"It seemed too good to be true. They all knew that the wine they liked so well was made from grapes. They followed Tyrker and found the vines he had described.
"What a treasure they had discovered! Stores of grapes were gathered day after day and carried on board the ship. Trees were also cut down, for the people in Greenland would be glad to have all the lumber their friends could bring them.
"The Vikings said, 'We will call this place Vinland because of the grape vines we have found.'
"As soon as the ship had been loaded with all it could carry, the joyful party left our shores and turned northward once more. During their short visit here they saw no other people.
"When they reached home they told such bright stories of their visit that others wished to go to Vinland.
"Another party of Norsemen soon started. When they got here, they met some people who must have been Eskimos. These savages were quite short and had broad faces. They had skin boats such as the Eskimos use to this day."
"I never heard of Eskimos around here!" said Joe in surprise.
"I don't know how to explain it except in this way," replied Uncle Sam. "In those days the Eskimos, or some of them, must have lived along these shores, for the Norsemen certainly found them here. The Indians may have driven them away afterwards. We can only guess about it.
"The last Norsemen who came here did not stay long. Many things happened to prevent it. I will tell you of one of these, because it is really funny.
"A bull which the Norsemen had brought among their cattle rushed out of the woods one day. It frightened some Eskimos who had come to trade with the white men. They managed to reach their boats and paddled away as fast as they could go. They thought the bull was some dreadful creature the Norsemen would use against them in war.