The horses were quiet enough now, and soon had the truck at the edge of the canal. There the work of getting the Dartaway into the water again was speedily accomplished, and, having paid the men, and called the professor away from an ant hill he was examining through a magnifying glass, the motor boys once more got underway.
“Talk about excitement, it’s with us almost from the start,” remarked Ned.
“Yes, I thought our boat was a goner there, one spell,” added Jerry. “It took all my nerve to hold on.”
“Mine too,” added Bob. “I think I’ll have to make a cup of coffee, and take some sandwiches to quiet down.”
And this time neither Ned nor Jerry laughed at their fat chum.
Their trip along the quiet canal was uneventful, and in a few days, after tying up nights along shore of the river into which the canal opened, they swept out on the waters of the Alleghany, and were headed for Pittsburg.
“I hope our auto is all ready for us, and that we don’t have to wait,” remarked Ned one evening, as they got ready to retire for the night.
“Well, we’ll know by this time to-morrow,” spoke Jerry. “We ought to be in Pittsburg then.”
“What are you going to do with the boat?” asked Bob.
“I’ve arranged to store it until we get back,” replied the tall lad. “We’ll have to spend at least a day here, trying out the auto, and laying in some supplies. In that time we can see that the boat is properly put away.”