The Icelandie Colonization of Greenland. 67 
into the woods; but the Skrællings pursued her. She found a dead man 
who proved to be Thorbrand Snorrason. A flat stone stuck firmly in 
his head, and his naked sword lay by his side. She took it up and put 
herself in a posture of defence. When the Skrællings reached her she 
bared her breasts, spreading them on the shining sword. At this the 
Skrællings became frightened escaped to their boats and rowed away. 
Karlsefni and his men now came back again and praised her success. 
Two of Karlsefni’s men fell, but a number of Skrællings. 
Karlsefni’s troup had to do with a very superior number of enemies; 
they now went home to their dwellings, dressed their wounds, and 
first now began to think over what it could have been, that which ad- 
vanced against them, coming up from the country, and they perceived 
that it had only been real people who came from the boats, and what 
they otherwise had seen must have been an optical illusion. 
The Skrællings also found a dead man by whose side there lay an axe. 
One of them took it up and cut into a tree with it; whereon one after 
another did the same; they found it a valuable thing and that it cut 
well. At last one of them took the axe and cut into a stone with it so that 
it (the axe) broke. Now they threw it away as it seemed useless to them 
not bemg able to resist stone. 
Karlsefni and his people now comprehended that although the 
country had many advantages, one would live in constant fear of being 
disturbed by the country’s native inhabitants. Therefore they pre- 
pared to leave so as to reach their own home-stead. They sailed north- 
ward, along the coast, and met near the sea five Skrellings who slept in 
their fur coats. They had a casket with them in which there was animal’s 
marrow mixed with blood. 
Karlsefni and his men imagined that these people were banished 
from their own country so they killed them. 
Later they came to a headland, on which there were many ani- 
mals, and the headland was covered with dung because the animals 
lay there during the night; they had now returned to Straumfiord and 
there was a superabundance of all that they needed. 
Some people say that Bjarni and Gudrid remained there with 100 
men, whilst Karlsefni and 40 men travelled southwards, having hardly 
been two months in the “Höp” after which they returned during the 
same summer. 
Karlsefni thereafter sailed away to search hunter Thorhall, whilst 
the others remained behind. They sailed northwards past Kialarness, 
and were driven in a western direction with land on their left hand. 
Everywhere were deserted woods, as far as one could see with hardly 
any opening in them. 
When they had sailed for a long time a river ran down from the 
country, it flowed from east to west, they lay to m the mouth of the 
river, on the southern bank. 
5* 
