Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/179

 scarcely walk without treading on their eggs. They called the island Strauxnay (Stream Isle), and the fiord Straumfiord. A party of eight men, commanded by Thorhall, left them here, and went north to seek for Vinland. Karlsefne proceeded with Snorro, Biorne, and the rest, in all 151 men, southwards. Those who went northwards passed Kialarness; but were driven by westerly gales off the land, and to the coast of Ireland, where, it was afterwards reported, they were made slaves. Karlsefne and his men arrived at the place where a river issuing from a lake falls into the sea. Opposite to the mouth of the river were large islands. They steered into the lake, and called the place Hop (the Hope). On the low grounds they found fields of wheat growing wild, and on the rising grounds vines. One morning a number of skin-canoes came to them. The people were sallow-coloured, ill-looking, with ugly heads of hair, large eyes, and broad cheeks; and after looking at the strangers they retired round the cape to the south-west. Karlsefne put up dwelling-houses a little above the bay, and they wintered there: no snow fell, and their cattle lived in the open field. On the shortest day the sun was above the horizon in the watch before and after mid-day watch. A number of canoes came again from the south-west, holding up a white shield as a signal of peace, and bartered grey furs for bits of cloth, and for milk soup. The bull belonging to the party happened to bellow, and the Skrælingers were terrified, and fled in their canoes. Gudrid, Karlsefne's wife, lay in here of a son, who was called Snorro. In the beginning of the following winter, the Skrælingers attacked them. They were defeated by the courage of Gudrid (who appears to have been far advanced in pregnancy at the time of this attack); but lost a man, and were so dispirited by the prospect of constant hostilities with the natives,