NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY, 23* 



veffels in thofe ancient times is entirety unknown at prefent ; they 

 were made of fkins and ribs, or bones, which they tied together 

 with twigs. Thefe kind of boats they called Hudkeipa. They 

 killed eight of thefe men, but the ninth efcaped. Soon after they 

 found prodigious numbers of the inhabitants coming towards 

 them, who with their bows and arrows mot at the Greenlanders, 

 By this Thorvald was convinced that this was not a barren un- 

 peopled country. Thefe people were formerly called SkraJinger, 

 Myritius, who calls them pygmasos bicubitales, fays, that they 

 are a few weak, defpicable wretches, that have no ftrength or 

 courage. He alfo calls them Skraelingers ; and adds, that they 

 live to the weft of Greenland ; that if they were ever fo many in 

 number there is not much to be feared from them. However, 

 we find that in the year 1379, a P ar ty of the Skrdingers made 

 an excursion into Greenland, and murdered eighteen of the 

 Chriftian natives of that country. 



But to return to our hiftory of Thorvald ; whilft this multi- 

 tude of Skraslingers difcharged fhowers of arrows into the vefTel, 

 the Greenlanders defended themfelves with boards, with which 

 they covered the veffel, faftening them together with twigs, fo 

 that hardly any of the crew were wounded. In a very fhort time 

 the Skraelingers began -to be in want of arrows, and then retired 

 all together, without doing any farther damage. 



Thorvald was the only perfon who fufFered in this attack, for 

 he received a wound in the cheek, of which he died, He' was 

 buried on a point of land, where, by his defire, they eretfed 

 two croifes, one at his head the other at his feet, and from that 

 this point was called Kroffanass, or Kaarfnass. 



Thorvald feemed to know fomething of his approaching end ; 

 for he was very fond of that point of land, and faid that he de- 

 figned to remain there. They ftaid the remaining part of the winter 

 on Viinland; in the fpring they loaded their fhip with vines, and 

 the boat with grapes, and failed back to Greenland in good 'con- 

 dition. The third fon of Erich Rodes, and brother to Leif and 

 Thorvald, whofe name was Thorften, failed from Greenland 

 with his wife and children, and all his family, in all twenty-five 

 perfons, with an intent to fetch his brother's corpfe, in order to 

 interr it in his native country. But meeting with contrary winds, 

 1 he 



