ally took in hand the founding of a new settlement over
the Western Sea. He came from Norway to Iceland soon after Thorwald's
death in 1004, passed on to Greenland about 1005, "when, as before, much
was talked about a Vinland voyage," and in 1006 made ready to start with
one hundred and sixty men and five women, in three ships. They had with
them all kinds of cattle, meaning to settle in the land if they could,
and they made an agreement, Karlsefne and his people, that each should
have an equal share in the gain. Leif lent them his houses in Vinland,
"for he would not give them outright," and they sailed first to
Helluland (Labrador), where they found a quantity of foxes, then to
Markland, well-stocked with forest animals, then to an island at the
mouth of a fiord, unknown before, covered with eyder ducks. They called
the new discoveries Stream Island and Stream Fiord, from the current
that here ran out into the sea, and sent off a party of eight men, in
search of Vinland, in a stern boat. This was driven by westerly gales
back to Iceland, but Thorfinn, with the rest, sailed south till he came
to Leif Ericson's "river that fell into the sea from a lake, with
islands lying off the mouth of the stream, low grounds covered with
wheat growing wild, and rising grounds clad with vines."

Here they settled, re-named the country "Hope, from the good hope they
had of it," and began to fell the wood, to pasture their cattle in the
upland, and to gather the grapes.

After the first winter the Skraelings came upon them, at first to traffic
with furs and sables against milk and dairy produce, and then to fight;
for as neither understood the other, and the natives tried to force
their way into Thorfinn's houses, and to get hold of his men's weapons,
a quarrel was bound to come.

Fearing this, Karlsefne put a fence round the settlement and made all
ready for battle, "and at this very time was a child born to him in the
village, called Snorre, of Gudrid his wife, the widow of Thorstein
Eric-son, whom he had brought with him." Then the Esquimaux came down
upon them, "many more than before, and there was a battle, and
Thorfinn's men won the day and saved the cattle," and their enemies fled
into the forest.

Thorfinn stayed all the winter, but towards spring he grew tired of his
enterprise, and returned to Greenland, "taking much goods," vines, wood
for timber, and skin-wares, and so came back to Eric's Fiord in the
summer of 1008.