narrowing of the banks produced a brawling rapid. Below this there was a deep pool caused by a great eddy.

"Now, we go no further," said Heika. "Here we shall cross through the woods to the main branch."

"'Tis a pretty stream," observed Hake when they were about to leave it.

As he spoke a large salmon leaped high out of the pool below, flashed for one moment in the sunshine like a bar of living silver, and fell back into the water with a sounding splash. Hake caught his breath and opened wide his eyes!

"Truly that is a good sight to the eyes of a Scotsman," said Heika, gazing with interest at the place where the fish had disappeared; "it reminds me of my native land."

"Ay, and me of my dinner," observed Hake, smacking his lips.

"Out upon thee, man!" cried Heika, "how can ye couple our native land with such a matter-o'-fact thought as dinner?"

"Why, it would be hard to uncouple the thought of dinner from our native land," returned Hake, with a laugh, as they entered the forest; "for every man--not to mention woman--within its circling coast-line is a diner, and so by hook or crook must daily have his dinner.--But say, brother, is it not matter of satisfaction, as well as matter of fact, that the waters of this Vinland shall provide us with abundance of food not less surely than the land? If things go on as they have begun I shall be well content to stay here."

"Ye do not deserve the name of Scot, Hake," said the other gravely. "My heart is in Scotland; it is not here."

"True, I know it," replied Hake, with a touch of feeling; "in a double sense, too, for your betrothed is there. Nevertheless, as _I_ did not leave my heart behind me; surely there is no sin in taking some pleasure in this new land. But heed not my idle talk, brother. You and I shall yet live to see the bonny hills of--. Ha! here we are on the big stream once more, sooner than I had expected, and, if I mistake not, within hail of our comrades."

Hake was right. The moment they emerged from the woods upon the open bank of the large river they saw a party of men in the distance approaching them, and, an instant later, a loud halloo a.s.sured them that these were their friends.

When the pioneers had related all that they had seen and done, the whole party returned to the sh.o.r.e and hailed the ship, for, the tide having risen, they could not now reach it by wading. A boat was immediately sent for them, and great was the interest manifested by all on board to learn the news of Vinland. They had time to give an account of all that had been done and seen, because it still wanted an hour of flood-tide, and the ship still lay immoveable.

While they were thus engaged, Gudrid happened to cast her eyes over the stern of the ship, and thought she saw an object moving in the water.

"What is that I see?" she said, pointing towards it.

"The great sea-serpent!" exclaimed Biarne, shading his eyes with his hand.

"Or his ghost," remarked Krake.

From which observations, coupled together, it would appear that the famous monster referred to was known by repute to the Nors.e.m.e.n of the eleventh century, though he was to some extent regarded as a myth!

Be this as it may, the object which now attracted the attention and raised the eyebrows of all on board the "_Snake_" evidently possessed life, for it was very active--wildly so--besides being large. It darted hither and thither, apparently without aim, sending the water in curling foam before it. Suddenly it made straight for the ship, then it turned at a tangent and made for the island; anon it wheeled round, and rushed, like a mad creature, to the sh.o.r.e.

Then arose a deafening shout from the men--

"A whale! an embayed whale!"