Leif smiled with a wry face. His heart had not yet been hardened. Helga stood on the edge of the shore and saw the striped sails bellying in the breeze. The ships lay slanting on the water. They glided along as if in play, and became so quickly smaller.
Helga stood alone on the shore. All the others who had been down to bid farewell to those departing had gone back again to the house. Helga stood there alone with the breeze. Everything was green and cheerful around her. Trees stood covered with new leaves, and flowers grew again from the ground. And there sailed Leif, taking the summer away with him.
When Helga could not see the ships any more, she at last gave up. Helplessly she let herself drop down on the young grass. All power had suddenly left her. She could not even weep. She remained lying there long with her heart beating violently.
The day after Leif had sailed, Olmod the Old landed at Orn's house. He had five ships, and was on a Viking expedition. He was able to inform Ingolf that of Atle's sons Haasten was remaining at home that summer. He further said that he had heard that Leif was going alone that summer, and he wished to have joined him. When he heard that Leif had already sailed he hastened to go on, wishing to overtake him.
That spring came young King Harald sailing north along the coast. He had made a vow not to let his hair be cut till he had reduced the whole of Norway to submission, and was therefore by some called Harald Luva, and by others Harald Haarfager. Whatever part of the country he came across, he called his own. Kings and chiefs had to submit with a good or with a bad grace. All men from the lowest to the highest became his tributaries. He made laws, and appointed chiefs over districts to take care that the laws were obeyed. Harald met with no opposition either in the hills or the fjords. All the Jarls became his subjects.
But there were other chiefs who murmured, and considered that Harald paid scant respect to the law and ancient land-rights. These Harald dealt with hardly. He killed them when he could lay hold of them, and took from them their property without mercy. Many of these chiefs had no other resources, if they wished to preserve their lives and freedom, but to leave the country. They sailed in numbers for the Faroe Islands, the Orkneys, Hjaltland, the Southern Islands, together with the British Isles and Ireland.
King Harald found many a Norwegian neck that preferred to be broken rather than bend. Although himself the most obstinate of all, he would not endure obstinacy in others. There was but one King of Norway, and that King's name was Harald!
VII
Leif had not sailed long before a great quiet came over him. Alone with the sea, and his own master! No one to obey! No one to consider! That was something to his taste, and under such circumstances there was no room in his heart for care and longing. Successive days awoke him, each with its own voice. Hungry in soul and body he crept each morning out of his sleeping-bag.