CHAPTER XVI
BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH
Tap, tap, tap, tap--tap, tap--tap, tap, tap--sounded in Ben's earsbefore he was fully awake and conscious. He sat up in bed and listened,and asked himself what that sound was. Was it rain? At the thought hisheart grew heavy with apprehension. Rain on _this_ day, when he and Bertand Tom were going to auto ten miles over to the Red River for a day oftrout fishing. The other fellows, who did not care so much for fishing,were going on a tramp with Mr. Hollis, and he and his chums were to havethe auto all to themselves the whole day.
Slipping noiselessly from his cot, he lifted the tent flap and steppedoutside. The first rays of morning sunshine beamed full in his face, andthe insistent noise that had aroused him proved to be the tap-tapping ofan energetic woodpecker out for the proverbial "early worm."
Delighted at the prospect of such a glorious day, he rushed back intothe tent with a hop, skip and a jump, at sight of which Don, alwaysready for a frolic, began frisking about and barking joyfully.
Of course, there was no sleep after that for the other fellows, and,bath and dressing and breakfast dispatched as soon as possible, thethree boys, seated in their beloved auto, and bidding a noisy good by tothe rest of the camp, sped away on their quest for trout enough for arousing fish dinner that evening.
You would have had to go a long way to find a merrier or more care-freeset of boys than our three adventurers. Used as they were, by this time,to the automobile, it never became an old story to them, and now, as theswift motion of the car sent the cool air rushing against their youngfaces, with the sunshine turning everything to gold, and with theprospect of a day of rare sport before them, they gave full vent totheir overflowing spirits. They shouted and laughed, and chaffed eachother until many a staid farmer or farm hand, starting early work in thefields, or doing chores about the barns, found themselves smiling insympathy. They recalled the time when they were boys, and the wholeworld just a place to be happy and jolly in.
The boys had enjoyed the ride so much, that all three were almost sorrywhen Tom pointed out the gleam of water through the trees, and they knewthat Red River was at hand; but in a moment nothing was thought of butthe fun of getting ready for their day's sport.
Tumbling out of the "Red Scout," laden with fishing baskets and tackleand rods, they raced down to the river bank, selected each a shady,grassy, comfortable spot, and, line and reel and hook adjusted, wereobliged at last to curb their wild spirits, still their noisy chatter,and settle down to fisherman's quiet, although irrepressible Tom, unableto subside at once, sang softly:
"Hush, hush, not a breath, not a breath, I've a nibble, still as death, still as death."
The others could not resist joining in the chorus of the old song, andregardless of consequences sang lustily:
"Oh, the joys of angling! Oh, the joys of angling! Oh, the joys, oh, the joys, The joys, the joys of angling."
Then a Sabbath stillness descended on the party, until Ben shouted,"first bite," and giving his line a sudden jerk and swing, landed abeautiful speckled trout upon the grass a few feet away.
For a few moments excitement reigned, and cries of "Hurrah for Ben,""good for us," "isn't he a beauty?" "let's keep it up," were heard,until Bert's "We certainly won't keep it up unless we keep quiet," sentthem back to their places and again quiet reigned.
Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes went by, and there were no more nibbles.The boys were beginning to get restless, when Bert landed the secondfish, and, a couple of minutes after re-baiting his hook, added a thirdbeauty to their collection.
Tom, seeing the success of his comrades, began to feel as though hewere being left on the outside of things, but Bert encouraged him byreminding him, "First the worst, second the same, last the best of allthe game," and sure enough, after nearly half an hour of most tryingwaiting, he suddenly felt his line twitch, and had the joy of landingthe largest and finest fish yet caught.
When the excitement had a little subsided, Ben said, "I think we oughtto celebrate that dandy catch, and the very finest way would be to havea feast."
As, what with the stirring ride and the excitement of the sport, eachfellow felt, with Bert, that he was hungry enough to "eat nails," thehamper was brought from the "Red Scout" and unpacked with scantceremony.
Every boy who has spent a day in the open will know exactly how _good_those cold chicken and ham sandwiches tasted; and the way the doughnutsvanished was something to see. Washed down with a drink of cool waterfrom a nearby spring, it was a luncheon to be remembered.
Again settling themselves in their chosen places, they continued to try"the heedless finny tribe to catch"; for four trout, even though theywere fine, large ones, would, Tom said, regardless of the aptness of hissimile, be no more than "a drop in the bucket for all those hungryfellows"; but their luck seemed to have changed.
For more than two hours not a nibble disturbed the quiet of thoseexasperating lines, and, as the ground, although covered with springygrass, is not the softest seat in the world, the boys' patience wastested to the utmost. They lay outstretched, resting on both elbows, andTom, tempted by the heat and the absolute quiet, was just falling into adoze, when he was aroused to immediate action by the violent twitchingof his line. A moment more, and another speckled victim was added totheir store.
For the next hour and a half the fish bit almost as fast as they couldbait their hooks, and they were kept busy hauling in one after another,until, in the joy and excitement of the sport, they lost all count oftime. Fortunately for the camp, Bert suddenly made the double discoverythat they had more than enough fish, and that if there was to be a fishdinner at camp that night, they would have to stop at once.
"We'll have to make a quick sneak," said Ben, who, in moments ofexcitement, sometimes forgot his most polished English.
Hastily packing their catch in the fishing baskets they had brought,they tossed them and the tackle into the auto, scrambled in themselves,and were off and away.
"The 'Red Scout' goes fine," said Tom, as the great car gatheredheadway. From the beginning, the auto race, which even the wonderfulday's sport could not completely banish from their minds, had been thealmost exclusive topic of conversation among the campers, and now thatthe day was rapidly drawing near, they could think of little else. "Isshe in first-class condition, Bert?" asked Ben.
"Yes," Bert replied, "except that I noticed on the way out this morningthat the brake did not work as well as usual. As soon as we reach home Iwill find and remedy the trouble, whatever it is. If worst comes toworst I can send to the factory for a new part, which would reach usinside of twenty-four hours."
By this time about half the ten mile stretch had been covered, and nowthey had begun to descend a very steep hill. Suddenly Bert's face wentwhite. Tom, chancing to look at him, exclaimed, "What's the matter,Bert?" and Bert replied, "The brake won't work, fellows. Something'sstuck. I can't control the car."
Then for a moment all yielded to a panic of fear. "Oh, Bert," said Ben,"you _must_ stop her." "There must be _something_ you can do," beggedTom.
Looking into the frightened faces of his two companions, Bert recoveredhis self-control, and resolved to do his best to avert an accident."Don't be frightened, fellows," he said. "The steering gear is allright. Just sit tight and keep a stiff upper lip, and we'll comethrough."
"But, Bert, the bridge!" gasped Tom, and at the same moment a vision ofthe narrow bridge, scarcely wide enough for two autos to pass, whichcrossed the river at the foot of the steep hill, and just where thestream was deepest, flashed before their eyes. All realized that shouldthe automobile fail to pass over the center of the bridge, and shouldstrike the frail railing on either side--Well, they didn't dare to thinkof that.
Calling up all their courage, the brave boys resolved to face, withoutflinching, whatever awaited them. Once past the bridge and onto thebroad roadway beyond, they knew that they would be safe. On levelground, with the power shut off, they would come to a standstill.
&
nbsp; But "would they ever reach that level roadway?" each boy asked himself,with sinking heart.
Bert renewed his efforts to use the worthless brake, but without avail.Down, down, they flew, gaining speed with every passing moment, and nowthe bridge was in sight. Another moment, and they would be upon it.
"Courage, fellows," said Bert, in low, tense tones, and bracing himself,he concentrated all his mind and energy in guiding the car to the centerof the bridge.
When a few hundred feet away the forward wheel struck a large stone, andthe machine, which had been headed directly for the bridge, swerved toone side, and now sped onward toward the river.
With lightning-like rapidity Bert wrenched the steering wheel around,and once more, with only a few feet of space to spare, the "RedScout"--good old "Red Scout," was headed _almost_ for the middle of thebridge--not quite--the space had been too small. To the boys, lookingahead with straining, despairing eyes, it seemed that they _must_ crashinto the railing, and that nothing could save them.
Instinctively they closed their eyes, as the car dashed upon the bridge,expecting each minute to hear the crash of breaking timbers, and tofeel themselves falling into the engulfing waters of the rushing river.
But the expected did not happen. Like a bird the "Red Scout" skimmedover the bridge, missing the railing by a hair's breadth, and was outupon the broad roadway. Almost before the boys could realize theirescape from the awful danger that had threatened them, it was over, andthe "Red Scout" gradually losing its speed, at last stood still.
Breathless, speechless, dazed, almost overcome, the boys sat looking ateach other for a few moments, until, the full realization of theirwonderful escape coming upon them, they grasped each other's handsconvulsively. Each knew that in the other's heart, none the less earnestfor being unexpressed, was a fervent prayer of thankfulness for theirdeliverance; but as speech returned to them, the first words uttered byTom, were, "What do you think of that for classy driving, fellows?" atwhich they all laughed nervously.
Their laugh did not last long, however, for in the midst of it, out fromamong the trees and shrubbery that skirted the roadway emerged two ruralconstables. As if one overwhelming experience were not enough, theconstables informed them that they were arrested for exceeding the speedlimit.
Bert was the first to recover from the shock, and giving his companionsa comical, but reassuring look, he stepped forward and said, "We havebeen speeding some, officers, but we simply couldn't help it," and heproceeded to explain. But the boys' faces expressed their consternationwhen they found that their explanation was not credited.
"We only have your word for that," said one of the men, "and you willhave to convince the judge that you are telling the truth."
"Why, you certainly won't arrest us for an accident to our brake, forwhich we are not at all to blame!" cried Tom, indignantly.
"Well," said one constable, giving his fellow a knowing wink, "perhapsif you have a 'tenner' that you have no use for, we might forget allabout it."
Bert, flushed and indignant, refused, and without further protest, thethree boys, followed by the two constables, took their places in thecar. As they were only a short distance from town, they soon arrived atthe court house, and were left in an ante room to await their turn for ahearing.
Once alone, the three comrades stood for the second time within an hour,looking into each other's faces. As Tom afterwards said, "too full forutterance."
Suddenly Ben began strutting around the room in a most pompous manner,remarking, "I guess you don't know who we are. You know," said he, "thatone is not a howling swell until he has been pinched for speeding, sobehold us three aristocrats!" with another strut across the room.
The boys could not help laughing, but Bert said, "Well, if this is beingan aristocrat, I'd rather be excused. It won't be quite such a laughingmatter if we find ourselves fined fifty or a hundred dollars."
"But," began Tom, and said no more, for at that moment they were calledbefore the judge.
They were obliged to stand by and hear the constable's charge againstthem, given in detail. Then the judge turned to them----
"What are your names?" was the first question.
Bert replied for the three. Upon hearing the names the magistratestarted, and looked keenly at them, but said nothing further than to askwhat they had to say to the charge brought against them. Bert gave aclear and connected account of the accident to the auto brake, and itsconsequences, and ended by saying, that if any proof were needed, anexamination of the brake would show the truth of their account.
The judge accepted the boy's statement, dismissed the charge againstthem, and turned to them a face from which all sternness had vanished,and been replaced by such a genial, friendly smile, that the threecomrades were filled with wonderment. This was not lessened when themagistrate asked them if they were the three brave fellows who hadstopped the two runaways a few days before, and saved the lives of theladies who were driving.
With amazement that the judge should know of the runaway, plainlywritten on their faces, the boys acknowledged that they had stoppedthe horses, but added that it was their auto that had frightened theanimals, and so it had plainly been up to them to help.
The magistrate smiled more broadly at this, but repeated that they werebrave boys, and that he was glad to meet them.
Looking quizzically at them, he said: "I have a special interest inthose two ladies. One of them is my wife, and the other my daughter, andI can never repay you for what you have done for me. You have made meyour debtor for life. If I can ever do anything for you, be sure and letme know."
Another handshake all around, and the boys found themselves free oncemore. Were they happy?--well, you should have seen them as they climbedinto the car and headed toward camp.
Events had so crowded upon each other that for the first mile or so thethree speeders sat silently reviewing the occurrences of this mostamazing day. And Tom, recalling their court room experience, broke outwith:
"Gee whiz, I'm glad I'm free No prison cell for me."
This provoked a laugh and broke the tension, and a moment afterward ascouting party from the camp hailed them boisterously: "Where are thosefish?" "How long do you think we can live without eating?" "Stand anddeliver or take the consequences"--and as the auto came to a standstill,the basket was snatched and hurried off to the mess tent. Soon adelicious odor made every hungry boy's mouth water, and when at lastthey gathered around the table it was with wolfish appetites that theypaid their respects to that belated fish dinner.