just survive somehow

1) he very specifically says “by longboat we came”, not longship. these were distinct boats from different periods. longboats were smaller utility boats carried by larger vessels (suitable for crossing the sea). the longboat was the biggest of these boats and often towed behind the larger ship if it was too big to carry aboard. they were then used for taking men and supplies ashore, usually by rowing.

granted, his estimated crew size of about three dozen men matches most accounts of longships so it could go either way!!! i just think it’s an interesting option if he came across the sea with the navy “a man was paid to soldier”, only to abandon that structure for mountains and river songs the moment he has the chance

2) i don’t think ole had a wife and children with the plains people. his memories hint at more of nomadic lifestyle even among them, moving between nations (Arapho, Cree, Tonkawa). he was accepted in a way i don’t think he ever had been before, but does not single out a nation to identify with more than the others. if he put down roots in that way imo he would be

3) ole munch is apparently a scandinavian name and not welsh which i don’t think means he’s from there, i think it’s a moniker that was given to him after his century of silence by scandinavian immigrants in america.