24 Gustav Норм. 
Then they parted and sailed north past Furdustrands and Kjalar- 
ness, intending to beat along the coast to the westward, but they were 
met with a storm and driven ashore in Ireland, where they were much 
ill-treated and thrown into slavery. There Thorhall lost his life"). 
Karlsefni, together with Snorri and Bjarni and their people, went 
southward along the coast. They sailed for a long time, till they came 
to a river, which flowed down from the land into a lake, and then into 
the sea. There were many isles (eyjar)?) before the mouth of the river, 
and the river could not be entered except at high tide. Karlsefni and 
his men sailed into the estuary and called the place Höp. They found 
there self-sown wheat-fields on the low land, but vines where the ground 
was high. Every brook there was full of fish. They dug pits on the beach 
at the edge for the high tide, and when the tide fell there were halibuts 
in the pits. There were great numbers of animals of all kinds in the 
woods. They remained there half a month (реш varu par hälfan mänud), 
and enjoyed themselves, without noticing anything further. They had 
their live-stock with them. 
Now one morning early, when they looked about them, they saw 
nine skin-boats, and staves were brandished from the boats, with a 
noise like the wind whistling in stacks of straw, and the staves were 
swung with the sun. Then Karlsefni said: “What is the meaning of 
this?” Snorri answered him: “Perhaps this is a sign of peace, so let 
us take a white shield and display it”. And thus they did. Thereupon 
the strangers rowed toward them, marvelling at what they saw and 
went on shore. They were small?) men, and ill-looking, and the hair of 
their heads was rough (illt). The had large eyes and broad cheeks. They 
stayed there for a time, wondering at the people they saw before them, 
and then they rowed away southward around the point. 
Karlsefni and his men had taken up their abodes (bygdir)*) above 
the lake, some dwellings were near the mainland, and some near the 
lake. Now they remained there that winter. No snow whatever came, 
and all of their live-stock remained in the open, finding their own pasture 
(par kom alls?) inga snjår, ok allr fenaör gekk par Uti sjalfala). At 
the beginning of spring, they observed, early one morning, a number of 
skin-canoes, rowing from the south past the cape, so numerous, that 
it looked as if coals had been strewn at the mouth of the bay; and on 
every boat staves were waved.... 
It now seemed clear, that though this country had good resources, 
their life would be one of constant dread and turmoil for those who 
) Hauksbok adds: “according to the reports of traders”. 
) Hauksbök has: “eyrar’? = sand-spits or shoals. 
3) Hauksbok has: “svartir” instead of “smair’’. 
) Hauksbök has: “budir’’. 
) “alls” omitted in Hauksbok. 
