hind, they came to a large open field, where the ground
was rather soft.

"Turn in here, Dick, if you can," cried Tom.

"That is what I am trying to do," answered the eldest Rover boy, pulling
on one rein with might and main.

At first the horses refused to leave the road, but at last the strain on
the one rein told and Dan swerved to the right, dragging his mate with
him. As the wheels of the buckboard sank into the soft soil of the field
the pulling became harder, and at last the horses dropped into a walk
and were then brought to a stop with ease.

"Wonder if Sam was hurt?" were Dick's first words, as he leaped to the
ground and ran to the heads of the team to quiet them.

"He went out in a hurry, that's sure," was Tom's answer. "Can you hold
them now?"

"Yes--the fire is all out of them."

"Then I'll run back and see to Sam." And Tom set off on a dog trot
toward the spot where the mishap to his younger brother had occurred. He
found Sam sitting on a rock rubbing his left wrist.

"Hurt?" he sang out, anxiously.

"This wrist is a little lame, and my knee is skinned," was the answer.
"Did they get away and throw you out?"

"No, Dick managed to stop them by turning into a soft field. It is lucky
you didn't break your neck."

"I might have if I hadn't tumbled into the bushes, Tom. Gracious, how
the buckboard did jounce up and down!"

Limping a little on account of the bruised knee, Sam followed his
brother down the road. They found Dick had led the team from the field.
He, too, was glad to learn Sam was not seriously injured.

"What's to do now?" asked Tom. "I don't like to trust that team much."

"Oh, they're tamed down now," asserted Dick. "I am sure they won't want
to run away again."

"We want to get to Carwell as soon as possible, but we don't want to do
it by breaking our necks," went on the fun-loving Rover.

Once more the three youths got on the buckboard and Dick started the
team. The fire was now all out of them, and they went along at their
regular gait. It had grown so dark the boys had to light a lantern they
had brought along.

"Listen!" said Sam presently, and held up his hand. From out of the
darkness they heard the steady chug-chug of an automobile. It seemed to
be coming toward them.

"Maybe it's the runabout with those two men!" cried Tom.

"If it is, let us try to stop them," answered Dick.

They brought the team to a halt and listened. For a few seconds the
chug-chug came cl