It was a time of peril, and all of the Rover boys realized this fully. The buckboard was a strong one, but the road had been washed out so much by the storm that it was very uneven, and the jouncing threatened each moment to land one lad or another out on his head.
"Whoa! whoa!" yelled Dick, and did his best to rein in the team. But, as mentioned before, they had not been out for several days and were consequently fresh and inclined to keep on. Each had the bit in his teeth, so pulling on the lines was of little avail.
"If we don't stop soon something is going to happen," was Tom's comment, and scarcely had he spoken when they went down into a rut and Sam was flung up and over a wheel into some brushwood. Then the team went on as before.
The woods left behind, they came to a large open field, where the ground was rather soft.
"Turn in here, Dick, if you can," cried Tom.
"That is what I am trying to do," answered the eldest Rover boy, pulling on one rein with might and main.
At first the horses refused to leave the road, but at last the strain on the one rein told and Dan swerved to the right, dragging his mate with him. As the wheels of the buckboard sank into the soft soil of the field the pulling became harder, and at last the horses dropped into a walk and were then brought to a stop with ease.
"Wonder if Sam was hurt?" were Dick's first words, as he leaped to the ground and ran to the heads of the team to quiet them.
"He went out in a hurry, that's sure," was Tom's answer. "Can you hold them now?"
"Yes—the fire is all out of them."
"Then I'll run back and see to Sam." And Tom set off on a dog trot toward the spot where the mishap to his younger brother had occurred. He found Sam sitting on a rock rubbing his left wrist.
"Hurt?" he sang out, anxiously.
"This wrist is a little lame, and my knee is skinned," was the answer. "Did they get away and throw you out?"
"No, Dick managed to stop them by turning into a soft field. It is lucky you didn't break your neck."
"I might have if I hadn't tumbled into the bushes, Tom. Gracious, how the buckboard did jounce up and down!"
Limping a little on account of the bruised knee, Sam followed his brother down the road. They found Dick had led the team from the field. He, too, was glad to learn Sam was not seriously injured.
"What's to do now?" asked Tom. "I don't like to trust that team much."
"Oh, they're tamed down now," asserted Dick. "I am sure they won't want to run away again."
"We want to get to Carwell as soon as possible, but we don't want to do it by breaking our necks," went on the fun-loving Rover.
Once more the three youths got on the buckboard and Dick started the team. The fire was now all out of them, and they went along at their regular gait. It had grown so dark the boys had to light a lantern they had brought along.
"Listen!" said Sam presently, and held up his hand. From out of the darkness they heard the steady chug-chug of an automobile. It seemed to be coming toward them.
"Maybe it's the runabout with those two men!" cried Tom.
"If it is, let us try to stop them," answered Dick.
They brought the team to a halt and listened. For a few seconds the chug-chug came closer, then it died away in the distance on their left.
"The machine must have taken to a side road," was Dick's comment.
"Yes, and we may as well go on," answered Tom.
Once more they proceeded on their way. Less than a hundred yards were covered when they reached the side road. In the muddy roadway the tracks of the rubber tires of the automobile were plainly to be seen.
"If we were sure they were the men we might go after them," said Sam.
"We'd not catch them with the horses," answered Dick.
"And it might be another machine," added Tom. "There are plenty of them in Carwell."
They were now within two miles of the town and the farmhouses were becoming more numerous. Just as they struck a paved street, Tom uttered an exclamation:
"Here comes Uncle Randolph now!"
He pointed ahead to where a street light fell on a horse and buggy. On the seat of the latter sat Randolph Rover, driving along contentedly.
"Hullo, Uncle Randolph!" sang out Dick, and brought the buckboard to a halt.
"Why, Dick!" exclaimed the uncle, staring at the three boys in surprise. "What brings you here this time of night?"
"We came to find you, Uncle Randolph," said Tom, and added: "Are your traction company bonds safe?"
"My bonds? What do you know of my bonds?" And now the buggy halted beside the buckboard.
"We know two men are after them," said Sam.
"Oh, I thought that was a secret," answered Mr. Rover.
"But did you see the men?" asked Dick, impatiently.
"Oh, yes, and I have had a narrow escape from being swindled," answered the uncle, calmly.
"Oh, then you escaped," said Dick, and he and his brothers breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, I escaped," answered Randolph Rover. "It was very kind of Mr. Jardell to come to me as he did," he went on.
"Mr. Jardell?" asked Tom. "Who is he?"
"Why, the treasurer of the traction company."
"Then you haven't seen a man named Merrick and another named Pike?" asked Sam.
"Why, no. Who are they?"
"Two rascals who were up to some game. We think they were after your traction company bonds."
"Ha! perhaps—But no, that couldn't be," murmured Mr. Rover, wiping off the spectacles he wore. "I—er—I really do not understand this, boys."
"Tell us what you've been doing, uncle, and then we'll tell what we know," said Dick.
"Um! Well, you know that some time ago I invested in ten thousand dollars worth of traction company bonds—got them through an agent in New York."
"Yes."
"Well, about a week ago I received a private letter from Mr. Jardell, of the traction company, stating that there was something wrong with the bonds. Some plates had been stolen and counterfeit bonds printed."
"Yes."
"I was asked to keep quiet about the matter, for if the facts became generally known the public would become frightened and the bonds would go down in the stock market. Mr. Jardell said he would meet me at Carwell and have the printer look at my bonds and find out if they were genuine or not."
"And what did you do then?" asked Dick, who began to smell a mouse, as the saying goes.
"I sent Mr. Jardell word I would meet him at the Carwell hotel to-day. We met, and he and his printer, a man named Grimes, said the bonds I possessed were counterfeits."
"And then what?"
"Of course I was very much distressed," went on Randolph Rover, calmly. "I did not know what to do. But Mr. Jardell was very nice about it. He said he would take the bonds and get the company to issue good ones in their place. He gave me a receipt for them, and I am to have the good bonds next week."
"Why should he give you good bonds for bad ones?" said Tom, who, like Dick, was almost certain something was wrong.
"I asked that question, too, Thomas, but he said the reputation of his company was at stake. He did not want the public at large to know that bogus bonds were on the market."
"Uncle Randolph, do you know this Mr. Jardell personally?" asked Dick.
"Why—er—not exactly. But his letters"
"How did he look?"
As well as he was able Mr. Rover described the man and also his companion. The boys exchanged glances.
"Merrick and Pike," muttered Tom.
"What is that you say, Thomas?"
"We think those men were swindlers," said Sam.
"Swindlers! Oh, my dear Samuel, impossible!" cried Randolph Rover aghast. "Why, they were very nice gentlemen, very nice. They asked me how my scientific farming was getting along, and both had read my article in the Review on the grafting of grape vines, and"
"But we know these chaps," said Dick, "and they are called Merrick and Pike."
"And they talked about getting the best of you," added Tom. "That is why we followed you to Carwell. Where are the men now?"
"They have gone away. But"
"Were they in a green runabout—an auto runabout?"
"They had a runabout, yes. I do not remember what color it was."
"The same fellows!" cried Dick. "Uncle Randolph, unless we are very much mistaken, you have been tricked, swindled! They have robbed you of the ten thousand dollars worth of bonds!"