The Coast Was So Much Covered With Wood And Beset With
Islands, That They Could Not Perceive A Human Creature, Or Animals Of Any
Kind.
In the third summer they examined the islands on the coast of
Winland, and so damaged their ship that they found it necessary to build a
new one, laying up their old vessel on a promontory, to which they gave the
name of Kiaeler-ness.
In their new vessel they proceeded to examine the
eastern or south-eastern shore of Winland, and in their progress they fell
in with three boats covered with hides, having three men in each. These
they seized, but one man found means to escape from them, and they wantonly
butchered all the rest. Soon after this they were attacked by a great
number of the natives, armed with bows and arrows, from which they screened
themselves in their ship with a fence of planks; and they defended
themselves with so much spirit that their enemies were forced to retire,
after giving them battle for an hour. Thorwald received a severe wound from
an arrow in this skirmish, of which he died; and over his grave, on a cape
or promontory, two crosses were erected at his request; from which the cape
was called Krossa-ness, or Cross Point.
To the natives of Winland, the Icelanders gave the name of Skraellinger,
signifying cuttings or dwarfs, on account of their being of very low
stature. These were probably the ancestors of the present Eskimaux, who are
the same people with the Greenlanders, and are called Eskimantsik in the
language of the Abenaki, on account of their eating raw fish; in the same
manner as the Russians, in their official state papers, call the Samojeds
Sirojed'zi, because they also eat raw and frozen fish and flesh.
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