head of the beach and stand looking out over the bleak country. )
LEIF This is probably the place that Bjarni came to last. I never saw a worse country. It's no good to us.
TYRKER Ice, and snow, and rocks—we've got all those at home.
LEIF I don't see any point in staying here. We'll get to sea again, and go on down the coast.
TYRKER Lord, though this land is useless, yet it ought to have a name.
LEIF All right. What shall we call it?
TYRKER I don't know. You think of something. You're the Chief.
LEIF (Looking round) Well, I don't know. There's nothing decent to call it after—the wretched place is all stones. We'd better call it Stoneland.
TYRKER That's as good as anything.
LEIF Let's see, now. Bjarni sailed north along the coast to get to this place, didn't he?
TYRKER Yes. If we sail south for a few days from here, we ought to come to the place where he saw the woods.
LEIF All right. Let's get going.
( They get back into the boat, which rows out to the ship. The ship takes the boat on board, weighs anchor, and leaves the fiord. )
(A shot of the ship sailing down a rocky coast. There may be small lumps of ice in the sea, and a grey sky. )
( Up to this point the film has been a picture of a bleak life of hardships, of men struggling to exist and make a living against a background of ice and snow, rough grey seas, and barren, windswept, stony land. But from this point onwards the scenes must grow sunnier and more beautiful as they get further south. There are to be no more rough seas and ice. The whole montage should be designed to show them entering into a softer and more gracious land than any they had known before. This should not be a sudden change but should grow, culminating in the final scenes in the district of Plymouth, Mass., at midsummer. )
[ DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship—Dawn Scene
( The light grows slowly, and the ship is seen to be cruising off the wooded coast that Bjarni visited before. Leif and Tyrker are at the steering oar; in the body of the ship every one is looking at the land.)
TYRKER Lord, this must be the place that Bjarni saw. We were nearly on the latitude at our noon sight yesterday, and we sailed slowly all the night. I think this is the place, all right.
LEIF I think so, too. We will go in here and beach the ship upon those sands. ( Shouts ) Out bow oars, men; I'm going to put her up into the wind to lower sail. Stand by the vangs, and heave in on the lee sheet. Get your halliard cleared away, and be ready for it.
( The ship comes up into the wind and the sail is lowered. The rest of the oars are put out, and she begins to row into the beach. )
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Beach
( The ship strands on the beach; men jump out into the shallow water and carry anchors and cables on shore. Leif follows them.)
(A shot of Leif standing with Haki and Haekia on the head of the beach. )
LEIF You two. Go up onto that hill there quickly. Look carefully what lies beyond it. Then make a sweep round there— (points)— and come back here within two hours. Tell me if you see any signs of men in this place. If you see men, do not go near them; run back quickly here and tell me.
( The Scots set off running. )
(A shot of the Scots standing together on the hilltop, looking out over a thickly wooded country.)
(A shot of the Scots running through a forest glade. Haekia stops for a moment beside a stream to pick a flower, and then runs on.)
[ DISSOLVE TO:
Camp on the Beach
( The ship is high and dry, and the Norsemen have made a fire and a rudimentary camp at the head of the beach. The Scots come running into camp, and go to Leif. )
LEIF Well, what did you see?
HAKI Lord, we have seen no signs of any men in this place. There is much forest here; from the hilltop you can only see the tops of trees, right over to the far horizon. We saw many deer. There is a good stream of fresh water running to the sea beyond that point.
LEIF Good.
HAEKIA We found flowers, Lord. (She shows them; Leif and Tyrker
LEIF This is probably the place that Bjarni came to last. I never saw a worse country. It's no good to us.
TYRKER Ice, and snow, and rocks—we've got all those at home.
LEIF I don't see any point in staying here. We'll get to sea again, and go on down the coast.
TYRKER Lord, though this land is useless, yet it ought to have a name.
LEIF All right. What shall we call it?
TYRKER I don't know. You think of something. You're the Chief.
LEIF (Looking round) Well, I don't know. There's nothing decent to call it after—the wretched place is all stones. We'd better call it Stoneland.
TYRKER That's as good as anything.
LEIF Let's see, now. Bjarni sailed north along the coast to get to this place, didn't he?
TYRKER Yes. If we sail south for a few days from here, we ought to come to the place where he saw the woods.
LEIF All right. Let's get going.
( They get back into the boat, which rows out to the ship. The ship takes the boat on board, weighs anchor, and leaves the fiord. )
(A shot of the ship sailing down a rocky coast. There may be small lumps of ice in the sea, and a grey sky. )
( Up to this point the film has been a picture of a bleak life of hardships, of men struggling to exist and make a living against a background of ice and snow, rough grey seas, and barren, windswept, stony land. But from this point onwards the scenes must grow sunnier and more beautiful as they get further south. There are to be no more rough seas and ice. The whole montage should be designed to show them entering into a softer and more gracious land than any they had known before. This should not be a sudden change but should grow, culminating in the final scenes in the district of Plymouth, Mass., at midsummer. )
[ DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship—Dawn Scene
( The light grows slowly, and the ship is seen to be cruising off the wooded coast that Bjarni visited before. Leif and Tyrker are at the steering oar; in the body of the ship every one is looking at the land.)
TYRKER Lord, this must be the place that Bjarni saw. We were nearly on the latitude at our noon sight yesterday, and we sailed slowly all the night. I think this is the place, all right.
LEIF I think so, too. We will go in here and beach the ship upon those sands. ( Shouts ) Out bow oars, men; I'm going to put her up into the wind to lower sail. Stand by the vangs, and heave in on the lee sheet. Get your halliard cleared away, and be ready for it.
( The ship comes up into the wind and the sail is lowered. The rest of the oars are put out, and she begins to row into the beach. )
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Beach
( The ship strands on the beach; men jump out into the shallow water and carry anchors and cables on shore. Leif follows them.)
(A shot of Leif standing with Haki and Haekia on the head of the beach. )
LEIF You two. Go up onto that hill there quickly. Look carefully what lies beyond it. Then make a sweep round there— (points)— and come back here within two hours. Tell me if you see any signs of men in this place. If you see men, do not go near them; run back quickly here and tell me.
( The Scots set off running. )
(A shot of the Scots standing together on the hilltop, looking out over a thickly wooded country.)
(A shot of the Scots running through a forest glade. Haekia stops for a moment beside a stream to pick a flower, and then runs on.)
[ DISSOLVE TO:
Camp on the Beach
( The ship is high and dry, and the Norsemen have made a fire and a rudimentary camp at the head of the beach. The Scots come running into camp, and go to Leif. )
LEIF Well, what did you see?
HAKI Lord, we have seen no signs of any men in this place. There is much forest here; from the hilltop you can only see the tops of trees, right over to the far horizon. We saw many deer. There is a good stream of fresh water running to the sea beyond that point.
LEIF Good.
HAEKIA We found flowers, Lord. (She shows them; Leif and Tyrker
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