Part 17 (1/2)
”Going to put on the chains?” called out Mr Basswood, to make himself heard above the noise of the elements
”I think we had better,” returned Dave's uncle ”I iine we've quite a hill to descend a little farther on”
There were raincoats in each touring-car, and these were now donned by Dave and his uncle, and by Ben and his father Then the chains for the back wheels for both autoe of the trees the rain was coh of course not nearly as hard as on the roadway beyond The chains were straightened out on the grass, and each autoht be fastened on The task took but a few ot back into the machines
”I'll lead the way,” called out Mr Porter ”You had better not follow me too closely”
”Very well, I'll watch out,” answered Mr Basswood
”Uncle Dunston, don't you want to let me drive?” queried Dave ”I've had a little more experience at it than you have had”
”I can do it, Dave,” was the reply ”But, at the same time, if you think it would be safer, take the wheel I must own up that I'd rather be on a horse or behind one than steering a car like this in such a storm”
Dave squeezed himself into the driver's seat, and a ain over the plateau of the hill, and then down the other side
The as blowing as furiously as ever, and now from a distance came the low rumble of thunder
”O dear! What is that?” cried Laura
”I guess it was thunder, but I don't think it will aer
The bottoained, they traversed a narrow valley for a distance of seven or eight hhich at certain points was filled with loose stones and dirt
”Be careful, Dave We don't want to do any skidding,” cautioned the youth's uncle
”I'ri his best to see through the windshi+eld ”I guess I'll have to open it a little,” he went on, nodding in the direction of the glass
”I'll do it for you,” answered Dunston Porter, and threw out the upper side of the shi+eld
By this et a clear vision of the roadway directly in front of theof the windshi+eld let in considerable of the driving rain
”Oh, Dave, you'll get wet from the knees down!” cried Jessie, solicitously
”Can't help it,” he replied ”I can't see with the windshi+eld closed”
The rus of thunder had increased, and now fro The sky was much darker, and in order to see better, Dave turned on the electric lights Looking back, those in the tonneau of the forward car saw that the Basswood hted By the tiained, a distance of fully a mile, the thunderstorh the woods, sending leaves and s in all directions Fro, followed by sharp claps of thunder, which rolled and rumbled across the hills and mountains
”O dear, if we only had some place to stop!” cried Jessie, tiht,” replied Dunston Porter, who had been looking on all sides for some time ”If there was I'd have Dave head for it pretty quick”
”According to the ht to be within a few er ”How about it, Dave?”
”Just what I was thinking,” answered our hero ”I ondering if it wasn't on the other side of the next rise”
They were running along another small valley, at the end of which was a sharp turn to the left and a rise of several hundred feet Here the downfall of rain had flooded the road for a considerable distance
Co to this place Dave had to slon, but he still kept on soet stuck