“We weren’t a second too soon. If we’d been going slower we’d have been wiped off the map,” added Bill soberly.
“I’m going to keep running at this speed till we’re out of this neighborhood,” cried Tom Jukes. “It’s not healthy.”
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE UHLANS!
But clearly fate was against their seeing anything of the battle that morning. They were still going fast, traveling through a wooded country that alternated with open stretches, where they could catch a glimpse of the far-off fight, when there came a sudden ominous sound:
Bang!
“There’s a shot,” cried Bill, looking round with alarm on his face.
“That was no shot,” returned Tom with a rueful grin, “it was one of the tires blowing out.”
“Pop—bang—air all out—pump her up—hard work—too bad,” exploded Pottle.
“Fritz, I’ll be jiggered if you don’t talk like a tire going on the fritz yourself,” laughed Tom, as he succeeded in slowing the car down on a gentle grade by reversing the engine and then stopping at the bottom.