Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-11-21

mind to follow them across the sea and
pass the winter, as he had been used to
do, at his fathers firesde.
But Biarni had never been to Green
land, and neither he nor his most eXpe-
rienced seamen knew which way to sail
in order to reach that new country. They
had scarcely left Iceland when great
storms arose and drove the little vessel
! far to the southwark, where the fogs were
SO thick and dark that they could do
nothing for many days but drift before
the winds. When the weather cleared up
they found themselves close to strange
land whose low shores were overgrown
with trees and shrubs.
But Biarni knew that this could not be
Greenland. That country, he had been
told could be distinguished at distance
by its snow-capped mountains; but this
land was level, with scarcely hill to be
seen in any direction. "'rhe storm has
driven us too far to the SOUTH he said.
And so, turning his vessel about, he again
stood out to sea. Nine days, with fresh
gales and favoring winds, he sailed north
ward, seeing land now and then, but not
stopping; and on the tenth day he reached
the new settlement in Greenland, where
he was welcomed by his father and by
bold Eric the Red.
After this there was much talk in
Greenland about the strange shores which
Biarni had discovered in the south; and
as he bold Vikings, on long winter even
ings, sat by the fire and told over and
over again their wonderful tales of id
venture, many were the guesses as to
what kind of a country it was that lay
beyond the great sea.
Two or three years later Left, the son
of Eric, bought Biarni's vessel, fitted it
with everything needed for a long yoy-
age, and persuaded his father to under
take with him the exploration of those
unknown shores But as old Eric was
riding to the place where the ship lay
moored in readiness for the voyage, his
horse slipped and fell. at is bad
omen,' said he; "ill-fortune would be
mine should dare venture now upon the
sea- And he at once returned to his
house. Young Left went ON board the
vessel, and, with a crew of thirty
men, sailed away without him.
The first land that they saw was bar
rem, rugged plain, covered with broad,
fiat rocks, where there was neither tree
nor plant of any kind. Left called this
country Helluland, or the land of Hat
stones. He then sailed onward for many
days until he came to a low, level coast
thicHly covered with woods. This latter
country, which he named MARYLAND, OF
the land of woods, was, it is thought, the
peninsula now called Nova Scotia.
Sailing onward, two days longer, to-
wards the southwest, they came to al
island, and entered a channel between it
and the mainland. Here was little
river in whose waters were great numbers
of fish; wild fruits grew in the thickets,
and the meadows near the shore were
covered with a wonderful growth of tall
green grass.
Left and his men were SO highly pleased
with this place that they pulled their
vessel high up on the beach, built them
selves some log cabins not far from the
shore, and resolved to stay there during
the winter. They found in the woods a
great abundance of delicious wild grapes,
and for this reason they named the
country Vinland. After spending many
months in this delightful place, they
loaded heir little vessel with grapes and
with some of the strange kinds OF wood
which they found there, and sailed back
to Greenland.
Such is the story of the discovery OF
America by Left Ericsson in the year 1000
At different times after this, other
hardy seamen and settlers from the fan
north visited MARYLAND and Ninland, and
many places along the shore of the
newiy-found country. Some of them
came with their wives and children, and
steps were taken to form a settlement
But troubles arose, they could not agree
among themselves, and at last all re-
turned to Greenland. In the course OF
time men ceased to talk of the great I'M
kncwn country to the south; even the
settlements in Greenland We're aban-
doned, and for many years forgotten.
And thus the first discovery of America
came to naught.
Should you ever visit Boston, you may
see beautiful statue which stands there
in honor of Left Ericsson. And near
Newport, in Rhode Island, there is an
old stone tower, the history of which has
been lost, but which is believed by some
persons to have been built by those first
discoveries from the north.