“What do you figure can be the matter, Thad?” asked Allan.
“I’m in a fog,” came the reply. “The only thing I can think of is that some of that petrol we bought at double price is mighty poor stuff.”
“You mean it’s been weakened to make it seem more,” said Giraffe. “I didn’t know oil and water could be mixed, but mebbe these smart Belgians have found a way to do it. And Thad, now that you mention it I reckon you’ve about hit the right nail on the head.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be done,” ventured Allan; “so we’ll have to grin and bear it. But let’s hope we’ll strike a chance before long to buy a new lot of gas, and this time get a decent quality with push in it.”
“Yes,” added Giraffe, “just now it looks as if we had need of all the push going; in fact I was going to offer to step out and put my shoulder against the car to help along.”
“Oh, you’ll get all that pleasure right away,” Bumpus told him, “because I can glimpse another of those rises ahead there, and we’ll never make a third of it under this low pressure, worse luck.”
Just as he had prophesied they were compelled to work their passage to the top of the rise, though coasting down the other side with a fine burst of speed. About a mile beyond this point Thad was noticed to listen attentively, and immediately work the car over to one side of the road.
“Something coming!” announced Giraffe, “and listen to the row, will you? Makes me think of a fire engine going on the run. But it’s an automobile at that, believe me. Give ’em all the room you can, Thad, because, my word! they’re coming to beat the band.”
Already they could see the dust rising above the trees, and all sorts of vague speculations took form in the minds of the boys. Then suddenly there burst into view a strange contraption, the like of which none of them had ever seen before.
In one way it was a large car, but it had been boxed in with some sort of metal, so that it looked like a “battering ram,” as Giraffe declared afterwards.