“This is a book about the actions of frogs’ legs under the impulses of an electrical current,” replied the professor rebukingly. “I never eat such things.”
Leaving the professor to continue his reading, only half aware of what had happened, the boys set about making the best of a bad situation.
Attired in garments that defied the rain, which was coming down hard, they jacked up the fallen end of the car and removed the broken wheel. It had been badly smashed by the impact against the tree, but as they had a spare one this feature was not the worst. The axle was bent, and until it was either straightened or a new half inserted, they could not run. The rear axles of automobiles are in two parts, the differentials joining them, so to speak, for as each rear wheel must run independent of the other, to allow for different speeds when rounding corners, so the axles go at different rates.
“This is a job for a garage, if we can find one,” observed Jerry, as he contemplated the bent axle. “We’ll have to stay here all night, I reckon, and somebody will have to go on a scouting expedition.”
“I’ll go!” quickly volunteered Ned. “It’s up to me, anyhow.”
“I’ll go along,” said Bob. “I want the exercise.”
“To get up an appetite,” suggested Jerry with a laugh. “Well, go on, and I’ll get the place in shape for a night’s sleep. Tell the garage man what the trouble is, Ned, and maybe he can bring out a spare axle in the morning and fix us up.”
“I’ll try,” promised Ned; and he and Bob soon splashed off through the rain down the muddy road.
Jerry busied himself with arranging the curtains and getting the cots in position for a night’s stay in the open. The location of the car was not the most favorable or comfortable, for it was to one side of the road, tilted at an angle and jammed against a big oak tree. However, the last fact was rather an advantage, since the dense foliage furnished some shelter from the rain.
The ground was water-soaked though, and Jerry was contemplating this when he saw coming along the road a big auto-truck.