“I understand that, Giraffe,” said Bumpus, “but all the same I haven’t forgotten how it’s always the very last lap that’s the hardest to cover. All sorts of things go wrong when you’re in sight of the goal. I never yet tried to do a series of things but what it seemed like the very last was harder to get through with than most of the others combined.”
Thad understood what he meant, for he too had often noticed the same thing; but nevertheless Thad was not one of the kind to allow discouragement to get the upper hand.
“A little more patience, Bumpus, and you’ll be there,” he told the anxious one. “We’re on the way now, and no small troubles will be allowed to hold us up long, if we can prevent it.”
Three minutes after Thad said this they heard a sharp report. Bumpus of course jumped to the conclusion that they were being made a target for German shrapnel again; but Giraffe rested under no such delusion.
“There goes a tire, as sure as anything!” he exclaimed, in disgust.
“Oh! what rotten luck!” cried Bumpus dismally.
“We’ve got to try everything once,” Allan called out, cheerily, for his nature was one that could not be easily discouraged.
Thad hastened to draw up. An examination showed them that one of the rear tires had been punctured. While this might cause them a little delay, it was not so bad as it might have been.
“Fortunately we’ve got an extra inner tube along,” announced Giraffe. “Bumpus in prowling around while we were up on that hill watching the battle came across it. So now let’s get busy, and fix her up again.”
A little experience along such lines had made the boys fairly proficient mechanicians. Thad went about things in a business-like fashion; while even Bumpus fluttered around, and offered to do anything they told him, such was his eagerness to hasten repairs.