368 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1953 



approach and then sail out again. Two days later they see more tim- 

 bered land; they sail close in and then out again. After 3 days* 

 sailing on a northeast course they sight land for the third time, on 

 this occasion a mountain island with glaciers. Once again they refrain 

 from landing. Four days afterward they reach Greenland. 



3. Leif Ericsson's expedition. — Leif, son of Eric the Ked, buys 

 Bjarni's ship and sets out from Greenland (apparently in the spring 

 of 992) with 35 men with the intention of finding and exploring the 

 lands seen by Bjarni. [Note that in contrast to the voyages of Bjarni 

 and Thorstein (see below) this is a veritable voyage of discovery.] 

 First he finds Bjarni's glacier island and goes ashore. There is noth- 

 ing but stone between shore and glacier, a land "without good things" ; 

 he calls it "Helluland" (Stone Land). Thereafter they come to a 

 flat woodland which Leif names "Markland." Two days later they 

 reach an island with grass and much sweet dew. Between the island 

 and a promontory on the mainland is a strait; they sail into it, and 

 during ebb tide the ship goes aground in the sand. They go ashore 

 at a river, get the ship off at high water, and decide to settle there 

 for the winter and build houses of good timber from the large syca- 

 mores of the forest. In both river and sea there were bigger salmon 

 than they had ever seen anywhere. There was no winter frost and 

 the grass withered but little. Day and night there were of more 

 equal length than in Greenland and Iceland. In the time of the short 

 days the sun set in "Eyktarstad" and rose in "Dagmalastad." 



Then Leif divides his men, some of them staying where they are, 

 while others go scouting. One evening they miss the man Tyrk, a 

 southerner (German), an old friend of Eric the Bed's, Leif's adoptive 

 father. They make a search and meet him a short distance away. Leif 

 can see that Tyrk is out of his mind ; he speaks in his native tongue, 

 German, rolls his eyes, pulls faces, and then at length tells them he has 

 found vines and grapes. It's true enough, he says, for he was born 

 where there were vines in abundance. In the time that follows they 

 gather grapes, cut vines, and fell timber, all to fill the hold of the ship. 

 In spring they break camp and, on leaving, Leif calls the land "Vin- 

 land." On the way home they rescue a number of shipwrecked men 

 from a rock and in due time arrive safely at Brattahlid, Eric the Bed's 

 farm in Ericsf jord, Greenland. 



3. Thorvald Ericsson's expedition. — Leif lends his ship to his 

 brother Thorvald, who sets sail with 30 men and reaches Leif's camp 

 in Vinland. There they winter. The following summer they spend 

 exploring the west coast of the land, which is fair and thick-wooded, 

 with white sands, many islands, and shallow water. On an island 

 they find a wooden granary, but otherwise no trace of human beings. 

 That autumn they return to Leif's camp and then the following 



