examine them curiously. )
LEIF I have never seen flowers like these before. So big, and such bright colours!
TYRKER I remember seeing flowers as big and bright as these when I was a small boy in Germany. I have never seen them in these northern countries.
HAEKIA They are lovely. May I keep them, Lord?
LEIF Yes, if you want them.
[ DISSOLVE TO:
The Camp—Later
( The men have had a meal and are sitting round the fire after it. Leif is standing with Tyrker by his side; he is addressing them.)
LEIF Well, men, we've found the timber that we came to get. We could load up now and get away straight back to Greenland. But now we're here, I think it would be a pity not to sail around a bit and find out what this place is like. It looks to me to be a better country than our own. I know my father will be very much interested in it. Some of us might want to come here someday and make a settlement.
A MAN What are you going to call this place?
LEIF Well, I don't know. We don't know very much about it
yet, except that it's all woods. Suppose we call it Woodland?
MAN Woodland. That's a good name for it.
LEIF What do you men say about going on a bit, and seeing
what else we can find? It's early in the summer to go home.
A MAN Your father's order was that we should bring back wood.
LEIF We can get the wood when we come back past here in a month's time, on our way home. It was the King's order that we should seek new lands towards the west and south, and that is what I mean to do, if you will follow me.
A MAN (Laughing) All right. Have it your own way.
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship
( The ship is seen sailing past wooded, rocky coasts in fine, calm weather.)
(A shot of the ship on an open sea crossing.)
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Classroom
CALLENDER They turned the corner of the land at Cape Race, here ( indicates on the map), and then cut over to the coast of Nova Scotia, sailing south and west. And each day as they sailed the weather grew finer, and the sea grew calmer, and the sun grew stronger. From Nova Scotia, here, they sailed on, here, across the sea until they hit the tip of Cape Cod, here. And they were very much amazed.
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship
(She is off the north tip of Cape Cod and all the crew are staring at the beach, which extends unbroken to the southeast as far as they can see. This beach is quite even and regular and exactly the same in appearance for about forty miles, unbroken by any reef or promontory. It must be almost unique in the world for its regularity. Beyond it the land is low-lying. )
TYRKER Lord, here is yet another land, and this one is all beach. There is no end to the new places we have seen.
LEIF We'll land and have a look at it as soon as we can, but I'm not going to put a boat on shore through that surf. We'll follow the beach southwards till we find an opening.
( The ship turns and begins to coast along the beach, perhaps a quarter of a mile offshore. )
[ DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship—Later
( The ship is still sailing down this endless beach. )
TYRKER Lord, there is no beach in the World like this. We've been sailing along it now for over six hours, and it's been exactly the same all the way. You just can't tell the difference between any two parts of it.
LEIF I know. It's a great wonder.
TYRKER So strange a place as this ought to have a name. It is a
landmark that men coming from the sea will recognize. What shall
we call it, Lord?
LEIF Well, I don't know. It's a great wonder, and that's all about
it. We'd better call it Wonderstrands.
TYRKER ( Calling out ) Listen to this, everybody. This long beach
that we have sailed along all day is to be called Wonderstrands.
( There is a murmur of assent. )
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Island
( This is an evening scene. The ship is coming in to beach on a low, sandy island covered with trees, lying half a mile or so off the long beach of Wonderstrands. This island, Nauset Island, has now disappeared entirely by erosion; it used to lie off the beach
LEIF I have never seen flowers like these before. So big, and such bright colours!
TYRKER I remember seeing flowers as big and bright as these when I was a small boy in Germany. I have never seen them in these northern countries.
HAEKIA They are lovely. May I keep them, Lord?
LEIF Yes, if you want them.
[ DISSOLVE TO:
The Camp—Later
( The men have had a meal and are sitting round the fire after it. Leif is standing with Tyrker by his side; he is addressing them.)
LEIF Well, men, we've found the timber that we came to get. We could load up now and get away straight back to Greenland. But now we're here, I think it would be a pity not to sail around a bit and find out what this place is like. It looks to me to be a better country than our own. I know my father will be very much interested in it. Some of us might want to come here someday and make a settlement.
A MAN What are you going to call this place?
LEIF Well, I don't know. We don't know very much about it
yet, except that it's all woods. Suppose we call it Woodland?
MAN Woodland. That's a good name for it.
LEIF What do you men say about going on a bit, and seeing
what else we can find? It's early in the summer to go home.
A MAN Your father's order was that we should bring back wood.
LEIF We can get the wood when we come back past here in a month's time, on our way home. It was the King's order that we should seek new lands towards the west and south, and that is what I mean to do, if you will follow me.
A MAN (Laughing) All right. Have it your own way.
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship
( The ship is seen sailing past wooded, rocky coasts in fine, calm weather.)
(A shot of the ship on an open sea crossing.)
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Classroom
CALLENDER They turned the corner of the land at Cape Race, here ( indicates on the map), and then cut over to the coast of Nova Scotia, sailing south and west. And each day as they sailed the weather grew finer, and the sea grew calmer, and the sun grew stronger. From Nova Scotia, here, they sailed on, here, across the sea until they hit the tip of Cape Cod, here. And they were very much amazed.
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship
(She is off the north tip of Cape Cod and all the crew are staring at the beach, which extends unbroken to the southeast as far as they can see. This beach is quite even and regular and exactly the same in appearance for about forty miles, unbroken by any reef or promontory. It must be almost unique in the world for its regularity. Beyond it the land is low-lying. )
TYRKER Lord, here is yet another land, and this one is all beach. There is no end to the new places we have seen.
LEIF We'll land and have a look at it as soon as we can, but I'm not going to put a boat on shore through that surf. We'll follow the beach southwards till we find an opening.
( The ship turns and begins to coast along the beach, perhaps a quarter of a mile offshore. )
[ DISSOLVE TO:
The Ship—Later
( The ship is still sailing down this endless beach. )
TYRKER Lord, there is no beach in the World like this. We've been sailing along it now for over six hours, and it's been exactly the same all the way. You just can't tell the difference between any two parts of it.
LEIF I know. It's a great wonder.
TYRKER So strange a place as this ought to have a name. It is a
landmark that men coming from the sea will recognize. What shall
we call it, Lord?
LEIF Well, I don't know. It's a great wonder, and that's all about
it. We'd better call it Wonderstrands.
TYRKER ( Calling out ) Listen to this, everybody. This long beach
that we have sailed along all day is to be called Wonderstrands.
( There is a murmur of assent. )
[DISSOLVE TO:
The Island
( This is an evening scene. The ship is coming in to beach on a low, sandy island covered with trees, lying half a mile or so off the long beach of Wonderstrands. This island, Nauset Island, has now disappeared entirely by erosion; it used to lie off the beach
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