120 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 



Provisions were getting very low, and it was discovered 

 that a portion of the crew of the Miranda who had been 

 lodged in the provision-hold had been systematically stealing 

 everything edible that they could lay their hands upon, and as 

 a consequence the larder stood in sad need of replenishment. 



On August 25 the sun broke from the heavy clouds ; 

 we bathed in the sunshine for the first time since our start, 

 and the spirits of all rose accordingly. For two evenings 

 we had magnificent exhibitions of northern lights, and as the 

 clearer atmosphere revealed to us numbers of white gleam- 

 ing icebergs, we realized the dangers we had been passing 

 through. On the morning of the 28th we sighted the coast 

 of Labrador, and as the weather was threatening it was 

 decided to make a harbor for the night. In the evening we 

 entered Punch Bowl harbor, about sixty miles south of 

 Rigolette. Punch Bowl is a little fishing settlement much 

 resembling Cape Charles. Two fishing schooners were lying 

 at anchor in this harbor : their occupants, as well as the 

 natives of the place, gazed with wonder at the swarms of 

 men crowding the decks of our little vessel ; and the 

 banners of the Cleveland Yacht Club and of Harvard and 

 Yale, which we were flying, seemed also to puzzle them not a 

 little. When, however, they learned that we were a ship- 

 wrecked party, they did not seem to evince much wonder or 

 curiosity. Shipwrecks are a matter of such common occur- 

 rence in these regions. The most important character at 

 Punch Bowl was a certain hard-featured old man, who was 

 called King Bryan. He controlled the fisheries and owned 

 the only store, so that he was monarch indeed of all he 

 surveyed, and ruled the place so we were given to under- 

 stand with a rod of iron. We laid in a supply of fresh 

 codfish here, and left behind us five of the Miranda's 

 crew, who were to wait for a mail steamer to take them 

 to St. Johns, Newfoundland. They were our chief officer, 



