THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 39 



i 



a small party and went over to Battle Harbor in a couple of 

 lifeboats, rowing past some very interesting stranded icebergs 

 on the way. With Dr. K. M. Cramer I subsequently rowed 

 under one of these bergs, and though we got an ice-cold 

 shower-bath from the constant drip overhead, we were well re- 

 paid. There were numerous caverns opening a few feet above 

 the water, and into one of these we rowed. Its dome and sides 

 were of a gorgeous blue, and the ice beneath the wonderfully 

 clear water gleamed and glinted from below : it seemed like 

 the entrance to a fairy structure, and we almost looked for a 



A STRANDED BERG. 



mermaid to arise to guide us through the labyrinths of this 

 wonderful ice-palace. 



At Battle Harbor we were hospitably entertained by the 

 agent of the owners of the fisheries, Mr. Hall, who introduced 

 us to a favorite Labrador drink made from a mixture of spruce- 

 beer and rum. Spruce-beer is a very popular drink in Labra- 

 dor, and every well-regulated family keeps a supply on hand ; 

 rum is also popular, but rarer. 



There is a neat little hospital in the place, supported 

 by the English Missions to the Deep Sea Fisheries; it 



