Part 6 (2/2)

d.i.c.k also set the hand brake a notch tighter, but this did little good, since it was the bands that were worn.

On and on bounded the touring car, down the long hill. On both sides the road was bound by rocks and trees, with nasty gullies in several spots.

Here and there were ”resting spots” for teams, and over these indentations flew the automobile with jolts that threatened to break all the springs at once.

”The turn! Beware of the turn!” cried Sam and d.i.c.k together, when about three-quarters of the hill had been pa.s.sed.

Tom nodded but said not a word. He had thrown the motive power to the low gear, and thus the engine was doing something towards holding the car back.

Suddenly d.i.c.k uttered a cry, and the next minute Sam saw him dive down to the bottom of the tonneau and bring up several long ropes to which were attached a number of hooks. He had placed these in the automobile for possible use in getting the _Dartaway_ out of the woods or from among the rocks.

With care d.i.c.k took the hooks and threw them out of the machine. At the same time he leaned over and allowed the ends of the ropes to catch on the swiftly-revolving wheels of the machine.

”Maybe they'll hold something--anyway I hope so,” he said.

They had now reached the turn. Tom was running as closely as possible to the inner side and d.i.c.k had commenced to toot the horn again. With a slipping and sliding, the touring car went over the dirt and stones, rus.h.i.+ng nearer and nearer to the gully on the outer edge of the highway.

”Look! Look!” screamed Sam, a second later. ”A carriage, and three ladies in it!”

He was right, and the carriage was less than a hundred yards ahead. But just now Tom could think of nothing but the turn, for the machine was running closer than ever to the gully. If they went down in that the touring car would most likely turn turtle, and they might all be killed.

But they did not go down into the gully. By sheer good luck Tom managed to throw the automobile back into the roadway, two wheels for a second spinning in midair. Then he had to reckon with the other danger--that of hitting the carriage with the three ladies.

The ladies had heard the tooting of the auto horn and had tried to draw up to the side of the road. But the incline was still steep and the two horses evidently did not like the looks of that gully.

”You can't pa.s.s them!” groaned Sam, and just then came a grinding from underneath the touring car. This was followed by a series of jerks, and then came one final jerk that brought the automobile to a standstill and all but sent the Rover boys flying over the engine hood.

”Well, we've stopped!” panted Tom, when he could catch his breath. ”I guess the brake held somehow.”

”No, it didn't,” answered Sam. ”It's another brake, one that d.i.c.k heaved overboard.” And he pointed to the ropes and hooks. One hook, the biggest, had caught in a rock lining the gully, and the ropes were in a mess around the wheels and the rear axle.

”Good for you!” murmured Tom. ”It saved us from running into that carriage.”

”Are you men going on?” cried one of the ladies, noticing that the automobile had come to a stop.

”Not just yet!” sang out d.i.c.k. ”You can go ahead if you wish. We'll wait until you get down to the bottom of the hill--and maybe we'll wait longer,” he added in an undertone.

”You scared us nearly to death,” said another of the ladies, tartly; and then the carriage went on and was soon lost to sight on a side road.

The three youths alighted, and after blocking the wheels with stones, so that it might not get away unexpectedly, commenced an inspection of the car.

”The ropes wouldn't do much damage but the hooks might,” said d.i.c.k. ”But I couldn't think of anything else to do.”

”It was grand of you to do that,” answered Tom, warmly. ”I was a fool to let her out as I did,” he added bluntly. ”I'll know better next time.”

That was Tom, often headstrong but quick to acknowledge a fault.

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