Eirik returned to Brattahlid, but Leif went aboard the ship with his crew of thirty-five. Among them was a Southerner called Tyrkir. [Footnote: Southerner refers to someone from central or southern Europe; Tyrkir appears to have been a German.] …

One evening news came that someone was missing: it was Tyrkir, the Southerner. Leif was displeased at this, for Tyrkir had been with the family for a long time, and when Leif was a child had been devoted to him. Leif rebuked his men severely, and got ready to make a search with twelve men.
They had gone only a short distance from the houses when Tyrkir came walking towards them, and they gave him a warm welcome. Leif quickly realized that Tyrkir was in excellent humour.
Tyrkir had a prominent forehead and shifty eyes, and not much more of a face besides; he was short and puny-looking but very clever with his hands.
Leif said to him, 'Why are you so late, foster-father? How did you get separated from your companions?'
At first Tyrkir spoke for a long time in German, rolling his eyes in all directions and pulling faces, and no one could understand what he was saying. After a while he spoke in Icelandic.
'I did not go much farther than you,' he said. 'I have some news. I found vines and grapes.'
'Is that true, foster-father?' asked Leif.
'Of course it is true,' he replied. 'Where I was born there were plenty of vines and grapes.'

One evening it was found that one of the men was missing, and this was Tyrkir, the southerner. Leif was very worried about this, for Tyrkir had been with his father for a long time, and he had been very fond of Leif and looked after him when he was small. Leif spoke angrily to the other men, and got ready to go and look for Tyrkir, taking twelve men with him. But the had not got far from the houses when Tyrkir came towards them, and when they saw him they were glad and shouted greetings to him. Leif soon saw that his foster-father was in a good mood. Tyrkir had a sharply sloping forehead, and was dark, with an unsteady eye, and small and seedy in appearance, but he was very good at allkinds of odd jobs.
Leif said to him: 'Why were you so long, foster-father, and why didn't you stay with the others?' Tyrkir spoke German for a long time to begin with, rolling his eyes and laughing and grinning, but they could not understand what he said. After a while he said in Norse: 'I didn't go much further than you did, but I have some news for you — I've found vines and grapes.' — 'Is that true, foster-father?' asked Leif. 'Of course it's true,' he said, 'because I was born in a place where there are plenty of vines and grapes.'