a high forehead, sharp eyes, and a small face;
but he was extremely active, and, although an elderly man, few of the
youths in Ericsfiord could beat him at feats requiring dexterity.

But, whether German or Turk, Tyrker was an enthusiastic trapper of
white, or arctic foxes. These creatures being very numerous in that
part of Greenland, he was wont to go out at all hours, late and early,
to visit his traps. Hence it happened that, on the night in question,
Tyrker found himself in company with two captured arctic foxes at, the
extremity of the mountain spur before referred to.

He could see round the corner of the spur into the country beyond, but
as the country there was not attractive, even at its best, he paid no
attention to it. He chanced, however, to cast upon it one glance after
setting his traps, just as he was about to return home. That glance
called forth a steady look, which was followed by a stare of surprise,
and the deep guttural utterance of the word "zz-grandimaghowl!" which,
no doubt, was Turkish, at that ancient date, for "hallo!"

It was the band of hairy creatures that had met his astonished sight.
Tyrker shrank behind the spur and peeped round it for a few seconds to
make quite sure. Then, turning and creeping fairly out of sight, he
rose and bounded back to the hamlet, as though he had been a youth of
twenty. As we have seen, he arrived, gasping, in time to warn his
friends.

Between the hamlet and the spur where Tyrker's traps were set there were
several promontories, or projections from the cliffs, all of which had
to be passed before the spur came in view. Leif led his men past the
first and second of these at a run. Then, believing that he had gone
far enough, he ordered his band to draw close up under the cliffs, where
the shadow was deepest, saying that he would go alone in advance to
reconnoitre.

"And mark me, lads," he said, "when I give a loud sneeze, do you give
vent to a roar that will only stop short of splitting your lungs; then
give chase, and yell to your hearts' content as you run; but see to it
that ye keep together and that no man runs past _me_. There is plenty
of moonlight to let you see what you're about. If any man tries to
overshoot me in the race I'll hew off his head."

This last remark was no figure of speech. In those days men were but
too well accustomed to hewing off heads. Leif meant to have his orders
attended to, and the men understood him.

On re