NATURAL HISTORY of N RWAY, 



by what he had heard of the country, he gueffed at what point 

 it lay. So bold and adventrous were the ancients. The firft three 

 days he was at fea, he fteered his courfe weftward, then the 

 wind chopt about to the north, and as they did not know their 

 courfe, they were driven to the fouthward. When the north-wind 

 had done blowing, and they had failed about twenty-four hours, 

 they faw land at a diftance. When they approached nearer to the 

 coaft, they found it a flat and level country, free from rocks, 

 and very woody. They landed there, and then put to fea again, 

 and failed from thence to the north-weft, and before they made 

 Greenland, they faw two iflands, which they pafTed in their 

 courfe. The following fummer, in the year of Chrift 1002, 

 Biorn failed to Norway, and informed Erich Jarl, who then 

 reigned there, that he had feen two unknown iflands in his voyage, 

 but had not landed upon them. This did not pleafe the king, 

 who blamed Biorn becaufe he could give no better account of 

 thofe iflands which he had feen. Upon this he failed fipm Nor- 

 way to Greenland a fecond time. 



Leif, fon of Erich Rode, was refolved to tread in his father's 

 fteps, who firft difcovered Greenland, and therefore did not let 

 thofe iflands mentioned above, remain long unknown. He ac- 

 cordingly determined to fet fail in a ftout fhip with thirty-five 

 men, under his father's direction, who was then an old man. But 

 as Erich Rode was riding with his fon, in order to embark, his 

 horfe fell with him, which he looked upon as an ill omen, and 

 therefore turned back and went home ; however, Leif purfued 

 his voyage. The firft land that he difcovered was the laft that 

 Biron had feen, and the neareft to Greenland ; here he caft an- 

 chor, and went afhore, and found nothing but flat ftones and ice 

 in the country, but no grafs or herbage; from thefe ftones he 

 gave it the name of Helleland. He afterwards failed from thence 

 and difcovered the other ifland that Biron had feen. This was an 

 even level country, without any rocks, and very w r oody ; the fand 

 on the coaft was remarkably white. Leif gave this country the name 

 of Marckland. They failed from thence and fteered their courfe 

 to the fouth-weft, with a north-eaft wind, and difcovered a third 

 country in forty-eight hours, which they thought preferable to 

 the others. Near the north part of this country, they found a 

 fmall ifland, where they landed ; from thence they failed weft- 

 ■ Part II. N n n ward, 



