p, rose on his hind
legs, and stretched his neck to its utmost, but could not reach the
handles, though the boy stretched downward as far as possible to
accommodate him. The dirty-white monster whined and snickered with
intense feeling at thus finding itself so near, and yet so far, from the
attainment of its object.

Sympathising with its desires, Benjy changed his posture, and managed
just to touch the nose of his enemy. The bear shrank back with a sort
of gasp, appalled--at least shocked--by the result! After a little, not
feeling much the worse for it, the brute returned as if to invite
another electric shock--perhaps with some sinister design in view. But
another and a brighter idea had entered Benjy's brain. Instead of
giving the bear a shock, he tore off a small bit of seal-blubber from
the mass at his side, which he dropped into its mouth. It swallowed
that morsel with satisfaction, and waited for more. Benjy gave it more.
Still it wanted more.

"You shall have it, my boy," said Benjy, whose eyes assumed that
peculiar glare of glee which always presaged some desperate intention.

He opened another small box, and found what he wanted. It was a small
object scarcely a couple of inches in length. He fastened the wires of
the electric machine quickly to it, and then imbedded it in a small
piece of blubber which he lowered, as before, to the bear.

"You'll probably break the wires or smash the machine, but I'll risk
that," muttered Benjy through his set teeth. "I only hope you won't
chew it, because dynamite mayn't be palatable. There--down with it!"

The bear happily bolted the morsel. The wires seemed to perplex him a
little, but before he had time to examine the mystery, the boy gave the
instrument a furious turn.

Instantly there was a stupendous crash like a very thunderbolt. The
bear burst like an overcharged cannon! Benjy and the berg collided, and
at that moment everything seemed to the former to vanish away in smoke,
leaving not even a wrack behind!

CHAPTER THIRTY.

LEO IN DANGER NEXT! A NOVEL MODE OF RESCUE.

When the catastrophe described in the last chapter occurred, Captain
Vane and his friends, following hard on the heels of the runaway,
chanced to be within two miles of the berg in the bosom of which Benjy
had found refuge.

"There he is!" shouted the Captain joyfully, as the flash of the
explosion reached his eyes and the roar of the report his ears.
"Blessed evidence!