"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?"
"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.
"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.