VIXLAXD. 



527 



and he died. His wife, Gudrid, did not like it well. They 

 were all in one room. Gudrid sat on a chair in front of the In-m-ii 

 on which lay her husband, Thorstein. Thorstein the Black 

 took her off the chair in his arms, and sat on another bench 

 with her opposite Thorstein's body. He talked much, and 

 consoled her, and promised to go with her to Eireksfjonl \\itli 

 the bodies of her husband and his men, and to have mon 

 people stay there for her entertainment and consolement. 

 She thanked him. Then Thorsteiu Eireksson rose and said : 

 ' Where is Gudrid ?' Three times he said this, but she \\;i- 

 silent, and said to Thorstein : ' Shall I answer or not.' He 

 said, ' Do not.' He walked across the floor and sat on the 

 chair with Gudrid on his knee. He said : ' What dost thou 

 want, namesake ? ' Thorstein answered after a while : ' I long 

 to tell her fate.' ' 



The dead man proceeds to tell that he is in heaven himself, 

 and that she will be married in Iceland. Thereupon these 

 two who were alive, Thorstein the Black and Gudrid, went 

 home to Eirek the Red. 1 



Fourth Voyage. 



"This summer a ship came from Norway to Greenland. 

 Thorfinn Karlsefni steered it. He was the son of Thord 

 Hesthofdi (horse-head), son of Snorri, son of Thord. Thorfinn 

 was very wealthy, and during the winter stayed in Brattahlid 

 (West Greenland) with Leif Eireksson. He soon fell in love 

 with Gudrid (widow of Thorstein Eireksson), and asked her 

 in marriage, but she referred the answer to Leif. Then she 

 was betrothed to him, and their wedding took place that 

 winter. The voyages to Vinland were talked over as they 

 had been before, and both Gudrid and others strongly urged 

 Karlsefni to go. He resolved to go, and manned the ship 

 with sixty men and five women. Karlsefni and his men 

 made an agreement that they would divide equally all goods 

 which they might acquire. They took all kinds of cattle 

 with them, for they intended, if possible, to settle in the 

 land. Karlsefni asked Leif for his houses in Vinland, ami 

 Leif answered he would lend him the houses, but not give 

 them. Thereupon they sailed out to sea, arrived safely at 

 Leif's booths, and carried their skin-bags ashore. They soon 

 found good and plentiful provisions, for a large and fine 



1 Evidently the Christian writer, 

 abhorring the heathen people, attributed 

 the plague to them and also the un- 



natural talk of the dead which was, 

 perhaps, invented by him. 



