CHAPTER VIII

A CRASH IN THE DARKNESS

“Does it interest us?” repeated Bob. “I should say it did!”

“Automobile is my middle name,” remarked Joe.

“Just when we were wondering what we could do with the rest of our vacation!” exclaimed Jimmy, jubilantly.

“Comes right in the nick of time,” affirmed Herb.

The boys bombarded Doctor Dale with eager questions, but the doctor was adamant and reiterated his suggestion that they should remove the marks of battle. This was considerable of a task, after the furious scrimmage with Buck and Lutz; but they did it, and had repaired the damage to the lead-in wire and were back in the living room of the parsonage and starting to tune up the radio set again when the doorbell rang.

The doctor himself answered the summons, and promptly ushered the newcomer into the room. No introductions were needed, for all the boys knew Mr. Strong well. He was a parishioner of Doctor Dale’s, one of the leading men of the town and an especially close friend of Joe’s father, who was his family physician.

“At the radio, I see,” Mr. Strong remarked, with a genial smile, as he took the chair that the doctor drew out for him.

“Trying out a new set,” said the doctor. “You’re just in time to see how it works.”

Mr. Strong himself was a radio enthusiast, and he shared with the boys the interest elicited by the very satisfactory way in which the set worked. Several selections from that evening’s program were received with special sweetness and clearness which justified all the doctor’s predictions.

The Radio Boys, however, paid less attention to it than they would otherwise have done, for their minds were full of the hint that the doctor had given to them about the prospective tour. For the moment, that was the real question of the evening and eclipsed everything else in importance.

Perhaps a little tinge of mischief caused their host to prolong the concert as he did, but at last he took pity on their impatience and broached the subject that was uppermost in their minds.

“I haven’t forgotten the splendid fight you boys put up to save the property of the Old First Church in those forest fires on Spruce Mountain,” he began, looking around on the eager group. “Ever since that time I’ve been casting around to see if I couldn’t do something to cancel the debt.”

“There’s no debt at all,” put in Bob. “We were only too glad to do what we did, and we never had any thought of payment.”

“I know that perfectly well,” replied the doctor. “But all the same, it saved the church property, and I am exceedingly grateful. Lots of boys in your predicament would have thought of nothing but saving their own skins.

“The other day, Mr. Strong was speaking to me of an automobile trip he was planning to the coast of Maine, partly for pleasure, but chiefly for business reasons. He has a big seven passenger car, and as he is a sociable soul”—here he smiled at the visitor, who waved his hand deprecatingly—“he said he hated the thought of taking the long trip alone. Immediately the thought of you boys came into my head, and I suggested that he take you along. He took to the idea at once and said that nothing would give him greater pleasure. So there you are, if you want to go.”

The glad chorus of thanks and eager acceptance that broke from the group left no doubt on that score.

“Of course, we’ll have to get the consent of our folks,” said Bob. “But I’ve no doubt they’ll be willing.”

“That’s all been attended to,” replied the smiling doctor. “I’ve been to see every one of them in advance, so that there’d be nothing to mar the pleasure of the surprise.”

“Doctor Dale!” exclaimed Bob impulsively, “you’re a bri—” he was going to say a “brick,” but thought this would hardly suit the doctor’s dignity, and ended rather lamely “the real thing.”

For the rest of the evening, radio had to take second place, while the whole party discussed routes, stopping places, and all the other things that go to make up a successful tour. Mr. Strong had his road book with him, and before the boys left Doctor Dale’s house a tentative plan for the trip had been sketched out.

They were to start at dawn on the following Monday morning, and the interval was a busy one for the Radio Boys. Many things had to be bought and packed. But by Sunday evening everything was ready. It had been agreed that they should all go to Doctor Dale’s house, where Mr. Strong would call for them with his machine.

Jimmy was the first one to arrive on Monday morning, and got Doctor Dale out of bed while it was still dark. The good-natured pastor did not mind, however, as he had expected to get up early to see them off. It was not long before the other boys arrived, and promptly at six o’clock Mr. Strong’s machine swung around the corner. The boys said good-by to the doctor, climbed in, and the trip had begun.

It was a beautiful, clear morning, and as the sun rose and flooded the landscape with brilliant sunshine, the boys felt that life had little better than this to offer. Fine weather, a clear road, a good car—what more could any healthy boy desire?

As they left the town, Mr. Strong opened the throttle a bit, and the car picked up speed until it was purring along at a good clip. They had much distance to cover, and while Mr. Strong was no speed maniac, still he considered this a good road gait, and held it steadily, hour after hour.

The country through which they were passing was hilly and heavily wooded, and at every turn of the road some new and beautiful view lay spread out before them. The powerful car swept up every hill with an ease that delighted the boys, and on the down grade Mr. Strong threw out the clutch and let the car coast. As the big machine swooped down into the valleys the sensation was that of flying, and the boys laughed and sang as the crisp air whistled past them. Mr. Strong was an expert driver, and the boys soon learned to have unbounded confidence in him.

After a while Mr. Strong resigned the wheel to Bob, who soon became familiar with the controls and piloted the big car with the skill and ease of a veteran. At first Mr. Strong watched him closely, but soon he decided that there was nothing to worry about, and settled back to rest and enjoy the country.

“It’s a great relief to have somebody along that can handle the car,” he remarked. “I thoroughly enjoy driving, but there are times when I feel like leaning back and looking at the scenery without having to watch the road. I don’t know how much driving you’ve done, but you’ve got the knack of it, all right.”

“Oh, I’ve driven Doctor Atwood’s machine, among others,” said Bob. “I could probably do a lot better if I got more practice, though.”

“Well, experience never hurt anybody,” said Mr. Strong. “After this trip, you’ll be an old timer at the game. You can drive a lot, if you want to.”

Needless to say, Bob did want to, and for the rest of the trip he and Joe drove fully half of the time.

The first night of the journey they stopped at a good hotel, and after a fine dinner they slept the sound sleep of tired travelers. The next morning they started at daybreak, with Shinneport, Maine, as their objective before nightfall.

This program called for some fast traveling, but both car and drivers were equal to the task, and after an exciting all-day flight through beautiful country, they reached their destination late in the afternoon. They had made the long trip from Clintonia without even a puncture, and the boys were enthusiastic in their praise of the car. Not even a shower had marred the perfection of the trip, and the boys felt that no one could make the journey in better style.

Mr. Strong had intended to stay in Maine only a few days, and then return to Clintonia. But the business that had drawn him there proved to be more complicated than he had supposed, and finally it began to look as though he could not leave within any reasonable time at all, which made it appear as though the Radio Boys would have to return by train. Quite unexpectedly, however, another and even more fascinating trip presented itself.

Mr. Strong found that business made it necessary for him to go at once to Halifax. When this became a certainty, he offered to take the boys with him, provided they could get their parents’ consent. Of course, they jumped at the chance, and for a few hours afterward kept the wires hot with telegrams to the home folks. Finally consent was gained, and it was a jubilant quartette that conveyed the news to Mr. Strong.

“That’s fine, boys,” said he, heartily. “I hated to think of the trip ending with a train ride home. I’ll get the boat tickets, and we’ll start for Halifax about noon tomorrow.”

He took out his watch, which was without a chain, and in some way it slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. With a regretful exclamation, Bob jumped to pick it up.

Mr. Strong examined the watch ruefully, shook it and put it to his ear.

“Done for, I guess, until a jeweler repairs it,” he remarked. “I hardly know how to do without one.”

“Use mine,” volunteered Bob, taking from his pocket the beautiful watch he had received on his last birthday.

“I don’t want to rob you,” said Mr. Strong, hesitating. But Bob insisted so strongly that he at last acquiesced.

“Didn’t think you’d ever let that watch go out of your hands, Bob,” said Joe, when they were alone, for he knew how highly his chum prized it.

“I wouldn’t ordinarily,” replied Bob. “But Mr. Strong’s been so kind to us that it’s little enough to do for him. He’ll need it only till he gets his own watch fixed.”

“But he can’t get that done at once.”

“No; but what of that? It’s all right. And Mr. Strong can have anything I have. If it were your watch, you’d feel the same.”

“I suppose so,” agreed Joe.

The next day the boys found themselves on board a steamer bound for the Canadian port. They could hardly believe in their good fortune, and Jimmy declared that he expected to wake up any moment and find it all a dream.

They made friends with the radio operator, which was not difficult when the latter found how keenly they were interested in the science. Each of them was allowed to receive one of the messages in international code, and they enjoyed the experience hugely.

All went well, and the Radio Boys were enjoying themselves thoroughly, until, along toward evening, the steamer ran into one of the heavy fogs common in those waters. The vessel was forced to proceed at reduced speed, and there was an air of suppressed anxiety among officers and crew.

Few among the passengers thought much of the matter, and those who did expected that the fog would lift soon. The boys went to their staterooms at the usual time without any thought of real peril in their minds.

But danger was abroad on the face of the waters.

It seemed to Bob that he had hardly fallen asleep when he was rudely awakened by a terrific crash that almost threw him out of his berth.