OFF AGAIN
"How's that post now?" called Paul, who with Innis had been tamping dirt
about a short beam stuck in the ground some distance back from the edge
of the water.
"That's got a better slant to it," answered Dick. "It would have pulled
out as it was."
"How are you going to fasten the tackle to the car?" asked Innis, as he
and his chum finished their part of the work.
"Take a hitch around the front axle. Here, give me a hand and we'll do
that now. Paul, you can go see about the horses. Tell the farmer we
won't need them long, and we'll pay him what he thinks they're worth."
"Aye--aye, sir," answered Paul, saluting in the most approved Kentfield
Military Academy style, as he started off down the road.
The three chums, with the aid of Mr. Kinsey, and such of the gathered
farm lads as volunteered, had been busy the last half-hour rigging up
the tackle to pull the big car from the creek. A stout post had been set
up to give a fixed purchase, for Dick found that the tackle and fall was
of a good type, with one fixed and one movable pulley--the former with
two, and the latter with three wheels. This gave great power, and it
would be needed, for the car was deep in the mud, and there was quite a
slope to negotiate to the road.
"If she hadn't settled so deep in the mud, I could get her out under her
own power," said Dick, as he and Innis fixed about the axle of the car a
loose rope, into which could be fastened the hook of the movable pulley.
The fixed pulley would be made fast to the post, the boys, after some
discussion, having decided that this was the best plan to follow.
The ropes were adjusted, the pulleys were looked after to make sure that
they would not foul, and then all that remained was to wait for the
horses to come.
Quite a crowd had gathered by this time, a number of boys and men, as
well as some women and girls, having been drawn from their houses by the
report of the stalled auto.
"What about those papers, Dick?" asked Innis, as they finished making
fast the auxiliary rope, and rowed to shore to await the return of Paul.
"They're in the auto."
"Do you think they're safe there?"
"Sure. Safer than if I had 'em in my pocket, where they'd fall out into
this muddy creek. Then they would be gone forever."
"Have you the doors locked?"
"Surest thing you know. See anything of Paul?"
"Yes, there he comes, with four horses instead of two, and I'm blessed
if he isn't riding one of the nags."
"Sure. What else did you expect? Paul is learning how to take life easy.
He'll live longer that way."
"But why four horses? I thought two would be enough?"
"So they might, but I guess Paul doesn't believe in taking chances. Four
will be sure to pull us out of the ruck, and two mightn't."
"To say nothing of the fact that the farmer saw a chance to hold you up
for a double price."
"Oh, that's all right," said the young millionaire. "I don't mind paying
for actual work, and it will be a blessing to get started again."
As usual, when a crowd gathers about anything that is going on, there
was plenty of advice offered. One man insisted that Dick had the pulleys
arranged wrong, and another held that the auto should have been pulled
out backwards instead of by the front.
"But I don't want to go backwards," said Dick. "I'm going on ahead. I
want to get on the other side of the bridge. I had trouble enough trying
to cross the stream. I might as well finish up, now that I'm at it."
"You'll only get stuck deeper in the mud!" declared this pessimist.
"I guess the horses can get us out," said Dick. "I'll take a chance,
anyhow."
The tackle was in shape, and all that remained was to hitch the four
steeds to the free end of the rope, and start them. Dick rowed out to
his car, and sat at the steering wheel. Two men had been hired to lay
planks under the wheels to prevent them from sinking in the soft shore
of the stream as soon as they should emerge from the water. Paul and
Innis were to have general charge of matters on shore, one to see that
the horses pulled when urged ahead, and the other to call a halt in case
anything showed signs of going wrong.
"All ready?" asked Innis from his position near the heads of the horses,
which the owner was to drive.
"All right here," answered Paul, who was on the shore.
"Let her go!" cried Dick, taking a firmer grip of the steering wheel.
There was a creaking of the ropes and pulleys. The cables tautened; the
blocks were lifted up from the ground by the strain. The rope around the
axle of the car straightened out. There was a snapping, tugging sound,
and then the car began to move slowly.
"She's coming!" cried Paul.
"Keep moving!" urged Dick.
He turned the steering gear about to free the front wheels from the
clinging mass of mud. The car moved faster. Then, as the horses settled
to their collars, the big touring machine was slowly pulled from the
water.
Then the front wheels struck the planks laid down to receive them,
splitting one of the boards. Up the slope went the _Last Word_ amid the
cheers of the assembled farmers. Up the slope and out on the road, where
Dick called for a halt, and jammed on the brakes.
"Whew! I'm glad that's over!" exclaimed Paul.
"The same here!" added Innis. "Is she all right, Dick?"
"I don't know. I'm just going to have a look," and the young man bounded
out of his car, and cast a hasty glance over the running gear. That
seemed to be intact, save for the broken brake. The engine was next
looked to, Dick starting it, with the gears unmeshed. It ran as soon as
the electrical switch was turned, and the hum and throb told that it was
in perfect condition.
"So far--so good!" exclaimed Dick. "Now, after we have that defective
brake looked to, I guess we can get under way again."
"There's a garage about a mile further along," said Mr. Kennedy, who had
supplied the horses. "I guess they can fix you up."
"I'll try for it," said Dick. Then he paid the men who had helped him,
not forgetting the bridge tender who had gotten the boat for them,
without which Dick and his chums would have had wet feet.
"Where are you bound for?" asked a man in the crowd. He seemed to be a
stranger, since none of the others talked to him. He addressed Dick.
"Oh, we're just on a tour," replied our hero, with a sharp glance at the
chap.
"Looks as though you could go all the way to 'Frisco in that car," the
man went on, as he stepped to the door and peered into the interior of
the _Last Word_.
"We could--if we wanted to," said Dick, coolly. "Please don't touch
anything," he added sharply, as he saw the man fingering various levers
and switches.
"Huh! I didn't mean anything," was the surly response.
"Perhaps not, but you don't know when you might do some damage," went on
Dick, "and the car's been through enough for one day. Come along, boys,"
he added to his chums. "We'll get a move on."
With thanks to those who had helped them out of their predicament, the
boys drove off toward the garage where Dick intended to have the broken
brake repaired.