Norsemen’s route from Greenland to Wineland. 185 
can only enter at high-water. We have the socalled basin which in its 
nature answers to the Icelandic geographical designation. hép. Finally 
we have the river, which “fell af landi ofan.” And last, not least, we have 
the vines. 
I need only name these positive main-points for my daring to de- 
cide the result of the investigations: that the Norsemen’s Hôp was this 
place near St. Thomas, and that their Wineland must have been the region 
about there, or a tract of the right bank of the Estuary of the St. Lawrence 
River. 
The saga, meanwhile, is not finished with the mention of the sojourn 
at Нбр. Now comes the interesting record of the Skrelings’ repeated 
visits to the Norsemen. “Here [i.e. at Нбр] they remained for half a 
month [in the summer of 1004], and amused themselves without any- 
thing special happening. They had cattle with them. Early one morning, 
on looking round, they discovered a number of skin-boats, from which 
poles were swung, and there was a sound as of wind ша bundle of straw, 
and the swinging was with the sun. 
Then Karlsefni exclaimed: 
“What signifies this?” 
Snorri Thorbrandsson answered: 
“Possibly it is a sign of peace, let us take a white shield and hold 
it up before them.” 
They did so. The strangers now rowed nearer and, wondering at 
those they found here, landed. 
These people were dark, having a harsh appearance, coarse hair, 
big eyes and broad cheeks. 
For a time they stood there looking at the strangers, then they rowed 
away southwards round the ness. 
Karlsefni and his people had raised their booths above the lake, 
some of the houses lay near the lake, others further away. They remained 
here during the winter [1004—05]. No snow came, and all their cattle 
grazed in freedom on the pastures. 
When the spring [1005] set in, they saw, early one morning, a number 
of skin-boats come rowing from the south round the ness. There were so 
many that it looked as if the mouth of the cove was covered with char- 
coal. Poles were swung from each boat. Karlsefni and his people then 
held their shield up in the air, and when the two parties had approached 
each other, they began to trade. These people preferred having red cloth, 
giving skin wares and genuine grey furs in exchange. 
They also wished to buy swords and spears; Karlsefni and Snorri 
would not let them have them. For a whole grey skin the Skrælings 
took a span-long piece of red cloth, which they wound round their 
heads. 
In this manner they traded for some time, until Karlsefni and his 
people began to run short of cloth, wherefore they cut that which was left 
13* 
