152 



WAR-SHIPS. 



and to draw lots among the crew every day to decide who 

 should prepare the food. 



" He (Thorleif) took passage in the summer with the traders, 

 who prepared to go from Straumfjord, and was with the steers- 

 It was then the custom of traders not to have cooks, 



men. 



but the messmates drew lots to see which of them should do 

 the cooking day by day. All shipmates also had to drink 

 together, and a tub with a lid over it stood near the mast for 

 this purpose, but some drank from the casks which supplied 

 the tub " (Eyrbyggja Saga, c. 39). 



The people, and especially the chiefs, took great pride in 

 the appearance of their ships, both in regard to ornamentation 

 and sails, and kept them well painted. We may form an idea 

 of the labour bestowed on their embellishment, from the carved 

 pieces of wood found on board of the Gokstad 

 ship ; l what, then, must it have been on such ships 

 as the long serpent and others mentioned in the 

 Sagas ? 



Fig. 932. Dragon. Length, 10 to 12 feet ; width between the wings, 3 feet. 



Insignificant objects are adorned with exquisite and tasteful 

 designs. Some of them seem to have been designed without 

 the aid of mechanical appliances, and others before being 

 engraved must have had their drawings traced with compasses, 



&c. 



The dragons were gilt, both on the stem and stern, or covered 



o o * 



with thin sheets of gold, thus presenting a magnificent 

 appearance as they sailed with the sun shining upon them. 



In the Void ship also there are some specimens of carving, but they are rare. 



