“Here they come now,” Brad muttered a minute later as the two men splashed through the water toward the car. “Oh, heck! If we don’t think of something, they’ll get away!”
Mr. Hatfield, however, did not intend to allow the pair to escape without at least an attempt to hold them. Warning the Cubs to remain in the car, he stepped out onto the road just as the two waded up carrying their heavy luggage.
“Stuck?” he inquired casually.
“Looks like it, don’t it?” growled Jake Freeze. “You can’t get through with your car. I’d advise you to turn around and go back the way you came.”
“Guess I will,” Mr. Hatfield said easily. “You’re abandoning your station wagon?”
“We’re in a hurry to catch a train,” Freeze answered. “We’ll have it towed in by a garage.”
“Maybe I can give you a lift to town,” Mr. Hatfield offered, stalling for time.
“Sure, we’ll appreciate it,” Bauer growled. “I’m tellin’ you we’ve had a rotten run o’ luck tonight.”
Mr. Hatfield turned his car around in the narrow road, taking as long as he possibly could. Then he swung open the rear door for the two men to enter.
As Freeze settled himself, he gave Brad and Dan a sharp glance, noticing their Scout uniforms.