of friends, but yet Eirik had long held
conversation with him. He went in the ship with Thorvald and his man,
because he was widely acquainted with the unpeopled districts. They
had the ship which Thorbjorn had brought to Greenland, and they
ventured on the expedition with Karlsefni and the others; and most of
them in this ship were Greenlanders. There were one hundred and sixty
men in their ships. They sailed away from land; then to the Vestribygd
and to Bjarneyjar (the Bear Islands). Thence they sailed away from
Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two half-days.
Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and explored it,
and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men might well
lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel. Polar-foxes
were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and called it
Helluland (stone-land). Then they sailed with northerly winds two
half-days, and there was then land before them, and on it a great
forest and many wild beasts. An island lay in the south-east off the
land, and they found bears thereon, and called the island Bjarney
(Bear Island); but the mainland, where the forest was, they called
Markland (forest-land). Then, when two half-days were passed, they saw
land, and sailed under it. There was a cape to which they came. They
cruised along the land, leaving it on the starboard side. There was a
harbourless coast-land, and long sandy strands. They went to the land
in boats, and found the keel of a ship, and called the place
Kjalar-nes (Keelness). They gave also name to the strands, calling
them Furdustrandir (wonder-shore), because it was tedious to sail by
them. Then the coast became indented with creeks, and they directed
their ships along the creeks. Now, before this, when Leif was with
King Olaf Tryggvason, and the king had requested him to preach
Christianity in Greenland, he gave him two Scotch people, the man
called Haki, and the woman called Haekja. The king requested Leif to
have recourse to these people if ever he should want fleetness,
because they were swifter than wild beasts. Eirik and Leif had got
these people to go with Karlsefni. Now, when they had sailed by
Furdustrandir, they put the Scotch people on land, and requested them
to run into the southern regions, seek for choice land, and come back
after three half-days[C] were passed. They were dressed in such wise
that they had on the garment which they called _b