SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS
The Rover boys were three in number, Dick being the oldest, Tom
coming next, and Sam the youngest. In their younger days they had
resided with their parents in New York, but after the death of
their mother and the disappearance of their father they had gone to
live with their uncle, Randolph Rover, and their Aunt Martha, on a
farm called Valley Brook, near the village of Dexter Corners, on
the Swift River.
Those who have read the previous volumes of this series, entitled
respectively, "The Rover Boys at School." "The Rover Boys on the
Ocean," and "The Rover Boys in the jungle," know that our three
heroes had already passed through many trying experiences and
thrilling adventures. From home they had been sent to Putnam Hall,
a military academy of high standing, and here they had made many
friends, including those already mentioned, and several enemies,
among the latter being one Dan Baxter, who was known as the school
bully, and John Fenwick, better known as Mumps, the bully's toady.
They had also made a bitter enemy of Josiah Crabtree, the
headmaster of the Hall.
But since those first days at the school many things had happened
and many changes had occurred. It was discovered that Dan Baxter
was the son of one Arnold Baxter, a rascal who had, years before,
tried to swindle the Rover boys' father out of some valuable mining
property in the West, and that the son was little better than his
parent. Dan had left the school in a hurry, and soon after this
his father had been arrested in Albany for a daring office robbery,
and was now in jail in consequence.
The disappearance of Dan, and Josiah Crabtree's yearning for
wealth, had led to further complications. Near Putnam Hall resides
the widow Stanhope and her pretty daughter Dora, and Crabtree, who
exerted a sort of hypnotic power over the widow, tried to get the
lady to marry him, so that he might obtain the fortune she held in
trust for her daughter. But how the Rover boys fooled the grasping
teacher, and how Dora was saved from the plot Crabtree and Dan
Baxter hatched up against her, has already been told in "The Rover
Boys on the Ocean."
Anderson Rover had gone to Africa to locate certain mines in that
country, and when many years passed and no word came from him the
three boys grew worried and wanted to go in search of him. At last
came a strange letter written by a sea captain, containing some
important information, and acting on this the Rover boys,
accompanied by their Uncle Randolph, set out for the heart of the
Dark Continent to find the long-lost. On the way they fell in with
one Alexander Pop, who had formerly been a waiter at Putnam Hall,
who proved a valuable friend when it came to dealing with men of
his own ebony hue. In this hunt they likewise ran across Josiah
Crabtree, who was out with an exploring party from Yale, and with
Dan Baxter, and both of these rascals tried to do them much harm.
But the schemes of the rascals fell through, and Crabtree only
escaped after a severe whipping at the hands of Dick Rover, while
Dan Baxter fared little better. Soon after this Mr. Rover was
found, as a prisoner of a savage African tribe, and rescued, and
then the entire party returned to the United States. Alexander Pop
remained in the employ of the two elder Rovers, and the three boys
returned to finish the term at Putnam Hall.
These are a few of the things that had happened. But there were
countless others, which space will not permit being mentioned here.
There had been many contests, in baseball, football, and other
sports, and jokes that seemed to have no end, and there had also
been a disastrous fire, which none of the Putnam Hall cadets were
likely ever to forget--a fire as thrilling as the scene now being
enacted on the road. But I am afraid I have already left the boys
in the runaway stage too long, so we will return to them without
further delay.
"The bridge is down!" The cry rang through the stage, bringing
every cadet to his feet on the instant.
"Don't jump!" cried Dick, as he saw several preparing to leap.
"You will break your necks!" For now the bushes were left behind,
and on either side of the road were jagged rocks, covered here and
there with withered vines.
As Dick spoke he pushed his way to the front of the stage and
crawled out on the driver's seat.
"The back--drop off at the back!" came from Frank Harrington, and
he showed how it could be done. But the road was now rougher than
ever, and he landed on his knees and his face, giving himself an
ugly cut on the chin.
Dick was trying to reach the reins when Tom came down beside him.
"Can you make it?" asked Tom.
"I can try," was the desperate answer. "If only we could block
those wheels!"
"Block the wheels!" came from half a dozen, and one boy, who
happened to have a stout cane with him, thrust it out between
several of the spokes of the wheel on the left, in the rear. For
an instant the stick held, then it snapped, and the wheel went
around as before.
The bridge was now less than two hundred feet away, and whatever
was to be accomplished must be done quickly. At last Dick had the
reins, and he began to pull upon them with all of his strength, at
the same time calling upon Tom to hold him to the seat.
"To the right--turn 'em to the right!" sang out Sam, as he saw a
narrow opening between the rocks.
"Yes, the right!" added Fred Garrison. "It is our only hope!"
Dick did as requested, and at the last instant the heavy stage
swung around. There was a grinding and a splitting of wood as the
front wheels met the rocks and went to pieces, and then Dick came
down on the horses, with Tom on top of him--and the elder Rover
knew no more.
"Dick's hurt!" gasped Sam, as he scrambled out of the side window
of the turnout. "Don't let the horses kick him."
For the runaway team were struggling wildly, amid the rocks and the
wreck of the harness. But Tom was already up, and he and Larry
Colby dragged Dick to a place of safety. In the meantime some of
the other cadets who were used to managing horseflesh took care of
the team and led them away and tied them fast to a tree.
"Dick, Dick! are you badly hurt?" The question came from Tom, as he
gazed anxiously into his brother's face. There was a nasty cut on
the left check from which the blood was flowing.
Dick did not answer, and Tom asked somebody to run down to the
stream for some water. When this was brought he and Sam bathed
Dick's face, and presently the latter opened his eyes and stared
around him in bewilderment.
"A touchdown--I claim--" he began, and then stopped. "Wha--what
has happened?" he stammered. "Oh, I remember now!" And he feel back
again.
"He thinks he's still in the football game," whispered Harry
Blossom. "Oh, but he's a plucky one."
All of the other lads had been severely shaken up, but nobody had
been hurt excepting Frank, as before mentioned. Soon he came
limping up, followed by Peleg Snuggers.
"I missed it by jumping," he observed ruefully. "Hullo, is Dick
knocked out?"
"So ye stopped 'em, eh?" cried the general utility man. "It was
prime plucky to do it, so it was! Poor Dick, hope he ain't bad."
By this time Dick was opening his eyes once more, and this time he
kept them open.
"I--I--that was a nasty tumble, wasn't it?" he muttered. "I'm glad
I didn't go under the horses' feet."
"How do you feel?"
"I guess I had the wind knocked out of me, that's all." He tried to
get up, but his legs refused to support him. "I'll have to keep
quiet awhile."
"Yes, don't you move," said Sam. "We can't get across the stream
anyway, now the bridge is down. We'll have to go around to the
other bridge."
"It's queer the workmen didn't put up some sort of a sign as a
warning," said Fred Garrison. "I believe they can be held liable
for this disaster."
"To be sure they can be held liable," burst out Peleg Snuggers.
"But a sign wouldn't have kept the brake from breaking," said Tom.
"True, lad, but ye must remember that it was their duty to put the
sign up at the beginning of this road, which is on the top of the
hill. If the sign had been there we would never have started to
come down this way."
"Perhaps we missed the sign," put in another cadet.
"Of dot is so, ve besser run pack und stop udder carriages from
comin' dis vay," broke in Hans Mueller quickly. "Listen to dot!"
They all listened, and heard merry cries of laughter and carriage
wheels rapidly approaching.
"A carriage--with ladies!" gasped Sam. "Come on and stop them!"
And away he, dusted up the hill, as well as his short legs would
carry him. Hans, Larry, and several others followed. They had
barely gained the top of the hill when a large carryall belonging
to John Laning appeared. In the carryall were the farmer and his
two charming daughters, and, Mrs. Stanhope, who was his
sister-in-law, and her daughter Dora. Mrs. Laning was also
present, along with several neighbors.
"Hi, whoa! stop!" yelled Sam. "Stop!"
"Hurrah for Putnam Hall!" cried Grace Laning, waving a tiny flag
toward Sam, which made the younger Rover blush.
"Glad to be able to congratulate you, Sam!" said Dora Stanhope.
"Where are the other members of the football team?"
"Just ahead--down by the gully. You mustn't drive down here, for
the bridge is down."
"Bridge down!" ejaculated John Laning. "Darwell said he was going
to mend it this week, but I saw no sign up at the cross-roads."
"Neither did we, and we came near to going overboard. As it is, we
had a pretty bad smash up!"
"Indeed!" came from Mrs. Stanhope, in alarm. "And was anybody
hurt?"
"Dick was thrown out and knocked unconscious, and Frank Harrington
had his chin cut, while the rest of us were pretty well shaken up.
Peleg the driver was thrown into some brushwood and that most
likely saved his life."
Mrs. Stanhope grew pale, for she remembered only too well that
fateful ride she had once taken with Josiah Crabtree, which had
almost cost both of them their lives.
"I will go to the poor boy!" she said, and leaped to the ground,
followed by Dora and the two Laning girls. Soon the carryall was
led to the side of the road, and the others alighted, to see what
damage had been done.