ckward and again dashed against the
stone. The shock was a hard one and toppled over all who were not
clinging to something.

"They are ramming us bow on against the rocks," cried Andy. "It will
break us apart if they hit us many more times!"

Washington hurried forward. He came back with his eyes showing terror.

"There's a lot of rocks right ahead ob us!" he exclaimed. "I see 'em
through th' little window jest above th' screw. There's land under this
here water!"

"Land under this ice do you mean?" asked the professor.

"That's what I mean, an' we's bein' rammed agin th' rocks!"

"There it goes again!" cried Jack, as the ship shivered from stem to
stern against the impact of the blow.

"This can not last long," said Mr. Henderson. "If they strike us many
more times some of the places will start, the water will come in, and we
will drown!"

"But what can we do?" asked Jack.

"Let's go out now and see if we can't kill some of the beasts with the
guns," suggested Andy.

"I cannot permit it," answered the inventor. "Our position is bad enough
as it is, but to go out would be to lose our lives for a certainty. The
suckers would swallow us up in a moment. I must find some other way."

There was a period of silence, while all waited anxiously for what was
to happen next. It was not long in coming. The next impact of the ship
against the rocks was the hardest yet, and it seemed that more of the
suckers must have gripped the craft.

"She's leakin' a little!" exclaimed Washington coming back from an
inspection forward. "De water am tricklin' in!"

"We must fight them!" exclaimed Andy. He ran to get a gun and his diving
suit.

"Don't try to go out!" warned the professor. "You will surely be
killed."

"I'd rather be killed out there than die shut up in the ship!" cried the
old hunter. "I'm going out!"

"Wait!" exclaimed Jack suddenly. "I have a plan that may save us!"

"What is it? Speak quickly!" said Mr. Henderson. "We are in desperate
straits!"

As he spoke there came another crash against the rocks.

"We must electrocute the suckers!" cried the boy.

"Electrocute them? What do you mean?"

"Take the wires from the electric light circuit, attach one to each end
of the ship, and start the dynamo at full speed!" answered Jack.

"What good will that do?"

"The ship is steel," went on the boy. "It will become charged with a
powerful current. We can insulate ourselves by putting on rubber boots,
but th