“The muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands,”
jeered Cora.
“Guess there’s nothing to do,” continued Walter, “but take the engine down and see what’s wrong. It feels as though the parts had grown together.”
“Must be if you couldn’t move it,” said Jack scathingly. “But let’s get busy, fellows. I suppose the first thing to do is to get the cylinders off.”
They fell to with a will, and soon had the smaller fittings dismounted. The motor was of the two-cylinder, two-cycle type, and according to the makers’ plate was rated at six horse power. The exterior was in fairly good condition, only a few patches of rust showing here and there where the paint had been chipped off, leaving the metal exposed.
With some difficulty, the boys got the cylinders off. As they removed the front one, Jack gave a long whistle.
“I’ll bet there’s the cause of the trouble,” he said, pointing to the front cylinder.
The others examined it and Paul remarked:
“Guess it’s a case of broken piston ring, eh, Jack?”