"That's what you get for having us stop in a place such as you picked out, Peewee," said George. "There's no accounting for the tastes of some people. Now, I never should have selected that place."
"You can believe me, I'll never select it again," answered Fred, so soberly that his friends all laughed. "Once is enough and forever. I didn't believe there could be such a place in the whole of New York State."
"Well, you know now there is," said John, "and so do the rest of us. We don't stop again without knowing something of the hotel in which we are to stay."
"Where shall we stay to-night, fellows?" inquired Fred. "We ought to get to Syracuse early this afternoon and we can go right on to Oswego if you want to or we can stay there until to-morrow morning and start then."
"Wait and see what time it is when we strike Syracuse," said Grant. "Probably the gasoline you bought back there at Rome won't last until we get there."
"I have got enough gasoline to take us to the St. Lawrence River," declared Fred. "I'm not going to be caught again as I was this morning."
Meanwhile the Black Growler was noisily speeding on her way. To three of the boys the country through which they were moving was all new and therefore abounded in interest. Prosperous villages and fertile farms were passed. As the sun climbed higher into the heavens the day became so much warmer that the boys were glad to seek the shelter behind the awnings which they now had made use of, as a protection from the heat and glare.
It was early in the afternoon when the Go Ahead boys arrived at the thriving city of Syracuse. They speedily decided to rest an hour after they had stopped for luncheon and then through the Oswego Canal to go on to the shore of Lake Ontario. There they would be ready to start on the following morning and were hopeful that if no mishaps occurred they would arrive at their destination the following afternoon. The clear air, the quiet that rested over the region through which they were passing, the tranquil attitude of even the cattle in the fields gave slight indication that the peacefulness of the scene was soon to be broken and the Go Ahead boys were to enter upon one of their most stirring experiences.