CHAPTER XIX
STOPPED ON THE ROAD
"Did Mr. Chase make any objection to giving you the cash?" asked Tom,as he shoved the controller over another notch, and caused the motor tomake a higher note in its song of speed.
"Oh, no, he was very nice about it," replied Mr. Damon. "He said hehoped our bank would pull through. Said if we needed more cash we couldhave it."
It was nearly one o'clock, and they had the worst part of the journeyyet to go. Thirty miles of stiff roads lay between them and Shopton,the last five and the first five being fairly good, with, here andthere, soft spots.
Up hill and down went the electric auto. At every opportunity Tom letout all the speed he could draw from the motor, but there were manytimes when he had to slow down. He had just made the ascent of a steephill, and was turning into a fairly good road, skirting the edge of asteep cliff, when there came a sharp report.
"Bless my soul! That's a fuse, I'm sure of it!" cried Mr. Damon.
"No," announced Tom, as he quickly shut off the power. "It's apuncture. One of the inner tubes of the tire has been pierced. I wasafraid of that tube."
"What have you got to do; put on a new tire?" asked Mr. Damon.
"No, I'm going to put on a new wheel. I carry two spare ones with tiresall ready inflated. It won't take long."
But the process of changing wheels consumed more time than Tomanticipated for the nut was stuck, and he and Mr. Damon had to exertall their strength before they could loosen it. When the new wheel wasin place ten minutes had been lost.
"Hold on now, I'm going to speed her!" cried Tom, when they were oncemore in their seats, and speed the machine he did. The road was rough,but despite this the lad turned on almost full power. Over the bumpsthey went, around curves and into rain-washed ruts careening from sideto side, and throwing Mr. Damon about, as he expressed it afterward,"like a bean inside of a football." As for the young inventor his graspof the steering wheel, and the manner in which he could brace himselfagainst the foot pedals, held him more firmly in place. On and on theyrushed, covering mile after mile, and approaching Shopton where so muchdepended on their arrival.
Good and bad stretches of the road alternated, but now that Tom hadseen of what mettle his car was made, he did not spare it as much as hehad on the first trip. He saw that his machine would stand hard knocks,and the way the battery and motor was behaving was a joy to him. Heknew that if he could make that eighty-mile run in safety he stood agood chance of winning the prize, for no harder test could have beendevised.
But the race was still far from won. There was a particularly unsafestretch of road yet to be covered, and then would come a smooth highwayinto Shopton.
"Ten miles more," observed Mr. Damon, snapping shut his big gold watch."Ten miles more, and it's a quarter of two now. We ought to be there ata quarter after, and that will be in good time, eh, Tom?"
"I think so, but I don't know about this piece of road we're coming to.It seems worse than when we passed over it this morning."
As he spoke the auto began to slow up, for the wheels had struck someheavy sand, and it was necessary to reduce the current. Tom turned backthe controller handle, but watched with eager eyes for a sign that theroadbed was harder, so that he could increase speed.
As the car turned around a curve, passing through a lonely stretch ofcountry, with woods on either side of the highway, Tom glancing up,uttered a cry of astonishment.
"What's the matter; something gone wrong?" asked his companion.
For answer Tom pointed. There, just ahead of them, was a big load ofhay, and it was evident that the driver, was in no particular hurry.
"We can't pass that without getting in over our hubs!" cried Tom. "Ifwe turn out the side ditches are so soft that we'll need help to pullout, and the road is so narrow for several miles that we'll have totrail along behind that fellow."
"Bless my check book!" cried Mr. Damon. "Are we going to lose, afterall, on account of a load of hay? No, I'll buy it from him first, atdouble the market price, tip it over, set fire to it, toss it in theditch, and then we can go past!"
"Maybe that will answer," retorted Tom, smiling grimly.
He put on a little more speed, and was soon close up behind the load ofhay, ringing his electric bell as a warning.
"I say!" called Mr. Damon to the unseen driver, "can't you turn out andlet us pass?"
"Ha! Hum! Wa'al I guess not!" came the answer, in unmistakable farmer'saccents. "You automobile fellers is too gol-hanged smart, racin' alongth' roads. I've got just as good a right here as you fellers have, byheck!" The driver did not show himself.
"We know that," responded Tom, as quickly as he could, for he did notwant to anger the man. "But our machine is so heavy that if we turninto the ditch I'm afraid we'll be mired."
"Huh! So'll I," was the retort from the unseen driver.. "Think I wantt' spile my load of hay?"
"But you have wide tires on, and you wouldn't sink in far," answeredthe young inventor. "Besides, it's very necessary that we get past. Agreat deal depends on our speed."
"So it does on mine," was the reply. "Ef I git t' market late I'll havet' stay all night, an' spend money on a hotel bill."
"I'll pay it! I'll pay your bill if you'll only pull out!" cried Mr.Damon. "I'll give you a hundred dollars!"
He suddenly ceased speaking. From the bushes along the road sprangseveral ragged, masked figures. Each one, aiming his weapon at Tom,said in a low voice, that could not have been heard by the driver ofthe hay wagon:
"Slow up your machine, young feller! We want to speak with you, anddon't you make a loud noise, or it won't be healthy for you!"
"Why of all the--!" began Mr. Damon, but another of the footpadsleveling his weapon at the eccentric man growled:
"Dry up, if you don't want to get shot!"
Mr. Damon subsided. Discretion was very plainly the better part ofvalor. Tom had shut off the current. The load of hay continued onahead. Tom thought perhaps the driver of it might have been incollusion with the thieves, to cause the auto to slow up.
"What do you want with us?" asked the young inventor, trying to speakcalmly, but finding it a hard task, with a revolver pointed at him.
"You know what we want," exclaimed the leader, in a low voice. "Wewant that cash you got from the bank, and we're going to have it! Come,now, shell out!" and he advanced toward the automobile.