THORFINN KARLSEFNI 19 



the sea." Such a description is said to apply well to 

 the southeastern portion of Labrador. On the north 

 side of the Strait of Belle Isle is a place called Blanc 

 Sablon (White Sand) because it is said to appear 

 white from the sea in the sunshine.^^ 



Steensby considered that the Bear Island lying 

 southeast of Markland is the northernmost point of 

 Newfoundland. This is not necessarily the case, for 

 the reference may be to Belle Isle, which lies about 10 

 kilometers to the north from the shore. Steensby 

 thought that Thorfinn had sailed along the mainland 

 and thus reached the strait. The locality is usually 

 foggy J therefore it is unlikely that they noticed New- 

 foundland, still more unlikely that they considered it 

 an island in the event that they went ashore and killed 

 a bear. 



Then follows the narrative of the voyage after 

 leaving Markland (Fig. 11). It is somewhat in- 

 definite, particularly as to the location of Keelness. 

 It is certain, however, that they sailed a long time with 

 land on the starboard, also that the shore line was long 

 and sandy. 



^2 Professor Halldor Hermannsson pointed this out in an article 

 entitled "The Wineland Voyages," Geogr. Rev., Vol. 17, 1927, pp. 

 107-114. Previous to that Hermannsson had written a long- article 

 about the same subject in Timarit Thjodriskmsfelags Islendinga, Win- 

 nipeg, Vol. I, 191 9, pp. 25-65. He deals there with the earliest records, 

 as well as the various efforts at a solution of the problem. 



