The startled driver slammed on brakes, causing the big black truck to slide like a sled. Penny and Louise leaped aside, barely avoiding being struck.
As they watched anxiously, the driver recovered control of the machine. He straightened out and brought the truck to a standstill farther up the road.
Penny seized her chum’s hand. “Come on, Lou! He’s going to give us a ride!”
Before they could reach the truck, the driver lowered the cab window. Thrusting his head through the opening he bellowed angrily:
“What you tryin’ to do? Wreck my truck?”
Giving the girls no opportunity to reply, he closed the cab window.
Penny saw that the man was intending to drive on. “Wait!” she called frantically. “Please give us a ride! We’re lost and half frozen!”
The man heard for he flashed an ugly smile. Shifting gears, he drove away.
“Of all the shabby tricks, that’s the worst!” Penny said furiously. “It wasn’t our fault his old truck skidded.”
“But it is our fault we’re lost on this road,” Louise added. “How are we ever to find the listening post?”