THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRAXDA. 51 



moose are to be found in the interior, while the countless 

 lakes and ponds abound with trout, and are the abodes of 

 wild geese, duck, and other fresh-water fowl. Beaver and 

 otter also dwell in these lonely lakes. Ptarmigan, curlew, 

 plover, and snipe are found all over the island, on the great 

 barrens or in the marshy grounds, and Arctic hare and rab- 

 bits also abound. 



Of course, the cod is the great fish about Newfoundland, 

 for here are the greatest cod fisheries in the world ; the fish- 

 eries off the Labrador coast are controlled by Newfoundland, 

 as the territory is under the jurisdiction of the latter. 

 The second great industry of the island is the seal fishery, 

 the products derived therefrom forming about one-eighth 

 of its entire exports. In olden times this industry was 

 carried on solely by sailing vessels and boats, but about thirty 

 years ago steam sealers were introduced ; and these, of course, 

 have a decided advantage over sailing craft. They are power- 

 fully built, to withstand the pressure of the ice, and are large 

 enough to carry from a hundred to three hundred men ; but 

 the men are crowded into very close quarters. The risks of the 

 voyage, the adventures in catching seals, and the large gains to 

 be derived thereby, attract numbers of volunteers, and of these 

 the steamers have the pick. On account of the ice, the law 

 does not allow the sealers to clear before March 10, and 

 the season lasts but six weeks. It is a common thing for a 

 steamer to return in three or four weeks, laden down with 

 thirty or forty thousand seals, worth from two to three 

 dollars apiece. A third of the proceeds is divided among the 

 men ; the captain gets so many cents per seal, and the 

 remainder goes to the owner of the vessel. Lying about us 

 were quite a fleet of these steam sealers. 



The conviction had forced itself upon us that the Miranda 

 was "not the man for Gal way," was not the ship fitted for 

 ice-service. It was a question as to whether we could pro- 



