ats. Andy
could see down at the horse and ahead along the road.

He grew excited and somewhat uneasy as he looked out. Lute was a sight
for a race track. Her head down, mane flowing, tail extended, she was
covering the ground with tremendous strides.

Farther back on the route Andy had felt the wagon collide with curbs and
with other vehicles. Once there was a crash and a yell, and he felt sure
they had taken a wheel off a rig they passed. Now, however, they
appeared to be quite clear of the town proper.

The road ahead was a slanting one. A steep grade fully half-a-mile long
led to a stone bridge crossing a river. It was so steep that Andy
wondered that Lute did not stumble. The wagon wheels ground and slid so
that the vehicle lifted at the rear, as if its own momentum would cause
a sudden tip-over.

"We'll never reach the bottom of the hill," decided Andy. "My! we're
going!"

He shouted out words of direction to the horse he had heard Ripley
employ. Lute did not hear, at least did not heed. Andy remembered now
that in stopping the horse Ripley had used the reins.

He held his breath as, striking a rut, the wagon bounded up in the air.
He clung for dear life, with one hand clutching the ventilator bars as
the vehicle was flung sideways over ten feet, threatening to snap off
the wheels, which bent and cracked on their axles at the
terrific strain.

Contrary to Andy's anticipations they neared the bottom of the hill
without a mishap. Suddenly, however, he gave a shout. A new danger
threatened.

The bridge had large stone posts where it began. Then a frail wooden
railing was its only side protection. The roadway was not very broad.
Two full loads of hay could never have passed one another on
that bridge.

"There's a team coming," breathed Andy. "We'll collide, sure. Whoa!
whoa!" he yelled through the grating. "No use. It's a smash, and a
bad one."

Andy fixed a distressed glance on the team half-way across the bridge. A
collision was inevitable. Lute, striking the level, only increased her
already terrific rate of speed.

Andy took heart, however, as she swerved to one side.

The intelligent animal appeared to enjoy her wild runaway, and wanted to
keep it up. Apparently she aimed to keep precisely to her own side of
the road and avoid a collision.

The driver of the team coming had jumped from his seat and pulled his
rig to the very edge of the planking. All might have gone well but for a
slight miscalc