"Soak the snobs!" cried another, brandishing the bat he held.
"Get 'em, fellers!" yelled a lad, hurling a piece of cinder with poor aim. "Everybody soak 'em good and hard!"
One lad more venturesome than the others hurled a bat at the machines, now almost clear of the crowd. Jimmie had opened the muffler and turned on the power. Mingled with the roar of the exhaust came a sharp musical twanging that told of broken spokes. The bat had reached Jimmie's rear wheel, but fortunately the machine did not collapse under the now uneven strain. In another minute they would be clear.
"Don't let 'em get away!" yelled one of the toughs, drawing a revolver. "Don't let 'em get away! Stop the snobs!"
Seeing that the machines were winning their way to safety, the excited youth pulled the trigger again and again.
CHAPTER II. Secret Service Duty.
"Great Smoking Fireboxes!" exclaimed Jimmie.