W here W as W i nel and the G o o d ?

r f r f i H IS has been a sou ce o myste y or a very long t me, and coming as it does into the very earliest history of the i k Amer can continent, there have been numerous boo s r written upon it in America , also in England , Ge many,

France, Denmark and Norway . Those who have written on this subject are too numerous to mention , but a few of them are

. Thomas Carlyle , Benjamin Franklin , Justin Winsor, David Grantz , John R r Harri sse r Foste , Henry , Washington Irving , and numerous othe s ! but

- f those who have given practically a life time service , and le t the greatest r h works on this subject, are Carl Ch . Rafn , A t ur M . Reeves , Gustavus

r . r r . Sto m , Joshua T Smith , and Nansen , the great No wegian explore About two hundred and fifty years ago attention was first called 1n modern time to the Icel andic literature about the discovery of America by the Norse i n “ r men . Joseph Fischer , his book Discou ses of the Norsemen in

a w - k wr Americ , gives a list of three hundred and t enty two boo s itten by r eminent authorities on this subject, most of which have been w itten ’ since Rafn s comprehensive work m 18 3 7 . The best known authorities agree that practically all the information has that is likely to be obtained on this subject come to light, and the translation and explanations of the old Saga manuscripts have been de ciphered in a manner that leaves very little room for further enquiry on this subject . The only real li ve question that still awaits explanation and proof is where Wineland really was ? Every writer who has given this matter serious consideration has w ! k and r r placed Wineland somewhere bet een New or Lab ado , but they have all failed to explain the numerous facts mentioned in these old Sagas in a satisfactory way It is my belief that it is only a Newfound lander, or some person well acquainted with voyages to Labrador, that will event ually solve this old conundrum in a way that will be c on vi nci n g . What we are all searching for is the truth of what really did r happen in these old voyages to Newfoundland , now over nine hund ed b years ago . It is very p robable that some runic in scriptions have een

. r r o left on some rocks There we e schola s among those r vers , and a runic stone was di scovered early i n the last century on an island off 4

i c i r rn r en n . T k rk D s o , n No the G e la d his stone was ta en to Denm a i n 18 2 be i f r 4, and can seen now n the Museum there . Disco was a to the north of any of the Norse settlements in Greenland . This was a record f r o three men spending the winte there , showing undoubtedly that expedi tions had been made to the far North as well as to the South . We have undoubted proof that several winters were spent in Liefs ’ Booths at Wine r r r land , whe e prepa ation was made fo colonisation by a numerous follow ing . I am pointing out the localities where I believe some of these old r r f eco ds are most likely to be ound , and the man who does find them will make a name for himself. There are many of these old runic stones in Norway and Iceland . They have been found in the Orkney Islands r v r r r f and Scotland , and the e is e ery eason to believe that some eco d o h ' this kind will be found in t is country . These runi c i nscri pti ons were not always carved on a monument or a prominent rock . They were found often in a cairn or graves . In a cairn on a hill top they would probably b f r f r e le t as a ecord o some expedition , such as Pea y , Bartlett , Scott and

Amundsen have left of their expeditions to the North and South Pole . f i r v r I t was in a g a e it would be simila to a tombstone, and as we know r W am v r that many deaths did occu on these voyages to ineland , I e y con fident that if long enough search be made in some of the places that I will me ntion,there will be found one or more of these old runic stones . i r r f r r r I am giv ng he e a diag am o what these unic insc iptions a e like, so that some idea may be had of what to l ook for . To get a proper understanding of this subject we must go at it from the beginning .

The V iking age of Norway began about the year 7 8 9. A spirit of r v r r r un est and ad enture sti red up that count y, and expeditions we e nume r . h f i ous It would be interesting to show owmany Royal amil es in Russia , r n Denmark , Ge ma y, France, not to mention England , claims descent from these N orsem en v r r k a The old Norse ro ers were ter o s ali e to England , Scotl nd and r f r r I eland , and continually ravaged the whole coast o Easte n Eu ope , f r r rom the Baltic to F ance . In one expedition they sailed a ound Spain , r r f u r th ough the Straits of Gibralta , and plundered the cities o So the n r f ’ f r v v Eu ope up to the Gul of Genoa, and didn t o get to lea y a hea y tax on the cities of Northern Africa . Everyone acquainted with English history knows to what extremities King Alfred the Great was driven by these N orsem en We all know f r W u r r something o Rollo , the ancesto of illiam the Conq e o , who came fr r riv r r f r r vi om No way , sailed up the e Seine, and captu ed that e tile p o nce now called Normandy .

i 10 r v i f k e and It was n 6 6 that the No man In as on o England too plac , i r r r r f r t was sixty yea s p io to that time that this same ace o old No se men ,

v i e wf un nd. We then li ing in Greenland , attempted to colon s Ne o dla m ust not go too fast ! first com es This r uni c st o ne was disco v er e d o n t h e i sland o f Ki n g i g t o r suak i n ° ’ 7 2 55 N . Lat . n e ar Di sco i Gre e n an d and br ou h , n l , g t t o D e n m ark by

Cap t ai n Graah i n 1824.

Th re e cairn s we re fo nd n ear t o e t h er and i n o n e of th e cair s was u g , n “ t hi s s m all s t o n e . Th e t r an slat i o n o f r uni c i n scr ip t i o n : Er ling S i g v ath s

so n B ar e Th o rdarso n an d E nd ri de Odd so n o n t h e S un da be fo r e , j n y ‘ ’ ” g ag ndag A p ril e r e c t ed t h e se cai rn s an d cle are d away i c e .

J d in fro m t h e st e of insc r i t i on Nan sen t hink s i t dat e s fr o m u g g y l p ,

1300t o 1400 and t hat i t i s t h e re cor d o f a r e m ark ab e ex e dit io . , l p n

I CELAND .

I n the year 8 50 these old Scandinavian rovers discovered Iceland. W r f r r i r hethe this was by accident , being driven out o thei cou se n thei nu m erous voyages to the western isles of Scotland and the coast of Ire land,we do not know . I t is quite possible that it may have been from information gained from Irish m onks who had settled in Orkney and other places . There had been a settlem ent of Iri sh Culdees (as these m onks were called) in Iceland at least fifty years previous to this date . There is undoubted proof from Icelandic literature of these early Irish v f settlements , and it is e idence of the high degree o civilisation the Irish had attained at the dawn of European history . How the Irish kept up constant communicati on with Iceland with their fragile craft i r 8 0 of 13 r b r f pr o to 5 is one the wonders that ha d to explain , ut f om acts v f r r i i r b that we ha e o I ish explo ations , t s not at all imp o able that the legends of St . Brendan are founded on reality . The Norsemen m ade great improvements in the art of navigation . T ri o k r c‘ f he I sh m n s could not withstand the fie ce onslau bghts o these

r r r v f Orkne . pagans , and we hea the Culdees we e d i en out o y and Iceland These expeditions during sixty years were a nursery for improvement of k r these Viking craft , but let us thin for a moment whe e they would class ’ - . r r r we v at Lloyd s to day The sto ms then we e p obably the same as ha e , therefore we can have some idea of what they had to encounter. If thirty or forty of our men were told to get ready for a voyage across the Atlantic r f r k r in an open boat, we would soon hea o a st i e , and any pe son would be considered m ad to run such a risk . “ w k n r Here is hat those craft were li e . A long , ar ow, shallow boat, with some little protection at bow and stern for men to sleep . She was r T r fitted up for rowing , generally ten oa s on each side . he e was one b f r mast, with a heavy square sail , that could e used be o e the wind . With w head winds the men had to row both night and day , and allo ing shifts r h r say every fou ours , it showed the necessity of the large crews . Rudde s ’ hadn t been invented till after this time , and we find that they were steer

h a oar r - r h ed wit large attached by an i on band to the steer boa d , whic

gave the well known name of the star- board side to our vessels . It shows the hardihood and daring of these venturesome old rovers to cross the r Atlantic in these flimsy c aft, and what skill they must have had to do it successfully . Serious doubt was thrown on these old stories for a long r ffi time, as eve yone knew the di culties of sa1ling these vessels in the t North Atlan ic , but how did they manage to navigate without compass i ustrum ents of r or nautical when out sight of land fo many days , and

often out of all reckoning in fog during bad weather . The ruins of the x old settlements in Greenland testified to the truth of these e peditions , ’ r i r i r and when we get a little furthe ahead to B a n s voyage to G eenland , r f r f r i where neithe himsel o crew had been be o e, we will see that wh le he r v f r f r r i u r was d i en a out o his cou se , and sighted st ange lands , st ll he q a 6

tered h h he hi s r i t e eavens , steered by the stars , and refused crew pe m s sion to land anywhere until he knew he had reached Greenland . After experience of that kind we can readily believe the facts mentioned in the Sagas that each expedition of Norsemen from Greenland to Wineland f ’ had little if any di ficulty in knowing where to find Lief s Booths .

These old Norsemen , shortly after discovering Iceland , started to x ' colonise it , and in si ty years there were about people there, which increased in two hundred and fifty years to about souls . Since i tsu s then Iceland has had p and downs , but it created a civilisation of government and literature far ahead of Scandinavian p rog ress at the same time . It shows the class of men that were reared in the adversities of these h Northern climates , and we ere in Newfoundland have many lessons to o learn from them t day in the cure and culling of their fish , lessons that we must learn if we are to hold our place in the markets of the world . Now let us pass on to

GR EENLAN D .

r Gunnb o rn 20 r i n r m It was discove ed by j in 9 , when d iven a sto west ’ k Gunnb orn s of Iceland , and was commonly nown for many years as j

r . Cliffs or Rocks , but whether he ever landed there is unce tain In the 8 2 year 9 Eric the Red , a prominent man of Iceland , was condemned to exile for three years for having slain a man . He set sail in his Viking ’ Gunnb orn s k e boat with a few followers for j Roc s , and remained th re exploring the South Eastern coast . At the e nd of the third year he re turned to Iceland , and having christened the new country Greenland , he i 8 6 induced many to m grate there with him in 9 , but we hear that owing

- fi ve to stormy weather , fourteen out of the thirty boats that had started B rattahl i d with him never reached their destination . His home , , at the fiord ul i anohab d inner end of the , was near the present J , and was hea o f Oste rb quarters yg , or Eastern Settlements , which were eventually com o f 1 0 r posed 9 farms . In a few years a second settlement was fo med , V e sterb w called yg , or Western Settlements , which was to the north est in

s 0 . the present district of Godthaab , and was compo ed of 9 farms It is r r 2 0 00 reckoned that the Norse population in G eenland eached about , 0 00 u r perhaps 3 so ls , at the height of its p osperity . Now we come to the first information of

H ll ul nd Markland and W i n land e a , , e ,

r r a x o f s and athe th n go into e planations many di puted points , I will try and give a continued story . I must fi rst explai n to you how we get all a this information from the old S gas , which are the historical records , 1 written on sheep skin vellum . Most of the principal ones are now n the archives of the Copenhagen Museums . There can be no doubt that these Sagas were compiled from log books or documents written at the 7

i r . r t m e, o they never could describe things so exactly The e are many m r Sagas , but there are two very i portant ones that give us the particula s

of these Wineland voyages . The two Sagas that give us the information H uk we are looking for are the Flatey Book and the a bok . The Flatey

Book is the best history of Iceland , written by the priests , and mention is f made o all the voyages made to Wineland , and therefore you must follow Haukbok Hank it for a continued story . is a family tradition written by ,

who was a descendant of Thorfinn Karl sefni . He mentions Liefs and wa r f Thorstein voyages to Wineland , but in a disconnected y , ve y di ferent

from the precise partic ulars of the Flatey Book . “ ” Haukbok e In w find the Saga of Eric the Red , which is the narra ’ Thorfinn Karl sefni s r tive of expedition , which we will see late on was the most important colonisation scheme of these early voyages . It gives by v far the best information of this oyage, but to get a proper understanding we have to consider each voyage separately . There are several frag m en tary references in other Sagas , all of which are carefully noted , and com f x ing from independent sources , go to prove the main acts of the e pedi tions . This leads some writers to lay special emphasis upon certain facts

r . that create a diversity of opinion , and give reasons for many controve sies

c . Then again , the translation of these do uments and the proper meaning of phrases in use nine hundred years ago , has created more trouble than anything else , but even these facts are being thrashed out to a finish , and simplify many questions that were in dispute . Instead of following one w o ccure d Saga verbatim , I have endeavored to follo the voyages as they , taken from the translation of these old Sagas by the m ost noted autho r . . . ity , Mr A . M Reeves I give you reliable facts of each , and this gives us five important expeditions that we have to reckon with .

rst —B iarni , on his way from Iceland to Greenland saw these pla ces , but did not land there .

2 nd - , Leif fitted out an expedition and christened the places he r . Hel l ul and a eached c me first, then Markland , and he spent one winter h r at Wineland , w e e he erected booths . He returned the following sum mer to Greenland . ' rd — 3 , Thorvald , the brother of Lief, held that the country had not f been su ficiently explored . Thereup o n Lief gave him his ship . Thor Skrel l i n s s vald was killed in a fight with the g ( E kimos) , and desired to be buried at Crossness . They were two years on this voyage .

' th - 4 , Thorstein , another brother of Lief, desired to sail to Wineland ,

o . and bring back the body of his br ther, Thorvald He selected a crew

w - fiv e r of t enty men , but they met stormy weathe , and were driven in the i n direction of Iceland , and arrived back in Greenland the first week

. x winter This e pedition was a failure .

th - Tho rfinn Karl sefni 1 6 0 m en 5 , sailed with four ships , having

. e n t ree r t er an and five women to colonise Wineland H spe t h yea s h e, d then returned to Greenland. 8

N h k r I l f ll as ow we ave to ta e these voyages sepa ately , and wil o ow closely as possible the wordi ng of the Sagas .

l st V oy ag e .

B i arni r , who lived in Iceland , had been on a voyage to No way, and on his return to Iceland found that his father had migrated during the e summ r to Greenland . Notwithstanding that it was then late in the sea v r B iarni r son , and considered by many to be ery foolha dy , and his c ew r decided to go to Greenland , although he had neve been there before . d k They were driven far to the southwar , and saw strange lands , but new that they did not resemble the description they had of Greenland , and being anxious to get along quickly , they did not go ashore or land any where until they eventually reached Greenland . The principal informa tion worth noting is the description of perils on this voyage . They had r a ve y rough time , and were driven hither and thither . Fogs and North winds lasted many days . Here is an interesting item regarding their : a and r means of navigation then they saw the sun gain , we e able to determ ine the quarters of the heavens . Here is another item : They — r c ars hoisted sail , showing that they had been drifting or using thei only to keep their boat from being swamped . At the end of that day r they came in sight of land , which was cove ed with woods , and there were small hillocks on it . They saw land twice during the next few days , but they sailed out on the high seas with South - westerly gales . The next h w land was igh and mountainous , ith ice mountains on it They held on their course, and found that this last land was an island . They left

f . T this land astern , and held out to sea with the same air wind he wind x B iarni e wa ed amain , and directed them to reef, and not to sail at a spe d unbefitti n l g their ship and rigging . They sai ed now for four days , when B i arni k r they saw the fourth land . said , This is the li eliest to G eenland, r according to that which has been reported to me , and here we will stee ” r to the land . They landed in the evening below a cape, whe e there was Herl ei ff B iarni a boat, and on this cape dwelt , the father of , and the cape

Herl i efness. B iarni r was called gave up voyages and dwelt with his fathe , ’ who was an important man , and continued to live there after his father s death . This voyage is the m ost descriptive narrative of the sailing of these old Vikings , but beyond the sight of the wooded land with small al l hillocks , which in probability was some headlands of our Eastern

Newfoundland coast, we cannot decide on any special point, unless some one recognises the large island with mountainous ice caps that B iarni saw before he made his last run off the coast for Greenland . B i arni

who . r visited Eric , received him well He gave an account of his t avels , when he saw the strange lands . The people thought he had been lack 1n 1n r g enterprise , since he had no report to give them conce ning these c i u r r . ountr es , and this fact bro ght him ep oach 9

k v r L the There was now much tal about voyages of disco e y, and ief, f B iarni r son o Eric , visited and bought a ship f om him , and collected a crew of thirty - five men . This brings us to the

2nd V oy ag e . f l Lie invited his father , Eric , to become the eader of the expedition , but Eric declined , as he was now an old man , and he was less able to endure the exposure of sea l ife than he had been nevertheless he yielded ’ to Lief s solicitations , and he rode to the vessel when they were to sail , but the horse stumbling , he was thrown to the ground , and injured his “ x i s r foot, whereupon he e claimed , It not designed for me to discove ” more lands than the one in which we are now living , and he returned home . Lief pursued his way , they put the ship in order, and sailed out T ker to sea , and with him went y , the German servant, who had lived with

Eric for a long time , and who was devoted to Lief when a child . They l i i ' first found the and which B arn had seen last . They sailed to the land saw and cast anchor. They launched a boat and went ashore , and no No w Great i ce grass there . take particular notice of this description , m ountai ns l a i nl and back rom l /ze sea and til e u er art awa rom til e y f , pp p y f ’ share was a tabl e l ana of flat m elts al l l ne way f rom fi l e sea to ! li e i ce m ountai ns . , and the country seemed to them to be devoid of good qualities Bi arni Then said Lief, We have done more than , we have gone upon the

Hel l ul and 01 . land , and I will now call it ( Land of Flat Stones) They

e a . return d to the ship and put out to sea , and found second land They

. sailed to the land , put out anchor, launched their boat and went ashore

This was a level , wooded land , and there were broad stretches of white

s l the . d sand where they went, and the and was level by sea Lief sai , r and l k This land shall have a name afte its nature , we will ca l it Mar land (Forest- land) . h o n They returned to ship forthwit , and sailed away the main with

Northeast winds for two days before they sighted land . They sailed to t o wards the land and came to the island , which lay the Northward , off

l . a the and They went ashore and looked about them , the we ther being n the i fine , and they observed dew upo grass , wh ch they tasted , and it seemed to them that they had never tasted any thing so sweet as this . i They went aboard their ship again , and sa led into a certain sound , which h lay between the island and a cape , whic j utted out from the land to the

North , and they stood in westering past the cape . At ebb tide there were broad stretches of shallow water there , and they ran the ship aground , l on and it was a g distance from the ship to the ocean , yet they were so anxious to go ashore that they could not wait until the tide should rise f under the ship , but hastened to the land , where a certain river lows out

. from a lake As soon as the tide rose beneath their ship , however , they r took the boat and rowed to the ship , which they conveyed up the iver , i k r n r rr r m m k and so nto the la e whe e they cast a cho , and ca ied thei ha oc s 10

r i v r . Th af r r r i d asho e , and bu lt themsel es booths the e ey te wa ds dete m ne r r a to establish themselves there for the winte , and they acco dingly built of large house . Lief has reached the end his voyage , and this is the place which he eventually called Wineland Now, before proceeding into further particulars of what Lief saw and did on this voyage , and while we have the description in our minds of the places that he visited , it is my purpose to name these very spots , and by the facts that come r a k afterwards , I feel ve y certain that you will gree with me that we now exactly where Lief did build his booths . Hel l ul and r i As already related was a table land of flat ocks , wh ch extended from the sea to the great ice mountains that lay inland . This x i Groswater fisher is an e act descr ption of the South side of Bay, as our t men like to call it , or bet er known on the charts as Hamilton Inlet, and known in the old French maps as the Grand Bay of the Eskimos . Look ing inland you see throughout the year the snow - capped Mealey Moun r i n h tains , said to be ove two thousand feet heig t . This bay is a very likely landfall for a ves sel sailing South from the Eastern settlements in Greenland

Markland is certainly no distance fro m Hel l ul and. As the Saga n says , he went to sea , that is out the bay , and came in agai seeing a w forest land (a level ooded land) , and note particularly that in the same place were broad stretches of white sand , where they went by the sea . These broad stretches of white sand South of Groswater Bay are the P01

i s o . cupine Strand , as it called t day This strand is , on an average , about r fifty yards wide from the salt water to the turf, which has grown ove the r sand . The land is level back from the sea fully fou to five miles , till it reaches the hills . This land is c overed with turf and a growth of trees .

- f r r To day we find small spruce and j uniper, but it may have been o la ge size when Lief christened it Markland .

The Porcupine Strand continues along this coast for about fifty miles , and there is no strand of such a length on the Labrador coast . It is

f - . composed of hard grit sand , fit for the old ashioned hour glass There w k is a prominent cape about mid ay, with a double pea ed summit rising h to a height of four hundred feet. On the c arts it is called Cape Porcu pine , but the fishermen often call it Sandy Beach Hill . I want you to remember particularly about this cape . Although it is not mentioned in

r . this voyage , it is mentioned mo e than once in later voyages

I N ELAND r W , befo e reaching there , they sailed away upon the main , that o ff o f is to sea , and continued with a N rtheast wind for two days be ore sighting land. In well authenticated voyages , from Norway to Iceland a ’ day s sailing with these old Viking boats was reckoned at about 10 8 miles . S o they sailed South in that time about 2 0 0 m iles ! then they came in

n . towards the la d , to an island , which lay to the Northward , off the land r They went ashore and looked about them , the weathe being fine, and they observed there was dew upon the grass . About two hund red m iles fr m a e. P n i o f f I . o , C p orcupi e br ngs us to the latitude the Straits o Belle sle r o I believe when Lief sta ted to come in t wards the land , he was j ust South f n of Belle Isle at break o day , and when he came to the la d , the island mentioned is the Sacred Island j ust to the North of Cape Onion . They

r i L ca e to - da r went asho e at Lancey Meadows, as i s ll d y , whe e there is ' f aew on tlze rass plenty o grass . Please note particularly that there was g , that means he was there in the early morning before the sun rose . This is important , because they should have mentioned Belle Isle if they had not gone past there in the dark . Now they went aboard the ship again , and sailed into a certain sound between the island and a cape jutting to the North , and they stood in , westering past the cape . This would bring f them right into the shallow waters o Pistolet Bay , where they ran the ship aground on one of the numerous mud banks . The tide rises in this e bay about three feet , so that wh n the water rose beneath the ship , they proceeded up to the bottom of this bay , and the river they reached is the Arm l entrance to Milan , and the ake is at the bottom of this arm , about r th ee miles long and one mile wide , where they cast anchor, and Lief built his booths there , and established themselves for the winter . These r booths were headqua ters at Wineland , and in subsequent voyages they always wished to winter there . I have placed these localities only after r careful esearch , and weighing all the facts mentioned in subsequent voy ages . We have to note every point mention ed of this entrance to Wineland n very particularly , as this is the only mention in all the Sagas of enteri g the ’ harbor where Lief s Booths were . They were so well known afterwards that there was no need to describe a well known locality . Before making up your minds whether I am right or wrong , I want you to follow the l r different facts mentioned in ate voyages , which I am convinced will prove these contentions . I am only doing my best to find the truth and a proper understanding of this great controversy .

Now let us follow the wording of the Saga again . There was no lack

of salmon there , either in the river or the lake , and larger salmon than

any they had ever s een . This is true of all the rivers and brooks around

. n Pistolet Bay Well known salmo stations are in several places , Bart ’ ’ Pi nse nt s . lett s Brook , Western Brook , and Brook , etc The country thereabouts seemed to be possessed of such good qualities that cattle no s need no fodder there during the winter . There was fro t there during t n the winter and the grass wi hered but little . The days and ights were h more nearly equal than in Greenland and Icel and . On t e shortest day m zrst the day of winter, Dece ber , the sun was up between morning meal ’ t e w 8 and h evening meal , it literally means bet een 7 and o clock in the the morning , and 3 and 4 in afternoon . This fact has caused more dis e al l m ussions than any other by the learned authorities , but it is i possible to decide any definite point without more exactitude anyway it certainly ’ n places Boston and Martha s Vinyard out of the runni g , and those best ’ qualified to judge state that Lief s Booths were certainly somewhere i n 12

Newfoundland or a similar latitude . B ut how could it be Newfoundland r if there was no frost there , and the grass withered but little . No g eat stress is laid on these points , as it is an impossibility to name any place between Labrador and New ! ork that would suit the exact wordl ng as stated . It must also be remembered that these men had j ust come from r Greenland , and they were comparing the frost in that country with thei new experience of a more southern latitude . They we re looking out for the possibility of grazing their cattle during the winter, and were hoping f r o the best, and there is lots of grass to be had there until the snow comes . In reading these Sagas we are continually astonished with the o rse m en optimistic views these N held , and I believe this statement about frost is more of a hope than a reality . These N o rse m en were devoted to cattle breeding . N o twithstanding the climate of Greenland it was car x ried on to a large e tent, as the ruins of stables near the dwelling houses ’ K r will testify . In the i ng s Mi ror another noted Saga it is stated that the men in Greenland often climbed the highest rocks at different points to gaze around to see whether by chance they could spy any part of the country free from ice, and fit for grazing , all the ranges and valleys being ’ h K M r covered wit ice . The i ng s i r or also describes the ice in the

Greenland sea as being eight to ten feet thick . The ice reaches four or

u . five days jo rney from the land , and even more It describes the icebergs o towering above the level ice like rocks ab ve the sea , and which do not m unite with the surface ice . The ice at ti es remains motionless , at times t passes on like a ship in fair wind , and not only with the wind but against the wind , when it comes to a gale . These facts prove to us what great difficulties the N orse m en had to r contend with in Greenland , and we should not ead the wording of the hope to graze cattle round Pistolet Bay in winter time too literally . When they had complete d their house Lief made arrangements for exploring the

. country He divided his men in two companies , but each party was to r f eturn home each night . We have no urther mention of what the coun x the of try was like e cept natural product berries and trees , to which we must give a very careful enquiry , as there is frequent mention of them in

. each voyage , and their classification has led to many controversies In one of these expeditions Ty rker the German went astray . Lief went in

w m en . search of him ith twelve , and they met him not far from the house “ T rker e r y was in lively spirits , and told th m I did not go much fu ther ” h than you , and yet I have something worth relating. I ave found v i nber k vines and it is true , for I was born where there is no lac of ” either v i nbe r or vines .

v i nber t r In the early translation has always been transla ed as g apes , and that was the princi pal reason for the very interesting books that have “ ’ been written selecting Martha s Vinyard near Boston , as the locality ‘ a n oted r where Lief erected his booths . It is place for wild g apes , and i s the m ost northerly spot i n America where the se wild grap es grow l n

The s f f hi u old Saga say a cargo (of wood) su ficient or the s p was c t, and when the spring came they made the ship ready and sailed away. 15 There plenty of spruce, fir and birch trees near Milan Arm . From i the products of this country Lief gave the land a name , and called t D W I N ELAN .

Lief now started to return home . They sailed out to sea and had h fair weather until they sig ted Greenland , at the fells below the glaziers .

Then it was that Lief, being keener of sight than any of his crew, dis r l i tteral l cerned men upon a ocky island , or more y a skerry , and sailing up to it, they discovered a ship had been wrecked . Lief rescued fifteen

e w . persons , and for this reason he was aft r ards called Lief the Lucky r He had now a goodly store both of property and honor , and as his fathe , u r Eric the Red , had died that winter, he made no f rthe voyages . It is very interesting to note that in this shipwrecked crew was Thori u ri and G d d. Lief invited them and t hree others to make their home with him . Thori died shortly afterwards , but we hear a great deal about

Gudri d . m in thes 0 old Sagas She was a re arkable woman , and undoubt edl y the heroin of Wineland ! but we will have more to say about her later on . u f The old Sagas say that Lief was a large and powerf l m an , and o a of most imposing bearing , a man , sagacity , and a very just man in all ’ things . There is no special mention of how that house called Lief s substan Booth was built, whether it was of wood or stone , but it was a w r x r tial d elling , as we find in almost eve y e pedition afte wards that they “ hi m v v asked to gi e them his booths , but his re ply was , I will not gi e , but I will loan them to you . It is over nine hundred years since these booths were built at Milan r Arm , but if a careful search was made around the lake , I am ce tain that interesting relics will be found . Now we come to the

3rd V oy ag e .

T - r r r here was much talk about Lief Wineland jou ney, and his b othe

Thor vald held that the county had not been sufficiently explored . There “ to h upon Lief said T orvald, If it be thy will , brother , thou mayest go to Wineland with my ship ! but I wish the ship first to fetch the wood , where the crew were wrecked on the skerry . And so it was done . Now r Thorvald , with the advice of Lief, p epared to make this voyage with

. thirty men . They put their ship in order , and sailed out to sea There ’ i s no further account of this voyage until it is stated they arrived at Lief s r m Booths in Wineland . They laid up thei ship there , an d re ained quietly

r . during the winte , supplying themselves with foo d by fishing In the n spri g , however , Thorvald said they , should put th eir ship in order, and ‘ that a few men shoul d take the afler boai and proceed along the West x m r f f i coast, and e plore that region during the su me . They ound it a a r , r i fr well wooded count y it was a short d stan ce om the woods to the sea, and h r m f . and t ere were white sands , as well as a la ge nu ber o islands

shallows . They found neither dwelling of men or lair of beast ! but i n one of the Western islands they found a wooden building for the shelter of grain . These old Norsemen were dependent on their small farms h n d more t an any thing else , and they recog ised at once what this buil ing ol d x was intended for . The translation from the te t appears very plain , but there is no m ention of any cultivated fields . Possibly this was some ’ shelter erected during Lief s voyage . They found no trace of human ’ k at i handicraft, and turned bac arriving Lief s Booths n the autumn . The following summer Thorvald set out towards the East with the ship and around the Northern coast. They were met by a high wind off a certain promontory and were driven ashore there and damaged the keel r r of their ship , and were compelled to remain there a long time and epai the injury to the vessel . It appears that the old keel Was knocked out and condemned , for Thorvald said to his companions , I propose that ” Keel ne ss we raise the keel upon this Cape , and call it , and so they did . o f Keel ness (Take particular note this place , as it is mentioned more than once in future voyages , and the keel standing upon the Cape appears

- th to have been a well known land mark .) Then they sailed away to e o ff ad oi ni n Eastward the land , and into the mouth of the j g firth , and to a headland which projected into the sea there and which was entirely r n Keel ness di d cove ed with woods . (After leavi g , it is plain they not go very far, as it mentions the adjoining firth . The projecting headland covered with woods was some place in that adjoining firth .) They found an anchorage near the land and went ashore . Thorvald was greatly i m f pressed with this place ! said he , it is a air region , and here I should like to make my home . r They returned to the ship and discove ed on the sands , in beyond the w headland , three mounds . They went up to these and saw that they ere

- r skin canoes (kayak) , with three men unde each . They succeeded in seizing all of these men except one who escaped with his canoe . They k killed the eight men and then ascended the headland again , and loo ing r about them discove ed within the firth certain hillocks , which they con , cluded must be habitations ( Eskimo tents or houses) . They all became r very sleepy , and fell into a deep slumber, which would have been thei n be last had not Thorvald been startled by a sudde call , which the Saga l i v - e es was supernatural . A countless fleet of skin canoes were advancing from the inner part of the firth to revenge the death of their comrades . w The Eskimos attacked , shooting arro s at them , but they were no match for the warrior vikings who at once got out the war- boards and shields on

. both sides of the ship , and defended themselves against all attacks The only one wounded was Thorvald , who had been hit by an arrow under rm his a , and knew at once that it was his death . He counselled them r hi m to return with utmost speed , but to bu y on the headland where he

had wi shed to make his home . He also instructed them to raise a cross 16

i r i f l r f r at h s head and anothe at h s eet, and to call that p ace C ossness o ever after. T r r ho vald died , and when they had ca ried out his injunctions they de

r a d . re pa ted , and rejoined their companions n told the said tidings They V i nber mained during the winter and gathered up (wine berries) and wood , with which to freight the ship . In the fol lowing spring they returned to r r Greenland , where they ecounted all to Lief. Now let us note particula l a r v y the pl ces where Thorvald visited , and I believe we will get bette e i ’ re r dence of whe Lief s Booths , and Wineland eally was than anywhere else in these Sagas . rst —He r re m al ned r , ar ived at Wineland and quietly the e during the Winter ! 2 nd —I n r r , the spring he started an expedition to explo e the Weste n shore . There they found many islands and shallows , a well wooded country and special mention is m ade of wlzi l e sands rd —T r g , he following summer Thorvald set out towa ds the East and along the Northern coast. Now there is only one place on the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador from which you could set out to explore

W . the estern coast , and also to explore East and North It fixes the ' locality definitely at some place in the Straits of Belle Isle th — 4 , Let us enquire particularly into that Western voyage . Is not Blanc Sablon the white sands ” ? They had this same name w hen “ ” m 1 Jacques Cartier visited the in 535, and the white sands on that rocky coast attract the attention of visitors to - day as they did when those ors N em en explored it in the year 10 04. There are not many trees to be

to - - au seen there day , but the well known fishing station there , Isle Bois r suffi o Woody Island , on which there is not a tree to be found , is proof cient that this locality must have been well wooded when the French first v 1 0 0 . and isited here about 5 There are also plenty of islands shallows , e r also trees not far away , but of course th y are common almost eve ywhere in Newfoundland or Labrador . We have no record how far up the North

- shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence this crew went in the small after boat, but we do know they were away ' all the sum m er f th — r ’ n x “ d 5 , Tho vald s seco d e pedition towar s the East and along the Northern coast ” is exactly what one would do leaving a port in the Straits of Belle Isle

6 th -! ou Keel ness ? h , want to know where is I believe t at Thorvald u got his ship ashore near Sandy Beach Hill , (Cape Porc pine) , and it was . on that double peaked summit that they raised the keel . I will give my

i n . proof for this a later voyage It is a bleak shore , shallow water, and r wo st of all in a storm , there is no anchorage there

th — Groswater 7 , The adj oining firth they went into was Bay or the r G and bay of the Eskimos , as the French maps call it in olden times 8 — r th , The headland across the bay covered with woods which Tho vald liked so much , and where he was buried, and wished it to be called Cr s ness f r v r f rwar now b the nam e f B uff H a . o s o e e ate ds , goes y o l e d 17

It was here that they had the first fight with the Eskimos . It is the first mention of Skrel l i ngs or Eskimo that we have in these Wineland r voyages , and the enmity started by the No semen is what eventually pre u o f m r vented their successf l colonization A e ica , and resulted in th e — abandonment of their cherished projectST

4th V oy ag e .

i n As the old Saga relates . In the meantime it had come to pass r n r r G eenla d that Tho stein , anothe son of Eric the Red , had married Gudri d n f r r , who had bee saved rom the w eck as already elated , and it is

w ar u . said they ere m ried in the aut mn , and it was a most desirable match Now Thorstein was minded to make a voyage to Wineland and bring

k r r . bac the body of his brothe Tho vald He equipped the same ship ,

r w w - five w t and selected a c e of t enty men , and he took i h him his wife , Gudri d . They m et stormy weather and were drive n hither and thither

the . r r all summer, and lost all reckoning It is stated they we e d iven in the direction of Iceland , and again they saw the birds from the coast of r Ireland , but in the first week of winte they found themselves in the

Western Settlement of Greenland . This voyage was a failure . They ’ had much hardship that winter , and many of this ship s company died , l ’ inc uding Thorstein himself. In the spring Gudri d returned to Eric s _ Firth to the home of Lief. Now we come to the

5th V oy ag e .

It is a real c olonization scheme and has some of the most interesting characters of this historical period The Flatey Book gives a long an r defini te arti cu account of m y details not mentioned elsewhe e , but no p lars of the different expeditions on this voyage. The Saga of Eric the ” Red , so commonly mentioned in connection with these voyages , is devoted Th orfinn Karl sefni f r almost wholly to this voyage of , and the di fe ent ex edi i n p t o s connected with it. It is their family traditions carefully recorded . It is by far the most complete narrative of these voyages .

We have to go carefully into both accounts . The Flatey Book says : that same summer a ship came from Norway ’ ni to Greenland ! the skipper s name was Thorfinn Karl se fi . He was a

r n r . ve y wealthy man , and passed the wi te with Lief He soon set his Gudri d i heart upon , the widow of Thorstein , and their marr age was cele bra - ted the same winter shortly after ! ul e tide (Christmas) . W A renewed discussion arose con cerning ineland , and all the folks , i Gudri d ncluding , urged him to make a voyage . He assembled a com f 16 0 r r pany o men and 5 women , and ente ed into an ag eement that they should each share equally in the spoils of the enterprise . They took w t f a i a r e on to et e t is ith hem all kinds o cattle , nd t w s thei i nt nti s tl in h C tr i f . Karl sefni f f r 1n Wi l d oun y they could asked Lie o the house ne an , ” and he replied that he would lend but not give it . They sailed out to i d a ’ sea and arr ve s f ely at Li ef s B oot/i s. In the su m mer succeeding the r r Skrel l i n s v r fi st winte , g were disco ered , and a barte trade was established with food and colored cloth in exchange fo r furs . They subsequently f t Karl s fni started fighting, and it was the ear of these a tacks that caused e to announce that they would return to Greenland . They now made 1n v i nber r ready , and carried with them much booty vines , (wine ber ies) , and peltries . They returned safely to Greenland early l n the summer. Karl sefni r r “ sailed the same yea fo Iceland, and the people say a ship ” richer laden never left Greenland . ” ’ f ri r l Hauk s Now let us return to the Saga o E c the Red , e ated in

Book . The historian who traced his ancestry to Karl sefni through his

Wineland born son Snorri . f Here we get by far the best information of the di ferent places visited , and it enabl es us to locate the spots with greater exactitude . It gives the f v r r best description o all the oyages , and we get mo e pa ticulars than from any other source . Let us start from the first. About this time there began o r f was to be much talk that Wineland the Go d should be explo ed , or it said that the country must be possessed of many good qualities . Tho rfinn Karl sefni e r f was the l ader, and with him was three o probably our ships ,

16 0 . Karl sefni S norri and men and 5 women and fitted out one ship ,

B iarni . possibly it means one ship each . had another ship Thorvald , ’ Fre di s who married Eric s daughter y , had another ship , and with him was ’ horhal l f s T T , the huntsman , an old servant o Eric . hey first sailed to tha i s s t n the Western Settlements , t to the Northwe t, or the second se tleme t

orse m en . a of the N in Greenland Thence they went to Be r Island , pos si bl r no t wh y furthe North or West . It is stated y they went there , but it

i us ar t is mportant for to mention this p icularly , for it shows that they were

sailing on a different course than the previous expeditions .

Thence they bore to the Southward for two days sailing . Then they “ ” l saw land , and found large flat stones , and many were twe ve feet wide . i ' There were many Arct c foxes there . They gave a name to the country ,

and called it Hel l ul and. It is plain there must be a mistake in the two r Hel l ul and days sailing , o this place named is not in Labrador at all , as r f r they could never that fa in two days , but it is possibly a mistake o ! get ’ ’ r B affin s . seven days sailing , o it may be in Land In any case the de ” scription of these large flat stones is quite different from the place called Hel l ul and was tabl el and fr by Lief, which a of flat rocks all the way om 01 h the sea to the ice mountains . Then they sailed for two days with N t :

. erly winds , and land lay before them with g reat woods and wild beasts ’ s This they called Markland . We have shown before that Lief Hellu v land and Markland were comparati ely close together, but here we find r 2 0 0 r that they we e about miles apart, so that it, is clea that the places that Karl sefni called Hel l ul and and Markland are altogether different places fro m the localities na m ed by Lief. i t)

Then Karl sefni sailed Southward along the land for a long came to a cape . There were long strands and sandy banks there They r l /ze leeel o a sni owed to the land , and found upon the cape there f p , and c e Keel ness. r Wonde rstrand all d it The sandy st and they called the , because it took them so long to sail by . Nowwe have reached the locality

‘ - n whe re Lief and Thorvald had been . Here we fi d the b road stretches cf White sands . From the trees growing on it Lief called it Markland . T h k ou his cape, wit the eel it at the sandy beaches , is undoubtedly Cape

o ad r . Porcupine , or Sandy Beach Hill , where Th rvald h repai ed his ship The long sandy beach created greater wonder with Karl sefni thanthe ’ t rees growing on the level wood land which had caught Lief s attention .

We must remember that the Porcupine Strand extends for fully fifty miles . ’ ’ I n Markl and h K eel ness K this vicinity we find Lief s , T orvald s , and arl ’ sefni s Wondersl rand. Seeing that Karl sefni had sailed Southward along the land for a long time before coming to the cape , with the long strands r and sandy banks , it is clear that he first sighted the Labrador coast fa

f . North , probably at Cape Mug ord The very mention of the Arctic foxes is a strong proof. There are plenty of colored foxes around Groswater x Bay , but to see many white fo es you have to go far North on the Labra

r . Wonderstrand and do coast After sailing past they sailed into a bay, K rl fni a se landed here two Scotchmen who were in his ship . The Saga r f f gives a very interesting desc iption o these two Scotchmen , whom Lie had brought from Norway. They were able to run faster than the deer, Karl sefni r and told them to explore the country , and he waited there fo

. v i nber - them three days They returned , one with (wine berries) , and the r r othe had some wild grasses . Afte getting these two Scotchmen aboard , r Ka l sefni and his followers held on their way . They stood into a B ay

r . with thei ships There was an island out at the mouth of this bay , about

r r . which there were st ong currents , wherefore they called it St eam Island and They sailed through the firth , called it Stream Firth , and carried

r . their cargoes ashore f om the ships , and established themselves there

There were mountains thereabouts . They explored the country . They remained there during the winter . They had reached their destination . In the Flatey Book we have already seen in a few words that Karl ’ sefni r . sailed out to sea , and a rived safely at Lief s Booths There is no ’ f the mention in the Saga o Eric Red that this was Lief s Booths , but that is where they undoubtedly were . Stream Firth i s certainly the n Straits of Belle Isle , (although they thought it was a bay ) The isla d t e t r at h mouth , around which here were st ong currents , was without doubt our well known Belle Isle .

1s s Stream Firth a very good name for the Strait of Belle Isle , with e its strong tidal currents , which are much stronger than any oth r currents a round the Newfoundland coast . There is mention of an island where k w there so many eider duc s , that it was scarcely possible to step bet een rasse the e s . This is an exact descri ti on of the sm all y islands of gg p / g 20

Pi l Ba r r f ears a o r r sto et , whe e du ing the nesting y y y ( season fi t g the e we e f i to r thousands o w ld ducks be seen , who breed thei young on these who v r islands . People li e there tell me that du ing the moulting season , r r f so nume ous we e these ducks , that you will often find small heaps o

feathers driven ashore on the beaches of that bay . There were eider

k k k . r , duc s , black duc s shell duc s ( and geese The e is an island in the middle of Milan Arm still called Duck Island . Now here is another “ ” item . There were mountains thereabouts . Just back three miles from f Milan Arm there are the White Mountains , so called by the settlers rom the patches of snow that are to be seen on these mountains all through r ’ the summe . I don t know how high these mountains are , but snow all

summer will give a good idea that they are of considerable height . These White Mountains are described to me as very precipitous l n f al places . They are a double ange , with a well wooded v ley between , and

r f . they extend from Pistolet Bay to near the ha bor o St Anthony, about

eight miles away, which is often travelled in win ter time with a team of

dogs and the well known comatic . The Saga tells us they had a very

hard time of it that winter . They appear to have spent all the summer

in explorations , and had made very little preparation for the large com e m h pany they had with th . The fishing failed , and they were s ort of f t o Go d o ood . They prayed for food , but it did not come as pr mptly as i m their necessities seemed to demand . But shortly after the weather o proved , and they could row out to fish , and they had no lack of pr vi

sions as they could hunt game on the land , gather eggs on the islands ,

and catch fish from the sea . There was one discon tented man in the

Thorhal l h u . company . , the untsman , was always causing tro ble He a n o t et was a p gan , and did g along with the others , although all admitted

he was a clever huntsm l n. He made up his mind to explore Northward . Karl sefni d wanted to proceed Southwar along the land , and to the East i n ward , believing that the country to the Southward was greater . It is ’ teresti n anse n s s g to note here N translation of thi passage , which confirms

o v a m . the positi ns I ha e located in Newfoundland in _ re arkable way Karl se fni wanted to proceed Southward along the coast and Eastward , ” believing that the land became broader the further South it bore . The Thorhal l idea was that the land to the South turned to the Eastward . r got nine men to go with him , and he said he was going Northwa d r r Keel ne ss a ound Wonde Strand , and to pass , and to cruise to the West

r . r wa d around the cape , and so seek Wineland A little verse that Tho h x f hall recited shows w at he e pected when he le t Greenland , and the “ kind of Wineland h e was looking for was what we would call nowadays a ” saloon , but his real intention in going Northward was to go home , as

explained in the second verse .

r f o th e and k t . Now the e hal a m n and enj oy d themselves , ep no watch ‘ r nn k - a one mo ning early they saw i e s in canoes , and st ves were brandished s flail s t v v from the boats with a noi e like , and hey re ol ed in the same di

rection which the sun m oves . These u ndoubtedly were th e Eskimos in

“ r k k w We k w w (wi th thei aya s , ro ing as no so ell the double paddle . It is

r n wh o a - clea they were not I dians , lways had birch bark canoes , and rowed l f ' with a single paddle . Kar se ni and Snorri decided to show a white f r shield , similar to a flag o truce , which denoted peace . The strange s

r - owed to the land ! they were small men , ill looking , and the hair of their

. heads was ugly ! they had great eyes , and were broad of cheek They

tarried for a while and then rowed to the Southward around the point . Karl sefni fo the and his llowers remained there all winter, having built

huts in several places near the lake and above the lake and further away. i They had their l ve stock with them , which lived by grazing , as there was

no snow there . When the spring opened they discovered one morning a

great number of skin - canoes rowing from the South past the Cape . They r r r r Skrel li n s started a barte t ade fo furs , and fo perfect skins gave the g

w . some red cloth , a span in length , hich they bound around their heads Skrel l i n s Karl sefni f The g desired to buy swords and spears , but orbade t his . When the cl o th got scarce they divided it into narrow pieces not ’ fin er s Skrel l i n s more than a g width , but the g were so anxious for it that they gave as much or more for it. It so happened that the bull rushed r Skrel l i n s out of the woods bellowing loudly , which so ter ified the g that

. T they sped to their canoes , and rowed Southward along the coast hey h t r saw not ing of hem for th ee weeks , but then a great multitude of them arrived from the South ready for a fight . The Skrel l i ngs sprang from

r. Skrel l i n s their boats , and they met them and fought togethe The g

. had war slings (bows and , arrows) These Eskimo now took the offen sive . They raised upon a pole a great ball - shaped body about the size ’ of a sheep s body, and nearly black in color . (This was probably a seal skin float, attached to the Eskimo harpoon used in spearing seals and walrus .)

This bladder filled with air made a n 01se when falling on the ground . a r Karl se fni t It is st ted that it caused a great fea with and his men , so hey could only think of escape along the rive r bank but they soon got over o r r this fright , and ffered st ong resistance when they eached certain j utting ’ crags . The Skrel l i ngs were r ushing o n the m from all sides and greatly o f r a outnumbered them . Fr ydis , the wi e of Tho vald , c me out , and seeing “ Karl se fni e e and his men fleeing she jeer d at th m , saying, ye might ' ” i slaughter these wretches like cattle . F rey d s sought to join them but Tho rbrand lagged behind ! she found the dead body of , the son of

Snorri flat . hi s , his skull being cleft by a stone She seized sword and l li n p repared to defend herself from the ap proaching Skre g s. She stripped herself to the waist and slapped her breast with the naked , ‘ r l l i n d s d. At this the Skre gs were terrified and fle to their boats and 23

h f f rowed away . Karl sefni and his followers praised her valor . T e ear o l something new in warfare always creates a scare at first . Even Eng and was scared a year ago by a German balloon , so that we can excuse the

N orsem e n for fear at first sight of a black seal skin float . But F rey di s r must have been a terro , and the Eskimos had good reason for fear and t o t Nor m n f fled at the sight of her. In the fight w of e se e and four o “ h f the Skrel li ngs were killed . Fearing urther attacks from the Eskimos they determined to return to their own country . They sailed to the Skrel l i n s Northward and on the way they killed five g , whom they found asleep on the beach . They passed a Cape where a great many animals (probably birds) rested there at night ! they arrived again !at Stream fi rth ’ (Lief s Booths) . Karl sefni and Snorri m ade another trip with forty men to Hop and returned again the same summer. Karl sefni then set out with one ship r Thorhal l r in sea ch of the huntsman , but the greater pa t of the com orth ward Keel ness pany remained behind . They sailed to the N around , r and then bore to the Westward , having land to the larboard . The count y r O around was a wooded wilderness with sca cely an pen space, and when a they had j ourneyed a consider ble distance up , a river flowed down from the east towards the west . They sailed into the mouth of this river and lay to the southern bank . Karl sefni had sailed right up Hamilton Inlet and reached a river on the south side of Mellville Bay . It confirms our n Keel ne ss a co jecture that was South of Hamilton Inlet, and is the s me place indicated in all the voyages . r r The Saga now elates that one mo ning they saw a uniped , who skip

s - i n- ped down the bank and hot an arrow which hit Thorvald , the son law Karl sefni of Eric , in the paunch . and his men pursued , but the uniped was too swift for them and disappeared . There was a well - known Norse f f U x . r able about the land o nipeds , which they e pected to find Professo H U owley, of the Newfoundland Geological Survey , says that this niped s was undoubtedly an E kimo woman of short stature , and dressed in the ’ n n - r conve tional Eskimo woman s attire with a lo g tail coat, she would ce l tai n y look to the men who chased her as if she only had one leg . When s r h we get the proper explanation of these item , they st engt en the proof of the story , instead of throwing doubt on the reality . Thorvald died w r r from this wound , and the cre were not disposed to remain the e longe , so they sailed to the Northward , that is out towards Rigolet. Here is an interesting item which should help to locate where Hop really was . They reckoned that Hop and this locality were equally distant r from Stream Firth in eithe direction , and also that the mountains formed one chain . They sailed back and passed the third winter at

. Stream Firth There was a lot of trouble that winter, and from informa F re di s tion that we have in the Flatey Book , it would appear that y was at the botto m of it . She certainly was a terror if only half of the accounts f r ru i f r r r u w o he are t e , and n a te yea s she was tho o ghly despised, and as e Would say to- day she was the villian of the play . The heroi ne Was

udri d f e r . G , she was a beauti ul charact r , and everyone was in love with he r r was She efused to take part in fortune telling , giving as a eason that she of the Christian faith . It is said of her she was the most beautiful of

r r m . H r her sex, and in every respect a most supe io wo an ere is anothe : Gudri d item recorded of her then sang the song so sweet and well , that no one remembered ever before to have heard the m elody with so ” fair a voice . hi But let us re turn to our story . Karl sefni now determined to take s r i r ’ departu e for Greenland . During their stay at Stream F rth , o Lief s Gudri d i n Snorri f r Booths , a son was born to , whom she chr ste ed , a te the father of Karl sefni . It is said that this little c hap was three winters old when they took their departure . Here we have the record of the first “ f white child born in Newfoundland , and the Saga tells us rom him was r r f I descended th ee bishops , and many othe great people o celand , who ” r a e not mentioned i n these Sagas .

Karl sefni W i r i sailed away from ineland w th a southe ly w nd , and so M f Skrel l i n s r they came to arkland , where they ound five g , and captu ed t o r k . w of them , who we e boys , and too the lads away with them They taught them to speak , and they were baptized . They got some stories from these boys about the Eskimos . Karl sefni arrived back safely in B i arni f Greenland , but the ship that had charge o was driven out into the w Atlantic (the term used in the Sagas is , for the sea bet een Iceland and

. w but afterboat Greenland) The ship became orm eaten , the had been

r . coated with seal ta , and the sea worms did not penetrate This boat B iarni f could only hold half the crew , and decided to cast lots instead o

n b r . m ff r choosi g y ank . This seemed to the all a manly o e , so they B iarni th o k adopted it . was one of e f rtunate ones , but when he too his

u branl ed f a . B iarni place in the boat, an Icelander p him for ors king him ” said , I see thou art eager for life , thereupon he boarded the ship and let

the Icelander take his place . This boat came safely to Dublin in Ire

B i arni r f . land, but and his companions were never hea d o afterwards

Wi nel and vo a es fr r This is the end of the y g , but we have agmenta y

information in other Sagas . In a manuscript of Icelandic geography, r r f r the origin of which is not known , but p obably de ived om an old “ f r Saga now out of existence , we find the following South o G eenland Hel l ul and e f r is , th n comes Markland , thence it is not a to Wineland the o w f Good , which some men believe to be c nnected ith Africa, and i so ” then there is an open sea flowing in between Wineland and Markland . The conclusion to be drawn from this is that Wineland was never r k f r fr tho oughly explored , and they did not now how a East om Hop the

land went . r ur i r There is anothe point on which they were not s e , that s , whethe

Stream Firth was a strait or a bay . T fr r r t o iv u ke his passage , while only agmenta y , appea s g e s a y to the

25

” b i Torfaeus Gronl andia n f 1 06 at map pu l shed in A tiqua, o 7 , and he r r f 1 0 ur u t ibutes the map to the Icelande Stephanus o 57 , who in t n m st have got it from an earlier source . Instead of a bay coming between r W r a Ma kland and ineland change it into a na row sound , and you h ve a perfect description of the Stra1ts of B el l e I sle / di vi di ng Labrador from f i New oundland . Not that alone, but the name Wineland reads d rectly out from Pistolet Bay at the end of the long promontory of northern f w ff New oundland , which agrees exactly ith my description of the di erent

‘ aft r f l voyages . It was fi e I had written this description o the Wine and v h t oyages , t a I saw this confirmation in this old Icelandic map . In the year 1 12 1 Bishop Eric of Greenland went in search of Wine ” ’ land , but we don t know whether the Bishop succeeded in finding Wine or of land anything else about it, but this is the last mention Wineland

in the older Icelandic literature . In the later annals ( 1347 ) we have the last historical m ention of a r r rk small ship , with seventeen men , that sailed from G eenland fo Ma r land , no doubt seeking wood , but had been driven to Iceland by sto my r T r f i wi weathe . his b ings us to the end o the W neland voyages , and th such clear information from the translation of Reeves and other writers

we can have no doubt whatever as to the authenticity of these voyages . There has been many conjectures whether the natives that the Norsemen k r f v met were Es imos o American Indians , but all the acts go to pro e that k m et i r f wit as Es imos they on every occas on , and the e is no mention o

Indians whatever. The existence of the Eskimos depended upon the f r seal and walrus , so that they never lived a from Labrador , but we do ’ know in Governor Pal l i ser s time (about 17 6 5) that the Eskimos did make r f i f egular visits to New oundland , period cally, in search o special wood to

make their bows and arrows . That was before they were supplied with

. w r guns by the traders We also . kno there we e special places in New foundl and r r r s whe e flint a row heads we e made , and it is quite po sible

'

’ this was another reason for v i si ti ng Newfoundland. It is interesting to note that when Karl sefni was at Hop he met a great number of the Eskimos in the spring when they were going south r f f r r wa d, and they had plenty o furs o trading pu poses . Three weeks afterwards a multitude of the Eskimos returned from the South in a war

like mood . They probably had a good supply of bows and arrows and fli nts i k f rsem en , and n the fight they illed two o the N o . t r f It would be interes ing to locate the harbo o Hop , and no doubt

some person will tell us exactly where it is before long . As an indica tion I would mention Little Harbor Deep or Great Cat Arm in White f r r Bay, both o which have sandy bars at the ent ance , but a mo e careful

investigation would verify the description of the Saga . Reckoning an r equal distance f om Pistolet Bay to the South , as from Pistolet Bay to f B a w ou o k f r Ho Rigolet at the entrance o Melville y, e w ld need t loo o p well across Notre Dam e Bay. 26

If the Norse m en had only treated the Eskimos kindly on all occasions they in all probability would have been successful in their colonization of f f h New oundland and America , but only once do we hear o t em trading together . With the exception of the way these Eskimos were brutally put to death on several occasions we cannot but admire these hardy old ’ e B i arni o Karl sefni s Vikings . We h ar very little of one f skip pers , but where would you get a better example of the captain giving up his life for one of his men even after all had the same chance to draw lots . There are many other incident s mentioned in these old Sagas that I am sure would interest you regarding the customs of that day . but I have curtailed these items confining myself to the voyages to try and arrive at concl usi ons as r correct to whe e Wineland really was , and I do believe that I have correctly solved a problem that has created volumes of controversy .

’ f r 1 1 . St . John s , New oundland , Decembe 9 3