DISCOVERY OF VINLAND. 521 



with fog blew continually, so that for many days they did imt 

 know in what direction they were sailing. Then tin- sun came 

 into sight, and they could distinguish the quarters of heaven. 

 They hoisted sail and sailed all day before they saw land. 

 They wondered what land this could be, and Bjarni said he did 

 not think it was Greenland. The men asked if he wished to 

 sail towards it, and he answered that he wanted to go near it : 

 this they did, and soon saw that it had no mountains, but low 

 hills, and was forest-clad. They kept the land on their left, 

 but the corners of the sail were towards the land. Then they 

 sailed for two days before they saw other land. They asked 

 Bjarni if he did not think this was Greenland. He answered : 

 ' No, it is very unlike, I thought, for very large glaciers are said 

 to be in Greenland.' They soon approached the land, and saw 

 that it was flat and covered with woods. Then the fair wind 

 fell, and the sailors said they thought it best to land as they 

 lacked both wood and water, but Bjarni did not want to land, 

 and said they had enough left ; at this the men grumbled some- 

 what. He told them to set sail, which they did, and turned 

 the prow seaward, and sailed in that direction with a south- 

 westerly wind for three days, and then more land came in view 

 which rose high with mountains and a glacier. They asked 

 Bjarui if he would like to go ashore there, but he answered 

 he would not do so as the land had an inhospitable look. 

 They did not furl their sail, but sailed along the shore, and saw 

 it was an island. They once more turned the prow of the ship 

 from the shore, and set to sea with the same fair wind, but the 

 gale increased, and Bjarni told them to take in a reef, and not 

 sail so fast, for the ship and its rigging could not stand it. 

 They sailed four days, until they saw laud for the fourth 

 time. They asked Bjarni if he thought this Greenland. He 

 answered: ' This most resembles Greenland from what I have 

 been told, and here we will laud. They landed in the evening 

 at a cape where a boat was lying. Herjulf, Bjarni 's lather, 

 lived on the cape, and it is called Herjulfsues after him. 

 Bjarni now stayed with his father, left off sea-journeys, and 

 dwelt there during his father's lifetime, and after his death " 

 (Flateyjarbok, i. 430-32). 



DISCOVERY OF VINLAND. 



"Now it is related that Bjarni Herjulfsson came from Green- 

 land to Eirek Jarl (son of 'the great Hakon, 1000-101.")) who 

 received him well. Bjarni described his voyage and the lands 

 that he had seen. People thought he had shown a lack 



