"Dynamite the ice, you mean?"

"That's it."

"Hurray, we'll soon be free of the ice-drift," cried Harry, as they
followed the boatswain forward and watched while he and several of the
crew drilled holes in the ice and adjusted the dynamite on either side
of the bow, at a distance of about two hundred feet from the ship in
either direction.

Caps of fulminate of mercury were then affixed to the explosive and
wires led from it to the battery boxes.

"How will that free us?" asked the professor, who, like most men who
devote all their time to one subject, was profoundly ignorant of
anything but deep sea life and natural history.

"It is the nature of dynamite to explode downwards," said Frank. "When
that charge is set off it will blow the ice away on either side and we
shall float freely once more."

"Wonderful," exclaimed the professor. "I had better get my deep sea
net. The explosion may kill some curious fish when it goes off."

He hurried away to get the article in question, while the boys stood
beside Captain Hazzard, who was about to explode the heavy charges.
Everybody was ordered to hold tight to something, and then the
commander pushed the switch.