"Hurry up!" yelled Babcock. "We want to get there as soon as possible."
"I'll git ye there soon enough, don't ye fear," said Si Ross, and hobbled off to his barn. He brought forth a bony horse and shoved out a rickety road wagon and began to hook up. The boy helped him.
"That doesn't look very promising," remarked Babcock.
"Is this the best turnout in town?" asked Dave, of the boy.
"It's the only one you can git," was the answer.
At last Si Ross was ready to leave and the two students got up on the rear seat of the wagon, Dave first giving the boy ten cents for his trouble, which pleased the urchin immensely. Then Si Ross pulled himself to the front seat, provided himself with a fresh chew of tobacco, and took up the reins.
"Gee dap!" he squeaked to the bony horse and the animal started off on a walk. Then the driver cracked his whip and soon the steed was making fairly good time over the lonely country road.
Again the boys consulted their watches and found it was now half-past one o'clock. The football game was scheduled to start at half-past three.
"Two hours to get there in," said Dave. "We'll never make it."
"I think we ought to start for Mr. Mongrace's place direct," said Babcock.