“Hold his head till I slip the traces,” ordered Dave.
They got Dobbin to his feet and managed to pull the wagon up the slight slant.
“Whew!” whistled Ned, “here’s a pretty bad wreck.”
“Yes,” assented Dave soberly. “I don’t know what Mr. Warner will say about it.”
“Let him say!” flared out Ned. “The old thing was ready for the junk pile, long ago.”
“That won’t help much,” said Dave.
As he spoke Dave went over to a stretch of broken fence and dragged a long rail up to the wagon. This he strapped to the hub of the broken wheel.
“I guess the wagon will drag home,” he observed, as he hitched up Dobbin anew, “but we will have to walk.”
“Say,” broke in Ned suddenly, “you think something hit the horse and started him up?”
“I am sure of that,” declared Dave.