SOME YEARS AGO I came upon the historical story of the discovery of America by Leif Ericsson in A (7 page)

THORGUNNA I will do that, Leif. It was good of you to think of warning me. We are a hot-blooded people in this island, and your men are very handsome. I will see that no girls come about this place.

LEIF What is this island like? What lies beyond that hill?

THORGUNNA There is a strip of farm-land, and then a quick-running river, full of fish. Beyond that lies the moor where cattle and sheep pasture, and beyond that again there is the mountain and the sea.

LEIF Are the fish fresh-water fish, like they get in Iceland? Can a man eat them?

THORGUNNA We eat them fresh, and salted in the winter. They are very good food.

LEIF Lady, I have a net. It will help my men in this long idleness if they can have a variety of food. Would your father allow me to go to this river with my net, with perhaps one other man to help me with the net, to get some of these fish?

THORGUNNA There is no need to ask my father if I go with you. You'll want somebody who knows the river to show you the best pools. I can do that, and I can help you with the net.

[DISSOLVE TO:

The River

(Thorgunna
and
Leif
are shown walking up to the river together. This is a typical Hebridean salmon river, rocky and fast-running. The scene should be beautiful. The montage should emphasize the slender dark beauty of the girl in contrast to the blond strength of the man.
)

(
They pause on the bank and study the river,
A
fish jumps in the pool.
)

[DISSOLVE TO:

The River

(
Thorgunna
and
Leif
are shown wading waist-deep in a pool, one at each side of the river with the net stretched across between them, working it up the pool. They are intent upon the water, and moving quietly and stealthily, but they are smiling; it is great fun.
)

[DISSOLVE TO:

The River Bank

(Thorgunna
and
Leif
are dragging the net into a shallow with a sandy or a flat stone beach, to get the fish ashore. They pull it in; it has perhaps one salmon and a few parr or trout in it. They crouch down together by the water's edge to examine their catch. This scene should be sunny and beautiful.
)

THORGUNNA These little ones with spots are very sweet; I like them best, myself. But your men are so big—(
She glances at
Leif
shyly.
)—that I think they will like the big ones better.

LEIF They are grand fish. We catch fish in the sea, but not so good as these. We have no fishing of this sort at home.

THORGUNNA Are there no rivers in your country?

LEIF None like this. You'd think our country was a poor place if you came to visit it.

THORGUNNA
(Looking round over the wild Hebridean scenery.
) Is your country much worse than ours?

LEIF Most of it is covered in ice and snow all the year round. We tell everybody that it's the best land in the world, and we get along all right there, but it's not so good as this. I don't mind you knowing.

THORGUNNA
(Wistfully)
I want to travel some day and see other places. I do envy you, going to Norway. They say it's a wonderful country. The trees there grow seventy or eighty feet high in the valleys.

LEIF No!

THORGUNNA It's quite true. I'd like to go there and see trees like that. I'd like to see your Greenland, too.

LEIF You wouldn't like Greenland. It's not a good country.

THORGUNNA
(Thoughtfully)
A good country is a country where there are good people, a place where men are kind, and generous, and simple. I think your country is a better one than this.
(She rouses, and picks up the net.)
There is a good pool down below that rapid, but we must get over to the other bank.

(They turn and splash knee-deep through the water, laughing together.
Leif
takes her hand to help her through a deep bit.)

[DISSOLVE TO:

Hill Overlooking Leif's Camp

(
It is evening.
Thorgunna
and
Leif
come up to the crest and see the ship upon the beach below them, and the camp, not very far away.
Leif
is carrying the net upon his back; it is full of fish. They stop on the crest of the hill.
)

THORGUNNA I will not come down to the camp with you; I will go home from here.

LEIF
(Taking her hand)
Lady, I have to thank you for two things; for these fish, and for a very happy day. Shall we meet again?

THORGUNNA I know where there are seagulls' eggs on the rock face. Do your men like those?

LEIF Lady, my chaps will eat anything from seaweed to a bit of walrus hide. If they could get eggs now and then it would be fine.

THORGUNNA I can show you where those are, if you like. We might meet out here.

LEIF To-morrow—two hours after sunrise? (
They smile at each other.
)

[DISSOLVE TO:

The Cliff

(
Leif
and
Thorgunna
are seen clambering about on the face of a cliff, with the sea beating upon rocks hundreds of feet below them. The effect should be one of terrifying height They do not consider it dangerous; they have a woven fish basket with them and they are gathering seagulls' eggs. They are chatting and laughing together.
)

LEIF There's a slippery bit here; be careful how you come.

THORGUNNA Be careful yourself, or else give me the eggs.

LEIF
(Looking at the sea far below him)
If I fell down there I don't suppose I'd worry much about the eggs. I might bounce once upon that sticking out bit, but then it's a clear drop down to the rocks.

(Thorgunna
is standing on a rocky ledge. She is leaning a little against the rock wall behind her, and she is staring at the far horizon, motionless. All the gaiety has gone from her, and her face is set and expressionless.)

THORGUNNA Leif, you mustn't fall.

LEIF
(Turning to look at her)
Of course not. Hullo—what's the matter?

THORGUNNA
(Motionless)
You mustn't fall. (
Leif
goes to her quickly, and takes her hand.
)

LEIF Thorgunna, what's the matter? Are you feeling queer?

THORGUNNA (Looking
down at his hand holding hers)
I—I don't quite know.

LEIF We'll sit and rest a bit. This isn't a very good place to feel faint, you know. Wake up.

THORGUNNA
(Passing her hand over her eyes)
I'm all right. I thought ... oh, I don't know what I thought.

LEIF We'll knock off for a bit, and get up to the cliff top, and sit down.

THORGUNNA If you like.

[DISSOLVE TO:

The Cliff Top

(
This is an open, grassy slope high above the sea, sunny and windswept.
Thorgunna
and
Leif
are sitting close together.)

LEIF What happened down there, Thorgunna? Did you feel ill?

THORGUNNA No—not ill. I just got a—a sort of feeling that you mustn't fall. It seemed to be so urgent . . . suddenly. (Turns
to him)
I don't suppose you can understand.

LEIF
(Grinning)
I've a kind of idea that I do.

THORGUNNA
(Laughing)
It wasn't that. It wasn't anything to do with us. (
Seriously)
It was bigger than that. It seemed to be terribly important, suddenly, that nothing should happen to you. Not only to me.

LEIF (
Puzzled
) Who to, then?

THORGUNNA
{With wonder in her voice)
Sort of-to the world. To every man and every woman still unborn, living in countries far beyond our own that we know nothing about. It seemed to me that if you fell, something would be lost to all those unborn people we shall never know, and God would grieve for them, and I should grieve with God.

LEIF You're a queer girl, Thorgunna.

THORGUNNA That's what they used to say about my mother.

LEIF I never met any one like you before. I never before met any woman that I could—respect.

THORGUNNA
(Gravely)
If I repeated that it would sound silly, but it would be true.

LEIF
(Putting his arm round her shoulders)
Tell me, what was it you were thinking about me before you went all funny on the cliff?

[ DISSOLVE TO:

The Hayfield

(
This is a low field beside the sea; the western beach runs up to this field so that you look out over the sea towards the sunset. The hay is cut and in stacks upon the field, ready for carting the next day. It is evening.
Leif
and
Thorgunna
are standing hand-in-hand looking at the sunset, silhouetted against it. This is a very beautiful scene.)

LEIF Beyond those clouds, you say there lies the Happy Land. What was its name?

THORGUNNA Hy Breasail. The land beyond the sunset, the: place where everything is clean and beautiful and good.

LEIF The Happy Land. Surely, the place where you are happy is: that Happy Land.

(He slips his arm around her shoulders; she smiles up at him. They turn again and look at the glory of the sunset.)

THORGUNNA It's lovely, Leif. Let's sit and watch it for a bit.. You haven't got to go back yet, have you?

LEIF Not yet.

(
They sit down together with their backs against a haycock,
Leif
with his arm around her shoulders, watching the sunset.

The colours change and deepen; a star or two shows in the sky. The colours glow and fade till there is only a thin gold streak against the deep blue sky, pierced with a thousand stars.)

LEIF
(Gently)
You haven't got to go back yet, have you?

THORGUNNA Not yet.

[FADE TO:

The Camp

(
Daytime;
Leif
and
Tyrker
are looking at the burgee at the masthead of the ship. It is blowing away from the land, in the reverse direction to the previous shots of it.
)

LEIF Well, we've got our west wind at last. We've been here over a month.

TYRKER
(Sourly)
We've been here seven weeks.

LEIF Not
so
long as that, surely?

TYRKER We got here on the twenty-fifth of May. This is the fifth of July.

LEIF It hasn't seemed like seven weeks.

TYRKER It's seemed like seven years to all the rest of us. We haven't all got—

LEIF That's enough of that. Do you think this wind is settled in the west?

TYRKER
(Looking round the sky)
I think so. The sky looks quite different now. It's got much warmer. I think it will be west now for some days.

LEIF
(Heavily)
All right, we'll sail at dawn. Tell the men; get everything cleaned up and on board to-night. It's high water about two in the morning; we'll float off on that, and lie at anchor till the dawn.

TYRKER
(Gently)
You will have other business to attend to. I will see to everything.

LEIF All right. I am going to the town now, to see the King, to tell him we are leaving.

[ DISSOLVE TO:

The King's Hall

(
This is a wooden building with a high, vaulted roof. It should be larger than any building we have seen so far but not enormous, because later in the story the hall of King Olaf in Norway has to be very much larger. It has one or two long benches for meals, a sleeping dais at one end, and near this dais a large open fireplace. The
King
is seated on the dais, informally, with a number of his warriors about him; they are all heavily armed, and are real toughs. There are one or two very fierce, large dogs about the place that snarl as
Leif
speaks and are held back by the men.
Leif
stands before the
King.
)

LEIF Sir, the wind has changed, and we can get away for Norway with the dawn. We have been here for seven weeks. I am sorry that we had to stay so long. I want to thank you for allowing us to camp here, both for myself and also for my father who sent me on this mission.