By this time Dick's car was less than three feet away from the runabout, while Tom's machine was still some distance farther up the road.
Boom! There was a distant explosion, not very loud; and following this came a clatter as of stones falling on the rocks. None of the stones, however, fell anywhere near the three machines.
"Oh!" cried Grace.
"Is that all there is to it?" queried Nellie, anxiously.
"I don't know," returned Tom. He had now brought his automobile once more to a standstill.
All in the three machines waited for a moment. Then they gazed enquiringly at the Italian who stood behind them.
"Say, is that all the blasting there is?" demanded Chester Waltham.
"Dat's heem," responded the foreigner. "He go off all right, boss. You go," and he waved the stick of his flag for them to proceed.
"Some scare—and all for nothing," muttered Tom. "The way he carried on you would think they were going to shake down half of yonder cliff."
"Oh, Tom, they don't dare to take chances," returned Nellie. "Why, if we had gone on we might have been showered with those stones we heard falling."