CHAPTER IX
BUCKING THE DRIFTS
It was heartbreaking work, for from that point on the road ascendedsteadily toward the top of the mountain, with hardly a level spot onit. A mile ahead lay the Pass, a narrow gorge in which the snow haddrifted so deep as to make it almost impassable.
The car that Bob was driving was in the lead, and as they neared thisdangerous place the disabled chauffeur gave him a word of advice.
"Open 'er wide, son," he counseled. "We'll have to buck drifts maybetwo feet deep or more, and if we once have to stop, it means we'llstay there until somebody comes and digs us out. Give 'er all she'lltake, and hold her on the road if you can."
Bob nodded, and opened the throttle little by little, while thechauffeur held his foot on the muffler cut-out pedal, in order torelieve the engine of all back pressure. Just before they reached thePass, by some freak of the wind the road had been swept clear of snowfor several hundred feet, and this gave the car an opportunity togather speed.
Faster and faster it flew, until the speedometer needle registeredfifty miles an hour. Then through the driving snow the entrance to thePass loomed ahead, and the chauffeur gave an exclamation.
Before them was a snowdrift that looked almost as high as their car,stretching solidly across the road and leaving Bob not the shadow of achance to dodge. He set his teeth, opened the throttle to the limit,and gripped the wheel with wrists braced strong as steel bars.
The heavy car hurtled into the drift with the force of a projectileshot from a big gun, throwing clouds of snow in every direction as itbored resistlessly through. The car skidded and twisted in everydirection, and it was a supreme test of Bob's strength and skill tokeep the powerful machine on its course. Big rocks lined the road, andmore than once they shaved past these with only inches to spare.
Resistless with its initial momentum, the big car was neverthelessgradually losing speed as it penetrated further into the drift and thepassive but deadly resistance of the snow began more and more to makeitself felt. The engine began to labor, and Bob was on the point ofshifting speeds, when suddenly the car broke through the farther sideof the drift, seemed to shake the clinging flakes from it, and beganto pick up speed again.
Those composing the little party never forgot the gruelling battleagainst odds that followed. The blustering wind had piled the snow ingreat drifts in some places, and in others had swept the road so cleanthat the frozen brown earth was visible for some distance.
On these stretches they would pick up speed, and then charge into thedrifts and repeat the former battle. Over and over they did this, Bobdriving like a master, with steely blue eyes fastened grimly on theroad ahead, jaws set, and a face that looked ten years older than itreally was. Those in the car spoke words of encouragement from time totime, but he was too busy and concentrated on his task to answer withanything other than a brief nod.
For what seemed like an age they ploughed through one huge drift afteranother, with the high rocky walls of the Pass frowning down at themtill at last the rugged hills fell back from the road, the airlightened, and they were through the Pass, with less than two milesbetween them and the warmth and shelter of the hotel. The road now ranalong a high ridge, which the wind had swept clear of snow, and Bobstopped the car and relaxed with a great sigh.
"Guess we'd better wait for the others to catch up," he said. "Webroke a path for them, though, and it ought to be a lot easier forthem than it was for us."
"You must be all in, Bob," said Joe. "You handled this car like an oldtimer, but now it's about time you had a relief. Why not let me take ahack at it for the rest of the way?"
But Bob laughed, and shook his head. "I wouldn't have missed that fora farm," he said. "It was hard work, but it was the best kind ofsport, too. Besides, Jim here says that the road runs along this ridgealmost to the doors of the hotel, and it will be easy sailing the restof the way."
"I wonder what has become of the other cars?" said Mr. Layton, in aworried tone. "I hope nothing has happened to them."
He had hardly ceased speaking, when one of the automobiles appeared,so covered with snow that it was hard to believe that it was actuallya car at all. Shortly afterward the Salper car appeared, came to ahalt when its driver saw the other two at a standstill, and its Frenchchauffeur descended and advanced stiffly to where Bob and the driverof the second Layton car were standing.
"Pah!" he exclaimed. "In all France there is no road like that which Ihave just traverse. I am hire to drive ze petrol car, not ze snowplough. It eez ze so great mystery zat we have arrive so far."
"Mystery is right," agreed Jim, the injured driver. "The only casualtyup to date is my busted wing, which is a lot better than a bustedneck. But you'd better get back in your glass house, Frenchy, becausewe're all frozen stiff, and the sooner we land at the hotel, thebetter. My arm feels as though it must be broken in twenty places."
The Frenchman looked doubtfully at Jim when he spoke of an injured"wing," but evidently set it down as being one more incomprehensiblevagary of the English language, for he only shrugged his shoulders andreturned to his car without comment.
The short day was drawing rapidly into night when the little party atlast saw the cheerful lights of the hotel shining through the storm.Fifteen minutes later the lads were all seated in front of a roaringopen fire in the big parlor and were telling their experiences to theamazed guests.
Bob was the only uncomfortable one in the crowd, as he heard everybodyspeaking in praise of the way he had risen to the emergency and wasthankful for more reasons than one when dinner was announced.
"Dinner!" exclaimed Jimmy, rapturously. "Bob, I've got to hand it toyou. Not only do you get us here through a howling blizzard, but youland us just in time for a turkey dinner. Oh my, oh my!"
The Mountain Rest Hotel had a reputation for serving generous meals,and for this the boys were thankful that night. Through all the long,cold day they had eaten nothing but a few sandwiches, and now theystrove to make up for lost time. Not in vain, either. Even Jimmy hadto own up that he could not eat another mouthful, which was astatement he could seldom truthfully make.
Owing to the sickness in Clintonia, there had been an unprecedentedrush of visitors to the hotel, and the Layton party discovered thatthey would have to take one of the small cottages adjoining the hotel,although they would board in the main establishment.
The cottage was snug and comfortable, however, and they were alldelighted with it. Indeed, it was better for the radio boys than roomsin the hotel, because they could set up their receiving set morereadily. Of course, it was out of the question to erect an outdooraerial, but they were not bothered by this and decided to use a loopaerial instead. They had brought with them a knock-down frame on whichto wind their antenna, and this frame could be moved around and setagainst the wall when not in use.
The first night at Mountain Pass they had little thought, however,even for their beloved radio, and were content to tumble into bedshortly after dinner. But the next day they were up early, and after ahearty breakfast set to work to put up their set.