First Across the Atlantic : iii 



Accordingly, he decided to look for the land that Gunnbjorn had 

 first reported. Sailing directly to the west he saw Greenland spread 

 out before him and approached its west coast. It was almost inevi- 

 table that he should try this for it was the land that lay nearest to 

 him, but it was equally inevitable that he should meet with difficulty 

 and no success. He encountered the ice fields and the steady resist- 

 ance of the Labrador Current. The current made it natural for him 

 to try to follow the coast in a direction south and west and so he 

 came around Cape Farewell and, traveling north along the west 

 coast, he found icefree waters, an easy approach to the shore and a 

 number of good harbors. Here was vegetation and enough good soil 

 to support animals and men. There were fish to be caught in the sea 

 and seal to be hunted. To the Eskimo he assigned the name "Skrel- 

 mgs. 



This was no mere summer saihng; Eric was an important person 

 and must have been so or he would not have had a ship at his dis- 

 posal. The conventional ship of his period would be somewhat less 

 than one hundred feet long. Even with mast and sail, it would re- 

 quire oarsmen — that is, a crew of thirty or forty retainers. For a 

 three-year stay he would take with him farm animals and equipment. 

 During his three-year stay he thoroughly explored the west Green- 

 land coast as far as Disko Island. 



Eric returned to Iceland in 985 and told them of the land he had 

 discovered, which he called Greenland. He knew the advantage of a 

 good name and hoped to promote interest in his new country. In 986 

 he started back for Greenland with twenty-five ships, a large com- 

 pany of men with their wives and servants and the animals and 

 equipment that they might need to establish their farms in the new 

 country. They encountered head winds and heavy storms. Some of 

 ;he ships were lost at sea and some returned to Iceland, Eric, with 

 fourteen ships, reached Greenland and commenced the establishment 

 of the settlers. Two general areas of colonization were established — 

 an eastern settlement and a western settlement. This is a little mis- 

 leading because both the settled areas were on what we would have 

 called the west coast of Greenland and we would have called one the 

 southern settlement and the other the northern settlement. 



From this beginning Greenland had a steady growth. It is esti- 

 mated that, in time, the population grew to about 10,000 and that as 

 many as 280 farms were developed and occupied. The Christian reli- 

 gion, which had won popular acceptance in Iceland by the year 1000, 

 spread also to Greenland and, for centuries, it was the western out- 



