"We'll soon see," answered the doctor.
"We are all ready, Captain," cried Wolston.
"Well," answered Hatteras. "Brunton!" he shouted to the engineer, "make ready! Forward a little!"
Brunton opened the valves, and the screw began to move; the Forward drew near the blown-up iceberg.
"Aim carefully at the passage!" cried the captain to the gunner.
He obeyed; when the brig was only half a cable-length distant, Hatteras gave the order,—
"Fire!"
A loud report followed, and the fragments of ice, detached by the commotion of the air, fell suddenly into the sea. The simple concussion had been enough.
"Put on full steam, Brunton!" shouted Hatteras. "Straight for the passage, Johnson!"