"You cannot pass here," said the officer. "Either return at once, or I shall be forced to place you under arrest."
There was no use arguing.
"Home it is, then," said the young Englishman aloud, and then in a whisper to the driver: "Ahead! Full speed!"
"To the bottom of the car!" he cried, as the machine jumped forward with a lurch.
He dived to the floor of the car, the young Frenchman and Hal following his example.
Chester, however, had been so surprised at the suddenness of this maneuver, that for a moment he was unable to move; but, while his momentary inaction placed him in great danger, it nevertheless saved his companions from capture, or even death.
As the automobile lunged away, hurling the officer to the side of the street, the latter shouted a command:
"Fire! Shoot the driver!"
One man only was in a position to obey. The others were forced to jump for their lives, as the machine bore down on them. This one man, however, raised his rifle and aimed at the driver, just as the car swept by.
The muzzle was right at the side of the car, and a miss would have been almost impossible.