"This is the worst ever!" murmured Tom. "They are in no fit condition to run the cars. I wouldn"t trust my neck with either of them."
"And I am not going to trust the lives of the girls in their care,"
answered d.i.c.k, firmly.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don"t know yet. But one thing is settled--they shan"t take us back."
"I think I could run one car--if we didn"t go too fast," suggested Tom, who had run several machines at various times in his lively career.
"I could run the other."
"Then let us do it, d.i.c.k. Those fellows don"t own the cars, and we didn"t hire from them, we hired from the owner of the garage. I guess we have a right to run them under the circ.u.mstances."
The two boys walked back to the automobiles. All of the others were now anxious to know what was wrong and they had to give the particulars.
"Oh, d.i.c.k, you must not let them run the cars!" cried Grace, turning pale.
"I"d rather have you and Tom run them ten times over," declared Dora.
While the party was talking the two chauffeurs came from the hotel and walked unsteadily towards the automobiles. Their faces were red and their eyes blinked unsteadily.
"Stop!" called d.i.c.k, when they were some distance away, and the gardener and some guests of the hotel gathered around to see what was the matter.
"What yer want?" growled h.e.l.lig, thickly.
"We are going to leave you both here and run the cars ourselves,"
answered d.i.c.k, coldly. "You are not fit to run them."
"What"s the reason we ain"t?" mumbled Snall. He could hardly speak.
"You"ve been drinking too much--that"s the reason."
"Humph!"
"We are going to run them machines an" don"t you forgit it," mumbled h.e.l.lig, and lurched forward.
"Don"t you ride with those intoxicated fellows," said one of the hotel guests.
"We don"t intend to," answered d.i.c.k. "All ready, Tom?" he called out.
"Yes."
"Then go ahead. I"ll catch up to you."
"Hi, you stop!" screamed Snall, as one of the automobiles began to move off down the road. But Tom paid no attention to him.
Running swiftly, d.i.c.k reached the other car and hopped up to the chauffeur"s seat. He had watched the driver operate the car and knew exactly what to do. He soon had the engine running and then he threw in the speed clutch just as h.e.l.lig lurched up.
"You mustn"t run away with that machine!" he roared.
"Keep away!" cried Sam, and leaning out of the car he gave the chauffeur a shove that sent him flat on his back in the dust of the road. Then the car moved off. As those in the automobile looked back they saw h.e.l.lig arise and shake his fist after them, and Snall waved his arms wildly.
"We"ll hear from them again, I suppose," said Sam.
"And they"ll hear from me," answered d.i.c.k, "and the fellow who sent them out to run the cars for us will hear from me, too," he added.
Tom was quite a distance ahead, but they soon caught up to his car. By this time they were out of sight and hearing of the hotel, and going down the other side of the hill they had come up.
"If you wish, you can take the lead," said the fun-loving Rover to his older brother. "I don"t know a thing about these roads."
"We"ll have to trust to luck and the signboards," returned d.i.c.k.
"It will be all right if only you don"t get on some road that is impa.s.sible," put in Fred.
"And get stuck thirty miles from nowhere," added Songbird.
"You stick to dem roads vot haf stones on dem got," said Hans wisely.
"Ton"t you vos drust der car to der tirt roads, no!"
"I shall follow Hans" advice and stick to the good roads," said d.i.c.k.
"I think the signboards will help us to get back to Philadelphia sooner or later."
They sped down the hill and there found the road turned to the left and crossed a small stream. Then they reached a corner with several signboards.
"Hurrah! that"s the way to Philly!" cried Sam.
"But it doesn"t say how many miles," protested Grace.
"Never mind, we are bound to get there before dark, and that is all we care," came from Nellie.
In the exhilaration of running the cars, d.i.c.k and Tom soon forgot about the trouble with the chauffeurs. It was great sport, and as soon as d.i.c.k "got the hang of it," as he said, he let the speed out, notch by notch. His car ran a trifle more easily than did the other and before long he was a good half mile ahead of that run by Tom. Those in the rear shouted for him to slow down, but the wind prevented him from hearing their calls.
"This is something like, isn"t it?" said d.i.c.k to Dora, who was beside him.
"Oh, it is splendid!" she replied enthusiastically. "I feel as if I could go on riding forever!"
"An auto certainly beats a team all to bits, if the road is good."
They pa.s.sed up another hill, and then through a patch of woods. Then they made a sharp turn, and the car began to descend over a road that was filled with loose stones.
"Say, d.i.c.k, you"d better slow up," cautioned Sam, as the machine gave a quick lurch over a stone. "This road isn"t as smooth as it was."
"I know it."
"I saw a road to our right," said Grace. "Perhaps we should have taken that."
There was no time to say more, for the automobile was jouncing over the stones in too lively a manner. Alarmed, d.i.c.k, who had already shut off the power, applied the brake, but he was not used to this and he jammed it fast so it did not altogether prevent the car from advancing.