country had not been explored enough in different places. Then Leif said to Thorvald, "You may go, brother, in my ship to Vinland if you like; but I will first send the ship for the timber which Thorer left upon the rock." And so it was done.

CHAPTER IV.—Of Thorvald Eirikson, Leif's Brother; and of the Skrælings.

Now Thorvald made ready for his voyage with thirty men, after consulting his brother Leif. They rigged their ship, and put to sea. Nothing is related of this expedition until they came to Vinland, to the booths put up by Leif, where they secured the ship and tackle, and remained quietly all winter, and lived by fishing. In spring Thorvald ordered the vessel to be rigged, and that some men should proceed in the long-boat westward along the coast, and explore it during the summer. They thought the country beautiful and well wooded, the distance small between the forest and the sea, and the strand full of white sand. There were also many islands, and very shallow water. They found no abode for man or beast; but upon an island far towards the west they found a corn-barn constructed of wood. They found no other trace of human work, and came back in autumn to Leif's booths. The following spring Thorvald with his merchant ship proceeded eastwards, and towards the north along the land. Opposite to a cape they met bad weather, and drove upon the land and broke their keel, and remained there a long time to repair the vessel. Thorvald said to his comrades, We will stick up the keel here upon the ness, and call the place Keelness*;" which they did. Then they sailed away eastward along the country, which was everywhere covered with wood. They moored the vessel to the land, laid out gangways to the shore, and Thorvald with all his ship's company landed. He said, "Here it is beautiful, and I would willingly set up my farm here." They afterwards went on board, and saw three specks upon the sand within the point,

* Keelness (Icelandic Kjalarnes) is supposed by the antiquaries to be the present Cape Cod.

and went to them, and found these were three skin-boats with three men under each boat. They divided their men and took all of them prisoners except one man, who escaped with his boat. They killed eight of them, and then went to the point and looked about them. Within this fiord they saw several eminences, which they took to be habitations. Then a heavy drowsiness came upon them, and they could not keep themselves awake, but all of them fell asleep. A sudden scream came to them, and they all awoke; and mixed with the scream they thought they heard the words, "Awake, Thorvald, with all thy comrades, if ye will save your lives. Go on board your ship as fast as you can, and leave this land without delay." In the same moment an innumerable multitude from the interior of the fiord came in skin-boats, and laid themselves alongside. Then said Thorvald, "We shall put up our war-screens along the gunwales, and defend ourselves as well as we can; but not use our weapons much against them." They did so accordingly. The Skrælings shot at them for a while, and then made off as fast as they could wherever they saw the way was open to fly. Then Thorvald asked if any one was wounded, and they said nobody was hurt. He said, "I have got a wound under the arm. An arrow flew between the gunwale and the shield under my arm: here is the arrow, and it will be my deathwound. Now I advise you to make ready with all speed to return; but ye shall carry me up to the point which I thought would be so convenient for a dwelling. It may be that it was true what I said, that here I would dwell for a while. Ye shall bury me there, and place a cross at my head and another at my feet, and call the place Crossness.* Christianity had been established in Greenland at this time; but Eirik Red was dead before Christianity was introduced. Now Thorvald died, and they did everything as he had ordered. Then they went away in search of their fellow-travellers; and they related to each other all the news. They remained in their dwelling all winter, and gathered vines and grapes, and put them on board their ships. Towards spring they prepared

Crossness is supposed by the antiquaries who find nothing but truth in this saga to be Gurnet Point.-L.

to return to Greenland, where they arrived with their vessel and landed at Eiriksfiord, bringing heavy tidings to Leif.

CHAPTER V.-Of Thorstein Eirikson, Leif's Brother, and his Voyage to Vinland.

In the meantime it had happened in Greenland that Thorstein of Eiriksfiord had married, and taken to wife Gudrid, the daughter of Thorbiorn, who had been married, as before related, to Thorer the Northman. Thorstein Eirikson bethought him now that he would go to Vinland for his brother Thorvald's body. He rigged out the same vessel and chose an able and stout crew. He had with him twenty-five men, and his wife Gudrid; and as soon as they were ready he put to sea, and they lost sight of land. They drove about on the ocean the whole summer without knowing where they were; and in the first week of winter they landed at Lysufiord in Greenland, in the western settlement. Thorstein looked for lodgings for his men, and got his whole ship's crew accommodated, but not himself and his wife; so that for some nights they had to sleep on board. At that time Christianity was but young in Greenland. One day, early in the morning, some men came to their tent, and the leader asked them what people were in the tent. Thorstein replies, "Two: who is it that inquires ?" "Thorstein," was the reply; "and I am called Thorstein the Black, and it is my errand here to offer thee and thy wife lodging beside me." Thorstein said he would speak to his wife about it; and as she gave her consent, he agreed to it. "Then I shall come for you to-morrow with my yoke, for I do not want means to entertain you; but few care to live in my house, for I and my wife live lonely, and I am very melancholy. I have also a different religion from yours, although I think the one you have the best." Now the following morning he came for them with horses; and they took up their abode with Thorstein Black, who was very friendly towards them. Gudrid had a good outward appear

The Icelanders reckoned winter from the first Saturday after the 14th of October.

ance, and was knowing, and understood well how to behave with strangers. Early in winter a sickness prevailed among Thorstein Eirikson's people, and many of his fellow-travellers died. He ordered that coffins should be made for the bodies of the dead, and that they should be brought on board, and stowed carefully. "For I will transport all the bodies to Eiriksfiord in summer." It was not long before sickness broke out also in Thorstein Black's house; and his wife, who was called Grimhild, fell sick first. She was very stout, and as strong as a man, but yet she could not bear up against the illness. Soon after Thorstein Eirikson also fell sick, and they both lay ill in bed at the same time; but Grimhild, Thorstein Black's wife, died first. When she was dead Thorstein went out of the room for a skin to lay over the corpse. Then Gudrid said, "My dear Thorstein, be not long away; which he promised. Then said Thorstein Eirikson, “Our goodwife is wonderful; for she raises herself up with her elbows, moves herself forward over the bed-frame, and is feeling for her shoes." In the same moment Thorstein the goodman came back, and instantly Grimhild laid herself down, so that it made every beam that was in the house crack. Thorstein now made a coffin for Grimhild's corpse, removed it outside, and buried it. He was a stout and strong man, but it required all his strength to remove the corpse from the house. Now Thorstein Eirikson's illness increased upon him, and he died, which Gudrid his wife took with great grief. They were all in the room, and Gudrid had set herself upon a stool before the bench on which her husband Thorstein's body lay. Now Thorstein the goodman took Gudrid from the stool in his arms, and set himself with her upon a bench just opposite to Thorstein's body, and spoke much with her. He consoled her, and promised to go with her in summer to Eiriksfiord, with her husband Thorstein's corpse, and those of his fellow-travellers. "And," said he, "I shall take with me many servants to console and assist." She thanked him for this. Thorstein Eirikson then raised himself up and said, "Where is Gudrid?" And thrice he said this; but she was silent. Then she said to Thorstein the goodman, "Shall I give answer or not?" He told her not to

answer. Then went Thorstein the goodman across the room, and sat down in a chair, and Gudrid set herself on his knee; and Thorstein the goodman said, "What wilt thou make known?" After a while the corpse replies, "I wish to tell Gudrid her fate beforehand, that she may be the better able to bear my death; for I have come to a blessed resting-place. And this I have now to tell thee, Gudrid, that thou wilt be married to an Iceland man, and ye will live long together; and from you will descend many men, brave, gallant, and wise, and a well-pleasing race of posterity. Ye shall go from Greenland to Norway, and from thence to Iceland, where ye shall dwell. And long will ye live together, but thou wilt survive him; and then thou shalt go abroad, and go southwards, and shalt return to thy home in Iceland. And there must be a church built, and thou must remain there, and be consecrated a nun, and there end thy days." And then Thorstein sank backwards, and his corpse was put in order and carried to the ship. Thorstein the goodman held all that he had promised. He sold in spring his land and cattle, and went with Gudrid and all her goods; made ready the ship, got men for it, and then went to Eiriksfiord. The body was buried at the church. Gudrid went to Leif's at Brattahlid; and Thorstein the Black took his abode in Eiriksfiord, and dwelt there as long as he lived; and he was reckoned an able man.

CHAPTER VI.-Of Thorfin Karlsefne. How he went to Vinland; and of the Skralings.

That same summer came a ship from Norway to Greenland. The man was called Thorfin Karlsefne who steered the ship. He was a son of Thord Hesthofde, a son of Snorre Thordson from Hofde. Thorfin Karlsefne was a man of great wealth, and was in Brattahlid with Leif Eirikson. Soon he fell in love with Gudrid and courted her, and she referred to Leif to answer for her. Afterwards she was betrothed to him, and their wedding was held the same winter. At this time, as before, much was spoken about a Vinland voyage; and both Gudrid and others persuaded Karlsefne much to that expedition. Now his expedition was resolved upon,

VOL. II.