se it furnished a large supply of food, which
thus enabled them to go leisurely to work in establishing themselves,
instead of, as would otherwise have been the case, spending much of
their time and energy in procuring that necessity of life by hunting and
fishing.

It was also exceedingly fortunate that the whale had been killed a
little before the time of high water, because that enabled them to
fasten ropes through its nose and row with it still farther in to the
shore. This accomplished, the boats made several trips back to the ship
and landed all the men, and these, with a number of ropes, hauled up the
carcase foot by foot as the tide rose. After reaching a certain point
at high water they could get it up no farther, and when the tide turned
all the men twice doubled could not have budged it an inch. The ropes
were therefore tied together and lengthened until they reached a strong
tree near the beach, to which they were fastened.

Leaving their prize thus secured they hastened back to the ship, hauled
up the anchor, and made for the mouth of the river, but they had lost so
much of the flood-tide, in consequence of their battle with the whale,
and the evening was so far advanced, that they resolved to delay further
proceedings until the following day.

The ship was therefore hauled close in to the land at the river's mouth
and allowed to take the ground on a spit of sand. Here the men landed
and soon built up a pile of stones, between which and the ship a gangway
was made. The women were thus enabled to walk comfortably ashore. And
here, on a grassy spot, they pitched their tents for the first time in
Vinland.

Provisions were now brought on shore and large fires were kindled which
blazed up and glared magnificently as the night drew on, rendering the
spit of sand with the grassy knoll in the centre of it quite a cheerful
and ruddy spot. A few trees were cut down and stretched across the spit
at its neck on the land side, and there several sentinels were placed as
a precaution--for which there seemed little occasion.

Karlsefin then set up a pole with a flag on it and took formal
possession of this new land, after which the whole colony sat down on
the grass--some under the tents, others under the starry sky--to supper.
The cattle, it may here be noted, were not landed at this place, as
they were to be taken up the river next day, but their spirits were
refreshed with a good supply of new-mown grass, so