4 VIKINGS OF TO-DAY 



Sagas of Erik the Red and of Thorfinn Karlsefne, we 

 read of a strange land they visited and called Vin- 

 land or Wineland, which most probably was Labra- 

 dor. 1 Now, it is needless to say grapes do not 

 abound in Labrador, and we southerners should not 

 describe it now as the " Land of Wine." But we 

 must remember that Erik came from Iceland, and 

 was also possibly addicted to the proverbial fault of 

 travellers. Moreover, when Erik returned from one 

 of his voyages he called the land he had visited 

 " Greenland," not with reference to its nature, be- 

 cause Biarni, a contemporary voyager, describes it 

 as a land of " mountains and high ice hills," but " he 

 called it Greenland because, quoth he, people will be 

 attracted thither if the land has a good name." An 

 amusing incident, which I quote from Mr. Power's 

 paper, arose out of this. When Thorfinn Karlsefne 

 and Snorri were making an endeavour to colonize 

 the " Vinland " they most inappropriately ran short 

 of provisions. Now it so happened they had with 

 them Thorhall, the hunter. " He was a large man 

 and strong, black and like a giant, silent and foul- 

 mouthed in his speech, and always egged on Erik 

 to the worst ; he was a bad Christian ; he was well 

 acquainted with uninhabited parts. Thorhall now 

 suddenly disappeared. They had previously made 

 prayers to God for food, but it did not come so quick 

 as they thought their necessities required. They 



1 See Hon. L. G. Power's paper on " Vinland," read before the Nova 

 Scotia Historical Society in 1887. 



