Eirik the Reds Saga | Page 9

mood, silent at all times, underhand in his dealings, and
withal given to abuse, and always inclined towards the worst. He had
kept himself aloof from the true faith when it came to Greenland. He
was but little encompassed with the love of friends, but yet Eirik had
long held conversation with him. He went in the ship with Thorvald
and his man, because he was widely acquainted with the unpeopled
districts. They had the ship which Thorbjorn had brought to Greenland,
and they ventured on the expedition with Karlsefni and the others; and
most of them in this ship were Greenlanders. There were one hundred
and sixty men in their ships. They sailed away from land; then to the
Vestribygd and to Bjarneyjar (the Bear Islands). Thence they sailed
away from Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two
half-days. Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and
explored it, and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men
might well lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel.
Polar-foxes were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and
called it Helluland (stone-land). Then they sailed with northerly winds
two half-days, and there was then land before them, and on it a great
forest and many wild beasts. An island lay in the south-east off the land,
and they found bears thereon, and called the island Bjarney (Bear
Island); but the mainland, where the forest was, they called Markland
(forest-land). Then, when two half-days were passed, they saw land,
and sailed under it. There was a cape to which they came. They cruised
along the land, leaving it on the starboard side. There was a harbourless

coast-land, and long sandy strands. They went to the land in boats, and
found the keel of a ship, and called the place Kjalar-nes (Keelness).
They gave also name to the strands, calling them Furdustrandir
(wonder-shore), because it was tedious to sail by them. Then the coast
became indented with creeks, and they directed their ships along the
creeks. Now, before this, when Leif was with King Olaf Tryggvason,
and the king had requested him to preach Christianity in Greenland, he
gave him two Scotch people, the man called Haki, and the woman
called Hækja. The king requested Leif to have recourse to these people
if ever he should want fleetness, because they were swifter than wild
beasts. Eirik and Leif had got these people to go with Karlsefni. Now,
when they had sailed by Furdustrandir, they put the Scotch people on
land, and requested them to run into the southern regions, seek for
choice land, and come back after three half-days[C] were passed. They
were dressed in such wise that they had on the garment which they
called biafal. It was made with a hood at the top, open at the sides,
without sleeves, and was fastened between the legs. A button and a
loop held it together there; and elsewhere they were without clothing.
Then did they cast anchors from the ships, and lay there to wait for
them. And when three days were expired the Scotch people leapt down
from the land, and one of them had in his hand a bunch of grapes, and
the other an ear of wild wheat.
[Footnote B: Later on in the Saga he is called a son of Eirik. The text
would appear to be somewhat corrupt here, as the passage in square
brackets from Hauks-bok seems to show.]
[Footnote C: The word "doegr," both here and above, is translated
"half-day," though it may possibly mean a period of twenty-four hours.
It is to be noticed, however, that these Scotch people return after three
"dagar," which can only mean periods of twenty-four hours.]
They said to Karlsefni that they considered they had found good and
choice land. Then they received them into their ship, and proceeded on
their journey to where the shore was cut into by a firth. They directed
the ships within the firth. There was an island lying out in front of the
firth, and there were great currents around the island, which they called

Straums-ey (Stream-island). There were so many birds on it that
scarcely was it possible to put one's feet down for the eggs. They
continued their course up the firth, which they called Straumsfjordr,
and carried their cargo ashore from the ships, and there they prepared to
stay. They had with them cattle of all kinds, and for themselves they
sought out the produce of the land thereabout. There were mountains,
and the place was fair to look upon. They gave no heed to anything
except to explore the land, and they found large pastures. They
remained there during the winter, which happened to