At that moment something swished through the air. Dave did not see it, he rather felt it. Before his senses had fairly taken it in, however, old Dobbin made a jump.
Ten feet ahead the slow going animal plunged, as Dave had never seen him do before. Then he made an affrighted veer. Over into the ditch went the crazy old vehicle with a crash. Dave, clinging to the seat, was simply flung sideways, but his companion was lifted bodily. Head over heels out of the wagon went Ned, landing sprawling in the mud.
CHAPTER II
FROM THE CLOUDS
“What’s happened?” shouted out Ned Towner, in dismay and confusion.
“Dobbin ran away, that’s all,” replied Dave quickly.
“Why?” asked Ned, righting himself and looking around him in a puzzled way.
“Something struck him.”
Dave made the declaration as he dismounted cautiously from the wagon. Dobbin lay on his side as if perfectly satisfied with a rest in the soft dirt. One wheel of the wagon was splintered to pieces and the wagon box had caved in on one side.