by Nevil Shute
BJARNIThat’s right. That’s just what I’ve been saying, but I never can make landsmen understand about the sea.
THINGMANThat’s quite right. We always get westerly winds from June onwards. I should have thought of that. It’s in the spring we get the easterlies.
BJARNIThat’s just what I said.
THINGMANBut, Bjarni, could you get to this place, do you think? I mean, this summer.
BJARNIOh, we’d get there all right. We’d get there somehow or other, but it might take some time. We might not be able to come back this year.
[DISSOLVE TO:
Bjarni’s Ship
(The ship is seen labouring in a rough sea, doing her best to beat against the wind on the starboard tack. Bjarni is working at the steering oar; he is virile and competent, and showing at his best. Callender’s voice is heard as commentary.)
CALLENDERWell, Bjarni was quite right. He met head winds which prevented him from sailing to Greenland along his latitude, as Eric had done years before. These ships would not beat against the wind, and if the wind was strong you could not row them up against the wind, either. Bjarni had to bear away southwards and work to the west as best he could each day, as the wind veered and changed. He was hindered by the fact that he had no compass and he didn’t know the latitude of the place that he was going to; his ship had never been there before, so he hadn’t got the notch upon his thwart. He didn’t know where he was going to or how far he had gone towards it, but he went on. He was a very brave man.
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Classroom
(Callender is indicating on the map.)
CALLENDERHe came down here, zigzagging about in his head winds, trying to get westwards. He ended up by missing Greenland altogether; he passed south of Cape Farewell, here. By that time he had been a long time at sea and he didn’t in the least know where he was, but he went on. He was that kind of man. And in the end, he came out on the coast of Newfoundland, here. And he was very disappointed.
[DISSOLVE TO:
Bjarni’s Ship
(The ship is shown sailing near the coast of a well-wooded, fertile country in fine, sunny weather. This should be a very beautiful scene, in contrast to the rough seas and grey skies of the previous shots. The crew are all staring at the shore, entranced. Bjarni is at the helm, and looking very discontented.)
FIRST MANLord, it’s been worth a bad passage to come out at a fine country like this one. It’s the best country I have ever seen.
BJARNIWe have come wrong, all thanks to those infernal head winds. This is not the place that we are looking for.
FIRST MANAre you sure of that, Lord? Leif Ericsson said that there was pasture, and there is pasture here, and fine weather, and tall trees.
BJARNII know what I am doing. They told me definitely that I should come to a bad land of rocks and glaciers first; this place is nothing like it. We have come wrong.
SECOND MANBut, Lord, this is a good land.
BJARNIIt’s not the land that we are looking for. We will sail north for a bit, and see if we can find the bad land with the rocks and glaciers. From there we have to sail south for five days and turn the corner of the land, and we shall come to Ericsfiord.
FIRST MANLord, we haven’t got much water left, and there is very little wood. Shall we go in to the beach and land in this good place, and find a stream, and cut some wood? We have been a long time at sea.
BJARNINonsense. We’ve got plenty of wood, and there are two whole barrels of water that we haven’t touched yet. Of course we won’t land; we are going on to find the place with the rocks and the glaciers. You just want a run on shore, that’s all that’s the matter with you. I often wonder why chaps like you go to sea at all, if you don’t like it.
FIRST MANI often wonder that myself.
BJARNIGet forward, and slack off the weather sheet. (Hails) Stand by the vangs; heave in on the lee sheet. Leadsman, what water have you got?
[FADE TO:
Bjarni’s Ship — Later
(The ship is seen off the coast of Labrador, sailing northwards. The coast is misty and rocky. Bjarni is looking puzzled and discontented. Callender’s voice is heard as commentary.)
CALLENDERHe sailed north up the coast of Newfoundland and the country got worse, of course, as he went northwards. He came to Labrador and it was worse still, but there were no glaciers to set his mind at rest. And after a few days of this he was completely foxed. He had no interest in the land he had discovered, and he could find nothing in the least like Greenland. The season was getting late, so he thought he’d better get back to Iceland.
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Classroom
CALLENDERWell, that seemed easy enough. He had a fair southwesterly wind, and he knew the latitude of Iceland because he had the notch for Iceland carved upon his thwart. So he set out upon a northeast course, like this, meaning to come to the latitude of Iceland well to the west, and sail along till he got home. He turned his back upon America.
[CUT TO:
Bjarni’s Ship
(The ship is seen standing out eastwards, away from the land.)
[CUT TO:
The Classroom
CALLENDERAnd so, following on that course, he hit the south-west corner of Greenland, here, and came to Ericsfiord — more by luck than good management.
[DISSOLVE TO:
Bjarni’s Ship
(The ship is seen beaching at Brattahlid. All the colony are on the beach to greet the travellers, headed by Eric.)
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Classroom
CALLENDERThe season was too far advanced for them to risk the journey back to Iceland that year, and so they stayed for the winter; Bjarni stayed with his father, Heriulf. In the meantime, Leif had gone on his way from Iceland, and he, too, had trouble with the weather. He went like this (indicates on the map) and he put in at the Hebrides, here, to wait for a fair wind. He found he wasn’t very welcome.
[FADE TO:
A Harbour in the Hebrides
(Leif’s ship is coming into a small made harbour, with a stone quay and a few rude houses behind it. The King of the Islands is standing on the quay, fully armed; there are a number of armed men behind him. The King should be a hard, ruthless, Puritan type. One or two powerful Viking warships are in the harbour, in contrast to Leif’s merchant ship, which is small and old. In this sequence the impression must be held throughout that Leif’s party are greatly outnumbered.)
(The ship comes to the quay. It is evident that they have had a long, hard passage. There is water in the ship, and the men are exhausted and wet. There should be slight damage; a broken steering oar, tears patched in the sail, etc.)
KINGWho are you people? What do you want here?
LEIFWe are on our way to King Olaf in Norway, but the winds are foul and we can’t lie anywhere near our course. We are a long time out from Iceland. My name is Leif, the son of Eric the Red. We come from a country over to the west of Iceland, that we call Greenland. May we stay here till the wind is fair for Norway?
KINGYou are Leif Ericsson?
LEIFI am.
KINGI have heard of your father. You are outlaws both from Norway and from Iceland.
LEIFThat’s true of my father, though we think that he was badly used. For myself — I am technically an outlaw in Iceland, though I was only six years old when we left. I am a free man in Norway. That is why my father sent me on this mission to the King instead of going himself, so that I might speak for him and for our people as a free man.
KINGI’ll have no outlaw in my country, even whitewashed ones.
LEIFSurely, sir, whatever you may think of us, you won’t refuse us shelter here till the wind changes? We’ve been a long time at sea, and we intend to make no trouble.
(The King turns aside and speaks in conference with one or two of his men. This is a moment of tension in the boat.)
KING(Turning back to Leif) I will not refuse a refuge to seafarers, if they behave themselves. Beyond that point,
there, you will find a little bay, and a green sward of grass. You may land there, and camp. You may not stray beyond the grassy patch without my leave; you may not talk to any of my people. You can stay there till the wind changes, and no longer. God help you if you make any 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.)
THORGUNNAWho is the Chief here? I want to see the Chief.
TYRKERCome with me.
(He takes her to Leif who is arranging his bedding to dry at his fire. He turns to meet them.)
THORGUNNAAre 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.
THORGUNNAI am sorry, Chief; they told me wrong. Are you the man they call Leif Ericsson?
LEIFThat’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.
THORGUNNAYou have committed no crime yourself?
LEIFLady, 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.
LEIFIs it?
THORGUNNATell me, where do you live? That is really why I came to see you.
LEIFLook, 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.
LEIFWould 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?
THORGUNNATell me about the country that you live in. Is it true that you live over to the west of Iceland?
LEIFThat’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.
THORGUNNAIs 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.
THORGUNNAWhat 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.
THORGUNNAI don’t believe those, either. But do you know of any other lands, westwards again from your place, where men live?
LEIFI’m sorry, Lady, but I never heard of any lands like that.
THORGUNNA(Sighs) No matter. (She looks around.) Have your men everything they need? Are you all right for food? I will send you down a sheep.
LEIFLady, that is a kind thought. They have plenty to eat, but it is dull, dry stuff. They would like fresh meat.
THORGUNNAI will see they get it. (She gets up to go.)
LEIFJust one thing, Lady. Why did you ask about land over to the west of us? Is there such a place?
THORGUNNA(Sitting down again) I’ll tell you. A man came to us from Ireland last summer, a holy man, a monk. He came to tell us all about a new religion, a new way of life. He gave me this. (She pulls out a small wooden cross from within her dress, suspended on a gold chain round her neck.) My father does not like it, so I have to keep it hidden.
LEIF(Curiously) Is it a talisman?
THORGUNNAIt is the sign of a new way of life.
LEIF(Puzzled) I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.
THORGUNNANo matter. I did not come here to convert you. I was telling you about this holy man. He said that in Ireland, where he came from, they had a legend of a country over to the west, beyond the sea. He called it Hy Breasail, the Happy Land.
LEIF(Shaking his head) I have never heard of it.
THORGUNNAIt may be that it is not there at all. But if it is, it would be worth while to spend one’s whole life looking for it.
LEIFWhat sort of country is it, Lady?
THORGUNNAIf you stand on the edge of the sea looking westwards to the sunset on the evening of a fine day in summer, just after the sun has gone down, you see the sea and the high clouds flushed with pink and gold. Past the horizon and beyond those rosy clouds there lies the Happy Land, which this man called Hy Breasail. No thief, no robber, and no enemy pursues one there; there is no violence, and no winter snow. In that place it is always spring. No flower or lily is wanting, no rose or violet but you will find them there. There apple trees bear flowers and fruit on the same branch, all the year round. There young men live in quiet happiness with their girls; there is no old age, and no sickness, and no sorrow there. All is full of joy . . . (Her voice dies away.)
LEIF(Gently) Lady, there is no place in the world like that.
THORGUNNAI suppose you’re right. I think this monk was mixing up old legends of his country with the Heaven beyond this world that he was telling us about. (She gets up.) Thank you for listening to me so patiently, Chief. I will send you down the sheep. (She turns to go.)
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Beach
(Leif and Tyrker are standing together by the ship, watching Thorgunna as she goes away across the hill.)
LEIFShe’s going to send us down a sheep this afternoon. We can have fresh meat to-night.
TYRKERThat’s the best bit of news we’ve had so far in this stinking hole. I like her better than her father.
LEIFShe is the only woman I have ever met who talks intelligently. She is a very clever girl.
TYRKER(Grinning) Looks all right, too.
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Beach at Sunrise
(The ship is seen silhouetted against the dawn sky; one man is awake on watch. In the hencoop a cock crows and the men stir; each man as he wakes looks up at the burgee at the masthead. It is seen blowing straight towards the land.)
[DISSOLVE TO:
Leif’s Camp
(Thorgunna is standing with Leif before his tent.)
LEIFThe men are good for nothing this morning, Lady — I can’t get any work out of them. They ate too much last night; they ate every bit of that sheep. It was good of you to send it down for them. Next time you’d better send a lamb.
THOR
GUNNA(Smiling) They will want more than that. You may be here for a long time, you know.
LEIF(Glancing at the burgee at the masthead) What winds do you get here at this time of year? How long does it go on blowing east like this?
THORGUNNAIt blows west in July, but you may be here until the end of June.
LEIFLady, that’s bad news.
THORGUNNAI am sorry.
LEIF(Worried) My father sent me on a mission to the King in Norway, but he expects me back this year. If I don’t get to Norway till July I shall have to stay the winter there.
THORGUNNAThe wind won’t change because of that, Leif.
LEIFNo. (He stands for a minute, deep in thought.) There’s another thing, Lady. I shall have to be careful that my men don’t get into trouble if I keep them here in idleness so long. They’re only human, and they are a long way from their homes and from their wives. Will you warn your people to keep their daughters well away from this place? I don’t want difficulties of that sort to make your father angry with us.
THORGUNNAI 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.
LEIFWhat is this island like? What lies beyond that hill?
THORGUNNAThere 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.
LEIFAre the fish fresh-water fish, like they get in Iceland? Can a man eat them?
THORGUNNAWe eat them fresh, and salted in the winter. They are very good food.
LEIFLady, 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?
THORGUNNAThere 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.)
