THE ICONOGRAPHY OF MANHATTAN ISLAND
 

986 woods, and that there were small knolls on it, whereupon they left
the land on the port side, and let the sheet turn towards it. Then
after sailing two days they saw another land. They asked Bjami
if he thought this was Greenland; be said that be did not think
this was Greenland any more than the first place, 'for it Is said
that there are very large glaciers in Greenland.' They soon neared
this land, and saw that it was a flat country and covered with
woods. At this point the fair wind dropped, whereupon the crew
suggested that they should land there; but Bjarni would not.
He ordered them to hoist sail, which was done, and they turned the
bows from the land, and sailed out to sea for three days before a
south-westerly breeze, when they saw the third land; now this
land was high and mountainous, with ice upon it. So they asked
it Bjarni would put in there, but he said he would not, since—as
he put it—this land appeared to be good for nothing. Then without
lowering sail they kept on their course along the coast, and saw
that it was an island: once more they turned the bows away from
the land, and held out to sea with the same breeze; but the wind
increased, so that Bjami told them to reef, and not crowd more
sail than their ship and rigging could stand. They now sailed for
four days, when they saw the fourth land. Then they asked Bjarni
it be thought this was GreciUand, or not. Bjarni replied, 'This is
most like what was told me of Greenland, and here we will keep
our course towards the land.' So they did, and that evening they
came to land under 3 cape, which had a boat on it, and there on
the cape lived Herjulf, Bjami's father, and it is from him that the
cape received its name, and has since been called Herjulfsness."

As we shall see presently, there is good reason to believe that
the first land sighted by Bjarni was within the limits of the present
United States, and that he was therefore the first European to
 

In theyeariooo,Leif,son of Eric the Red,introduced Christian¬
ity into Greenland. In the following year, he bought a ship of
Bjarni, engaged a crew of thirty-five men, and, in the year 1002,
sailed forth, going first to the counuy last visited by Bjami. (The
following extract is taken from the Flaley Book.) "There they
sailed up to the land, and having cast anchor and lowered a boat
went ashore, and saw no grass there. The background was all
great glaciers, and all the intermediate land from the sea to the
glaciers was like one flat rock, and the country seemed to them,
destitute of value. Then Leif said, 'We have not failed to land,
Uke Bjami; now I will give this country a name, and call it Hellu-
land (the land of flat stone).' Thereupon they returned on board,
after which they sailed to sea and discovered the second land.
Again they sailed up to the land and cast anchor, then lowered the
boat and went ashore. This land was low-lying and wooded, and
wherever they went there were wide stretches of white sand, and
the slope from the sea was not abrupt. Then Leif said, 'This land
shall be given a name from its resources, and shall be called Mark-
land (woodland),' after which they returned to the ship as quickly
as possible. And they sailed after that in the open sea with a north¬
east wind, and were out two days before they saw land, towards
which they sailed, and having come to an island which lay to the
north of the mainland they landed on it, the weather being fine,
and looked round; and they perceived that there was a dew on the
grass, and it came about that they put their hands in the dew, and
carried it to their mouths, and thought that they had never known
anything so sweet as that was. Then they went back to the ship,
and sailing into the sound which lay between the island and the
cape which ran north from the mainland they steered a westerly
course past the cape. It was very shallow there at low ride, so that
their ship ran aground, and soon it was a long way from the ship
to the sea. But they were so very eager to get to land that they
would not wait for the tide to rise under their ship, but hurried
ashore where a river came out of a lake; but when the sea had risen
imder their ship they took the boat and rowed to the ship, and
took her up the river and afterwards into the lake, where they
cast anchor, and carrying their leather kitbags ashore they put up
siielters, but later, on deciding to pass the winter there, they made
large houses. [The last part of this description ot the surroundings
of Leif's camp, as will appear later, is. In all probability, copied
from the earlier and fuller descriprion in the Saga of Erk the Sed.\

"There was no want of salmon, either in the river or the lake,
and bigger salmon than they had seen before; the ameniries of the
country were such, as it seemed to them, that no cattle would need
fodder there in the winter; there came no frost in the winter, and
the grass did not wither there much.  Day and night were more
 

equally  divided   there  than  in  Greenland  or Iceland:   on  the    1001
shortest day the sun was up over the (Icelandic) marks for both
nones and breakfast time [vide infra].

"Now when they had finished building tlieir houses, Leif said
to his men, 'Now I will divide our party into two, and have the
country explored: and one half shall stay at home in camp while the
other explores the country, going no further than they can return
by the evening, and not separating.' And so for a time they did
this, Leif sometimes going with the explorers, and at others staying
at home in camp, .  .  .

"It happened one evening that a man of their party was missing,
and this was Tyrker the southerner [German], ... But [retum-
ing| a little later he said in Norse, . , , 'I have found something
fresh to report, I found vines and grapes.' 'Is that true, foster-
father?' said Leif. 'Certainly it is true,' he replied,'for I was born
where there was no lack of vines or grapes,'

"Now they slept that night, but in the morning Leif said to his
crew, 'We will now do two things, keeping separate days for each;
we will gather grapes and cut down vines, and fell wood, to make
a cargo for my ship," and this suggestion was adopted. The story
goes tiiat their pinnace was full of grapes. So a cargo was cut for
the ship, and in spring they made ready and sailed away [to Green-
landj; and Leif gave the country a name according to its resources,
on a subseijuent voyage (7. a, infra) and called it Wineland."

(The following extract Is from the Flauy Book; other versions c.1004
make Thorvald a companion of Karlsefni, on a subsequent voyage
{q.v. infra).) "Now [probably in 1004, the year after Leifs return)
there was much discussion of LeiTs expedition to Wineland, and
Thorvald, his brother, thought that the exploration of the country
had been confined to too narrow an area. So Leif said to Thorvald,
'If you wish, brother, you shall go to Wineland in my ship: , , .'
Thereupon Thorvald prepared for this expedition, taking thirty
men, , , , Afterwards they made their ship reaiiy and held out to
sea, and there is no report of their voyage before they came to
Wineland to LeiTs camp. There they laid up their ship, and
remained (juiet that winter, catching fish for their food. But in the
spring Thorvald told them to make ready their ship, and ordered
the ship's pinnace with some of the crew to go to the west of the
country and explore there during the summer. It seemed to them
a fine wooded country, the trees coming close down to the sea, and
there were white sands. There were many islands, and many shoals.
They found no traces either of men or beasts, except that on an
island to the west tbey found a wooden barn. Finding no further
humaji handiwork they returned, and came to Leifs camp in the
autumn. But the next summer Thorvald sailed to the east with
bis trading ship, and along the more northerly part ot the country;
thenasbarpstormaroseoffacape, so that they ran ashore, breaking
the keel under their ship; so they made a long stay there to repair
their vessel. Then Thorvald said to his companions, 'Now I wish
that we should raise up the keel here on the cape, and call it Keel-
ness,' and so they did. Afterwards they sailed away thence and
eastward along the coast and into the nearest fjord mouths, and to
a headland which ran out there: it was all covered with wood.
Then they moored their ship, and put out the gangway to land,
and there Thorvald went ashore with all his crew. Then he re¬
marked. This is a beautiful spot, where I should like to make my
home,' After this they returned to the ship, and saw on the sands
inside the headland three lumps, and on approaching they saw three
canoes of skin, with three men beneath each. Thereupon they
divided their party, and laid hands on all of them, except one who
escaped with his canoe. They killed the eight, and afterwards
went back to the headland, when they saw inside in the fjord some
mounds, which they took to be dwelling places. After tfiis there
came over them so great a heaviness that they could not keep
awake, and they all feel asleep. Then came a cry above them, so
that they all woke up, and the cry was,'Awake, Thorvald, and all
your company. If you value your lite: and return to your ship with
all your men, and leave the land with aU speed,' At that there came
from within the fjord countless skin canoes, which made towards
them. So Thorvald said, 'We must set the war-shields over the
side, and defend ourselves as well as we can, while assuming the
offensive but little.' So they did, but the savages, after shooting
at them for a while, afterwards ficd away, each as quickly as he
could. Then Thorvald asked bis men if they were wounded at all;
they said there were no casualties. 'I have got a wound under the
arm,' said he; 'an arrow flew between the gunwale and the shield
under my arm and here it is, and it will be my death.  Now my