24 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. IO7 



that a vessel capable of crossing the Atlantic was built at Streamfirth. 

 I think we must either suppose there were more than three vessels 

 or entertain doubt of this part of the narrative. 



We now come to the last stage of the voyage, from Streamfirth 

 to Wineland. The Saga, which distinguishes plainly between these 

 two regions, says that after Thorhall's departure northward, 

 Karlsefni — 



cruised southward off the coast, with Snorri and Biarni, and their people. They 

 sailed for a long time, and until they came at last to a river, which flowed 

 down from the land into a lake, and so into the sea. There were great bars at 

 the mouth of the river, so that it could only be entered at the height of the 

 flood-tide. Karlsefni and his men sailed into the mouth of the river, and called 

 it there Hop [a small land-locked bay]. They found self-sown wheat-fields 

 on the land there, wherever there were hollows, and wherever there was hilly 

 ground, there were vines. Every brook there was full of fish. They dug pits, 

 on the shore where the tide rose highest, and when the tide fell, there were 

 halibut in the pits. There were great numbers of wild animals of all kinds in 

 the woods. They remained there half a month and enjoyed themselves, and 

 kept no watch. They had their live stock with them. 



In other words it was a kind of Garden of Eden to these inhabitants 

 of the inhospitable north. The Saga continues : 



Karlsefni and his followers had built their huts above the lake, some of their 

 dwellings being near the lake, and others farther away. Now they remained 

 there tliat winter. No snow came there, and all of their live-stock lived by 

 grazing. 



The Flat Island Book's description of Wineland is given in con- 

 nection with Leif's supposed earlier voyage from Greenland: 



At ebb-tide there were broad reaches of shallow water there, and they ran 

 their ship aground there, and it was a long distance from the ship to the ocean ; 

 yet were they so anxious to go ashore that they could not wait until the tide 

 should rise under their ship, but hastened to the land, where a certain river 

 flows out from a lake. As soon as the tide rose beneath their ship, however, 

 they took the boat and rowed to the ship, which they conveyed up the river, and 

 so into the lake, where they cast anchor and carried their hammocks ashore 

 from the ship, and built themselves booths there. They afterwards determined 

 to establish themselves there for the winter, and they accordingly built a large 

 house. There was no lack of salmon there either in the river or in the lake, 

 and larger salmon than they had ever seen before. The country thereabouts 

 seemed to be possessed of such good qualities that cattle would need no fodder 

 there during the winters. There was no frost there in the winters, and the 

 grass withered but little. The days and nights there were of more nearly equal 

 length than in Greenland or Iceland. On the shortest day of winter the sun 

 was up between "eyktarstad" and "dagmalastad." 



Karlsefni, as we have already been informed, took with him "all 



