guide them to its coast. As Bjarne's ship was driven
westward, great mists fell upon the face of the waters.
There was neither sun nor stars, but day after day only
the thick wet fog that clung to the cold surface of the
heaving sea. To-day travellers even on a palatial steamship,
who spend a few hours shuddering in the chill grey fog
of the North Atlantic, chafing at delay, may form some
idea of voyages such as that of Bjarne Herjulf and his
men. These Vikings went on undaunted towards the west.
At last, after many days, they saw land, but when they
drew near they saw that it was not a rugged treeless
region, such as they knew Greenland to be, but a country
covered with forests, a country of low coasts rising
inland to small hills, and with no mountains in sight.
Accordingly, Bjarne said that this was not Greenland,
and he would not stop, but turned the vessel to the north.
After two days they sighted land again, still on the left
side, and again it was flat and thick with trees. The
sea had fallen calm, and Bjarne's men desired to land
and see this new country, and take wood and water into
the ship. But Bjarne would not. So they held on their
course, and presently a wind from the south-west carried
them onward for three days and three nights. Then again
they saw land, but this time it was high and mountainous,
with great shining caps of snow. And again Bjarne said,
'This is not the land I seek.' They did not go ashore,
but sailing close to the coast they presently found that
the land was an island. When they stood out to sea again,
the south wind rose to a gale that swept them towards
the north, with sail reefed down and with their ship