THE HOUSE OF ERIC THE RED 261 



Fiord and overlooking Einar's Fiord, on one of the 

 prettiest sites in Greenland, was Brattelid " the steep 

 side of a rock " one side of it a natural cliff, the walls 

 of the other sides, more than four feet thick, built of 

 blocks of red sandstone from four to six feet in length 

 as well as in breadth and thickness, reminding the 

 visitor of those of Stonehenge, and evoking similar 

 wonderment as to how they were got into place. And 

 in his first colony, now called Igdluernerit, Egede 

 seems to have followed the Norsemen at an interval 

 in their architecture, to judge by the large stones in 

 the walls of his house, which, like Eric's, is now in 

 ruins. 



Twelve years after Egede, came the Moravians to 

 take up their quarters at Ny Herrnhut, also at the 

 mouth of Godthaab (that is, Good Hope) Fiord. It 

 was here that Nansen and Sverdrup landed in October, 

 1888, having rowed up from Ameralik Fiord in their 

 " half a boat," as the Eskimos called it. 



" Are you Englishmen ? " they were asked. 



" No," said Nansen, in good Norse, " we are Nor- 

 wegians." 



" May I ask your name ? " 



" My name is Nansen and we have just come from 

 the interior." 



" Oh, allow me to congratulate you on taking your 

 doctor's degree ! " 



From which it is clear that Godthaab is not so much 

 out of the world as one would suppose. 



Nansen with his three Norsemen and two Lapps had 

 reached the east coast in the Jason, and on the 17th of 

 July had left the ship in their boats to make their way 



