Across the Seas

by Griff Hosker

  Fótr was bubbling with excitement, “Aye, brother. I believe it is. I feel it in my heart!”

  “Then see it with your eye!”

  “Aye.”

  “Ship’s boys, keep watch for rocks.”

  I did not recognize the land but then I had never seen the north coast and as the land slipped away to the south then we were sailing along the north part of the island. Tostig and Fótr both shouted at the same time, “Open water ahead!”

  I began to ease the steering board over slowly. The land looked like the one we had landed upon but, as it was mainly trees, it was hard to tell. By noon we had seen two tendrils of smoke and the dark-skinned warriors fishing. Their appearance drew many to the steerboard side. I had to shout at them to make them return to their places. This was not the place to overbalance the drekar. It was late afternoon when Fótr suddenly shouted, “Captain I see the beach where we landed. It lies off the steerboard bow.”

  Sven jumped up on the gunwale and grabbed the forestay. “It is, Captain. It is the tiny beach we used!”

  “Eidel, take the steerboard.”

  I joined Sven. I looked for the snekke but there was no sign of it. “The beach is too small for us.”

  He nodded, “But we have found it.”

  “There is no sign of the snekke. If Rek sees this he will recognize it. They may land.”

  “Captain, close with the shore and I will swim and leave a message.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Aye, Captain, I am not afraid.”

  “Then tell them we sail south and look for a better anchorage. Shorten sail. Eidel head close to shore.” I took a piece of my charcoal and gave it to him. He slipped off his clothes and stood on the gunwale. With the sail raised we slowed and halted just forty paces from the shore. Sven dived in and swam ashore. I looked for any warriors who might surprise him but there were none.

  He returned and we pulled him up. He grinned, “It was good to have land beneath my feet again!”

  “Hoist the sail!”

  We left the beach and I wondered if the snekke was behind us, ahead of us or lying at the bottom of the ocean! We had cast the bones and they would lie where they fell. I could do nothing about this. The Norns had spun and the threads of my friends and cousins were beyond my control. The island, for now, I knew it to be an island, prevented the wind from having a great effect and we sailed gently down the coast. Fótr shouted, “Smoke ahead!”

  Was this the camp of some of the barbarians? We were safe from them aboard our drekar but the fact that land was so close made everyone on the drekar wish to step ashore. There was a small headland which jutted out and there were trees which hid the fire. I had a theory about these people. The houses we had seen by the shore had been temporary. Perhaps, in the hot months, the biting insects inland drove them to the shore. This might be a camp of warriors waiting to ambush us. I put the steering board over so that we were more than two hundred paces from the shore. “Take in a reef.”

  As we edged around, I saw that the snekke was drawn up on the beach. Helga and Maren were cooking. Of the three men, there was no sign. I saw that this was a long beach and we could land. I clutched the blue stone. Gytha was aboard us but the Allfather had guided us here. We had landfall. We had crossed the Unending Sea.

  “Take up the sail! We are here!”

  I put the board over and headed the prow to the sand. We slid gently onto the shingle and sand. Tostig, Fal, Faramir, and Fótr leapt ashore and ran with ropes to tie us to the trees. “Run out the gangplanks over the prow!” Turning to Sven, Halsten and Eidel I said, “We have achieved what we set out to do. Well done. I thank you.”

  Eidel shook his head, “Sven has done this before but I am in awe of you Captain; through the storm and the fog, when the winds were against us you never lost faith. You trusted your own judgment. I can never be a navigator. I will be a warrior; find a wife and make young warriors!” He spread his arms around him, “This land smells good!”

  He was right. There was a wholesome smell from the shore. This land felt right. This would not be our home but we could camp here and, in the spring, leave for our island of the bear!

  Helga and Maren, with their children in their arms, came to greet us. Arne, Snorri, and Gytha were the first to disembark. I waited while the clan trooped past me. The men, to a one, clasped my arm as they passed me. No words were said for none were needed. I saw in their eyes that they were grateful. None had sailed so far from land before and they were pleased to be alive and away from the fiery mountain.

  “Fótr, Tostig, let us take Odin ashore. The others will follow. Fal, put another gangplank so that it will bear Odin’s weight. I would not wet him! He might think we try to baptize him.” I slipped a halter over his huge neck and spoke to him as I did so. “A new land for you. I fear that you will not enjoy the biting insects but you will get to use your tail.”

  His snort made me laugh. He might be a Saxon bull but he had a Viking heart. Behind me, Tostig and Fótr were moving the cow and calf. I hoped that the sheep and two pigs would choose to come of their own volition. We had no ram and, unless we found one in this new land, we would have no more. The two sheep we had would just be kept for their wool but we believed that the pigs would produce young.

  The two gangplanks creaked when Odin and I stepped on to them but they held. We moved down slowly and it gave me the chance to see the clan. Some struggled to keep their feet. The land would appear to be moving. Added to that was the fact that the sand was soft. It would take some time. I led the bull to the grass which grew beneath the trees. It was spring grass. I had no doubt it would be a little salty but the animals would not mind that. Fótr handed me the hammer and the metal stake. I drove it into the ground. The cow and calf would stay close to the bull.

  That done I took out Gytha’s blue stone and kissed it. “Thank you Ran, thank you Allfather, thank you the spirit of my father.” I was not arrogant enough to believe that I could have made the journey without their help.

  I wanted just to lie beneath the trees and sleep but I was the captain. Our journey was not over. This was a waypoint. I had to ensure that my ship was sound and that we were prepared for the next part of the voyage. I saw that Tostig was reunited with his sister. “Fótr, Folki, Fal come with me.”

  We went aboard the drekar. I found the water barrels. As I had expected one was completely empty and one was half empty. The third one had also been broached. In a perfectly ordered world, we would take all of them ashore and empty then refill them. This was not a perfect world. “Take the empty one ashore. I am certain that Rek and the others will have found water. Empty the half empty barrel and let the animals drink it. Take their trough.”

  Left alone on the drekar, I began to move the smaller barrels we would use to fill the large ones closer to the prow. That done I began to examine the ropes for damage. I clambered up the mast to look at the sail. It would need a little stitching but that could wait until we reached the Isle of the Bear. I reached the mast fish. We had been lucky. We could have suffered much worse. My voyage on the snekke had prepared me. If I had not renewed all that I could we might now be pieces of driftwood.

  I had not heard Gytha and Arne return aboard. As I turned, they smiled and my aunt embraced me, “The one who worked the hardest to bring us here is the only one working still. While the rest of the clan laughs and enjoys the sun, you still walk your deck alone.”

  I shrugged, “We have yet to reach our destination. Remember that I know there are warriors on this island and now that I have seen its size the numbers may be enough to cause us trouble.”

  Gytha gave Arne a knowing look and he looked a little shamefaced. I guessed words had already been exchanged, “Brother, you are right. We are here to consult. You are the only one who can advise. What do we do now?”

  Gytha nodded, “The mark of a good leader. He knows when to be a follower. I will leave you. The women will make our camp homely.”

  When she h
ad gone Arne said, “You know each time she speaks I feel like a little boy.”

  I laughed, “I know what you mean but I am glad that she is so. As for my advice? We need the water barrels to be filled. There is hunting on this island and that will give us food. The animals need to recover. Given all of that, I would say we need to spend seven nights here but…”

  “There is a but?”

  “But will the warriors who live on this island allow that? It is less than a year since we were here last. They will remember us. You will need to fortify the camp. I have begun to check the drekar. I also need to check the snekke but those two actions will just take a day or so.”

  “We will start to make the camp defensible. Come, the clan would like to thank you.”

  “Thank me?” I was confused. “I just did that which I was supposed to.”

  He put a huge arm around me, “Aye brother. That is all you did.” He shook his head, “The other voyagers who discovered new land found rocks covered in ice and snow. They found a land riven by fire snakes. You find this. I think, as does the clan, that you did more than you were supposed to!”

  As I reached the top of the gangplank Arne stood back, for the clan were gathered on the beach and they began to cheer and chant my name. I felt humbled. I walked down the gangplank and men patted my back. Some of the pats made me wince. I saw some of the younger, unmarried women flash their eyes at me. I walked through them, smiling and red-faced. I went into the trees. I needed to make water. I could feel the heat from the land already. We had enjoyed a breeze from the sea. It was hard to believe that less than forty days ago we had been freezing in our fjord. We had made a mighty journey already. I did not retrace my steps. I went into the woods until I found a game trail and I followed that in the direction of the beach. It led me to a small stream. I cupped my hand to taste the water. It was good. The stream led, not to the beach, but a small shingle and rock covered outfall. I was fifty paces east of the camp. I walked back. Already I saw that there was a fire and the women were making food.

  As I reached it, I saw Fótr and waved him over. “There are small barrels on the drekar. Roll the empty barrel back to the ship. Bring the small barrels. If you walk along the beach you will find a stream. The Allfather has made it so that it will fill the barrels.”

  Fal said, “Can we not enjoy the time ashore?”

  Fótr snapped, “Are you a child? Our captain works and so do we.”

  I pointed to the tree line, “See Fal, the other men hew down trees to make us strong. They build a wall to keep us safe. The women cook. The only ones who do nothing are those who have seen less than five summers. We are the Clan of the Fox. This is what we do. We use our wits to survive.”

  I went to Gytha as the boys began to roll the empty barrel back to the ship. It would be good to have sweet water once more. Gytha was organizing the cooking. I pointed to the boys, “They are going to fill the water barrels. There is a stream yonder.”

  She nodded, “Good. You girls,” she pointed to four who had seen about twelve summers, “take these pots and fill them with water.” Giggling, they ran off and Gytha smiled, “This will be the start of the education of my son and his cousin. You should think about taking a wife. You could have any of the unmarried women, you know.”

  “I know but I am not ready.”

  “The clan needs warriors. You should be married.” She suddenly stared into my eyes. “What a fool am I? Your dream. It comes to me! Now I see. Forgive a foolish old lady.” She looked up at the sky, “The Norns spin and I, of all people, should have known that. You are wise, Erik the Navigator. Follow your heart for it knows its own course.”

  At the time I did not know what she meant. Gytha was wise beyond words. She could listen and she knew more than any person I had ever met. Before I could dwell on her words, I heard a shout as Padraig, Aed, and Rek returned. They had one of the local deer hanging from a spear. They had hunted

  I hurried to them. I wondered if Arne might be upset for, after dropping the carcass they ran, not to him and the other men but to me. “Captain, we thought we had lost you!”

  “I am just pleased that you live. Tell me all.” I needed to know what had happened so that we could avoid it in future.

  “When the storm came, we found it difficult to stay close to you. Sometimes we almost rammed the stern and, when we hung back a little, we lost you. After the storm had died, we looked for your sail but found none. We decided to follow the last course you had taken. We found the island. It was the north coast we found but Rek recognized it. I knew you could not land the drekar at the beach Rek said had been your home and so we sailed until we reached here. We arrived barely in time for a fog came from the east. It enveloped us. I confess, Captain, that I feared the island was enchanted. I had never seen fog descend so quickly and to be so dense. Then, yesterday, it cleared. We decided to go hunting.”

  Arne had joined us. He asked, “And did you see signs of the locals?”

  “We crossed their trail but none of us was skilled enough at tracking to know how fresh were the prints.”

  “We will have a palisade up by dark. Tomorrow we hunt and we seek the warriors.”

  I looked at him, “We seek them?”

  “Better we find them before they surprise us. You are the sailor and you have done your part. I am the warrior and I will now do mine. We need seven days. Let us make it a safe seven days.” He turned, “Warriors, fetch your weapons, helmets, and shields from the ships, tomorrow we hunt!”

  I brought my bear fur ashore and found somewhere beneath the trees. This land was not as warm as the land in which we would settle although it felt hot compared with the land of ice and fire. The hunt enabled the women to make a more interesting stew than we might have expected. With shellfish, deer heart and kidney as well as some salted seal meat and greens from the river, we dined well.

  I sat, not with Arne, but my crew and that of the snekke. It was not that I did not wish to sit with Arne, Siggi, and Snorri but the eight of us around Padraig’s fire had much to speak about. It was Aed who came up with a solution to our becoming separated. “It seems to me, Captain, that even if the storm had not driven us apart then the fog would. I have never seen it so thick. Had we taken down our sail and been towed by you then we would have been like a sea anchor. We would have kept you more stable and kept closer to you.”

  “Aye, but we would have risked snapping the tow.”

  Aed looked at Padraig, “Not if we used two tow ropes. One from the larboard quarter and one from the steerboard quarter.”

  We spent some time speaking of what we had each learned. It was not just that they had learned about the snekke and sailing. They had discovered something about themselves and their families. Padraig said, “I think that Aed and I are lucky in our women. They kept the children safe and did not complain. The Saxon women we knew would not have coped.”

  “We are a hardy clan and you two have augmented it. Our blood is all the stronger for it.”

  “And you should be thinking of your blood, Erik. When do you take a wife?”

  They all looked at me. Was the whole clan debating my lack of wife or my apparent lack of interest in women? “When I found that piece of driftwood it set my course, Aed. When our clan has a new home with wooden walls and a roof; when we have defences against enemies and we sail no more then I will seek a bride. There is no rush. The girls who are of an age are already married. Should I marry a widow just to have children? I think not.”

  They seemed satisfied with my answer. As we ate Fótr said, “Sven, Halsten and Eidel are seeking brides. The three are seen as heroes by the unmarried women. When we went to fetch the water Salbjǫrg Bennisdotter spoke to Kolla Asbjornsdotter, and they were speaking of Sven and Eidel. They thought we heard them not but our shipmates have been casting their eyes upon them.”

  “That is good. We are few in number now. We have more women than men and we need to reverse that trend.”

  I went to check that
the ships were secured to the land. I already had plans for the next day. We would, it there was little wind, lower the sail on the drekar and stitch it where necessary. We could remove the one from the snekke and repair that on the beach. Arne had already told me that he planned on taking all of the men to hunt and explore the land around. We would have to be the guards for the camp. I went to my chest and took out my helmet, sword, and arrows. I took my bow from its place at the stern and I went ashore. I would not need my shield. It was the only one which remained on the drekar.

  I laid my weapons on the bear fur and lay down. Our ships were safe. An enemy would need to clamber over a palisade and get through a sleeping clan. They could not do that for Arne had four men watching the woods.

  The next day Arne led the men out early. Gytha took the women who had older children to forage. We were left with the mothers who had babies, Padraig, Aed, and my five ship’s boys. First, we took down the snekke’s sail and laid it on the beach. There was still a breeze and so we left the drekar. The sail of the snekke was not badly damaged. We would not need to use the spare yet. We stitched it and then replaced it. The women arrived back at noon and so, while I waited for the wind to drop, which I guessed would be at noon, I sent the boys to forage for kindling.

  Gytha looked pleased with herself. “We have honey for we found a bees’ nest. Smoke works with these bees as it does with the bees at home.” She grinned and looked twenty years younger, “I can make you the mead I promised you when we left Larswick!”

  All of the women had their spirits similarly uplifted. On the voyage, they had just kept their children and babies occupied. Now they could help the clan and make that which we needed. Inactivity does not sit well with our people. They had foraged not only honey but also greens and wild garlic. Gytha sent the older children to collect more shellfish. I had the traps we had made for lobsters. I took them and walked along the line of stones which made an arm of the small bay in which we camped. I put stones in the bottom of the two of them and then lowered them into the water. I tied the two ropes around rocks.