THE WORLD OF ICE. 295

with him. Ben Bolt fell in love with her at once,
and told her so off-hand, to the unutterable rage of
Blunderbore, who recovered from his wounds at that
moment, and seizing the sailor by the throat, vowed
he would kill and quarter, and stew and boil, and
roast and eat him in one minute if he didn’t take
care what he was about.

The audience felt some fears for Ben Bolt at this
point, but their delight knew no bounds when, shak-
ing the giant off and springing backwards, he buttoned
up his coat and roared, rather than said, that though
he were all the Blunderbores and blunderbusses in the
world rolled together and changed into one immortal
blunder-cawnon, he didn’t care a pinch of bad snuff
for him, and would knock all the teeth in his head
down his throat. This valorous threat he followed up
by shaking his fist close under the giant’s nose and
crying out, “Come on!”

But the giant did not come on. He fortunately
recollected that he owed his life to the brave sailor ;
so he smiled, and saying he would be his friend
through life, insisted on seizing him by the hand and
shaking it violently. Thereafter he took Ben Bolt
and Whackinta by their right hands, and leading them
forward to the foot-lights, made them a long speech
to the effect that he owed a debt of gratitude to the
former for saving his life which he could never repay,
and that he loved the latter too sincerely to stand in
the way of her happiness. Then he joined their right
hands, and they went down on one knee, and he

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