Biarne came the same summer with his ship to Eyrar,* where his father had sailed abroad from in spring. He was much struck with the news, and would not unload his vessel. When his crew asked him what he intended to do, he replied, that he was resolved to follow his old custom of taking up his winter abode with his father. "So I will steer for Greenland, if you will go with me." They one and all agreed to go with him. Biarne said, "Our expedition will be thought foolish, as none of us have ever been on the Greenland sea before." Nevertheless they set out to sea as soon as they were ready, and sailed for three days, until they lost sight of the land they had left. But when the wind failed, a north wind with fog set in, and they knew not where they were sailing to; and this lasted many days. At last they saw the sun, and could distinguish the quarters of the sky; so they hoisted sail again, and sailed a whole day and night, when they made land. They spoke among themselves about what this land could be, and Biarne said that, in his opinion, it could not be Greenland. On the question, if he should sail nearer to it, he said, "It is my advice that we sail close up to this land." They did so; and they soon saw that the land was without mountains (fielde), was covered with wood, and that there were small hills inland. They left the land on the larboard side, and had their sheet on the land side. Then they sailed two days and nights before they got sight of land again. They asked Biarne if he thought this would be Greenland; but he gave his opinion that this land was no more Greenland than the land they had seen before. "For on Greenland, it is said, there are great snow-mountains." They soon came near to this land, and saw it was flat and covered with trees. Now, as the wind fell, the ship's people talked of its being advisable to make for the land; but Biarne

Eyrar. This is not the name of a place,-for Heriulf dwelt in Iceland at a place called Drepstok,—but of a natural feature of ground, Eyri, still called an ayre in the Orkney Islands, being a flat sandy tongue of land, suitable for landing and drawing up boats upon. All ancient dwellings in those islands, and probably in Iceland also, are situated so as to have the advantage of this kind of natural wharf; and the spit of land called an ayre very often has a small lake or pond inside of it which shelters boats.-L.

would not agree to it. They thought they would need wood and water; but Biarne said, "Ye are not in want of either." And the men blamed him for this. He ordered them to hoist the sail, which was done. They now turned the ship's bow from the land, and kept the sea for three days and nights with a fine breeze from south-west. Then they saw a third land, which was high and mountainous, and with snowy mountains. Then they asked Biarne if he would land here; but he refused altogether. "For in my opinion this land is not what we want." Now they let the sails stand, and kept along the land, and saw it was an island. Then they turned from the land, and stood out to sea with the same breeze; but the gale increased, and Biarne ordered a reef to be taken in, and not to sail harder than the ship and her tackle could easily bear. After sailing three days and nights they made, the fourth time, land; and when they asked Biarne if he thought this was Greenland or not, Biarne replies, "This is most like what has been told me of Greenland; and here we shall take to the land." They did so, and came to the land in the evening under a ness, where they found a boat. On this ness dwelt Biarne's father Heriulf; and from that it is called Heriulfsnes. Biarne went to his father's, gave up seafaring, and dwelt with his father Heriulf as long as he lived; and after his father's death continued to dwell there when at home.*

CHAPTER II.-Of Leif Eirikson's Discovery of Land.

It is next to be told that Biarne Heriulfson came over from Greenland to Norway on a visit to Earl Eirik, who received him well. Biarne tells of this expedition of his, on which he had discovered unknown lands; and people thought he had not been very curious to get knowledge, as he could not give any account of those countries, and he was somewhat blamed on this account. Biarne was made a court-man of the earl, and the summer after he went over to Greenland;

*This voyage and discovery of America by Biarne Heriulfson is supposed by the northern antiquaries to have taken place in the year 986.-L.

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and afterwards there was much talk about discovering unknown lands. Leif, a son of Eirik Red of Brattahlid, went over to Biarne Heriulfson and bought the ship from him, and manned the vessel, so that in all there were thirty-five men on board. Leif begged his father Eirik to go as commander of the expedition, but he excused himself; saying he was getting old, and not so able as formerly to undergo the hardships of a sea voyage. Leif insisted that he among all their relations was the most likely to have good luck on such an expedition and Eirik consented, and rode from home with Leif when they had got all ready for sea; but when they were coming near to the ship the horse on which Eirik was riding stumbled, and he fell from the horse and hurt his foot. "It is not destined," said Eirik, " that I should discover more lands than this of Greenland, on which we dwell and live; and now we must not run hastily into this adventure." Eirik accordingly returned home to Brattahlid; but Leif, with his comrades, in all thirty-five men, rigged out their vessel. There was a man from the South country called Tyrker with the expedition. They put the ship in order, and went to sea when they were ready. They first came to the land which Biarne had last discovered, sailed up to it, cast anchor, put out a boat, and went on shore; but there was no grass to be seen. There were huge snowy mountains up the country; but all the way from the sea up to these snowy ridges the land was one field of snow, and it appeared to them a country of no advantages. Leif said, "It shall not be said of us, as it was of Biarne, that we did not come upon the land; for I will give the country a name, and call it Helleland.* Then they went on board again, put to sea, and found another land. They sailed in towards it, cast anchor, put out a boat, and landed. The country was flat and overgrown with wood; and the strand far around consisted of a white sand, and low towards the sea. Then Leif said, "We shall give this land a name according to its kind, and call it Markland." Then they

* Helleland is a naked land of rocks-Hella-a flat stone.-L. + Markland, a wooded country. Mark is the woodland of a farm. The antiquaries consider Helleland to have been Newfoundland, and Markland some part of Nova Scotia, from the description.-L.

hastened on board, and put to sea again with an on-shore wind from north-east, and were out for two days, and made land. They sailed towards it, and came to an island which lay on the north side of the land, where they landed to wait for good weather. There was dew upon the grass; and having accidentally got some of the dew upon their hands. and put it to their mouths, they thought they had never tasted anything so sweet as it was. Then they went on board, and sailed into a sound that was between the island and a ness which went out northwards from the land, and sailed west past the ness. There was very shallow water in ebb-tide, so that their ship lay dry; and there was a long way between their ship and the water. They were so desirous to get to the land that they would not wait till their vessel floated, but ran to the land, to a place where a river comes out of a lake. As soon as their ship was afloat, they took the boats, rowed to the ship, towed her up the river, and from thence into the lake, where they cast anchor, carried their beds out of the ship, and set up their tents. They resolved to put things in order for wintering there, and they erected a large house. They did not want for salmon, both in the river and in the lake; and they thought the salmon larger than any they had ever seen before. The country appeared to them of so good a kind, that it would not be necessary to gather fodder for the cattle for the winter. There was no frost in winter, and the grass was not much withered. Day and night were more equal than in Greenland or Iceland; for on the shortest day the sun was in the sky between the Eyktarstad and the Dagmalastad. Now when they were ready with their house-building, Leif said to his fellow-travellers, "Now I will divide the crew into two divisions, and explore the country: half shall stay at home and do the work, and the other half shall search the land; but so that they do not go farther than that they can come

According to Vigfusson (see Dict., sub voce eykt) this means a day of seven hours, according to Hildebrand a day of six hours, and according to the editors of Antiquitates Americana a day of nine hours. Many commentators have written upon the meaning of this phrase, which in the original runs thus: "sòl hafdi þar eyktarstað ok dagámalstað um skammdegi.”

back in the evening, and that they do not wander from each other." This they continued 'to do for some time. Leif changed about, sometimes with them, and sometimes with those at home. Leif was a stout and strong man, and of manly appearance; and he was besides a prudent, sagacious man in all respects.

CHAPTER III.-Leif Winters in this Country, and calls it Vinland; then sails Home to Greenland, and rescues Shipwrecked Men.

It happened one evening that a man of the party was missing; and it was the South-country man, Tyrker. Leif was very sorry for it; because Tyrker had been long in his father's house, and he loved Tyrker in his childhood. Leif blamed his comrades very much, and prepared to go with twelve men on an expedition to find him; but they had gone only a short way from the station before Tyrker came to meet them, and he was joyfully received. Leif soon perceived that his foster-father was merry. Tyrker had a high forehead, sharp eyes, with a small face, and was little in size and ugly; but was very dexterous in all feats. Leif said to him, 'Why art thou so late, my foster-father? and why didst thou leave thy comrades?" He spoke at first long in German, rolled his eyes, and knit his brows; but they could not make out what he was saying. After a while and some delay, he said in Norse, "I did not go much farther than they; and yet I have something altogether new to relate, for I found vines and grapes." "Is that true, my fosterfather?" said Leif. "Yes, true it is," answered he; "for I was born where there is no scarcity of vines and grapes." Now they slept all night, and next morning Leif said to his men, "Now we have two occupations to attend to, and day about; namely, to gather grapes or cut vines, and to fell wood in the forest to load our vessel." And this advice was followed. It is related that their stern-boat was filled with grapes, and then a cargo of wood was hewn for the vessel. There was also self-sown wheat in the fields, and a tree which is called