138 DANIEL BRUUN. 
in vaults stone upon stone. These capturing-huts are still used to a 
certain extent by Greenlanders when out hunting. 
One can not refrain from thinking that perhaps just the possession 
of these hunting-grounds was the cause of the contentions between 
Europeans and the natives. 
It is probable that the Norsemen in Greenland had already in the 
14th century, become intellectually degraded on account of their isolated 
‘position. 
In an Icelandic transcript of lost sources, it is thus written for the 
year 1342. 
“Greenland’s inhabitants left of their own accord the true belief and 
the christian religion, and lay aside all good customs and true virtues 
and turned to the American people [i. e.: to Eskimoe heathenism].” 
According to this, one would almost think that many of the Nor- 
semen — perhaps in the more remote regions — had begun to be 
merged in the Skrælling’s association, trying to support life as they did. 
Norway could not have been ignorant of the danger the Greenland 
colonies were exposed to, and one can see that they — most likely through 
a religious reason — did their best to maintain navigation to that country. 
In the year 1355 the “Knarr” was sen tout, after not having visited 
Greenland for nine years (the time of the black death) so as to hinder: 
“that christianity should decline”. 
In 1567 Bishop ALF went to Greenland, after their having no bishop 
for nineteen years; he died in 1377 and was the last Greenland bishop, 
who had lived in the country, and we hear that an old priest occupied 
the bishop-see from the year 1385. 
It is said that in the year 1379 the Skrællings “had laid waste” 
the Greenlanders, killed eighteen men and took two boys away in 
thraldom. 
This was probably the first conflict between the people in the eastern 
settlement and the Eskimoes. There is an account about the well 
known Icelander BIöRN JORSALFAR, who, during two years (1385—87) 
had to stay in Greenland: 
“At last chance helped him, as he saved two gnomes, (Eskimoes), 
a young brother and sister, from a point flooded by a lake at high tide. 
They swore fidelity to him, and from that time on he was not in want of 
provisions, as they were skilled im hunting of every description in what- 
ever he wished or needed. The gnome girl considered it the greatest 
honour, when she was allowed to carry and pet the infant boy, which 
the mistress had lately born. She also wanted to wear a head-dress 
like her mistress’s, but she made it of whale bowels. The brother and 
sister killed themselves, by jumping from a rock into the sea, as they 
were not allowed to go with farmer Biörn their beloved master, to 
Iceland.” 
This somewhat embellished record shows at least, that the inter- 
