CANADA HISTORY

Karlsefri Goes South

Karlsefni sailed south along the coast, accompanied by Snorri and Bjarni and the rest of the expedition. They sailed for a long and eventually came to a river that flowed doW11 into a lake and from the lake into the sea. There were extensive sand- bars outside the river mouth, and ships could only enter it at high tide.

Karlsefni and his men sailed into the estuary and named the pI.ace Hope (Tidal Lake). Here they found wild wheat growing in fields on all the low ground and grape vines on all the higher ground. Every stream was teeming with fish. They dug trenches at the high-tide mark, and when the tide went out there were halibut trapped in the trenches. In the woods there was a great number of animals of all kinds.

They stayed there for a fortnight, enjoying themselves and noticing nothing untoward. They had their livestock with them. But early one morning as they looked around they caught sight. of nine1 skin-boats; the men in them were waving sticks which made a noise like flails, and the motion was sunwise.

Karlsefni said, 'What can this signify?'

'It could well be a token of peace,: said Snorri. 'Let us take a white shield and go to meet them with it.'

They did so. The newcomers rowed towards them and stared at them in amazement as they came ashore. They were small] and evil-looking, and their hair was coarse; they had large eyes and broad cheekbones. They stayed there for a while, marvel- ling' and then rowed away south round the headland.

Karlsefni and his men had built their settlement on a slope , by the lakeside; some of the houses were close to the lake, and others were farther away. They stayed there that winter. There was no snow at all, and all the livestock were able to fend for themselves.