Short Stories in English for Beginners

progress
.
‘Tell me, Niels,’ Eskol said, ‘when can we 
sail
? I see that some ships are
already on the river.’ Then he added with a serious voice, ‘We need to sail
soon.’
‘I am not sure, Chief. Maybe in a week? Possibly sooner.’
‘A week? Well done!’
‘Yes, the wood is good. The materials are strong. And our builders are
very skilled,’ reported Niels.
That night, Chief Eskol gave a second talk in the Great Hall. It was time
to decide who would go on the ships. There was only room for 75 men. One
by one, men raised their hands to go. Most of them were 
warriors
. The
warriors were very well trained. Their abilities would be good for the
expedition.
Thoric wanted to go as well. Although he was not a warrior, he was very
good at hunting. Food was always important on an expedition. Thoric raised
his hand.

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‘You don’t know what food there will be,’ Thoric said to the Chief. ‘You
need hunters. I can hunt anywhere and anything,’ he said.
Chief Eskol looked at Thoric and said, ‘All right. Come with us.’
From that moment on, Thoric couldn’t wait for the expedition to begin.
When the day came, Chief Eskol, Niels, Thoric and the rest of the Vikings
prepared to sail. They asked the gods to help them. Their wives and families
said goodbye.
Eskol put his wife in control while he was away. She came to discuss
things with the men as well. She also offered them encouragement. It would
be a long trip. At last the men got on the ships. The expedition began.
The three ships began travelling westwards. They were in excellent
shape. Everyone seemed happy. The first few weeks went by with no issues.
Several weeks later, the ships continued to make progress. The explorers
saw no land yet, only water. They did not even see 
birds
. Birds meant there
was land nearby.
Some of the Vikings began to question Chief Eskol. ‘Chief Eskol, are
you sure there’s land in the west?’ asked one man.
‘I’m positive.’
‘What if we can’t find it?’
Chief Eskol became angry. ‘We will not fail!’ he shouted. ‘There is land
in the west. Someone told me it was there. Someone who saw it with his
own eyes. Do you understand? Now get out of my sight,’ said the Chief.
The conversation was over.
Eskol was strong and determined. He didn’t like to be questioned. But he
knew the men didn’t have his strong beliefs. For them it was unclear. He
decided to speak to the rest of the ship.
‘There is land in the west!’ he shouted to the explorers. ‘I can prove it!
Do you understand me? I have