ht.

Early one morning when he went down to the lake shore he saw boats upon
the quiet water. He counted nine of them. They kept close company and
came on steadily. He looked beyond them but could see no more. "With
no more than nine of them, this won't be a long affair," he thought to
himself; but he went back to the Settlement and called out his men.
Then he went into his own house and called Gudrid to come. "Are you
minded to see some of the Winelanders, my Gudrid? Bring your baby with
you, and I will show them to you. I don't think they mean us any
harm." Gudrid went with him without question.

By this time the settlers had lined the shore, and the hide-boats had
drawn up within bowshot and were making signals. A man stood up in
each boat and waved a pole over his head. He swept it round in
circles, and moved it from east to west, following the course of the
sun. "What do they want with us?" says Karlsefne. "Not war, I think.
Now who will come out to meet them with me? We will show them a white
shield, but there shall be weapons at the bottom of the boat." He soon
had a crew, and was soon afloat.

The native boats scattered out in a half-moon as the adventurers came
on. Karlsefne saw that he was being hemmed in, but having the notion
fixed in his head that no harm was intended, he did not give orders to
cease rowing, and stood up in the bows himself with his white shield
displayed. When he was within speaking distance he bade his men rest
on their oars. By and by, as he had expected, curiosity did his work
for him. The hide-boats came in and in, each of them holding five or
six men. In one at least he saw a woman with a baby. "If they bring
their babies out to see us, it's no more than I have done," Karlsefne
said. "They mean peace, and they shall have it."

He invited them forward with open arms, and all signs of friendliness,
and presently they were all crowded about. Small people they were,
very dark brown, very ugly, with flat faces, coarse black hair twisted
and tortured into peaks and knots. They had broad fat cheeks and
enormous eyes. Their talk was like the chattering of birds.

Karlsefne invited them to shore, and very cautiously their boats
followed his. They landed and were induced to mingle with the large
company they found there. Gudrid and her baby were the great
attractions. The first man who saw her suckling it stared and jumped
about. He called shrilly to his friends