ESKIMO AND SKR^LING 



there, but at the same time speaks of immediate fighting. 

 The mythical tale of Thorgils Orrabeinsfostre (p. 8i) also 

 points in the latter direction, as does the myth in Eric the 

 Red's Saga of the Greenlanders in Markland stealing Skraeling 

 children. We have further the stories in Claudius Clavus 

 and Olaus Magnus of hide-boats and Eskimo (Pygmies) 

 that were captured at sea. This points to the Norsemen of 

 that early time having looked upon the Skraelings as legitimate 

 spoil, wherever they met them. Doubtless, upon occasion, the 

 latter may have offered resistance or taken revenge, as may 

 be shown by the statement in the Icelandic annals of the 

 "harrying" in 1379; but as a rule they certainly fled, as 

 is their usual habit. I have myself seen on the east coast 

 of Greenland how the Eskimo take to their heels and leave 

 their dwellings on the unexpected appearance of strangers, 

 and this has been the common experience of other travelers 

 in former and recent times. It is not likely that the ancient 

 Norsemen, when they came upon a dwelling-place thus 

 suddenly abandoned, had any hesitation about appropriating 

 whatever might be useful to them; unless, indeed, a super- 

 stitious fear of these heathen " trolls " restrained them 

 from doing so. It is therefore natural that the Skraelings 

 avoided that part of Greenland where the Norsemen lived in 

 large numbers. But where they came in contact we may 

 suppose that friendly relations sometimes arose between 

 Eskimo and European at that time, as has been the case since; 

 nor can the Norsemen of those days have been so inhuman as 

 to make this impossible; and gradually as time went by the re- 

 lations between them probably became altogether changed, as 

 will be discussed in the next chapter, particularly when imports 

 from outside ceased and the Norsemen were reduced to living 

 wholly on the products of the country; they then had much to 

 learn from the Eskimo culture, which in these surroundings was 

 superior. 



In course of time the Eskimo of North Greenland grew 

 in numbers, partly by natural increase — which may have 



89 



